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Chapter 2940: Final Trial
Shadow Slave

Ananke was able to remember what Sunny had told them. However, Nephis forgot most of what he described soon after he did — after all, she had known that he abandoned her and the cohort to search for the Estuary.

Eventually, the two of them found themselves alone. Ananke had left to prepare the Time Slayer for the journey to the Estuary while leaving them to rest — and yet, neither Sunny nor Nephis was in the mood for sleep.

They walked around the small, empty port built inside the skull of the Serpent King, studying the things that the River People had left behind.

Eventually, Sunny asked:

“So, what do you think?"

Nephis glanced at him and frowned, strangely hesitant.

"I... am not sure. Having Ananke aid us in the fight against the Thieving Bird — and its vile spawn — will undoubtedly be a tremendous boon. She is a Supreme of considerable prowess, after all, and we are facing a Cursed Terror. However..."

She fell silent, as if failing to find the right words to express her feelings.

Sunny smiled faintly and looked away.

“I know. It's strange, isn't it? Both you and I accept the possibility of our deaths as if it were a given. However, the thought of watching her die in front of us for the second time feels... unacceptable."

Nephis seemed to have gotten distracted, forgetting what he said a few moments later.

Sunny sighed.

“You don't want her to get hurt, do you? You don't even want to allow the possibility of her getting hurt."

Nephis nodded slowly.

“She has suffered enough."

It was truly something, coming from Nephis —a woman who had to burn alive every time she used her powers.

Sunny shook his head bitterly.

"Nothing is enough in this world."

He remained silent for a while, then added in an even tone:

"But I agree. Ananke must survive — more than anyone, she has to escape this hell in one piece. And she has to bring the Ark Amulets out with her. These people she has protected with her life, to the point of defying the laws of existence and becoming Supreme in order not to fail her duty, must be saved. Their lives mean far more than I can properly describe."

He paused for a moment.

“They are a symbol. Their existence means that salvation is possible. So, I'd love nothing more than to keep Ananke away from the fight against the Vile Thieving Bird. But..."

His expression darkened.

“Regardless of how we feel about her, she is not a decrepit old woman. She is not a child, either. She is the greatest warrior of the River People civilization and a Supreme, which means that nothing we say will change her mind. We can't force her to stay behind while we risk our lives — we have no right to ask her to do so, either."

Before Ananke left, Sunny had asked her if she had ever tried to leave the Tomb of Ariel on her own. She had, as it turned out — but escaping the great pyramid was impossible due to the millions of Nightmare Butterflies resting on its inner walls. One would have to face them all at once instead of only those who had escaped through the breach, which was no different from suicide.

In fact, Daeron had not been able to leave, either. The Twilight Sea had already been absorbed by the Dream Realm by then, so he couldn't even cross the realm boundary by pulling on his tether.

For him, entering the Tomb of Ariel had always been a one-way trip.

Even if Sunny and Nephis did have a way to get Ananke out before confronting the Thieving Bird, though... then what?

There was no telling if they would be able to return to the Tomb of Ariel after leaving it through the realm boundary. There was no telling how much time would pass on the Great River should they leave, either — it could very well be that the Vile Thieving Bird and its spawn would be long gone by the time Sunny and Nephis returned, even if they were able to return.

Most of all, if they brought Ananke out before completing their mission, they would only be leading her to the slaughter. The Dreamspawn ruled the world now, after all — delivering Ananke and the survivors of the Great River onto his plate was not something Sunny and Nephis wanted to do. So, it seemed inevitable that Ananke would accompany them to the Estuary.

Sunny sighed.

"Maybe it's for the best. For her, this is the final trial of her own mission... the Vile Thieving Bird is what stands between her and bringing the River People out of the Tomb of Ariel. We certainly need all the help we can get in this battle, and she needs to leave these long years of solitude behind her, once and for all. I wouldn't have wanted to be denied the opportunity to earn my freedom with my own two hands. To have it handed to me by someone else..."

He fell silent then chuckled quietly.

"Actually, scratch that. I'd love to be handed things for free while not moving a finger to earn them... sounds like a dream, really! For better or for worse, though, Ananke is not me. And she will not abandon us to fight a Cursed Terror alone, even if we begged her."

