Shadow Slave

Sunny left the Academy with a lot on his mind.

As a Master and a high ranking citizen, he had the right to acquire a PTV license and more than enough money to purchase one. However, Sunny had no idea how to control a personal transport vehicle and was too lazy to learn, so he still used public trains to move around the city.

Around the… Northern Quadrant Siege Capital.

Paying no attention to the captivated glances people threw at him, he looked into the window as the train slid forward on its magnetic guideway, flying through district after district with incredible speed.

The city… was a nice enough place, as long as you were not born in the outskirts. Tall buildings burrowed deep underground and rose high into the sky, connected by tunnels and aerial bridges into a complicated maze of graphene composite and reinforced alloy. Here and there, artificial trees and grass broke the white monotony with vibrant shades of green, yellow, orange, and red.

Everything seemed clean and bright despite the heavy snowstorms that were prevalent this time of year, not at all like the dirty, dim, poisonous clutter of the outskirts. There were large screens displaying beautiful vistas of breathtaking landscapes that had not existed on planet Earth since centuries ago, and propaganda projections that had been masterfully designed to brighten the mood of the citizens.

…Most of all, the city seemed full of life. Endless streams of people were crowding the crosswalks, with a rare PTV or two appearing from time to time. Millions… hundreds of millions of humans called this place their home. Only here, protected by the colossal outer barriers and protective air filtration systems, as well as powerful Awakened, could they survive and thrive.

It was strange to imagine that many similar human shelters in Antarctica were going to be abandoned and destroyed by the endless tide of Nightmare Creatures very soon.

Sunny had seen the panic and mayhem that an unexpected manifestation of a Gate could cause. However, his imagination failed when he tried to envision what would the same disaster, but magnified hunderfold look like. All he could picture was the horde of abominations that the Dreamer Army had faced under the Crimson Spire suddenly appearing on these peaceful streets.

that image

stood by

But he was not going to go out of his way and seek death

he would continue to

Most likely.

a seed of doubt in his heart. Sure, the expedition to Antarctica seemed like a suicidal exercise

of Dormant and Awakened abominations that were going to flood the Southern Quadrant soon, he could still collect plenty

lower category Gates would appear during the

the likes of Immortal Flame and Smile of Heaven perished in the fight. Could Sunny guarantee

it all came down to a simple choice that

would regain the ability to enter the Dream Realm. There, he would be able to achieve

than enough value to negotiate a supremely lucrative deal. With their training, support, and resources,

would instantly disappear, too. Instead, he would be

bounds. Valor was widely renowned for creating incredible Memories, after all. He had also seen how proficient the representatives of the Great Clan were in using runic sorcery, back in the Night Temple. There was

seemed to be

Were they even wrong?