Scarlet king in shadow slave

The days bled into one another, a relentless rhythm of survival and ambition.

Each morning, Ares woke to Sunny's sharp tongue, teasing and biting humor as they studied together, the strange camaraderie between them growing with each passing day. The afternoons were a blur of lectures and sparring, a battlefield of strategy and strength. But the nights—that was when Ares came alive.

His nightly meetings with Nephis had become his obsession. Every clash of their swords was a firestorm, her secret sword art an unyielding challenge that consumed his mind. He devoured every move, every flicker of her blade, forging a style of his own—a brutal, unrelenting dance that even Nephis began to respect.

Three nights. That's all it had taken for him to match her technique and ferocity. He still remembered the disbelief in her silver eyes as he drove her back for the first time, the rush of triumph lighting a fire in his chest.

But amidst the flames of his battles, a shadow lingered.

He'd noticed it a while back—silent, creeping, always watching. At first, he thought it was a trick of the dim light, yet it returned every night without fail. It didn't take him long to figure out whose shadow it was.

And tonight, he decided, was the night to confront her.

---

The hallway was dim, the other trainees long gone as Ares and Sunny walked side by side. Their footsteps echoed softly, but the silence between them was heavy. Too heavy. As if something was on their mind.

Ares wasn't usually this quiet, so Sunny felt a sense of foreboding.

When the last figure disappeared around the corner, Ares moved. With a fluid motion, he grabbed Sunny's wrist and pulled her into the shadows of an empty alcove. Her back pressed lightly against the cold wall, and she glared up at him, dark eyes sharp and unyielding.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped, her voice laced with annoyance...and hidden nervousness.

Ares smirked, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. "I could ask you the same thing, Sunny."

She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "I'm not doing anything. You're the one being weird."

His smirk widened. "Really? Then let me help you out. Your shadow. I've seen it following me. Every night. Watching." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "Stalking."

Her jaw tightened, but she didn't flinch. "Stalking?" she echoed, her tone calm, calculated. "Don't flatter yourself, Ares. I was just... curious."

"Curious, huh?" He tilted his head, his gaze searching hers. "Curious about what? About me? About Nephis? Or maybe..." His voice softened, growing almost conspiratorial. "About how it feels."

Her lips parted, but no words came. For a fleeting moment, her shadow trembled faintly at her feet.

"I'm not lying," she said finally, her voice steady. "I was curious. That's all."

Ares studied her, the faint smile never leaving his face. "You're not lying," he said, and for a moment, his voice almost sounded... impressed. "But you're not telling me the whole truth either, are you?"

Sunny's gaze sharpened, her expression unreadable. "What truth do you think I'm hiding, Ares?"

"That you don't just want to survive," he said, his tone softer now, but no less intense. "That you're tired of lurking in the shadows, watching. That you want to burn, too."

Her breath hitched, but her face remained impassive. "Burn?" she repeated, the word heavy on her tongue. "Sounds reckless."

"It is," Ares admitted, his grin softening into something gentler. "But it's also freeing. You don't have to stay in the dark, Sunny. You don't have to settle for just surviving."

"And what if surviving is enough?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's not," he said simply, his gaze locking with hers. "Not for someone like you."

She looked away then, her jaw tightening as if to shield herself from his words.

"You don't know me," she muttered.

"I know enough," he said, stepping back and letting her go. "Enough to know you're capable of more. Enough to know you want more, even if you're too scared to admit it."

Her fists clenched at her sides, but she didn't respond.

Ares gave her one last look, his smile a mix of mischief and sincerity. "When you're ready to stop hiding, you know where to find me."

And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the shadows, her thoughts a tangled mess of emotions she couldn't name.

###############

The dojo was quiet, the air thick with anticipation as Ares stood at its center. His arms were crossed, his crimson eyes fixed on the entrance, glowing faintly with restrained excitement.

Nephis, standing nearby, tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her silver gaze. "What are we waiting for?" she asked, her voice cool but edged with interest.

"You'll see," Ares said, his tone amused, a sly grin tugging at his lips. His gaze remained on the dark entrance, unblinking.

A flicker of movement.

From the shadows, she emerged.

Sunny stepped into the light, her pale skin and dark hair striking against the dim backdrop. Her defiant eyes met Ares' first, then shifted briefly to Nephis, before settling back on him.

"So," she said with a smirk, her voice carrying a quiet confidence. "I'm here. What now?"

Ares' grin widened, satisfaction gleaming in his gaze. "You decided to come."

"What can I say?" she replied, snickering softly. "You have a way with words."

Nephis frowned, her confusion plain. "Why is she here?" she asked, her tone skeptical. To her, Sunny was just an outskirts kid—weak, unremarkable. Someone not worth noticing.

Ares chuckled, his crimson eyes alight with mischief. "Don't let her appearance fool you. Inside that small body is a ferocious little squirrel."

Sunny shot him a glare, but her lips twitched, betraying a hint of amusement.

Nephis' frown deepened, but Ares didn't let her linger in doubt.

"No matter," he said, turning back to Sunny. "I'm glad you came. Because from today onward..."

He stepped closer, his voice lowering, his eyes locking onto hers with an irresistible, almost magnetic intensity.

"I will shape you into a weapon."

#############

The dojo echoed with the sharp crack of wood against wood, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Sunny lay sprawled on the ground, her wooden sword cast aside as she gulped for air. Every inch of her body ached, but there was a strange satisfaction simmering beneath the exhaustion.

She had no combat knowledge, no training, nothing but raw determination. And yet, she felt it—a flicker of improvement, as if her body and mind were waking to something new.

Ares stood a few feet away, his wooden sword resting casually against his shoulder. His crimson eyes gleamed with amusement and approval as he watched her struggle to her feet.