Nephis remained silent for a while, then sighed.

“Azarax helped us cross the Nightmare Desert. And now, Ananke is here to help us fight the Thieving Bird. The three of us should be enough to defeat it... it is better than two, at least. Certainly feels like... fate, to be reunited with her in this desperate moment."

Sunny smiled, then looked into the distance.

"Yes... the three of us..."

He paused for a moment, then added:

“You will have to overcome the first trial of the Estuary alone, though."

Nephis frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Sunny simply shrugged.

"We wouldn't want the Second and Third Seekers to be born, would we? You are the only one who is immune to the Corruption, Nephis. It's like this entire place was designed for only you to be able to conquer. So, you will have to borrow one of Ananke's amulets and put both her and me inside. Then, after reaching the lake, you will have to draw us out."

Nephis studied him silently for a while before nodding.

"If that is the case, I will."

...Soon enough, they were on the deck of the Time Slayer, flying through the vast and empty darkness. Ananke was steering the ship, while Sunny and Nephis were preparing themselves for battle.

From time to time, though, he would look into the darkness with a somber expression.

Because of that, he was the first one to see it...

Out there, far away in front of them, a giant sphere made out of rough black stone slowly revealed itself from the void. It loomed in the middle of the world like its dead, unbeating heart.

They were surrounded by silence, and yet Sunny felt like the stone sphere was calling him.

They had finally arrived at the heart of the Estuary.

Shadow Slave
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Comments 106

  1. Offline
    AINZOOALGON
    + 0 ⋅ 0 -
    Noice
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  2. Online Offline
    Parashu
    + 2 ⋅ 0 -
    At this point I don't care about sunny getting his fate back and battle between dreamspawn and cass&mord anymore bcz we most likely know how it turns out.
    I only care about Sunphis can take ananke and her people out of ToA safe and sound, hope g3 won't f#ck this up.
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  3. Offline
    Avid Reader
    + 1 ⋅ 0 -
    The second and third seekers of Truth would be wild
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  4. Offline
    Atlas
    + 3 ⋅ 0 -
    damn it really is painful that Nephis doesnt remember Sunny being with her for the whole Ananke thing
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  5. Offline
    Rei-absolute
    + 4 ⋅ 0 -
    2941 Weak Link

    Cassie felt every bone in her body break, the sharp splinters piercing her flesh and protruding from the torn skin in a torrent of blood.

    A few seconds in the past — or rather, in the present — she threw her body to the ground, rolling across the broken runic circle. Then, with a roaring howl, an enormous cannonball impacted the ground hundreds of meters away, pulverizing dozens of Mordret's vessels into bloody mist.

    Sending a cloud of shattered obsidian into the air, it bounced forward and flashed through the space where Cassie had stood a second ago before crashing into the wall of the Ebony Tower and disintegrating into a fierce conflagration of light, heat, and metal shrapnel.

    The shockwave washed over her like a phantom of the Crushing, making Cassie groan.

    Throughout all of this, Mordret remained motionless.

    He did not even blink when the cannonball shot past him, the wind raised by its passing making his hair dance. He ignored the explosion and the shockwave, as well, enduring their blows without moving a muscle.

    The defenses of the Ebony Island were slowly failing, but he seemingly remained unperturbed. His attention was dedicated fully to the great battle raging all around them instead.

    On the neighboring islands, the great armies of humanity were entangled in a ferocious fight against the vessels pouring out of the reflections. On the Night Garden, Nightwalker and his Saints were pushing the incarnations of the King of Nothing back — their own power might not have been enough to repel his merciless assault, but the titanic ship was helping them.

    The vessels of Mordret were being slowly swallowed by the decks of the Night Garden, drowning in the living wood as their flesh dissolved and became sustenance for the ancient hull.

    The battle in the Sky Above and the Sky Below had reached a stalemate, both forces eradicating each other with chillingly ruthless determination.

    Cassie imagined that it was not easy, to be dying a hundred deaths every heartbeat... she would know, after all, having experienced a myriad of deaths in the past due to her Aspect.

    The vessels of Mordret were being cut down, torn apart, burned, crushed, digested alive by the living wood of the Night Garden... the pain he silently endured must have felt like an ocean, and yet Mordret did not seem to pay it any attention.

