Shadow Slave

Left on the top of the tall mound of crimson coral, Cassie stood alone in the darkness.

Now that the Quiet Dancer had left her side, she was back to her previous self.

Lost.

Weak.

Frightened.

Utterly helpless.

The oppressive nothingness surrounded her from all sides.

But that nothingness was full of sound.

It swelled with the deafening cacophony of the nightmare horde's onslaught. Cassie heard howls, growling, inhuman screams, shrieks, and the scraping of chitin.

She heard the clangor of steel and the sound of flesh being ripped apart.

She also heard countless human voices calling out to any kind of deity that could save them. Full of fury, agony, bravery, fear, resolve, sorrow, strength, helplessness, hope, faith, despair, disbelief.

She heard them dying.

Standing above it all, Cassie shivered. She wanted to press her hands against her ears, but didn't.

…Her terrible vision was coming true.

And she was back to being lost in the darkness.

Just like before. Worse than before. Almost like on that first day in this cursed, forsaken, lightless land.

In this forgotten hell.

Back then, she had found herself stranded on a similar mound of coral. Only what surrounded her was the dark sea and not a horde of Nightmare Creatures.

But Cassie didn't know that. She didn't know where she was, and what was hiding in the boundless darkness. She only knew that she was alone, and helpless.

That she was going to die in that lonesome, cold nothingness.

hugged her knees and tried not

a cold and indifferent voice came out of the

"...What are you doing?"

ever since. Without even asking anything in return, not before, and not after learning of what Cassie's

she wanted

the bitter, all-encompassing prison

to be callous and cruel, but was actually caring and

had to make

to

Or die with it...

of slaughter, a sudden gust of wind rustled her beautiful blond

slowly turned

paled, and her lips moved

'No!'

battle and anyone who could have heard her, Cassie closed her eyes and whispered into the

storm… there is

***

Dreamer Army became much smaller, but still held on. In fact, it

Memories to replace them summoned their melee weapons and joined the vanguard, reinforcing its dwindling numbers. The Artisans had done the same, abandoning their siege engines and throwing themselves into the crucible of

horde, meanwhile, had depleted its seemingly endless reserve of fresh bodies. With no more abominations crossing the bridges of crimson coral and lunging forward to join

the rest of the humans time to mend the breaches in

forces seemed

have taken for the humans to turn that balance in their favor was one last

"Come on! Hold strong!"

"Lit yourself on fire!"

"Follow the Immortal Flame!"

feeling that the fate of this battle was about to be decided, a gust of wind suddenly blew

The light dimmed slightly.

they suddenly stumbled and froze for a few moments. Their faces became as white

the world. It was approaching the battlefield with terrifying speed, numerous bolts of lightning illuminating its

A storm was coming.

closer and closer, the surface of the black water that swirled

then, it began to

forward, swallowing the crimson coral meter after a meter,

was coming to devour the

did not react in the same way as the

they howled and shrieked in eerie triumph, and then crashed into the Dreamer Army with renewed