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Chapter 764: Spirit Of Flame
Shadow Slave

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  1. Offline
    حمد
    + 21 ⋅ 1 -
    Shock. Confusion. Joy. Reprieve. Peace. Fear…

    Sunny sat on a flimsy chair in the waiting area in front of an armored door, shell-shocked by what had happened. What was happening. Failing to envision what was going to happen.

    His mind was thoroughly scrambled.

    The waiting area was situated on a different level of the hospital complex. By now, the one devastated by the recent events was already put off. The fires were gone. Teams of the Academy staff were sifting through the wreckage, trying to determine the amount of damage done to the structure of the building and various equipment.

    Those wounded by the explosion and the members of the security team were being hastily treated. It seemed that no lives were in danger… mostly because Sunny had gotten there in time.

    What exactly had transpired?

    He had a good idea.

    Back when Sunny had Awakened, he had unconsciously activated his Aspect Ability before fully regaining his consciousness. As the result, he had come to his senses standing near the sleeping pod instead of inside of it.

    Shadow Step was a teleportation Ability… what if he had gotten a direct damage Ability?

    What if he had been a Tyrant, at that?

    This was not an uncommon occurrence among the Awakened. Kai had gone through something similar, if Sunny remembered correctly. The same must have happened to Nephis.

    It was just that her new Ability had turned out to be nothing short of devastating. As expected from the daughter of the Immortal Flame clan…

    After spending a whole year on the Forgotten Shore and then two more wandering alone through the Dream Realm, she must have been extremely disoriented by the return to the waking world. Using her Aspect caused her to be in the throes of terrible pain, as well. Her Flaw was very cruel, after all.

    Perhaps Neph could have regained her composure, but sadly, the automated battle systems of the hospital complex were not sophisticated enough to differentiate between an unknown Awakened and an active threat. Even the members of the security team had failed to make the distinction.

    All they had perceived was that the guarded room where the heir of the Immortal Flame slept had been destroyed, and that a seemingly inhuman apparition stood among the fires.

    In any case, the turret had unleashed a hail of bullets on Nephis, causing her muddled mind to switch into combat mode. After that, all she saw was a threat.

    In combat, you had to kill the enemy and prevent the enemy from killing you.

    Who knew how much damage she would have done if Sunny had not appeared on time?

    'Lucky…'

    But… how was she so powerful? Fourteen powerful Awakened had failed to even slow her down. Not even the cage he had created from shadows could withstand the heat of her flames.

    Sunny scowled, then grimaced.

    Cassie was sitting nearby, gripping his hand so hard that even Bone Weave was struggling with the pressure. Both of them were waiting for the doctors examining unconscious Nephis to deliver some news.

    He patted the blind girl on the shoulder, then said awkwardly:

    "Cas… my hand."

    She turned to him with a confused expression, then flinched and let go.

    "...Sorry."

    They weren't alone in the waiting area. In fact, a small crowd of people was there with them — doctors, faculty members, a few disheveled government agents, Academy administrators… everyone was anticipating the news with baited breaths. Their faces were pale, shocked, and excited.

    Morgan of Valor was there, too, leaning against the wall and typing something in her communicator, her expression calm and nonchalant. She seemed to have understood that their negotiations would have to be postponed.

    What was the point of negotiating with Sunny and Cassie when everything had just changed? If Valor wanted to recruit the members of Changing Star's cohort and the Fire Keepers, they were going to have to speak with Changing Star herself… most likely.

    Or they would continue their attempts to assassinate her. Provided that Valor had been the great clan responsible for sending Caster, of course.

    Sunny closed his eyes for a moment.

    '...Right. There's also that.'

    The situation had already been incredibly murky and complicated, and with Neph's return, everything was turned upside down and made even more convoluted.

    Chaos… it was pure chaos.

    Everything was changing.

    His own situation had also just turned much more dire, for obvious reasons.

    ...So why was he struggling to keep a sincere smile from appearing on his face?

    Sunny had reasons to be shocked, and reasons to be tense. And he was. But most of all… he was happy.

    Incredibly happy.

    A sense of profound relief, contentment, and joy threatened to drown his ability to think clearly. He felt as though… as though something precious, something vital that he had lost was suddenly returned to him. Something that he had been missing.

    And now that it was back, Sunny felt complete.

    'What the hell is this nonsense? Since when am I that sentimental?'

    Although he tried to cover his raw emotions with a veneer of cynicism, in truth, Sunny could pinpoint the exact moment when he had changed.

