Ranobes » Shadow Slave » Chapter 1522: Break of Dawn
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Chapter 1522: Break of Dawn
Shadow Slave

Driven to madness by wrath, Sunny was forcing his mangled body to move. His mind was muddled by fury and pain, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stand up, for some reason. An inferno of dark, malignant rage was consuming his aching heart.

'No, no, no!'

The dragon… the hateful worm… was laying dead on the wet stones, stolen from him. Silver blood was pouring from his opened maw and obliterated eye, slowly spreading across the ruined courtyard. If only there had been more time... if only no one had interfered in their fight... Sunny would have been able to slay the Dread Lord himself. He knew he would.

But the dragon was gone. And now that he was gone, Sunny's suffocating fury needed a new target. 'Kill, kill them… kill them all… I'll kill them…'

He could sense several shapes through the shadows. The loathsome fly that had stolen his prey, the crippled fiend who had come from the water, and a macabre abomination that had been spawned by a tainted shard of the fiend's soul. And the most odious of them all… a pale young man wearing a nebulous black mantle, who was looking at him mockingly with a derisive smile.

"Look at you, fool. Mad as a hatter. How pathetic… how familiar… how distasteful..."

Sunny growled.

The abomination was staggering toward him, piercing him with the demented gaze of its rotten eyes. Glass claws were growing from its stump, and twisted fangs were growing from its bloodied maw. He grinned.

'Good, good…'

He couldn't stand up, for the moment, so the creature was graciously delivering itself to him. Sunny was going to enjoy tearing it apart.

But before he could, a slender rapier pierced the abomination's chest, and a radiant hand grasped its head. The creature glowed with incandescent light, being incinerated from within, and then shattered like a broken mirror. He howled, his hoarse voice full of indescribable rage. 'No, no!'

Another… they stole another from him! Thieves, traitors!

He had to kill them, rip them, savage them, break them!

As Sunny growled and tried to push his mangled body up, someone approached and halted a mere step away. He looked up and saw a breathtaking young woman looking at him silently from above, her beautiful face devoid of emotion. Her silver hair was moving slightly in the wind, and radiant sparks were dancing in her cold grey eyes. "I'll… destroy you…"

Sunny tried to summon the shadows to rip the young woman's body apart, but his muddled mind failed to contain the intricate patterns of the manifested forms. The vicious shadow hands crumbled and dissolved before taking shape. The young woman studied him for a few moments, then kneeled and put a hand on his head, caressing his hair. Her touch made Sunny shudder.

'I have to… kill her…'

The visage of the smoke streaming from the abomination's burned eyes flashed in his mind and disappeared, drowning in the sea of madness. But, somehow… even though Sunny wanted nothing more than to see the young woman die, he hesitated for a moment.

It was then that she spoke, her voice sounding both strange and familiar.

"Sunny…"

He gathered his strength, preparing to lunge at her.

"Dismiss your crown."

He had not thought that a more profound rage existed, but when he heard those words, his entire being ignited with a harrowing fury. The thought of surrendering his crown filled Sunny with a boundless ocean of frenzied wrath, deep and dark enough to be unfathomable. That wrath was far more scorching than the rage he had felt toward the odious dragon, and vaster than even the hatred he felt toward the thieves who had stolen his prey. However…

The authority contained in the voice of the young woman was absolute. It was nothing like the cold commands of the dragon, which had been oppressive and domineering to the point of being irresistible… but only nearly so.

There was a boundless abyss between nearly and absolutely. Drowning in fury and at the same time filled with horror, Sunny felt his very soul respond to the young woman's order, following it obediently, as if he had no will of his own. He felt broken and violated, which only made his bloodlust and desire to kill explode more. Despite that, though, he still could not even attempt to disobey.

'She… she ordered me.'

The Crown of Twilight dissolved into a whirlwind of sparks. And with it, Sunny's frenzied wrath disappeared as well.

Leaving behind only horror. Confusion, too… and pain. Finally, the pain he had been ignoring caught up with Sunny, making him shudder and let out a tormented groan. He was consumed by agony.

