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...

Nephis shifted her gaze to the ancient tree and saw two weathered skeletons cruelly nailed to its white bark. Both stared at her with

one

oh my. Am I

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

skeletons with a calm expression,

skeleton

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

her mouth and said hoarsely, in a voice of a person who had almost forgotten how to

do you

The skeleton laughed.

this place, of course. Why? Do you wish to learn

silent for a long time,

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

at

world? What

skeleton suddenly spoke, his voice deep

this abominable thing?

turned its skull a little, and then

not find guides better than the two of us. Just take us off this damned tree, and

at them for a while,

two guides. Which one should I

strained to free himself again, and

the shores of the Underworld and through its dark expanse, back

him a glance, then said to the other

"...What about you?"

answered in

no one. Just a

a bit. Finally,

the two of

who had called himself Azarax

my armies into the

her gaze to