Saint was Sunny's companion and ally, so convincing her to come to the Shadow Clan's aid had not been difficult. Mimic, however, was not quite that receptive to earnest communication... and yet, achieving an understanding with it had been even simpler.

After all, the Marvellous Mimic and the Shadow Clan existed in a state of symbiosis. The Mimic sheltered humans and produced soul coins for them, while humans made sure that it never went hungry by feeding it a steady stream of delicious abominations. So, it was in Mimic's own interest to keep the relationship going. Out there in the wild, he would have to risk its safety and work laboriously to deceive and hunt powerful prey.

Being domesticated, though, offered it a far more stable and leisurely existence.

Plus... Sunny had a feeling that the Marvelous Mimic had gotten used to being a home. It almost felt as if it liked being a shelter for countless people, and was quite fond of its current form — that of living, magnificent, carnivorous castle.

Sunny had significantly enhanced the Dark Castle, as well. Even if Mimic was a living being, that did not mean that he couldn't enchant it the same way he and Cassie had enchanted the key Citadels of humanity. So, although Mimic's Rank and Class had not increased, it was far more deadly and impregnable now.

Even if Sunny was absent, it would serve the Shadow Clan well.

Sunny grinned.

"See? Aren't I brilliant?"

Revel gave him a long look.

"Don't you think that if a man calling himself the Lord of Shadows was brilliant, that would be a problem?"

She scoffed and shook her head.

“Anyway, that is not what I am talking about. Your replacement! Do you really think that leaving that thing here won't cause any problems? If so... think again!"

Sunny coughed.

Admittedly, the last element of his plan was the most questionable. However, after considering it carefully, Sunny tended to believe that it would work.

That element was Vile.

Yes, Sunny was leaving many powerful tools to Revel. She would become Serpent's host, gain Saint's support, and control a fearsome moving stronghold. However, even that was not enough to make sure that the Forgotten Shore withstood the dreadful peril of the apocalypse.

And so... Sunny was leaving Vile behind, too. To be precise, he was leaving it behind as his replacement. Before entrusting the devilish creature to Saint and Revel, he convinced it to take a particular form — Sunny's own form, that was.

Vile could copy the powers of most beings whose essence it stole, and Sunny had been one of its victims. It had already showcased the ability to contain and command shades in the Tomb of Ariel, and beyond that... if it wanted to, it could create Dream Gates as well. Especially now that one of Sunny's shadows had become its own.

With its transformation into a fully fledged Shadow Creature complete, Vile was not a devil child anymore — it was a mischievous... and more than a little sinister... teenage Devil. So while Sunny indeed felt a bit hesitant to set that Devil free, he was not too worried.

That was because Saint would stay behind to keep an eye on Vile and make sure that it did not do anything too dreadful. Additionally...

Vile would spend almost all of its time on the Forgotten Shore. Sunny would have hesitated setting it loose in a place like Bastion or Ravenheart, but here? There were deadly frozen wastelands to the west, the even deadlier Nightmare Desert to the east, the Hollow Mountains and the Underworld to the south, and the haunted tangle of the Burned Forest to the north.

What was the worst Vile could do?

‘No, no... let's not think those words aloud...'

If it had been immediately after the Tomb of Ariel, Sunny might have hesitated more. But the vile spawn had lost a lot of its savage wildness over the few years it had spent in the embrace of human civilization, learning how to be more cautious.

So, Sunny had transferred half of his remaining shades to the brat, warned him sternly to be a good boy... girl... or whatever it was, and then had Saint give it a look.

For some unexplainable reason, the little wretch all but ignored his warnings, but suddenly grew demure and obedient as soon as Saint glanced at it with her cold, indifferent ruby eyes.

It was like a kid who knew that he could get away with a lot of things when dealing with his parents, but became the picture of good upbringing when staying at his strict, cool aunt's house.

‘I'm cool too, damn it...'

No, what was Sunny thinking? He wasn't and had never been that little devil's parent! He was just its temporary master!

In any case, Sunny had managed to both ensure the safety of the Forgotten Shore and further weaken his Domain with Vile's help. There were still thousands upon thousands of shades resting in his soul, many of them immensely powerful, but at least their number was not overwhelming anymore.

So...

There was only one thing left to do.

Sunny studied Revel for a bit, then smiled.

“Well? Are you ready?"

She sighed and nodded somberly.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Sunny stood up and offered her his hand.

"Let's shake on it, then."

Revel stared at his hand for a while, then rose and took it.

As they shared a handshake, Sunny's serpent tattoo slivered down his arm and slowly slipped under Revel's sleeve. She shivered, her dark eyes widening slightly. And just like that, the bestowal was complete.

Sunny took a deep breath.

Revel would do well... he was sure she would. Saint would serve as her strength and command the legion of shades, both those hidden in her shadow and taken by Vile. Aiko, meanwhile, would handle the administrative side of running the Shadow Clan — and gods knew how capable she was.

The Forgotten Shore would endure the tides of apocalypse.

In fact, Sunny felt that even if the rest of humanity were to fall, this dark land would remain standing.

He felt a little wistful, but also content with his decisions.

‘It's for the best.'

His smile faltered a little, becoming faint.

"Hey..."

Revel's voice sounded full of some unknown, poignant emotion.

Turning his gaze back to her, Sunny raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yes?"

She stared at him silently for a second, then asked in the same deadpan tone:

“Can you perhaps let go now? We've been shaking hands for like half a minute..."

Sunny looked down, blinked a few times, and unhurriedly let go of Revel's hand.

His smile widened a little.

“Sure. Oh, and congratulations. I will leave these lands in your care... Lady of Shadows."

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