But then, the hand resting on his head ignited with a soft glow, and its comforting warmth chased the pain away. A wave of cleansing white flame spread through his body, mending his broken flesh and healing his harrowing wounds. The sense of relief it brought was overwhelming. Which only added to Sunny's confusion. Soon, he was left laying on the ground, disoriented and feeling lost. Everything that had happened since he activated the [King's Resentment] enchantment of the Crown of Twilight was like a blur, but the memory of it remained, etched into his mind. '...What happened?'

Sunny felt incredibly tired, but he forced himself to raise his head. Nephis was kneeling in front of him… wearing the Starlight Legion Armor, for some reason. Her striking grey eyes were calm and cold.

Behind her, the corpse of the Dread Lord towered above the ruined courtyard of the floating fortress. Kai was laying on a pile of rubble, heavily wounded. Mordret was there, as well, staring at the dead dragon with a grim expression. The world was dark, with only a few rays of pale sunshine pouring through the veil of ashen clouds. There was something else, as well… a black crow was perched on the remnants of the broken wall, staring down at them. Sunny looked at Nephis, a storm of emotions raging in his heart. Noticing that he had regained his senses, she nodded simply and rose. Turning away, she walked toward where Kai was laying, his ivory armor painted by blood. Soon, soft radiance flowed from her hands, healing the archer. At the same time, Mordret sighed deeply and looked at Kai with a hint of resentment. "Why did you do it? I almost had him."

Kai met his gaze somberly, and then said in a hoarse voice:

"That was why I did it."

The Prince of Nothing remained silent for a moment, then grinned with dark amusement and turned to Nephis. Waving his bloody stump in the air, he asked blithely:

"Don't I get healed?"

Her answer was cold and even:

"...Wait for your turn."

Sunny observed it all, too tired to move, and too numb to think. Soon, two figures climbed over the pile of rubble that the wall of the fortress had turned to. They were Effie and Jet.

Effie was walking while supporting her weight with a spear, while Jet was carrying unconscious Cassie. When she appeared, both Crow Crow and the Quiet Dancer rushed to her side. The wind tore apart the veil of clouds, and finally, the light of dawn illuminated the drowning fortress once again. Sunny looked at the sky pensively. A strange thought surfaced in his mind.

'We… won.'  

Shadow Slave
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Comments 47

  1. Online Offline
    Bastard Son of Fate
    Bastard Son of Fate
    + 0 ⋅ 0 -
    I also don’t like neph using the command but it’s for the best, y’all want sunny crashing out on his friends?
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  2. Online Offline
    Alfametadol
    Alfametadol
    + 0 ⋅ 0 -
    ну... я так понимаю Нефис вернулась ксвоему холодному и безэмоциональному состоянию, Санни, из-за полученного приказа, получит много новых сомнений и страхов, которые заставят его закопать чувства к Неф. И получается, что в психологическое состояние этих двух вернулось на много глав назад, а вся эта романтика была зря.... эх
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  3. Offline
    Goat aizen
    Goat aizen
    + 0 ⋅ 1 -
    I wish at some point they get the abilities to negate their flaws
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  4. Offline
    BlackFlame
    BlackFlame
    + 11 ⋅ 0 -
    I don’t know why, but I feel frustrated.
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  5. Offline
    YoUrBrUh
    YoUrBrUh
    + 9 ⋅ 3 -
    I love this novel to death but this master slave sht gotta end
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    1. Offline
      pedriito11
      pedriito11
      + 2 ⋅ 0 -
      Be careful what you wish for
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      1. Offline
        ほしのアクアマリン
        ほしのアクアマリン
        + 1 ⋅ 0 -
        bro knows
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  6. Offline
    Gerhman_Sparrow23
    Gerhman_Sparrow23
    + 13 ⋅ 12 -
    Yeah I knew this would happen the moment she said she doesn't want compromises, restraints whatnot shit. Now we're back to square one and nephis is the bitch she was
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    1. Offline
      NinjaLink1
      NinjaLink1
      + 13 ⋅ 2 -
      You’re insane
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      1. Offline
        Gerhman_Sparrow23
        Gerhman_Sparrow23
        + 5 ⋅ 13 -
        Say what you want but the mere thought of not being able to resist a command, specially in feral state, just infuriates me
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        1. Offline
          Player001
          Player001
          + 0 ⋅ 0 -
          This will make it more difficult if not impossible for sunny to confess his feelings to her. Its really frustrating man i knew she did it to help him but still, she said she will never use it and here we are
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  7. Offline
    kollosus_na
    kollosus_na
    + 3 ⋅ 1 -
    Well, this is going far too well. What disaster shall befall?
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  8. Offline
    EVOLT
    EVOLT
    + 16 ⋅ 0 -
    HOLY WWWW I just need to see this arc end so we get more sibling bonding time

    Kai met his gaze somberly, and then said in a hoarse voice:

    "That was why I did it."


