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

a cold and indifferent voice came out

"...What are you doing?"

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

because she wanted

bitter, all-encompassing prison of

then, she met Sunny. Sweet Sunny, who pretended to

then, she had to make a

had to live with

Or die with it...

the sounds of slaughter, a sudden gust of

turned to face

later, her face paled, and

'No!'

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

storm… there is

***

on. In fact, it was slowly pushing the horde of the Nightmare

line of archers ran out of arrows and ammunition, those who had no suitable Memories to replace them summoned their melee weapons and joined the

seemingly endless reserve of fresh bodies. With no more abominations crossing the bridges

fighters around her, with Effie stalling the entire horde to give the rest of the

forces seemed to finally

it would have taken for the humans to turn that

"Come on! Hold strong!"

"Lit yourself on fire!"

"Follow the Immortal Flame!"

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

The light dimmed slightly.

froze for a few moments. Their faces became as white as

darkness was slowly devouring the world. It was approaching the battlefield with terrifying speed, numerous

A storm was coming.

black water that swirled around the island

it began to crawl

and moved forward,

coming to devour the

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

in eerie triumph, and then crashed into the Dreamer Army