Shadow Slave

Some time later, the six of the left the secluded ruin and made their way toward the Bright Castle. The Dark City was silent and bleak, its streets devoid of life and movement. Even the Nightmare Creatures seemed to remain hidden in the lairs today, as though the feeling the tension that hung in the air like a harbinger of a disastrous change.

A lonely star was about to ignite in the sky above the cursed city.

Nephis was the first one to walk under the marble arch and step on the road that led to the outer settlement. Her face was calm and motionless, any hint of emotion hidden behind her usual mask of indifference. It was as though she was returning home in triumph, not marching to her own execution.

There was a slightly distant look in her eyes.

Sunny abandoned his usual position at the back of the group and was now walking side by side with her. Maybe it was just a whim, but he felt unwilling to follow in her footsteps as he had always done before, from the first day they met.

As they ascended the tall hill, Changing Star suddenly asked:

"Sunny, do you remember your First Nightmare well?"

Her voice sounded relaxed and idle.

He cast a sideways glance at her and hesitated for a few moments. Then, he answered in an even tone:

"Like it was yesterday."

She smiled slightly.

"Was it hard?"

Slowly, a grin appeared on his face.

"Hard? No, not hard. Impossible. It was a ghastly, despicable, and torturous ordeal. Truly the stuff of nightmares. Calling it hard would be an injustice."

a dismissive shrug, Sunny drove the memories of the black mountain

"...What about yours?"

away, remembering. After a while, she

wasn't that

stared at

only had to kill a measly thousand Unholy Titans with your bare hands, or something like

slowly shook her

have to fight anyone, really. Up until the very

Sunny blinked.

"Wait, seriously?"

sad smile appeared on

beautiful tower on the shore of a beautiful sea. Every morning, the warm sun rose from beyond the horizon, bathing the endless expanse of azure waves in beautiful light. The winds were gentle and the world was kind. It was me,

He frowned.

sea serpent destroyed the lighthouse? Some rotten horror

A few moments passed

think. My Nightmare... it was actually a paradise. It was everything I dreamed about when I was a little kid.

shock. As he watched, the hint of sorrow disappeared from Neph's face,

even. Just like you said. Because all I had to do to conquer the Nightmare...

hesitated for a while, then

did

from Neph's

how hard I looked, there wasn't any. Day after day, night after night… as time went by, it became harder and harder to force myself to continue searching. I grew accustomed to that bliss, that warm and beautiful life. And eventually, a day came when I thought that, maybe, I should stop. Maybe

and said, her tantalizing voice reaching the deepest, darkest parts

have to light yourself on fire... to rip the blessings of the fire. That was what my grandmother used to say. So that was what I

her eyes reflecting the terrible agony she felt. As her ivory skin continuously boiled, darkened, and then healed to become pristine again, she said