Shadow Slave

The dark sea was gone.

And all the horrors that dwelt in its cursed depths were gone with it, too.

The world was bathed in pure sunlight. The surface of the Labyrinth suddenly became vibrant and bright, with stark shadows hiding under the jagged pillars of the crimson coral. The furious white sun burned above the Crimson Spire, as if frozen in the middle of the sky.

Sunny even had to cover his eyes for a few seconds.

Laying on the ground, he allowed himself a few moments of rest. A short laugh escaped from his lips.

'I actually did it?'

Speak about the unlikely events...

Unfortunately, he couldn't really rest yet.

The battle wasn't over. The horde of Nightmare Creatures was not defeated yet.

…And somewhere in the Spire, the Crimson Terror itself was not defeated, either.

With a deep sigh, Sunny collected himself and rose to his feet. They were almost there. They almost escaped. Now, all that was left was to make one final push. Even if it was going to be the hardest one yet...

Looking at the tall mound of coral towering above him, he squinted against the light and began climbing it.

Was it always so bright?

As Sunny climbed, he summoned the runes and glanced at them.

Shadows: [Marble Saint].

'Thank gods.'

He knew that Saint was alright, but still wanted to check. The taciturn demon had been heavily damaged and was bound to spend a long time restoring herself, however, her existence was not in danger.

his eyes

Shadow Fragments: [999/1000].

'...Crap.'

was going to happen

slumber for several weeks, as Saint had? Or suddenly become incapacitated

cost

do

he continued his climb and soon reached the very top of the coral pillar. Standing on it, Sunny looked in the

rolling off his skin. A moment

it across his upper lip. It came away wet with

nose bleed? What the

think of it, why did he feel so

hand in confusion, a violent ripple

***

that surrounded the island, the remnants of the Dreamer Army were at the precipice of turning the tide of battle

been drowning in the rising flood of black water and the relentless onslaught of the horde, lost in the fury of a

The sun shined brightly in the sky, drowning the battlefield in its light. Bathed in it, the Nightmare

continued to attack the humans in a frenzied rage, their claws and fangs reaping one life after another. But the survivors of the Dreamer Army were repaying every

fervor, and murderous will. More and more Nightmare Creatures fell to their blades, and the horde did not seem to

not know why the storm had dissipated and why the cursed sea had retreated, but their faith in Changing Star now burned even brighter. She had promised to guide them out of this hell, and somehow, even the black water had capitulated to her radiant

not impossible anymore.

dance. A confused, alarmed frown appeared on her face. Dodging the claws of an attacking abomination,

a few short moments, she lowered her

looked at the

***

her, Kai was still alive…

'What is happening?'

the cursed Spire Messengers,

Let alone react…

really, really didn't feel well. His whole body ached, and his vision was slowly turning blurry.