    It was when he stepped into the circle of runes inside the Crimson Spire and escaped the Forgotten Shore, leaving Changing Star behind, to be devoured by darkness.

    After that, nothing had been the same.

    He gritted his teeth.

    'Doesn't matter! Take a hold of yourself!"

    Sunny had the right to be happy that Nephis had returned alive to them. She was his friend after all… much more than that, even. But that did not mean that he could allow himself to relax.

    Just like her name suggested, Changing Star's return was bound to cause a massive shift. There were many dormant dangers that were going to awake now… more than that, there was a chance that she would become a danger to Sunny herself.

    He had spent years both hoping for and dreading her return.

    'First things first…'

    He had to know how Nephis had managed to come back. There were no other Gateways in the Forgotten Shore… had she found one in the Hollow Mountains, or had she gone north, east, or west in search of a less deadly region of the Dream Realm?

    Not that there would be… no one had ever returned from those parts, too, after all.

    Now that Nephis had lost consciousness, she was bound to be sent back to the Dream Realm. Depending on how dangerous the area surrounding her anchor was, she might not be able to return soon.

    Or at all… although Sunny doubted that the probability of that outcome was very high.

    The runes shown by the Spell also named an Awakened's anchor. Since he could see both his own status and Neph's, all he had to do to find out was summon them.

    Not wasting any more time, Sunny called upon the shimmering runes and concentrated on a certain string of them. A moment later, Neph's status appeared in the air in front of him.

    Sunny started reading, but then froze.

    His eyes widened.

    'How… how is this possible?'

    But there was no mistake...

    The runes read:

    Name: Nephis.

    True Name: Changing Star.

    Rank: …Ascended.

    As it turned out, Nephis had not found a Gateway to escape the Dream Realm and Awaken.

    Instead, after two long years of solitude and relentless battles for survival, she had found a Seed of Nightmare and conquered the Second Trial of the Spell as a Sleeper.

    She had done it alone.

    At least that was the only way Sunny could explain the runes he was staring at.

    Ascended.

    'That is impossible.'

    Surviving the Second Nightmare was already not easy for a cohort of prepared Awakened. More people perished while trying than returned victorious. How could a lone Sleeper accomplish the same?

    No one had done it before.

    However… no Sleeper had been a Tyrant before.

    No Sleeper had escaped alive from a battle with a Corrupted horror of the depths before.

    No Sleeper had slain a Fallen Terror before.

    Nephis had long established her penchant for accomplishing the impossible. Why was Sunny so surprised that she had done it again?

    No, he wasn't surprised. He was… dismayed.

    A deep, unsettling emotion nestled in his chest, making his face grow dark and his eyes grow dim. The shadows around him seemed to become deeper.

    '...Doesn't matter. That doesn't change anything. The important part is that she is back. Who cares how she returned?'

    But it did matter. To him, it was of paramount importance. His obsession with becoming more powerful than Nephis was not born out of simple vanity or empty pride. Someone else might have been tempted to chase power just for the sweetness of it, but to Sunny, being anything else than the strongest was an existential threat.

    ​ As he sat in stunned silence, the sound of hurried footsteps resounded near him. Looking up, Sunny saw Effie pushing her way through the crowd. She was not shy about using her prodigious strength, so people did not really have any choice except to let her pass. Even Instructor Rock, who had appeared ten minutes earlier, had to politely make way.

    …The big man had been the person to send Nephis into the Dream Realm. It was no wonder that he dropped everything to come and wait with the rest of them. Sunny felt a bit touched.

    The huntress finally reached them and froze for a moment, then asked hoarsely:

    "Sunny, Cassie! Is it true? Princess is back?"

    Sunny looked at her for a bit, then simply nodded.

    "Yes. I… I passed her to the healers with my own two hands."

    Effie did not move for several seconds. Then, a wide grin split her face. It looked as if she was on the verge of starting to howl again.

    "Hell yes! I never had a doubt! No Nightmare Creature exists that can keep that pampered psycho down!"

    Sunny couldn't help but smile a little, infected by her jubilation.

    Before too long, Kai arrived, as well. Usually, his appearance would have caused a stir, but right now, no one paid the former idol any attention.

    When he received the confirmation, an expression of profound relief appeared on the young man's beautiful face. Kai swayed a little, and then leaned on the wall to keep himself upright.

    "Gods… thank the gods…"

    Sunny had not realized it, but his friend must have been blaming himself for leaving Nephis behind all that time. He was truly too decent of a person for this vile world, and infected by a misguided sense of nobility to boot. Knowing that he had escaped the hell of the Forgotten Shore because of someone else's sacrifice must have pressed down upon him a lot.

