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

a cold and indifferent voice came

"...What are you doing?"

met Nephis, who saved and protected her ever since. Without even asking anything in return, not before, and not after learning of what Cassie's Aspect was able

she

of the darkness and destroyed the bitter, all-encompassing prison of her loneliness. How was Cassie supposed to ever

then, she met Sunny. Sweet Sunny, who pretended to be callous and cruel, but was actually

she had to make a

she had to live

Or die with it...

Cassie stood, listening to the sounds of slaughter, a sudden gust

turned to

her face paled, and

'No!'

away from the battle and anyone who could have heard

there

***

Dreamer Army became much smaller, but still held on. In fact, it was slowly pushing the horde of the Nightmare

arrows and ammunition, those who had no suitable Memories to replace them summoned their melee weapons and joined the vanguard,

fresh bodies. With no more abominations crossing the bridges of crimson coral and

formation and rallying fighters around her, with Effie stalling the entire horde to give the rest of the humans time to mend the breaches in their defense lines, for a few minutes, the

forces seemed to finally be evenly

for the humans to turn that balance in their

"Come on! Hold strong!"

"Lit yourself on fire!"

"Follow the Immortal Flame!"

to be decided, a gust of wind suddenly blew over the battlefield, bringing with it the

The light dimmed slightly.

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

It was approaching

A storm was coming.

black water

it began to crawl

the black whirlpool swelled and moved forward, swallowing the crimson coral meter after a meter, its dark

cursed sea was coming to devour

that guarded the Crimson Spire, however, did not react in the same way as the usual Nightmare Creatures

scurrying away to find shelter, they howled and shrieked in eerie triumph, and then crashed into the Dreamer