Shadow Slave

The runes shimmered in the tranquil darkness of the silent sea.

Name: Nephis.

True Name: Changing Star.

Just as Sunny had suspected, that True Name hid many meanings. It didn't describe a star that was always changing, but instead a star that caused change. However, there were a lot of words for change in the runic language, each hiding a unique meaning.

The one used here meant a cataclysmic change that brought ruin and disaster; sometimes bad and sometimes good, but always cruel and calamitous, wreathed in misfortune.

So, in a sense, Nephis was neither a Star of Change nor a Star of Ruin, but both; the two went hand in hand, inseparable, destined to bring both salvation and damnation to those touched by her light.

…Just like what had happened to the doomed Dreamers of the Dark City.

The Spell was really good at giving names, it seemed.

Thinking of his own True Name somberly, Sunny read further:

Rank: Dreamer.

Class: Demon.

Soul Cores: [3/7].

Soul Fragments: [2749/3000].

He stared at the last two strings, a dark expression written on his face.

'So this… this is how far ahead of me you are.'

Then, with a heavy sigh, he looked away.

Many events of the past few months made sense now. During the fight against Gunlaug, Nephis had already been a Dormant Monster — just like he was right now, a Dreamer in possession of two Cores. It was because she had known that killing the Bright Lord would push her toward the third that she asked him to prevent Caster from attacking her in that moment of weakness.

…And in the time since, Changing Star had almost reached the fourth.

'How was she so fast?'

Sunny had made a conscious choice to avoid saturating his core during the civil war in the Bright Castle. In hindsight, this decision had turned out to be a wrong one… or maybe not. If he had collected all thousand shadow fragments back then, he might have been dead already, killed by one of Tessai's Guards or a Nightmare Creature while completely incapacitated by the formation of the second Shadow Core.

Hell, he would have been crushed to death by a piece of falling granite if not for the [Soul Conduit] suppressing the process at the best possible moment.

…Just as always, terrible misfortune had come together with incredible luck.

But even if he had come to possess the Monster Core back then, he would have never managed to create a third, let alone get this close to the fourth one.

It was because Nephis had one big advantage over him in the matter of collecting essence.

only a single shadow fragment… or a few, at best, if the enemy was of the

a true feast for Changing Star. Especially when slaying those experienced members of the Host

always on the frontline, after all. Fighting, killing, leading her

the darkness for a while, then slowly turned back to the

Armor], [Dawn Shard], [Dark Wing],

Memories, too, including [Evertwine] — the golden rope he knew so well. But Sunny did not pay them a lot of attention. His sight was attracted

Memory: [Nameless Sun].

Memory Rank: Ascended.

Memory Tier: VI.

Memory Type: Weapon.

were lost. Only when she lost that longing, too, was the Crimson Terror of the Forgotten Shore finally

His eyes narrowed.

received a Memory after

what enchantments that terrible Memory held. Whatever they were, however, the Nameless Sun was bound to be

it enough to help Nephis survive in the ruthless hellscape of the Dream Realm? He

continued to

Echoes: —

[Dreamspawn], [Nephilim], [Flame of

Attribute Description: "You are born of two worlds, belonging to both, but welcomed

were terrible creatures born of an unholy union between the divine and the profane. Nephilim were the most beautiful,

Attribute Description: "Your soul is aflame with the light

Attribute Description: "You have inherited the

for a bit,

how

was at the center of all the rest, the core of her being, just like his [Fated] trait. He often thought that it was tied to drive, battle prowess,

But it was not.

was called [Dreamspawn] and tied to her nature as a child of a Hollow mother. In a sense, she was connected to the Dream Realm — and the Nightmare Spell — from before she had

core trait was

duality was further expressed after Nephis had conquered her First Nightmare and received her

Half deific, half… Unknown?

of a radiant being engraved into the walls of

that creature one of the nephilim? Or a fallen angel, from whom nephilim were supposed to be born? After all, the similarity

then there was the last Attribute, [The

Sunny rubbed his face.

his own Blood Weave. Finally, the meaning behind that word became clear: Lineage Memories akin to the [Drop of Ichor] were able to impart Awakened with unique Attributes that, unlike the usual ones, seemed to be hereditary. They could be passed down through a bloodline, and at least one of the great

too? Was that what allowed them to rise to the very top of humanity and claim their place as

have so many

but notice a slight difference between [Blood Weave] and [The Fire]. While the

forbidden? Was it because it didn't come from a proper deity like Sun God, but from mysterious Weaver, who was

described as a "partial" lineage, while The Fire

"Questions, questions…'

sigh, Sunny turned to the runes once

Aspect: [Light Bringer].