Shadow Slave

For the next few days, Sunny's life became rather monotonous. He would meditate while circulating the shadow essence through the coils of the Soul Serpent to enhance the speed of its recovery, pour it into the obsidian arch… and repeat the process.

With each cycle, the runes surrounding the portal became brighter and brighter. The portal was slowly coming to life, feeling Sunny with hope so intense that he struggled to contain it. He had no doubt that he would be able to activate the arch.

And then… he would go to the Ivory Tower, find a way to descend back to the Chained Isles, somehow, and return to the real word.

And by a new refrigerator.

'And stock it with all kinds of food!'

Sitting on the stone floor of the highest level of the Ebony Tower, Sunny looked at the Covetous Coffer, which stood nearby, with a resentful expression. He knew full well that there was no meat left there, or any other kind of food.

Who knew he would miss the vile flesh of the Mordant Mimic one day?

'I guess one should never say never…'

Sunny was close to fully replenishing the shadow essence, so his thoughts began to wander.

Out of boredom, he dove into the Soul Sea, stared at the shadows for some time, then paced around, then summoned some of his Memories and read their descriptions for the hundredth time, then stared at the looming black suns of his Shadow Cores, then paced some more, the summoned a few other Memories.

'Boring… so boring…'

After a while, something finally attracted his attention.

The runes of Weaver's Mask... had apparently changed a little.

Before, there was a [???] in place of the name of its third enchantment. After Sunny had activated that enchantment… almost frying his brain in the process… the name changed, however.

He blinked a few times, then looked at the runes again.

'Did I... did I read it right?'

was no mistake. The first two enchantments were just as before, [Mantle of Lies] and [Simple Trick]. The third one, however,

Enchantment: [Where

Enchantment Description: "Helps the wielder peer

a few moments, and then laughed so hard that it threw

gods… where is my eye!

at Weaver's strange naming sensibility, the cycle

smiled, then stood up and summoned the

now, the circle of runes was burning with a furious white radiance, turning the somber black hall into a stark tapestry of darkness and light. It seemed as if the air

toward the obsidian arch and, without wasting any time, touched it with the tip of the silver spear. Once again, his soul essence

half of

an involuntary step back and raised a

Life.

eyes adjusted to the brightness, Sunnyslowly lowered his

a rift in reality

the portal, the hall was just as it had been

of years spent in utter darkness, and brought with it the sounds of the wind

from where the obsidian floor ended, full of vibrancy and life. A shadow of a tall tree

through the portal. Surrounded but the blue skies, clouds,

whole sight was like a

He swallowed.

Ivory Tower.

how softly the grass swayed under the wind and how lazily the branches of the tree moved, the heavenly

regard, at

'Yes!'

The portal was burning through the meager amount of divine flame Sunny had been able to

"Curses!"

be done here, to begin with. Time had destroyed every possible trophy he could have found, and the most valuable treasures — the Bone Weave and the knowledge of the map left behind by the Prince of

had to

Memories, Sunny wrapped both shadows around his body… and dashed toward the

please don't be an