"Not bad," he remarked, his tone light but laced with purpose. "You're starting to move your feet instead of planting yourself like a tree. Progress."

Sunny gritted her teeth and picked up her sword, her legs trembling under her weight. Despite the pain, there was a dark flame in her eyes, a quiet, burning defiance.

Her shadow, however, told a different story. It flickered faintly at her feet, moving nonchalantly but with strange movements. It twisted and writhed with each clash, as if feeding off her frustrations and triumphs. It was her constant companion—a reflection of her inner turmoil, but also of her growing strength.

Ares had a way of teaching—brutal but deliberate. His strikes weren't random; every blow targeted her weaknesses, exposing blind spots and unguarded angles. He moved slowly at first, his attacks measured and purposeful, forcing her to adapt with each clash.

It wasn't just a fight. It was a lesson.

True to his words, Ares was shaping her—molding her into something sharper, faster, stronger. And Sunny, despite the pain, accepted it eagerly. Every swing of her sword became more controlled. Every step more deliberate. Her body learned to react instinctively, driven by the sheer will to keep up with him.

Nephis watched from the sidelines, her silver eyes narrowing as she observed the two. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, her expression a mix of curiosity and impatience. Ares was up to something, she could feel it, but his motives remained a mystery.

Her fingers twitched, longing to snatch a sword and challenge him herself. Watching him spar with Sunny only stoked her hunger, but she held back—for now.

Sunny lunged again, her movements sharper, more fluid than before. Ares parried with ease, his strikes calculated and efficient. The clash of their swords filled the air, punctuated by Sunny's ragged breaths. Her shadow stretched behind her, flickering wildly, mirroring the chaotic determination she poured into every strike.

Finally, with a quick twist of his wrist, Ares disarmed her, sending her sword clattering to the floor. Sunny staggered back, her chest heaving, sweat dripping down her face.

"That's enough," he said, lowering his sword. He glanced at her battered form, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You're starting to see it, aren't you?"

Sunny didn't reply, but the flicker of pride in her dark eyes—and the way her shadow finally stilled—was answer enough.

Ares stepped closer, his tone softening but losing none of its intensity. "Now comes the next step. Watch. Learn. And remember—this is just the beginning."

With that, he turned, his attention shifting to Nephis. His smirk returned, devilish and confident, as he hefted his wooden sword.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, his voice carrying a teasing edge. "But I'm all yours now."

Nephis pushed off the wall, her silver eyes blazing with uncontained fire. "Finally," she muttered, her steps measured and deliberate as she approached.

Her movements were a stark contrast to Sunny's unrefined stance—graceful, powerful, each step exuding a confidence born of mastery. She stopped a few paces from Ares, her gaze locked onto his, daring him.

Ares raised his sword in a mock salute, his grin widening. "Shall we dance?"

Nephis didn't waste another second. She dashed forward, her speed explosive, her blade already swinging toward his chest.

The sound of their clash filled the dojo, a furious symphony of power and precision. Ares moved to meet her, their swords colliding with a force that made the air hum.

Sunny's legs gave out beneath her, and she slumped to the floor, too drained to move but unable to look away. Her shadow rippled faintly as if drawn to the energy of the fight, stretching toward the combatants.

Nephis was ferocity incarnate, her strikes wild but controlled, her movements fluid and deadly. She attacked with an intensity that seemed to ignite the very air around her, and yet Ares met her blow for blow, his grin never wavering.

Unlike their earlier skirmishes, this wasn't just a fight—it was a battle of equals. Nephis fought with the precision of a warrior honed by experience, her blade an extension of her very soul. Ares, in contrast, fought with a hunger that could be felt, every move he made looked chaotic and savage, brutal, but it was all planned.

He dodged her strikes by the thinnest margins, his movements calculated yet reckless, a smirk playing on his lips as if daring her to try harder.

"You've gotten faster," Ares murmured, his voice low and almost intimate as their swords locked together, their faces mere inches apart. His crimson eyes burned, but there was something darker lurking beneath the surface, something that set the air between them alight.

"And you're still playing with fire," Nephis shot back, her voice sharp but laced with something dangerous, her silver eyes daring him to step closer, to push further. Her breath was steady, but her lips curled in a faint, knowing smirk.

Ares let out a low, almost predatory chuckle, the sound reverberating like a challenge. "Maybe," he drawled, his tone teasing yet laced with a wicked undercurrent, "I just like watching you burn."

Their blades scraped against each other as they broke apart, their movements deliberate and charged, the tension between them thick enough to cut. The fire in Nephis's gaze didn't waver, and Ares's smirk widened, his demeanor as infuriating as it was magnetic.

Their swords clashed again, the impact reverberating through the air. Sunny's heart pounded in her chest as she watched them. The difference between her sparring session and this was night and day.

This was what it meant to burn.

For a brief moment, Sunny's gaze shifted to her wooden sword lying a few feet away. Her fingers twitched, her mind racing with the lessons she'd just learned.

Her shadow flickered at her side, as if urging her onward.

One day, she thought. One day, I'll stand among them.

But for now, she watched, her heart alight with a determination that refused to fade.

###########

Hello readers~

Hope you enjoyed!

I want to talk to you about this ff, u see nearly every plot for ss is so tied together by G3 that if u change one thing you change everything, making things incredibly difficult, and it will basically not be ss.

So, I first thought of just abandoning this ff, shadow slave is a terrifying novel for a beginner like lil me.

That's why I thought of just ditching it and thinking of another ff.

Or, just make this ff multiversal, with ss being the homeworld and him going to other worlds with the gang, which really doesn't fix the chaos and the bottleneck for shadow slave plot.

Anyway share ya thoughts. Peace!