Shadow Slave novel Chapter 2546

Out there in front of the Great Mirror—a reflection of an illusion of the Great Mirror, to be precise—a man was sitting on the cold stone floor, strumming an old guitar. The slow, wistful melody echoed in the dim expanse of the vast chamber, reflecting from its distant walls. The dead silence that reigned in the depths of the mountain served as an opulent background for the melody, making each note feel full and rich. As Sunny and Effie entered the chamber of the Great Mirror, the man hummed in a low, pleasant voice.

“Mmmmm... mmmm... mmmmmm..."

Sunny did not know what he had expected the Castellan to look like. However, he definitely did not expect him to be wearing cheap, torn jeans and a faded windbreaker jacket. The man was sitting with his back to the gates, facing the covered mirror—so, they could not see his face. However, they did see that his hair was long and disheveled, in dire need of a brush and shampoo.

"Mmmmm... oh, all of us will dream... mmmm... the nightmare... of the..."

Sunny and Effie glanced at each other.

The Castellan—they were sure that it was him—looked perfectly mundane. He did not show any signs of aggression, either, or any signs of having noticed them at all. Instead, he seemed completely focused on casually picking the strings of his guitar and humming a quiet song in the silence of the underground chamber.

That song was quite eerie, though. Sunny could not make out all of the words, but they sounded cold and ominous, even if the man singing them did not put any emotion except slight melancholy into his voice. Something about him looked familiar.

They moved forward cautiously, circling the Castellan from both sides. When Sunny finally caught a glimpse of his face, he halted for a moment.

‘I've seen him before...’

The man was not at all kempt, but his weathered face was handsome... subtly beautiful, even.

"Wait. Isn't he..."

Effie's voice sounded surprised.

She had a reason to be bewildered, too. ‘Wait a minute:

As it turned out, the Castellan had been near them this whole time. Sunny could remember at least two instances of meeting him—or, rather, noticing him in the background. There were probably more that had gone unnoticed.

The man... was the street musician who had been playing his guitar near the Mirage City Center for Troubled Youths on the day they visited it. He had also been near the psychiatric hospital where Saint worked on the day they kidnapped the Other Mordret. In hindsight, his presence in both places was strange... what kind of musician would busk outside on a rainy day, when everyone was huddled inside? It made little sense. But Sunny had not paid him any attention. The ragged street musician had been merely one of the many nameless extras populating Mirage City... he had been nothing more than a part of the background.

So, they had seen him, walked past him, and failed to recognize him for what he truly was.

The Castellan. The custodian of the Palace of Imagination, and the ancient reflection who had usurped the authority over the Great Mirror.

However...

Those were not the only two times Sunny had seen this man. Effie might have been surprised because she recognized the Castellan as the unassuming street musician, but Sunny had a different reason. In truth, he had seen him even before coming to Mirage City.

The street musician was older, and his face was much more weathered. The clothes were different, and his hair was much longer now. The lower part of his face was covered by a beard, which had not been there before—but there was no mistaking it.

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