    He had discarded the mask of a human he usually wore, revealing his true, cold, and unfeeling self.

    ...On the Ivory Island, everything was dead, and only Asterion stood on the edge amidst the corpses, looking down with a faint smile. The bloodshed below reflected in his golden eyes, making it seem as if divine blood was flowing like a river.

    The cataclysmic battle was vast and complex, consisting of numerous moving parts. All of them affected each other, creating an intricate and fragile balance — a harrowing order hidden beneath a deep sea of chaos and carnage.

    The outcome of the battle could not be determined yet, but if the scales of any of these parts shifted dramatically in favor of one side, the rest of them would come falling down like a house of cards.

    By now, it was already clear that the decisive element of the battle — and of the bloody war between the Mirror Domain and the Hunger Domain — was the furious clashes raging on the seven heavenly chains.

    There, the forces of humanity were pushing Mordret back, and were then pushed back in turn. The seven Reflections stalled the reinforcements from advancing, rampaging among the soldiers of humanity on the far islands, while on the chains themselves, the strongest champions of humanity were slaughtering the detestable vessels of the King of Nothing in scores.

    And yet, none of them were able to win a decisive advantage and reach the Ebony Island, or even advance far up the swaying, groaning chains...

    Except for Morgan, who was getting closer and closer to the end of the chain she had been sent to conquer despite all the powerful vessels Mordret had thrown at her.

    The vast river of liquid metal had turned into a gargantuan, ever-changing beast whose body seemed to be made both of flowing steel and innumerable razor-sharp blades. It tore through Mordret's vessels like a walking embodiment of the concept of severance, leaving the vast expanse of the chain behind it slick with blood.

    When Mordret attacked the Blade Beast, its body rippled and flowed in an unpredictable way, bypassing the attackers and then turning into a whirlwind of blades once again to massacre them.

    Morgan's advance seemed unstoppable... now that Mordret was spread thin fighting innumerable other battles, at least.

    She was already on the threshold of reaching the Ebony Island, having carved a bloody path through the mass of vessels. Behind her, those of them who had avoided the blade were entangled in a chaotic melee with the Awakened soldiers and Saints who followed Morgan.

    She had forged forward, pushing far ahead of her troops to save them from becoming collateral losses in the fight against the strongest vessels of the King of Nothing. And now, no more than a few dozen meters separated her from the obsidian shores of the Ebony Island.

    If Morgan gained a foothold there, the scales of the battle would tip irrevocably in favor of the Hunger Domain.

    Cassie rose from the ground, turning to face the direction where Morgan had assumed her human form, lunging forward to cut down the last vessels of Mordret that stood between her and her goal.

    It was then that an awful, chilling groan drowned out the cacophonous clamor of battle, and the whole island shuddered, throwing Cassie back down.

    'No...'

    Far behind Morgan, a link of the chain she had conquered bent, then gave in and began to come undone. She froze for a moment and then glanced back, where a litany of screams rose above the breaking chain.

    The heavenly chain snapped.

    Cassie sensed it — a moment of hesitation that stopped Morgan in her tracks, even though it had only lasted a split second. Morgan glanced at the breaking chain, then at the shore of the Ebony Island, which was so maddeningly close.

    A vicious bloodlust shone in her vermillion eyes, and a cold smile twisted her lips.

    ...Then, with a curse, Morgan turned back and became a river of liquid metal once more.

    She rushed back across the snapping chain at astonishing speed, circling it like a flood of steel.

    And then, reaching the broken link, Morgan threw herself in the air.

    The swirling mass of liquid metal breached the rapidly widening gap between the broken ends of the chain...

    And then connected them.

    Having caught both ends, Morgan twisted her vast body into a flowing steel ring, bearing the unfathomable weight of the celestial chain to prevent her soldiers from plummeting into the Sky Below.

    "Retreat! Retreat, you fools, damn you!"

    Her voice resounded from the chain itself, carried by the vibrations in its endless metal. It was as if the world itself was speaking, commanding the soldiers to rush back across the great chasm of the Tear. And so, they did.

    Standing in the shadow of the Ebony Tower, Mordret smiled faintly and then pulled his vessels back, as well.

    Soon, the seventh heavenly chain turned utterly empty.

