Shadow Slave

After drinking her fill, Nephis sat silently on the edge of the pool for a while, staring into the distance.

Her eyes, however, were moving, as if reading an invisible book that floated in the air above the calm waters.

Some time later, a pale shadow of a smile touched her lips.

'That guy… he did something crazy again, didn't he?'

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

'How is he so fast…'

In the past months… years, lifetimes?... spent traversing the Dream Realm, surrounded by nothing except for pain and bloodshed, Nephis had started doubting the memories of her previous life. Sometimes, all of it seemed like something that she had simply imagined… a bittersweet dream she had invented to escape from the horrors of the real world. This world.

The world of neverending nightmares.

The change of the runes describing Sunny was the only connection she had left to the actual reality. Perhaps, it was the only thing keeping her sane.

...Even if the things she saw in the shimmering runes were sometimes hard to believe.

The impossible Lineage that should not have existed, the divine Memory of the seventh Rank, the strange essence of his soul, the true nature of the taciturn stone demon… and of course, of his Flaw.

It seemed that Sunny had much more secrets than Nephis had suspected. With that knowledge, many things made much more sense now… but at the same time, many others seemed much more incredible.

Well, it was not like she didn't have secrets of her own.

And anyway, it was all in the past.

Everything was in the past.

All that remained was the future.

...She did hope that he was doing well, though, out there in the real world. With Cassie...

up from the water, Nephis shifted her gaze to the ancient tree and saw two weathered skeletons cruelly nailed to its white bark. Both stared at her with empty eyes, their teeth

one of the skeletons

I that pleasant

then strained, trying to wrestle free of the large silver nails impaling it to the tree. However, no matter how furiously it struggled,

a calm expression, no emotion reflecting in her cold, grey

first skeleton

is that living blood I smell? Gods! What terrible sins have you committed, girl, to be cast into this hell alive? Even

mouth and said hoarsely, in a voice of a person who had almost

do

The skeleton laughed.

language there is in this place, of course. Why? Do

remained silent for a

back to the waking world. Do you know how to escape

skeleton stared at her with

waking world? What

second skeleton suddenly spoke, his voice deep and full

stench of a daemon on this abominable thing? She is one of Weaver's,

turned its skull

than the two of us. Just

at them for a while, then turned

need two guides. Which one should I

skeleton strained to free himself again, and then

I will guide you to the shores of the Underworld and through its dark expanse, back to the world of the

then said

"...What about you?"

first skeleton answered in an

Oh, I am no one. Just a humble

a bit.

are… the two of you… nailed to this

had called himself Azarax

here because I led my armies into the great war, slaughtered a myriad of souls, and was punished for my strength and my

her gaze to