    Also Kai is such a goat for this
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    Pro100zver25
    Pro100zver25
    + 27 ⋅ 0 -
    1529: Worm of Doubt.

    The conversation with Mordret left Sunny in a somber mood. The bastard clearly knew more than he had deemed necessary to share, but the few pieces of information he did offer were... concerning.

    However, Sunny did not dwell on the distant threat of the Sovereigns for long. He did not have the luxury of worrying about something waiting far in the future when there were lethal dangers waiting for him in the present.

    Or past, technically, considering that Verge was situated far downstream, as close to the Source and the Estuary as the Seekers of Truth had been able to build it, before the Defilement was born.

    Not long after he talked with Mordret, the Chain Breaker was attacked for the first time since leaving Twilight. The cohort dealt with the swarm of the Drowned with comparative ease, allowing him to collect a few soul shards and for Jet to replenish her reserves of essence.

    After that, they maintained a battle-ready schedule at all times. Sunny's Shadows stood guard at different points of the ship day and night. Nephis and Cassie took turns steering the graceful vessel, keeping it at low altitude, sometimes just above the flowing water. Jet's crow and Kai scouted ahead for signs of approaching danger.

    The most useful scout, however, was none other than Mordret. With his ability to perceive the world through reflections and the vast expanse of water around them, he could see far and wide, warning them of any suspicious movement far in advance.

    They did not have to fight too often. Sometimes, danger came from below the water, and sometimes, it came from the sky. But most of the time, the Great River remained calm and peaceful, leaving them with plenty of free time on their hands.

    Knowing that the cohort was drawing closer and closer to the inevitable attack on Verge with each passing day, Sunny threw himself into weaving.

    There was a lot for him to do.

    He had five Supreme soul shards, which meant that five of the Transcendent Memories the cohort possessed could be potentially elevated to a higher Rank. The first thing Sunny had to do was choose what Memories to alter.

    He chose the first two rather quickly. They were the Transcendent armors Effie and Kai had received in the Second Nightmare — the former after slaying the Sun Prince, the latter after slaying the Ivory Lord, Dragon Sevirax.

    Both were potent and possessed tremendously robust weaves, making the possibility of the alterations damaging or destroying them slim. Best of all, they were Memories of the First Tier, so a single soul shard was enough to change their Rank completely.

    The third Memory Sunny decided on was somewhat of a harder choice —it was the Transcendent weapon of the Seventh Tier Nephis had received for slaying Soul Stealer.

    The weapon, which could take many forms, possessed several insidious enchantments. In a sense, it was similar to the Cruel Sight, but much more versatile, destructive, and potent. Because of the similarities between the two silver blades, Sunny had an easier time studying its weave. Therefore, he had a better chance of transplanting a new nexus.

    Sadly, transplanting seven was currently beyond his abilities — not that he had enough Supreme soul shards. However, Sunny decided to attempt isolating a single enchantment and supplying that enchantment alone with the power equal to that of a Supreme Memory — thus creating a strange and unheard-of Memory of a hybrid Rank.

    The enchantment he chose was responsible for channeling elemental damage, as well as protecting the blade from harm. Considering Neph's propensity for destroying her Memories with her own flame, or simply by exposing them to too much punishment, that single improvement would serve her very well in the future.

    The remaining two Memories he decided to alter had also been received by Nephis in Twilight. Both of them were of Transcendent Memories of the First Tier — one was an arrow, while the other was a charm.

    The arrow possessed a simple enchantment that enhanced the force delivered by its impact, and could also shape that force into a flat, severing field. The charm was a more complicated one, and served to enhance the material properties of other objects — making weapons sharper, armor more durable, and so on.

