Shadow Slave

Soon, they were standing beneath the impregnable stone walls of the mysterious city. Behind them, the great chasm of the vast crater stretched to the horizon.

Somewhere ahead, the lone human citadel in this loathsome region of the Dream Realm awaited. It promised to deliver them from this dark place and bring them home.

Sunny really couldn't wait to be finally done with this nightmare.

The city wall was built from massive slabs of grey granite. Still wet from the cold touch of the cursed sea, the ancient weathered stones looked almost black. Despite the thousands of years that passed since the mysterious builders of the wall had disappeared into the fog of time, it still looked monumental and unassailable.

The joints between the granite slabs were barely wide enough to insert a narrow blade.

Looking up, Sunny tried to guess the height of the wall. It had to be sixty meters tall, at least — twice as high as the Awakened Academy defense barrier, which was constructed with the help of both modern technology and various Aspect Abilities.

For a few moments, he wondered about the people who had erected this wall, the city behind it, and the giant statues that still stood lonesomely on the desolate shores of this cursed land. Their creations had withstood the onslaught of darkness and time, but the creators were gone. Who had they been? What terrible fate had befallen the citizens of the ruined city?

But then, Sunny angrily shook his head. These mysteries had nothing to do with him anymore. He was going home, never to return to this awful pit of horror and despair. Let someone else solve them.

After a short rest, they decided that it would be easier to climb the wall instead of circling it in search of an entrance. Even if they were to find a gate, there was no guarantee that it would be open.

managed. When there was nothing to use as a hold, Sunny and Nephis resorted to using

shadow fragments, as well as the ruthless training regimen of the neverending battle for survival, their bodies were full of strength and endurance.

even needing to catch his breath, Sunny hungrily crawled

the golden rope

Nephis and Cassie

girl grasped his shoulder and asked, her

do

He licked his lips.

The beautiful stone buildings were broken and shattered, many of them turned into mere piles of rubble. There were no people walking along the wide streets, no clamor

claw marks cut into the still-standing fragments of

were strange shapes moving through the rubble, and even more hiding in the shadows. Seeing

city was

are

stretched endlessly in both directions, enclosing the vast ruins into a

day this great barrier would serve not

interested in the wall. He wasn't even too interested in the monsters. Instead, his eyes

with tall towers and majestic spires piercing the sky. It stands above the city like a... a symbol of hope, the only