    It was then that Asterion sighed lightly...

    And finally stepped off the edge of the Ivory Island.

    Chapter 2942


    2942 Decisive Element

    Asterion stepped onto the empty chain and walked across it, wearing no armor and wielding no weapon.

    And yet, with each step, it felt as if invisible pressure descended on the Ebony Island, making it hard to breathe.

    Cassie exhaled, then straightened and rubbed her face tiredly. The pieces of shrapnel had left a few cuts on it, so her hand ended up bloody.

    ‘So, he decided to enter the battle personally, after all...’

    Mordret, who was standing nearby, looked across the Tear and smiled faintly.

    "Looks like this is my cue."

    His original vessel was the strongest he possessed — it was the body of a Supreme Titan, after all. So, if anyone could face Asterion in battle, it was him.

    Mordret glanced at Cassie and hesitated briefly, then sighed.

    “You know, I was really dissatisfied when you managed to escape from me back then — all those years ago, in the Night Temple. I couldn't make you into a vessel, and I failed to kill you. Even though I am incapable of feeling regret, it was quite vexing.”

    He chuckled.

    “Who knew that I would feel lucky not to have killed you one day? Ah... the world has truly gone mad. See you on the other side, Song of the Fallen."

    With that, he grinned and walked toward the chain.

    Morgan seemed to have managed to reattach the broken link, somehow. She assumed her human form once again and breathed heavily, then lowered herself to one knee when Asterion approached. He walked past her without acknowledging her bow, then stopped, facing Mordret. Mordret raised his sword and pointed it at the Dreamspawn.

    "Get ready, old man. I am going to kill you today."

    Asterion sighed.

    "Isn't it the definition of insanity, to keep doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result? Boy... you know you can't kill me. How many times have you tried? I cannot be killed, and so, all your efforts are futile. Your defiance is futile. All your accomplishments are meaningless, and no matter how many times you pierce me with that sword, I am not going to be destroyed."

    Mordret remained silent for a few moments, then smiled crookedly.

    “Maybe. But it will feel very nice to kill you a few times, you know?"

    He took a step back, and his smile widened.

    "I realized something after my father died. It was that his death had left me dissatisfied... it was too quick, too fleeting. Before I could even enjoy it, the moment was already gone. So, to be honest, I am glad that you are immortal. I am giddy with joy, really. It means that I keep killing you, over and over again... forever."

    He laughed.

    "Gods. What will I ever do if you actually die? Life will become so dull and uninteresting."

    Asterion sighed and then outstretched a hand.

    "Morgan."

    A moment later, Morgan turned into a torrent of steel and flowed into his hand, turning into a radiant, terrifying, lethal sword.

    Grasping the sword in his hands, Asterion looked at Mordret coldly and said:

    "As for me, I have grown tired of killing you a long time ago. So, let's make this the last time..."

    ***

    On the other side of the Dream Realm, a vicious snowstorm had descended on Ravenheart, dressing its streets in a white shroud.

    There were strangely few people on the great bridge that spanned the abyss between the mountain and the volcano, as if most of the Awakened had gone somewhere. There were even fewer people in the Jade Palace, even if there were some left to guard it.

    Jet had gotten past them with ease.

    She had no way of telling if they had been enthralled by Asterion or not, but her gut told her to stay away.

    So, she had sneaked past them as a wisp of mist.

    Reaching the opulent corridors of the ancient palace, she assumed the form of a wraith and looked around, a cold gleam igniting in her icy-blue eyes.

    Jet had been gone from the Human Domain for a while, so she did not know how the situation had changed in her absence. From the look of it, however...

    It seemed like Ravenheart had completely fallen into the hands of the Dreamspawn. That was not the kind of welcome she had wanted to receive... although it was the kind she had expected.

    Her worst expectations had come true.

    The question was...

    ‘What do I do now?’

    Jet was lingering in the corridor, surrounded by chilling cold and dancing snowflakes, when two menacing flames suddenly ignited in the deep shadows beside her.

    Then, something emerged from the shadows — or rather, someone.

    It was a little abomination that only reached her waist, seemingly forged out of blackened metal and littered in jagged spikes.

    The infernal gremlin looked up at her, then raised a clawed hand and waved it a couple of times, as if inviting her to follow.

