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.

hard coral, she hugged her knees and

death, a cold and indifferent voice came out

"...What are you doing?"

ever since. Without even asking anything in return, not before, and not after

because she wanted

brought her out of the darkness and destroyed the bitter, all-encompassing prison

pretended to be callous and cruel, but was actually caring and

then, she had to

had to live with

Or die with it...

sounds of slaughter, a sudden gust

flinched, and slowly turned to

face paled,

'No!'

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

storm… there is a

***

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

and joined the vanguard, reinforcing its dwindling numbers. The Artisans had done the

no more abominations crossing the bridges of crimson coral and lunging forward to join the massacre, its

around her, with Effie stalling the entire horde to give the rest of the humans time to mend the breaches in their defense lines,

forces seemed to

for the humans to turn that balance in their

"Come on! Hold strong!"

"Lit yourself on fire!"

"Follow the Immortal Flame!"

fate of this battle was about to be decided, a gust of wind suddenly blew over the battlefield, bringing with it the smell of

The light dimmed slightly.

froze for a few moments. Their faces became as white

of darkness was slowly devouring the world. It was approaching the

A storm was coming.

water that swirled

then, it began to

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

coming to devour the Forgotten

the Crimson Spire, however, did not react in the

shrieked in eerie triumph, and then crashed