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.

on the hard coral, she hugged her

and indifferent voice came out of the

"...What are you doing?"

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

because she

all-encompassing prison of her loneliness. How

Sweet Sunny, who pretended to be callous and cruel,

then, she had to

now, she had to live with that

Or die with it...

to the sounds of slaughter, a sudden gust

and slowly turned to face

face paled, and her

'No!'

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

there is a

***

still held on. In fact, it was slowly pushing the horde

out of arrows and ammunition, those who had no suitable Memories to replace them summoned their melee weapons and joined the vanguard, reinforcing its dwindling numbers. The Artisans

its seemingly endless reserve of fresh bodies. With no more abominations crossing the bridges of crimson coral and lunging forward to join the massacre, its mass was

rallying fighters around her, with Effie stalling the entire horde to give the rest of the humans time to mend

forces seemed to finally be

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!"

about to be decided,

The light dimmed slightly.

and froze for a few moments. Their

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

A storm was coming.

water that swirled

then, it began to

and moved forward, swallowing the crimson coral meter after a

sea was coming to devour

Crimson Spire, however, did not react

and shrieked in eerie