Shadow Slave

Cassie chose her next words carefully:

"Despite the fact that the Hollow Mountains were designated as a Death Zone, it seems that clan Valor still has ambitions of exploring them. Perhaps that is why Night Temple exists, and why a Saint is stationed there."

Sunny frowned. Even Kai and Effie seemed to be perplexed.

"...I thought Sky Tide was the only Saint on the Chained Isles."

The blind girl shook her head.

"No, there is another. Saint Cormac. He oversees the Citadel and ventures into the mist of the Hollow Mountains from time to time... as though searching for something. In fact, that was how I was able to receive permission to anchor myself and my cohort in the Night Temple. In exchange, I was meant to use my Aspect to aid him in the exploration. But nothing much came of it."

Sunny thought for a bit, then said:

"So far, everything sounds reasonable?"

Cassie nodded, then shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah. But there are just too many strange things about that Citadel, ones that have nothing to do with the Saint and his mission. For one, there are just too many Awakened there — around a hundred, I think. That is much more than is needed to support one Saint. However, the most eerie part is not their number, but who those Awakened are."

She hesitated, then said somberly:

"With the exception of two Masters who serve as Saint Cormac's lieutenants, all of them are… Lost."

Sunny perked up.

What Cassie had told them was, indeed, strange… and more than a little bit disturbing. There weren't that many Lost among the Awakened, so why would a hundred of them be gathered together in a remote and isolated Citadel?

But that wasn't the reason why Sunny was suddenly excited. Leaning forward a bit, he asked:

"Oh, yeah? Is there one called Mordret?"

a few moments, then

You see, the whole Citadel is separated into three areas. The outward ring is where we were given a space to establish a base. We were forbidden from entering the temple itself, unless escorted by one of the Masters. That is where the

silent, and then added in

area inside the temple, too. One that even the Lost aren't allowed to enter. The Inner Sanctum. One

The blind girl shivered.

least, they seemed like people. But they weren't. They were all Echoes…

Sunny scowled.

'What the hell?'

enough, but many? What exactly were they guarding that actual humans

could keep its secrets. He just needed to get the

what about an altar? Have you perceived an ivory knife

a few moments, then

the altar to activate it. So I've only felt the altar from afar… it is indeed cut from a slab of black stone, from what others told me. There is a statue of a

sighed, a

it's there… the problem is to convince the representatives of clan Valor to let me

you think you'll be able to convince them to let

blind girl nodded, but there was a bit of uncertainty on her

help Saint Cormac a lot, we parted on good terms. However… that whole place is very mysterious. I am reasonably sure that they will

didn't like the sound of

"But what?"

Cassie sighed.

is another matter entirely. They can also simply refuse to let us in. I doubt that this will happen, but just in case,

Sunny grimaced.

it, she was right. It was best to prepare for the worst… he had a few things to do in the next few days,

days. Make your preparations, and

nodded and fell

turned around and saw Effie noisily devouring the leftovers of

were busy, and

a