'How did it end up this way?'
The shadow remembered his peaceful past. The tranquil quiet of his lightless kingdom, the uneventful years he had spent slumbering in the darkness…
Now, there was bright light illuminating the vast hall, and not one, but two boisterous voices chasing away the silence.
"Thank the gods… so you're just a disembodied soul, not actually a living doll!"
"Of course. But why are you using informal speech when addressing me?"
"What are you talking about? Look at you. You're so tiny and squeaky!"
"So what?! I might be tiny, but I am a mature, respectable woman! You brat!"
"Who are you calling a brat, pipsqueak? I am Noctis, the Crimson Beast of Twilight. I am a Transcendent hero! I am already nineteen!"
"See! I am… huh, wait, how old am I? Twenty-nine? Yeah, that's right!"
"Oh? Oh… well, sorry then. Auntie."
"Auntie?! Did you just call me an auntie?!"
The shadow sighed heavily.
