Even now it was motionless, refusing to mimic him eating the fruit.
'Weird. What is it with this guy?'
Sunny took one more bite and looked at the shadow, lost in thought.
The shadow had an eccentric temper, but it rarely did something without a reason. If it didn't like the fruit, there had to be something wrong with… the… fruit…
Sunny frowned, suddenly feeling a sense of dread grip his heart.
There was something… something wrong with the…
'Damn, why is it so hard to think about this stuff?!'
There was something wrong with the fruit? Why would there…
'Wait, is this why I screamed at Nephis? She broke an agreement… what was the agreement?'
Sunny was at the precipice of remembering something very important. He felt as though he just needed to pull on the thread, and the whole truth would reveal itself…
Something terrible was going to happen if he failed...
But then, Sunny got distracted.
Something unexpected happened, something that required his full attention.
Instantly, he somehow forgot all about the problem with the Soul Tree's fruits.
Because at that moment, the Spell was talking into his ear:
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
'Wh—what?'
He blinked, then looked at the delicious fruit in his hands. The Spell announced the increase in his power right after Sunny swallowed his third bite.
Stunned, he raised his head and looked at Nephis.
Changing Star, too, was staring at her fruit with a strange expression on her face. Feeling his gaze, she looked up.
Sunny licked his lips.
"Did you…"
At the same time, Nephis said:
"I just absorbed a point of soul essence."
Without saying anything, they both turned to Cassie.
The blind girl was enthusiastically devouring the fruit. Red juice was flowing down her chin and dripping to the ground.
Stopping for a moment, she smiled.
"Actually, I received mine a few bites ago."
Sunny's eyes widened. Excitedly, he summoned the runes and found the right cluster:
Shadow Fragments: [97/1000].
He really received a fragment!
He received a shadow fragment without risking his life in a battle against deadly monsters!
Finally, Sunny was able to realize why the Carapace Demon had been so fixated on the Soul Tree and its fruits.
These fruits were pure magic!
Forgetting all about the uneasy feeling, he raised his hand and greedily bit into the succulent, delicious, nourishing flesh…
***
Late in the evening, when the sun was already hidden behind the horizon and the dark sea had once again turned the Ashen Barrow into a lonely island, the three of them were preparing for the night.
They had moved their camp to rest between the roots of the great tree. With newfound energy received from consuming miraculous fruits, all their worries seemed to fade.
With no way to move further west, Nephis, Sunny and Cassie had decided to rest for a few days before making any decisions.
They deserved a short vacation.
The Ashen Barrows was a perfect place to recuperate. There were no monsters in the surrounding wasteland, it was large enough to protect them from the horrors of the sea, and they had plenty of food thanks to the Soul Tree.
What's more, that food could even provide them with power…
Where else would they be able to grow stronger without risking their lives?
As far as hell goes, this place was almost a paradise.
Sunny lay on the makeshift mattress of fallen leaves, feeling relaxed and optimistic for the first time in many, many days.
Things seemed to be getting better.
Before falling asleep, he glanced at the mighty branches of the great tree and thought with a bit of regret:
'With the Carapace Demon gone, there's no one to protect this magnificent tree anymore. When we continue our journey, it will be completely defenseless. What a shame…'
His consciousness was already half-asleep. However, one last thought entered Sunny's mind right before he completely slipped into the embrace of darkness:
"What a shame that no one will be here to serve it.... and feed it... and help it spread its seeds…"