    With that arrangement, two of his companions would be better protected, two would be capable of delivering more harm to the enemy, and one would be able to better support the rest of the cohort in any kind of situation.

    With his plans set, Sunny began the work — studying the weaves of the chosen Memories in great detail, creating threads of shadow essence, and preparing himself for the alterations was going to take him a long while. He hoped to be done with the process by the time they reached Fallen Grace, and if that failed, then at least before they reached Verge.

    Days passed with him being completely concentrated on the task. Strangely enough, studying the unfamiliar weaves also gave him some inspiration for his own unrelated project — the complicated puzzle of turning the Covetous Coffer into a semblance of an Echo.

    For a while, Sunny was fully engrossed in the mysteries of weaving, not paying attention to anything else — except for occasional attacks on the Chain Breaker.

    ...Slowly, however, a note of dissonance invaded his focused mind. Sunny was reluctant to pay it much attention at first, but with each passing day, the worm of doubt that had entered his mind continued to grow harder to ignore.

    Especially because the Sin of Solace did not miss any opportunity to remind him of that small contradiction.

    The thought gnawing at Sunny's mind was a seemingly innocent question...

    «How did Cassie survive the explosion that consumed Twilight?»

    At first, he had not paid that detail any attention, simply being glad and relieved that the blind girl was alive. But the more time passed, the more it bothered Sunny, for some reason.

    Except for Mordret, who had been sent back to his physical body, all members of the cohort had been thrown out of the mirror realm in approximately the same location — past the open space where they had met Soul Stealer, near the inner districts of the city.

    From there, Nephis had made her way to the palace. Cassie, however, had somehow ended up near the gates of the city when the explosion happened. She then dove deep into the still water beyond the gates to save herself, as well as Effie and Jet, from the obliterating blast.

    But how had she found herself all the way near the wall of Twilight?

    It had to have been immensely difficult to fight her way through the flood of Soul Stealer's vessels and the remnant abominations of the Defiled horde. The distance between where the cohort had found themselves and the outer limits of the city was much greater than the distance to the palace...

    Cassie couldn't have reached the water by accident. So how had she done it?

    There was only one reasonable answer...

    It was that Cassie's goal had always been to escape the city.

    Which meant that she had known what would happen all along.
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      Pro100zver25
      Pro100zver25
      + 26 ⋅ 0 -
      1530: Blessing of Misfortune.

      Sunny was restless.

      Cassie had survived, which brought him indescribable joy. He would have been... broken, if she had perished in Twilight. Nephis would have never forgiven herself for causing the death of her best friend, either.

      Not to mention that Effie and Jet would have been killed, as well, making the heartbreaking tragedy simply unbearable.

      So, it was the epitome of wonderful that Cassie had survived.

      But how had she survived?

      He did not know.

      It was close to impossible for her to be driven all the way to the limits of the city by accident. Which meant that she had fought her way there on purpose.

      Which meant that she knew what would happen.

      ...Which was also impossible.

      Not even because Cassie would have shared such precious information with them, allowing the cohort to come up with a better plan, but simply because she was not capable of perceiving the past and the future in the Tomb of Ariel. She had told them so herself — all Cassie saw in her visions, ever since entering the Nightmare, was darkness.

      That was what saved her from sharing the fate of the sybils, who had all been Defiled by the visions of the Estuary. Here in the Tomb of Ariel, Cassie was blind to the future and the past. That was her saving grace.

      She could not have known what would happen in Twilight. Otherwise, she would have been Defiled — and she wasn't Defiled. Sunny knew that because he could see Cassie's soul, and because she was still a carrier of the Nightmare Spell.

      And yet she had to have known, somehow.

      It made no sense at all.

      Confused, he even remembered the eerie and nonsensical thought that had entered his mind after they escaped Aletheia's Island. That Cassie could have been able to remember the previous cycles of the Great River, just like the Mad Prince had.

      Which would make her Torment.

      But she couldn't be Torment for the same reason — if she was, Sunny would have been able to see the darkness of Corruption in her soul, and the Spell would have banished her from itself.

      The strange incongruity gnawed at him more and more with each passing day.

      The only reasonable explanation was that fate had played a trick on them. It was almost impossible for Cassie to have found herself near the gates of Twilight when the explosion happened — but only almost. She must have gotten incredibly lucky.