    The four of them huddled together and waited. Sunny silently observed the faces of his friends, seeing sincere happiness and relief written all over them. Some… Kai especially… looked on the verge of getting emotional.

    Unlike him, they had no reason to feel a strange ambivalence about Changing Star's return.

    And looking at them, Sunny decided to ignore the darker part of his mind for a bit, too.

    Whatever happened, he would have to deal with it then. If he had to die to avoid becoming a slave, he would. If he had to kill in order to remain free… that was not out of the question, as well.

    But for now, he chose to just share this rare moment of joy with his friends.

    The founder of their cohort was back, after all.

    Soom, the armored doors finally opened, and one of the Awakened healers in the employ of the Academy appeared from them.

    Everyone gathered in the waiting area held their breaths. Even Morgan of Valor looked up from her communicator, strange sparks igniting in her vermillion eyes.

    One of the government agents couldn't contain herself and asked:

    "How… how is she? Lady Changing Star is really back?"

    The healer lingered for a moment, and then nodded.

    "She is. Her physical condition is fine… better than fine, even. Perfect. As for her mental condition, we will know when she wakes up. Lady Nephis is currently sleeping."

    Someone from the crowd immediately spoke:

    "Sleeping? Do you mean that she is back in the Dream Realm?!"

    The healer hesitated, then slowly shook her head.

    "No. Lady Nephis seems to have… Ascended. So, she is simply asleep."

    For a moment, the crowd seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

    And then, all hell broke loose.

    Despite the government's attempts to stall for time and control the narrative, just in a few minutes, the incredible news of Changing Star's return spread across the network.

    Not long after that, another explosive rumor appeared, claiming that she was now a Master.

    Just like that, all of humanity learned that Nephis of the Immortal Flame clan, the descendant of the two legendary pioneers and the famed hero of the Forgotten Shore, had become the first human in history to conquer the Second Nightmare as a Sleeper, thus jumping Ranks, and returned to the waking world unscathed.

    Her already prolific fame and exalted status instantly soared as high as the sun.

    While Nephis slept, her arrival was already creating titanic waves in the mindset of millions of people.

    In front of the Awakened Academy, a hundred thousand candles continued to burn despite the falling snow.

    ...And cast by their flames, a hundred thousand shadows danced on the ground.
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    1. Offline
      LordMr
      + 6 ⋅ 0 -
      In front of the Awakened Academy, a hundred thousand candles continued to burn despite the falling snow.

      ...And cast by their flames, a hundred thousand shadows danced on the ground.


      Poético. Gostei do retorno dela 🙂
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  2. Offline
    zigzagzarf
    + 17 ⋅ 0 -
    she's going to take the fire keepers to defend the Antarctic while looking for her 2nd nightmare seed...the fire keepers are basically her faction now...masters are supposedly rare can you imagine the great clans reaction if she takes all the fire keepers thru the 2nd nightmare with her
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    1. Offline
      LordMr
      + 2 ⋅ 0 -
      Concordo totalmente com sua ideia gostaria que fosse assim
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    2. Offline
      Shiki519
      + 0 ⋅ 0 -
      that is indeed very likely to happen.. and mc will be part of it hehe 8
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  3. Offline
    yumtumtum
    + 19 ⋅ 0 -
    the gov is going to have a grand time keeping her up as a poster child.
    it was one thing when she was trapped, but now she is out...
    gg on becoming a master... going to make negotiation with clan valor more interesting.
    gov needs to step in to protect her and the fire keepers
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  4. Offline
    UpsideDownDarb
    + 17 ⋅ 0 -
    Woohoo! Reunion, hope it remains a more positive light and interaction
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    1. Offline
      Turnc4406
      + 16 ⋅ 0 -
      Well, she didn't continue trying to kill him. That's a positive, I think.
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  5. Offline
    LordMr
    + 2 ⋅ 0 -
    Ela é um santo agora ? Ou meio-santo por causa dessa transformação
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  6. Offline
    Ctrl.kris
    + 36 ⋅ 2 -
    I'm happy she's back but sunny is now a slave for f#cks sakes
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  7. Offline
    HerrscherandBrambles
    + 26 ⋅ 0 -
    quiet hell yeah, main girl is back!
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  8. Offline
    Xiao zhan
    + 19 ⋅ 0 -
    okay she came back
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  9. Offline
    Yummylan
    + 15 ⋅ 0 -
    pizdec
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    1. Offline
      Deme13
      + 2 ⋅ 0 -
      pizdec indeed
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