Chapter 3074: Prince of the Underworld

Shadow Slave

Sunny realized that the ancient runes had been left behind by Nether after reading the first few lines. Why else would the Stone Saints build their settlement around the towering black obelisk, guarding it even as they were consumed by Corruption? The identity of the author was no mystery.

As Sunny read further, however, his expression gradually changed.

At first, he assumed that the darkness Nether spoke to was a metaphorical personification of true darkness — or a powerful Creature of Darkness, perhaps. After all, the crumbling settlement was located in the Underworld, which Nether had once claimed as his realm. So, having a conversation with the elemental force dwelling in the Underworld would seem appropriate.

But as soon as death and peace were mentioned, Sunny realized that in the context of this conversation, the darkness could only represent one being — Shadow God, the god of peace and solace.

That instantly got his attention.

In the writings left on the walls of the Ebony Tower, Nether asked,

"What is life?"

And in the poem carved into this black obelisk, he was asking,

“What is death?’

But actually, there was a very interesting detail hidden in Nether's poem that had nothing to do with his question, or even with Shadow God himself. It was there, in the very first line...

‘While following the paths that shadows tread...’

Sunny tilted his head a little.

It seemed that the poem described a journey Nether — a much younger version of him than the fearsome Prince of the Underworld, most likely — had undertaken once. He explored the Underworld, and in the process, became intrigued by the shadows of the dead that crossed that realm of elemental darkness to make their way to the Shadow Realm.

So, he followed, braving the Abyss to find Shadow God's throne.

That was actually something Sunny had always been confused about. The ancient people seemed to have believed that the shadows of the dead went on a literal journey, physically traveling to the Underworld, traveling through its dark depths, and finally reaching their destination after descending into the Abyss. But Sunny had never been sure if that was merely a superstitious belief or a literal fact. If the journey of the shadows was a metaphor or an expression of universal laws.

Now, it seemed, he had a confirmation — according to Nether, it was true.

However... nothing of the sort was happening today. Sunny did not know how the shadows of the dead reached the Shadow Realm, but it seemed to happen almost instantaneously, without the need to go on an arduous journey.

So, what changed?

He considered the strange dichotomy for a few moments, then looked back to the obelisk with a surprised expression.

‘The answer seems obvious, doesn't it?’

It was because the world was not the same. Before, the shadows had to travel from the realm where they had perished to the Realm of Death, and that journey took some time to complete. Now, however, there were no realms... there was only the Dream Realm. The Shadow Realm had long become a part of it, so the shadows did not have to travel far to reach it.

‘Fascinating.'

Sunny did not know how that information could be useful to him, but still felt a hint of excitement simply because he had solved a new mystery.

Shadow God had not only been the god of peace and solace — he had been the god of mysteries, as well. Was that why Sunny could never sate his curiosity?

Shaking his head lightly, he turned his attention back to the ancient runes.

‘Lies?'

It was quite bold of Nether to have accused Shadow God of being a liar.

But it revealed a greater truth.

Sunny knew that the Demon of Destiny, and by extension all other daemons, had felt some degree of anguish because of the prohibition placed on them by the gods — because they were forbidden from siring offspring. In that way, their claim to life had been crippled.

But it seemed that, at some point, Nether had learned that daemons were refused the right to die, as well.

It all came down to the question Sunny himself had asked the Demon of Desire in the Second Nightmare. Why had Sun God chosen to imprison Hope instead of destroying her?

It was because daemons were children of the Forgotten God.

According to Weaver — if Weaver could be trusted — daemons could not die. They could only be destroyed. And in the act of being destroyed, the essence of what made them individuals would be returned to the Forgotten God, making him stronger and closer to awakening from slumber. The Forgotten God was the Flaw of existence, and daemons were the Flaw of the gods. That was what Cassie saw in one of the memories she had inherited, at least.

Now that Sunny studied Nether's poem, however, he saw the plight of daemons in a different light.

If death was peace, if it brought everyone the final solace... then didn't that mean that the daemons had been refused peace, as well? While at the same time enduring the dire prohibition placed on their lives.

No wonder Nether had eventually rebelled against the gods.

That happened long after this conversation with Shadow God, though. During this conversation, Nether had still been young and did not seem to harbor negative feelings toward Shadow God.

And yet, Nether had promised to destroy him.

That proclamation wasn't made with malice. Rather, it seemed like mercy... Nether had been denied death, so he promised to bring death to another being carrying the same curse.

Death was an aspect of Shadow God, after all. The Shadow Realm was his body. He swallowed the shadows of the dead, and dismantled them into pure soul essence within himself. So how could Shadow God die? He couldn't swallow himself, so Nether offered to one day devour the God of Death — as a favor.

‘How... cocky of him.'

Sunny shook his head in amazement.

He wasn't sure how much of the poem was a factual retelling of a real conversation between Shadow God and Nether, and how much of it was a literary interpretation. However, it was clear that Nether had a complicated relationship with the great gods long before his rebellion.

Was Shadow God the reason why he had chosen to conquer the Underworld and subjugate true darkness? True darkness was what shadows feared, after all. If Nether wanted to keep his promise, absorbing it — and nothingness as well — would have been a profound first step.

‘He failed, though.'

In the end, neither true darkness nor the power of nothingness had managed to destroy the gods.

Instead, they had been consumed by the Nightmare Spell.

It wasn't Nether who had slain them — it was Weaver.

So, in a sense, the only power that could destroy the gods...

Was fate.

And it was precisely that power that Weaver had wanted to defeat, as well.