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.

down on the hard coral, she hugged her knees

death, a cold and indifferent voice came

"...What are you doing?"

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

because she wanted

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

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

she had

had to live with that

Or die with it...

slaughter, a sudden gust of wind rustled

and slowly turned to

moment later, her face paled, and

'No!'

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

there is

***

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

Memories to replace them summoned their melee weapons and joined the vanguard, reinforcing its dwindling numbers. The Artisans had done

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

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

opposing forces seemed to finally be evenly

the humans to turn that

"Come on! Hold strong!"

"Lit yourself on fire!"

"Follow the Immortal Flame!"

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

The light dimmed slightly.

stumbled and froze for a

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

A storm was coming.

surface of the black water that swirled around the

it began to

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

coming to devour the

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

in eerie triumph, and then crashed into the Dreamer Army with renewed