      Sunny was no stranger to witnessing extremely improbable events. His entire life was full of them due to his [Fated] Attribute. This time, they must have received a blessing of fortune. There was no other sensible way to explain what had happened.

      And still, still...

      He was restless, plagued by doubt.

      It was to the point that Sunny was having trouble concentrating on weaving. He found himself glancing at Cassie furtively when she was nearby, and then felt ashamed for doubting one of his companions.

      Not to mention that it was absolutely useless to try and spy on the blind girl secretly — because she could have been watching the world through his eyes, and would be aware of him looking at her.

      In any case, Cassie seemed to be perfectly normal. Well... as far as the word normal could be applied to her. She was mostly quiet, but not alarmingly so. She usually kept to herself, but not to the point of avoiding others on purpose. Usually, she would take her turn controlling the Chain Breaker, then descend below deck to rest when Nephis replaced her on the steering oars.

      When they were attacked, she participated in the battles, supporting the cohort from behind and stepping forward if there was a need. When everything was calm, she rested and went about her usual duties of maintaining the ship.

      Of course, Sunny did not know what she was doing when nobody was watching. How could he?

      Well, actually... he could.

      Spying on the blind seer was not an easy matter, considering that she could see through the eyes of the potential spy and knew their every move. However, as far as Sunny knew, while Cassie could use her Ascended Ability on the members of the cohort, she could not do the same with his shadows.

      She could also see through his eyes, if she wished to, but she could not see what he saw through the shadows.

      So, if he wanted to, he could send one of the shadows to observe the blind girl, just in case there was something strange going on with her.

      However, he wasn't sure that it was an appropriate thing to do.

      Sunny was very peculiar about trust. It had taken him a long time to gain the ability to trust others, so he cherished it greatly. Being able to trust, and receiving trust in return — those were intangible, but precious things.

      So, even if sending a shadow to observe Cassie would do the blind girl any harm, he would be breaking trust with her. Their relationship was complicated and tumultuous, and they had endured a lot together to repair it. He was reluctant to jeopardize that relationship...

      But the Sin of Solace kept whispering into his ear, fanning the flames of Sunny's paranoia. In fact, the sword wraith did not whisper, but was incredibly loud with his insidious accusations and insinuations — especially so when Cassie was nearby.

      She never reacted, which made it seem as though she was unable to hear the odious apparition.

      ...Or was pretending to not hear it masterfully.

      «Just think about it rationally.»

      It was hard for Sunny to be dispassionate when it came to Cassie, but this time, he had to be.

      «We only made it this far because of Cassie. But if I remove our friendship from the equation... she has indeed been behaving strangely. And there are certain thighs about her actions that can be seen as suspicious, if a stranger evaluates them.»

      Which did not mean that they really were suspicious... just that they could be.

      Lowering all six of his hands, which had been weaving strings of shadow essence, Sunny frowned.

      «In the end, it all comes down to a simple question. Do I want to be polite, or do I want to be safe?»

      Seen in that light, his dilemma had a definitive solution.

      It was much better to be safe than sorry.

      After shaking his head, Sunny secretly sent one of his shadows to keep an eye on Cassie. He was almost entirely certain that he would not discover anything concerning.

      But at least the little part of him that had been restless and concerned was calmed by that precaution, allowing him to return to his tasks with an easy heart.

      He continued weaving.
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        hell 2011
        hell 2011
        + 2 ⋅ 1 -
        Praise the one who giveth
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    Pro100zver25
    Pro100zver25
    + 30 ⋅ 0 -
    1527: Leaving Twilight.

    The Chain Breaker left the drowning remains of Twilight behind and turned away from the rising suns. Drifting above the currents, it traversed the dreadful battlefield and escaped into clear waters.

    The Great River flowed below them. By now, the sight of the world in constant motion was both familiar and calming. Sunny had a feeling that returning to reality, where the ground was solid and unmoving, would be a strange experience.

    There were no Nightmare Creatures in the vicinity of Twilight, so they could relax for a few days. The members of the cohort rested and recuperated, not doing anything in particular. They slept, consumed delicious meals, and spent their time in idleness.

