Shadow Slave

After a while, he regained enough composure to continue the conversation.

Sunny and Teacher Julius chatted for a while, discussing the exact process of publishing the report, what changes would have to be made, and how they would work together to bring the project to fruition.

All of it, of course, was going to have to happen only after Sunny had settled in the Dream Realm and found a Citadel to anchor himself to. Right now, he did not exactly have time to work on an academic paper.

Teacher Julius also shared some of his knowledge about the human settlements in the Dream Realm and his views on how to decide on a proper Citadel. All his advice, however, could be described in one sentence:

"Find one with good plumbing."

Sunny wasn't sure what to make of it, but judging by the pained expression on the old man's face, it was indeed an important factor.

Finally, he managed to turn the conversation toward the things he really wanted to learn about.

"Speaking of that… I am really unclear on one thing. While exploring the Dark City, I found a few places of worship. However, the deities they worshipped seemed to be different from the ones I heard about in my First Nightmare. Did the native humans of the Dream Realm all have different gods?"

Teacher Julius looked at him and smiled:

"Ah! The gods. That is an interesting subject indeed."

He thought for a few moments, then said:

"Yes and no. The gods worshipped in different regions had different names, but from what we can tell, those names all described the same entities. The current consensus is that the "gods" of the Dream Realm were, in fact, actual beings, perhaps creatures of the Divine rank."

Sunny nodded.

where

The old man sighed.

the gods. They are dead, just like everything else in the Dream Realm is dead. They seem to have been alive in the time periods of many of the Nightmares, but the ruins we have encountered and explored mostly describe them as being destroyed… by what or whom,

for a bit, then

a few things about the gods. For example,

Sunny smiled.

"Let me guess… seven?"

Teacher Julius chuckled.

there were only six gods. Their most common names were Sun, War, Beast, Storm, Heart, and Shadow. Although those names don't

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"Really? How so?

rubbed his chin,

seems to be very mercurial… the War God is supposed to

'Uh… what?'

it make any

The old man smiled.

of War can also be called the Goddess of Life. She is also the goddess of progress, technology, craft, intellect, and through all of this, the patron goddess of

in his favorite field and went on

also the Lord of Light, a manifestation of fire, passion, creation, and destruction. The Storm God is also the god of the depths, of the oceans, of darkness, stars, travel, guidance, and disaster. And

Sunny coughed.

about

The eccentric instructor shrugged:

is not very prominent. Well, as a shadow should

hesitated for a few moments, then asked

responsible for all that. Were there perhaps any