Shadow Slave

The interior of the home was tasteful and minimalist, governed by a design philosophy that seemed stylish, spacious... and a little bit empty.

The first floor contained a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a pantry, a bathroom, and a guest bedroom. Everything was furnished and fully stocked, including a refrigerator that was stuffed with all kinds of expensive food.

Lanard looked around with a sense of pride and went on a long tirade about all the hidden security features the unassuming house actually possessed. There were thick plates of armored alloy hiding behind the siding panels, the wide windows were outfitted with titanium shutters that could come down at a moment's notice, and both air and water filters could withstand not only the usual environmental toxins, but also most known forms of biochemical threats.

Such extensive security measures might have seemed like overkill, but in fact, even mundane humans strived to turn their homes into compact fortresses. No one knew when the next Gate would open, and how close to them it would be. Even though most homeowners were never going to use these protective features, having them made for a big quality of life difference.

Lanard spent a weirdly long amount of time describing all the lighting fixtures his agency had installed, his voice bursting with enthusiasm. It seemed that the man had a thing about designer lamps. Sunny didn't have the heart to tell him that he would not be using any of them, most of the time. He could see perfectly well in the dark, after all.

"...the house is connected to the city electrical grid, but there's obviously an autonomous energy source for emergencies. Spelltech, of course. Power units are easily accessible for purchase and last for a very long time…"

By spelltech, he meant that the autonomous generator was built by combining modern technology with Awakened powers. The power units it required had to be either recharged or created by someone with a suitable Utility Aspect. Devices such as this were considered to be a luxury for the commoners, but in fact, a very large part of the city's infrastructure functioned on spelltech.

Not everything in the world was created by the Awakened, but almost all industries required their participation in one way or another. Even the air filtration systems Sunny's mother used to assemble in an underground factory on the outskirts contained fiber grown by one of the Nightmare Spell carriers.

That was why, while Utility Aspects were often useless in a fight, people who possessed them were so valued by society.

of questions about the entertainment system built into the living room, scratched the back

home office. There was also the latch to the storage space in the attic.

and gave him a strange

is nice, but he does know that I can't sleep in the real

underground, as well as being the most heavily fortified and well-protected part of the house. In a sense, this was the heart of the

and ceiling covered by heavy plates of armored ceramic alloy. This was done so that an Awakened could train here without worrying

remembered and mourned all the beautiful things he had lost during their previous duels. Like

into a heavily fortified, impenetrable alloy box. The reason for

Sunny walked over to it and stared

'No more sore muscles…'

its closed state, the pod looked like a steel monolith. As far as high-tech coffins went, this armored one was a real

be able to spend entire months in the Dream Realm without subjecting his physical body to any damage. He wasn't planning on getting lost in the Spell for so long, of course, but it was better to

Lanard chuckled:

not going to lie, every time I find myself in such an environment, I can't help

at him,

really. What is

The short man shivered.

was a fiend that fed on human blood and slept in a coffin underground.