    Even Mordret's presence did not dampen the peaceful mood. He was nothing if not accommodating, even pleasant to be around. Of course, he was... true monsters knew better than anyone how to appear sympathetic and friendly, after all. And the Prince of Nothing was a singular existence even among the insidious monsters.

    But that was fine. Sunny did not mind sharing a ship with him, as long as Mordret was an ally. Gods knew that the cohort needed all the help it could get in this dreadful, utterly unreasonable Nightmare.

    Sunny himself did not do much in the first few days of their journey across the Great River. He slept some more, spent some time staring at the sky, and chatted with Kai, describing the past events of the Nightmare in more detail.

    The month he had spent with Nephis on the carcass of the Black Turtle, the battle with the Azure Serpent. Their meeting with Ananke and the visit to forlorn Weave. The journey to Fallen Grace and their reunion with Cassie. The battle against the Defiled sybil... the dreadful months they had spent on Aletheia's Island, and their eventual escape.

    In the process, Sunny also spoke about the many mysteries they had solved and the startling revelations they had received in the Tomb of Ariel. Looking back... he had truly learned a lot here, both about the past and the present.

    And about himself.

    Kai was the perfect audience for his outrageous tales. Sharing his experiences with a friend soothed Sunny's conflicted heart, a little. He was not quite alright — after suffering so much in Antarctica and on the Great River, how could he be? But he was at least back to being his usual spirited self.

    Almost.

    There was still the issue of what had happened at the end of Twilight to deal with. If there was a way to deal with that, even. Sunny felt that he at least owed it to himself to have a talk with Nephis, pointless or not.

    But with Nephis being in that strange dispassionate state, talking with her about deeply emotional issues did not seem like a good idea. She was slowly recovering, at least. So, Sunny decided to wait until she was back to her usual self before broaching the topic.

    With that, there was nothing for him to do.

    Eventually, the Chain Breaker traveled far away from Twilight. They were still bathed in the beautiful blaze of the endless dawn, but the waters the graceful ship was braving had imperceptibly changed. They were surrounded by danger once more.

    From here onward, there would be untold horrors hiding beneath the waves once more. The radiant sky would harbor terrifying abominations once more. And so, the members of the cohort would have to maintain vigilance at all times once more, ready to fight for their lives.

    The mood aboard the Chain Breaker subtly changed.

    That said... strangely, Sunny was not too concerned.

    Perhaps it was arrogance, but looking at the seven people gathered on the graceful ship, he felt confident in their chances of at least reaching Verge unharmed.

    Had there ever been a more deadly cohort of Masters? Surely not.

    Kai and Effie were veterans of both the Forgotten Shore and the Antarctic campaign, with plenty of incredible feats under their belts. Soul Reaper Jet was one of the most feared individuals in the world, with even Saints being wary of her sinister blade. Cassie was someone whose lethality could not even be evaluated by mundane means.

    And then there were Sunny, Nephis, and Mordret. The three wielders of Divine Aspects, unheard of in history. Their individual power was already outside the scope of what Masters were supposed to be capable of, and when put together...

    If anything, Sunny should have felt concerned for their enemies.

    Speaking of Mordret...

    Sunny had wished to avoid him entirely, but having access to the well of knowledge the Prince of Nothing possessed was simply too tempting. Granted, the bastard lied as easily as he breathed, so anything he said had to be taken with a grain of salt.

    In fact, as a rule of thumb, nothing Mordret said could be trusted. But Sunny still wanted to ask him a few questions, especially those that almost no one else could answer.

    Mordret could usually be seen at the bow of the Chain Breaker, where Saint stood guard with Morgan's Warbow in her hands. He seemed to be very interested in the graceful stone knight, or maybe the bow she held. In any case, he could be found there most of the time.

    Sunny left his usual spot under the branches of the sacred tree, walked past Ananke's ketch, and approached the Prince of Nothing. Sensing his gaze, Mordret looked up.

    «Ah, Sunless. What a pleasant surprise. Did you want something?»

    Sunny glared at him for a few moments, then sighed and summoned the Shadow Chair. Noticing it, Mordret raised an eyebrow, as if remembering something unpleasant.

    «Uh-oh.»

    Sitting down, Sunny remained silent for a bit, then said evenly:

    «Yeah, I did want something. Just... to chat for a bit.»

