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.

she hugged her knees and tried not to

cold and indifferent voice

"...What are you doing?"

met Nephis, who saved and protected her ever since. Without even asking anything in return, not before, and not

because she wanted

prison

Sunny. Sweet Sunny, who pretended to be callous and cruel, but was actually caring

she had

now, she had to live with

Or die with it...

of slaughter, a sudden gust of wind

and slowly turned to

later, her face paled, and her lips moved

'No!'

away from the battle and anyone who could have heard her,

there is

***

much smaller, but still held on. In fact, it was slowly

no suitable 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

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

serving as the unassailable core of the human formation and rallying fighters around her, with Effie stalling the entire horde to give the rest of the humans

opposing forces seemed

to turn

"Come on! Hold strong!"

"Lit yourself on fire!"

"Follow the Immortal Flame!"

battle was about to be decided, a

The light dimmed slightly.

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

wall of darkness was slowly devouring the world. It was approaching the battlefield with terrifying speed, numerous bolts of lightning illuminating

A storm was coming.

it drew closer and closer, the surface of the black water that swirled around the island of the cyclopean tower suddenly

it began to

swelled and moved forward, swallowing the crimson coral meter after a meter,

was coming to devour

guarded the Crimson Spire, however, did not react in the

find shelter, they howled and shrieked in eerie triumph, and then crashed into the