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 empty eyes, their teeth

time, one of the skeletons

oh my. Am I that pleasant to

of the large silver nails impaling it to the tree. However, no matter how furiously it struggled, the nails held

at the skeletons with a calm expression, no emotion

first 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

hoarsely, in a voice of a person who

language do

The skeleton laughed.

of course.

a long

world. Do you know

stared at her

world? What is

spoke, his voice deep

on this abominable thing? She is

skeleton turned its skull a little, and

my. In that case, you will not find guides better than the two of us. Just take us

stared at them for

two guides. Which one

strained to free

of Steel, King of Kings, conqueror of a hundred thrones! Choose me, nephilim! I will guide you to the shores of the Underworld and through its dark expanse, back to the world of the living! You will need a powerful guide if you wish

a glance, then said to

"...What about you?"

first skeleton answered in an aloof

Oh, I am no one. Just

for a bit. Finally,

the two of you… nailed

skeleton who had called himself Azarax

I am here because I led my armies into the great war, slaughtered a myriad of souls,

her gaze to