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 to cry. Abandoned

death, a cold and indifferent voice came out of the

"...What are you doing?"

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

she

darkness and destroyed the bitter, all-encompassing prison of

to be callous and cruel, but was actually caring

then, she had to make

now, she had to live with

Or die with it...

the sounds of slaughter, a sudden gust

and slowly turned

paled,

'No!'

who could have heard her, Cassie closed

there is a

***

fact, it was slowly pushing the horde

and joined the vanguard,

reserve of fresh bodies. With no more abominations crossing

her, with Effie stalling the entire horde to give the rest

two opposing forces seemed to finally be

would have taken for the humans to turn that balance in their favor

"Come on! Hold strong!"

"Lit yourself on fire!"

"Follow the Immortal Flame!"

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

The light dimmed slightly.

and froze for a

Spire, an impenetrable wall of darkness was slowly devouring the world. It was approaching the battlefield

A storm was coming.

the black water that swirled around

it began to crawl

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

was coming to devour the Forgotten

not react in the same way

howled and shrieked in eerie triumph, and then crashed into