Her boss blinked a few times with an offended expression on his pale face. "Hey! That's harsh!" Aiko suppressed the desire to palm her face.
"Wait, that was not a hypothetical question? What the... where the hell did you find a city full of immortal abominations?! And why?! Why would you do something like that?!"
Sunny raised his chin.
"No, it wasn't. Under the sea. And... why, because there's treasure involved!" Aiko was about to say more, but froze instead.
A moment later, her eyes glistened.
Her expression changed subtly.
"Treasure? Huh. What kind of..."
But her boss shook his head.
"Nope. Since you're apparently full of prejudice against immortal abominations, I am not taking you with me. Not a chance. Don't even ask!"
She just stared at him for a moment.
"I wasn't going to, though?"
Her boss nodded.
"Great. Then... if you really don't want to go, I suggest you vacate the premises. Fast."
Aiko stared at him in confusion.
At that moment, something eerie happened.
Three more versions of Sunny appeared from the shadows behind her, walking toward the throne.
"And I mean really fast."
"Immediately would be best."
"You can set up a temporary office in the Nameless Temple. There's a cot in the inner sanctum, I think? Oh, and don't forget to water my tree!"
'This is bad..."
The various incarnations of her boss very rarely gathered in one place.
And every time they did, something terrible happened.
"Oh, no!"
Not wasting any time, Aiko dashed forward, sprinted past the throne... and jumped out of the window.
As she hovered in the lightless sky of the Forgotten Shore, looking down at the magnificent edifice of the Dark Castle...
The castle suddenly vanished without a trace.
'Oh, no! My bedroom!'
And just a few moments later, it appeared again somewhere else.
To be precise, it appeared on an empty, pristine plaza in the Eternal City.
Jet had barely managed to take a few steps back before the black spires of the Dark Castle suddenly rose from the shadows enveloping the square.
Soon enough, a magnificent black fortress appeared out of nowhere between the ornate buildings, casting a deep shadow upon them.
Then, its gates opened with a chilling groan...
And out of the darkness inside, a vast legion of silent shades marched onto the ancient streets.