    He glanced at Mordret and asked, trying to keep his tone devoid of hostility:

    «So, how is Ravenheart treating you?»

    The Prince of Nothing gave him a curious look.

    «Ah, you know. The weather is not great, but the people are really... charming. Well, you've met Seishan and Beastmaster, so you must have an idea. It's like I'm living in a flower garden.»

    Sunny smiled, nodded, and asked cordially:

    «I see, I see... so, what are the Sovereigns up to? Are they really going to abandon the waking world?»
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      Pro100zver25
      Pro100zver25
      + 26 ⋅ 0 -
      1528: New Eden.

      Mordret studied him with a neutral expression. Then, he smiled pleasantly.

      «How should I know? Am I a Sovereign?»

      Sunny stared at him silently for a few moments. Eventually, he shook his head.

      «No... but you are a son of one, was raised by another, and currently serve the third. If you don't know, then who would?»

      Mordret laughed.

      «Well, if you put it like that, it does sound like I should know. However, Sunless, you seem to be mistaken about something. The thing is... I don't care to know. Why should I care about the waking world? Whatever happens to it has little to do with me.»

      Sunny frowned.

      Indeed, Mordret had spent most of his childhood in the Dream Realm, so he had little attachment to Earth. More than that, he was not someone who would care about the lives of hundreds of millions of innocent people, let alone feel inclined to do something to save them.

      All Mordret cared about was his revenge against the Great Clan Valor.

      A faint smile appeared on Sunny's face.

      «Sure, you might not care about the waking world. But you do care about your father's plans — at least as far as to be able to try and ruin them better. So cut the crap and just tell me what you know. If you don't mind.»

      Mordret stared at him with amusement for a while, then sighed and shook his head.

      «Well, why not? But I'm afraid that you are overestimating me. I really do not know what my father and the Queen of Worms are planning. I am not exactly on speaking terms with the former, and the latter does not trust me enough to share such secrets. All I know is that they are serious about having a war with each other. That was why I joined Ki Song.»

      He lingered for a moment and added, his voice losing its usual lightheartedness:

      «I'll warn you, though. Don't presume to understand the Sovereigns, Sunless. You might think that you have them figured out, but you don't. They are far older than we are, and far more powerful. They are also not some cardboard villains. My father, Ki Song, and the third one... are the most exceptional individuals of their generation, or maybe even of all generations. They did not end up on their thrones by accident.»

      Sunny looked at him somberly.

      «What are you trying to say?»

      Mordret shrugged with a smile.

      «I'm just saying that you might find it hard to understand their plans. Abandoning the waking world? Well, that surely sounds like something they would do. But if you think about it, why would they do that? Even if the Sovereigns only care about the Dream Realm, they still need Awakened to populate it. And Awakened cannot exist without mundane people. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, and you can't get a stable supply of eggs without a poultry farm. Something like that.»

      Sunny remained silent for a while, thinking about what Mordret had said. Although the terms he used were very cynical, the underlying message held true. Indeed, there had to be an immense population of mundane people for a comparatively small amount of Awakened to emerge.

      If the waking world was indeed destined to be consumed by the Dream Realm, the Sovereigns could not allow themselves to abandon it completely before that happened.

      Which went against what Sunny had learned about them before.

      He frowned, feeling confused.

      Eventually, Sunny shook his head and asked, his voice somber:

      «What about the third one? Asterion, what does he want?»

      As soon as those words were spoken, Mordret's smile dimmed, growing strangely... forced. He leaned forward slightly.

      «Sunless... do me a favor, try not to speak that name aloud. Otherwise, he might actually hear you.»

      Sunny blinked a couple of times, staring at him incredulously.

      «Come on. Really?»

      Mordret let out a long sigh, then shook his head reproachfully.

      «I'm not saying that to scare you, I'm just telling the truth. The old man... his powers are a bit beyond comprehension. If you feel threatened by Ki Song or my father, wait till you meet him. Better yet, hope that you never will.»

      Sunny leaned back, crossing his arms.

      «What's so scary about him? If he's so powerful, why isn't he participating in this war Song and Valor started? Where is he? Come to think of it, where does he come from? There is almost nothing written about him in the history books. Is he a Legacy? Does he have a clan? An army?»

