The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Noble paused when she heard Rain's question, a small smile coming to her face. 

'I guess she decided to take my advice...I should leave before I hear any more of her private thoughts.' 

Noble placed her hand on the swinging door when a masculine voice answered her little girl.

"I can help if you want."

The mother's blood ran cold.

Had someone been hiding in the room unnoticed by her? She was pretty sure the back door had not opened, but she closed her eyes to make sure.

The room at the other end of the hall was empty of anyone but her daughter. There was no form and no emotional signature of anyone else.

Rain cried out a moment later.

"You can talk?!"

'Wait…no. It cannot be!'

Noble hurried down the hall to try and peek, but the shelves blocked her from getting any view of the room.

Pressing herself up against the wall of the hall, Noble resorted to her second sight once more.

Her heart raced.

The voice, whatever it was, had offered help. Was it the shadow Guardian that Noble believed had protected the girl for over a year?

Why was it showing up now? Rain was as surprised as her mother, which meant this was a new phenomenon.

Strange happenings in the Dream Realm could not be ignored.

In case this visit was something more sinister, Noble wanted to be ready.

She silently summoned the Zenith. The beautiful weapon manifested in her palm and she gripped it tightly. If that voice tried to hurt her Rain, she would make it pay.

That was assuming she could find the origin of the voice. The professor searched the room frantically.

'Where are you?'

Her question was answered in the most unexpected manner.

The form of a man came out of Rain's shadow, both astonishing and confusing the professor.

Something had been there. She wasn't crazy!

But that revelation brought more questions than answers, and the more Noble heard of the conversation between her daughter and the stranger, the more concerned she became.

'At least he isn't a Skinwalker.'

As soon as the stranger had come from the shadows, Noble could feel his emotions. She was relieved to find they were the typical emotions that humans, and not monsters, should experience.

So unless the Skinwalker or other demonic creature had somehow found a way to mask his utter hatred from her, the one conversing with her daughter was human.

'He seems familiar. Wait! What kind of person hangs out in a teenager's shadow?'

The man had just said that he only resided in Rain's shadow, further stirring Noble's concern.

A shadow stalker?

That was one kind of stalker Noble could confidently say that she had never had.

And one she very much didn't like her child having either.

'Remain calm.'

The professor wanted to rush the room and interrupt the conversation, but she also wanted to gather as much information as she could. Neither of them had noticed her, which meant their words would be candid.

As soon as Noble made herself known, both parties would be guarded with their speech.

So Noble listened and tried to memorize every word.

It was easily the most interesting conversation on which she had ever eavesdropped. Not that she did things like this often…or ever.

'That time with Harlow doesn't count.'

Noble tried to focus.

The deal the stranger was offering—Noble couldn't believe it!

'Natural Awakening?'

Noble had seen Counsel become a Master without the use of the Spell, but she could never recreate that process—at least not without something as powerful as the Portcullis Key and a lot of trial and error.

'But the Key is gone and we only have had one chance at success anyway.'

Was this stranger qualified to do what he claimed? Or was this some elaborate con?

Noble intended to find out.

At last, the moment of truth arrived.

Rain had asked the shadowy figure not to follow her, and he had agreed.

However, as soon as the door shut, the man began to dissolve into the shadows, probably to follow Rain anyway.

Noble could feel his emotions begin to slip away with his body. She needed to act fast.

"Oh no you don't!"

Rushing forward, Noble spoke the names of light and getting brighter. Admittedly, in her fervor, she may have said the second phrase more than once…or six times.

The bakery was overwhelmed with incandescent white, expelling any hint of shadows from the room.

The man who had begun to dissolve hissed at the sudden assault on his senses, but Noble didn't care. She wanted answers and right now not even the most powerful being in two worlds would have stopped her from getting them.

While the stranger fought against the light, Noble ignored it, using her second sight to navigate the room.

A string of curses escaped the irritated man as he moved to stand, but he stopped short when he felt a cold blade touch his neck.

"Don't move."

As the light faded, the man looked at her filled with both shock and frustration.

"How did you? Don't tell me I've been fooled by those bracelets again!"

Motioning to the gold bands on Noble's wrists, the man cursed again. His indignation caused the blade of the Zenith to brush up against his neck.

"Oh!" Noble hadn't meant to hurt him, at least not yet.

Yet no blood came out of the wound.

That was as unnerving as it was interesting.

Noble had a ton of questions, but the man's words derailed her initial inquiry.

'Again? Wait, he knows about my bracelets!'

The woman's eyes opened wide.

She was right that his emotions were ones she had sensed before.

"I know you!"

"You do?" The stranger seemed oddly excited for someone who still had a weapon pointed at his neck.

"You're…" Noble searched for the name and found it at last. "You're Sunny!"

"You… you know me?" The man pushed aside the sword to sit up, ignoring the small cut made on his palm.

"It's hard to forget the man who was lurking outside of my house a few months ago."

"I wasn't lurking—what is it with you ladies and that word?!" Sunny's expression soured. "Is that the only reason you remember me?"

Noble blinked. "Yes, why?"

"I…needed to know." The man sighed.

The Master shook her head and raised her weapon once more. "We are getting off track. What do you want with my daughter, and how long have you been in her shadow?"

"If you were listening, you know I want to train Rain, and as for the second question…"

The man winced.

"Well?" Noble eyed him sternly.

"I'm struggling to find an appropriate answer that won't make you want to run me through with that surprisingly sharp blade."

He gritted his teeth.

"Tell me!" Noble felt like she might die from suspense…if she didn't kill the lurker before that.

The man blew out his cheeks, crumbling under the pressure.

"I might have found Rain after talking to you and slipped into her shadow then. So, around three months."

"What?!?"