    Jet frowned.

    “You're... Ravenous Fiend, aren't you?"

    The last time she had seen the fearsome Supreme Devil, he had been dozens of meters tall. So, it was surprising to see him in such a miniature form.

    Could that thing change its size at will? Fiend huffed, exhaling a puff of flame, and waved his hand again.

    Jet blinked a few times.

    "You... want me to follow you?"

    The steel Devil nodded energetically.

    She lingered for a few moments, then smiled darkly.

    “Lead the way, then."

    Together, they delved deeper into the Jade Palace.

    Soon enough, she discovered Kai.

    Jet's face fell.

    "Gods. What have they done to you..."

    ***

    Somewhere far away, Effie sprawled on the floor of her cell, drawing her arms as close to her body as the chains allowed her. Labored breaths escaped her chest, and her expression was grim.


    Ads by Pubfuture
    "Free, free..."

    Who was it that said it? That wolves... were meant to be.

    “Ah, yes..."

    It was that man, the Crimson Beast of Twilight. Noctis, the Wicked Warlock of the East.

    Only it wasn't Effie to whom he had said those words. She just couldn't remember who it was, and how she had come to know them.

    Unlike her, Noctis had not been chained. Instead, he had been a chain — a chain that bound Hope, the Demon of Desire.

    He had still broken her chains, in the end. He had broken himself, as well. That was why the flying ship Cassie steered was called the Chain Breaker.

    Only, weirdly enough, Effie could not remember who had given it that name. And, sadly, she wasn't strong enough to break her chains.

    So...

    Did that mean that she had to break herself?

    Effie's cracked lips twisted into a dark smile.

    ...Who knew more about being broken than she did?

    Kneeling on the cold stone floor, she pressed her forehead against it to support her weight.

    Then, slowly, arduously, she dragged one of her arms to her face.

    ‘Wolves are meant to be free...’

    She snarled and then sank her teeth into her own flesh.
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    1. Offline
      Rei-absolute
      + 1 ⋅ 0 -
      Here are the 2 chapters.
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    2. Offline
      Archivist_of_Origin
      + 1 ⋅ 0 -
      Thankyouthankyou
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  6. Offline
    Mahito Musashi
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    Bsssbsbs
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  7. Offline
    Rei-absolute
    + 2 ⋅ 0 -
    Chapter posted 7 minutes ago, there are 2
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  8. Offline
    AllenGT98
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    I suspect foul play.
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  9. Offline
    chunkysilver
    + 1 ⋅ 0 -
    Hey , can any one remind me how sunny resisted the corruption when went there in the nightmare.
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    1. Offline
      Sxbttle
      + 5 ⋅ 0 -
      He had the memory called Mirror of truth which could copy someones power for a short period. He copied Nephis longing which makes her immune to corruption
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      1. Offline
        chunkysilver
        + 0 ⋅ 0 -
        Ohh... , he copied nephis , yep I remember now.
        G3 blew mind with that arc finale.
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  10. Offline
    MrMysterious33
    + 5 ⋅ 0 -
    Here's a thought: Right now, relative to the time in the ToA, outside time is frozen. Or perhaps it crawls forward so slowly that it appears frozen. Therefore, relative to the outside time, the time in ToA would seem crazy fast, or maybe infinitly fast if the time in ToA truly is frozen. If they entered a second later, Ananke might have been long gone, but if they were were a bit quicker, they could have met Cronos and Daeron.

    If time outside is completely frozen, relative to ToA time, it's confusing how they were able to arrive at any time at all - unless they arrived just before time inside the tome did it's thing.

    Time is weird
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    1. Offline
      MrMysterious33
      + 5 ⋅ 0 -
      More thoughts:

      Perhaps Ariel made the time in the pyramid run in an entirely different dimension, therefore removing relativity between the time in ToA and time in the Dream Realm. Think of it like a graph. Normal time would run along the x-axis, but Ariel somehow made their time run along the y-axis. From our perspective on the x-axis, since x represents time, and the y-axis passes through x=0, ToA time seems frozen. Same deal but flipped around if you live in ToA: outside time would appear frozen relative to your own time.
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    2. Offline
      qwerty1705
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      literally what i was thinking, i was actually wobdering why nobody said this
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