      Mordret shrugged.

      «The thing you need to understand about him... is that his Domain is different from those of the other two. Yes, Domains can be different in nature. Most are like what my father and Ki Song possess, territorial. That is why Valor and Song are fighting over territory. But not his... his is more of an idea than a place.»

      He remained silent for a few moments, then said somberly:

      «You must have realized by now that the Great Clans were built by those who inherited the Divine Lineages. Valor was born from the Lineage of War, Immortal Flame from the Lineage of Sun, House of Night from the Lineage of Storm. Clan Song rose to prominence later, after Ki Song discovered the Lineage of Beast. The old man is the one who has the Lineage of Heart... however, there is no clan he belongs to. Do you know why that is?»

      Sunny shook his head.

      «The lineage of Heart God...»

      Heart God was also the god of souls, as well as emotions, memory, hunger, and growth. What kind of Aspect could Asterion possess, then? What powers did he wield? What was the nature of his Domain?

      Mordret took a deep breath, then smiled.

      «Well... it's because he does not come from the Legacy Clans. Legacy Clans have been in power since before we were born, so we are conditioned to assume that it has always been like that. But, in fact, there were many powers competing for the right to shape the world as they saw fit, back in the chaotic time after the Spell first descended. Some more terrible than others. The old man is the last remnant of one of those vanquished powers.»

      Sunny remembered hearing about that. From what he knew, the current system — with the government and the Legacy Clans maintaining the world order together — was established after several other, fringe factions had been defeated by the first Legacies. Even with all the sins of the current regime, the ones that could have been would have been much more terrifying.

      At least that was what he had been told by Professor Obel.

      Mordret lingered for a moment.

      «Ah, by the way... the old man is not that old, actually. It's just what I call him. The faction he comes from, you see, was a small group of the Path of Ascension zealots. Real fanatics, far more extreme than anyone you could have met among the Legacies. Now, those people... they were really in favor of abandoning the waking world completely, believing that the Nightmare Spell was meant to pave the way for a new beginning. That the Dream Realm was a wild garden meant for a new breed of humans.»

      He shook his head.

      «And they did abandon the waking world, establishing an isolated colony in the Dream Realm not long after the first Masters Ascended. The man who would one day become the third Sovereign... was actually born there. In fact, he was the first human child born in the Dream Realm. The original Dreamspawn.»

      Mordret smiled.

      «Well, in any case. Those reclusive extremists did not last long. Their colony was eventually overtaken by Nightmare Creatures, and he was the only one who survived. In the end, he found his way to Bastion, met my father, was brought back to the waking world, and joined Broken Sword's cohort.»

      The Prince of Nothing looked at Sunny with a strange expression, then frowned.

      «I hope that satisfied your curiosity. Ah, all this talking made me thirsty. I think I'll go find myself something to drink...»

      He rose and moved to walk away, but then lingered for a moment.

      Looking back, Mordret said in a friendly tone:

      «Oh, by the way. I said before that you'd better hope to never meet that guy. Sorry... I don't think you'll have a choice. The old man, you see, is very interested in people with divine bloodlines. Considering your connection to Shadow, the only missing Lineage, he'll probably come find you someday. Your precious Changing Star, as well, since there might not be another Dreamspawn anywhere in the two worlds.»

      With that, he smiled pleasantly and walked away, leaving Sunny alone.

      The Chain Breaker continued moving west, the leaves of the sacred tree rustling gently in the wind.

      Sunny stared silently at the vast expanse of the Great River, his head full of dark thoughts.

      «...Goddammit.»

      It was really unfair. He did not even have the Lineage of Shadow God — Blood Weave had greedily devoured it a long time ago.

      Why did he have to deal with a mysterious and sinister Sovereign?

      It was not as if Sunny did not have a host of other terrible problems he had to deal with already.

      «Mordret might have been lying, as well.»

      It was only then that Sunny thought back on their conversation and uttered a quiet curse.

      The Prince of Nothing had talked for so long, but did not give a straight answer to a single question!

      «That bastard...»
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        BlankDjinn
        BlankDjinn
        + 4 ⋅ 0 -
        Thank you gracious hero, your generosity as always is most appreciated.
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