Shadow Slave

As it turned out, Nephis had not found a Gateway to escape the Dream Realm and Awaken.

Instead, after two long years of solitude and relentless battles for survival, she had found a Seed of Nightmare and conquered the Second Trial of the Spell as a Sleeper.

She had done it alone.

At least that was the only way Sunny could explain the runes he was staring at.

Ascended.

'That is impossible.'

Surviving the Second Nightmare was already not easy for a cohort of prepared Awakened. More people perished while trying than returned victorious. How could a lone Sleeper accomplish the same?

No one had done it before.

However… no Sleeper had been a Tyrant before.

No Sleeper had escaped alive from a battle with a Corrupted horror of the depths before.

No Sleeper had slain a Fallen Terror before.

Nephis had long established her penchant for accomplishing the impossible. Why was Sunny so surprised that she had done it again?

No, he wasn't surprised. He was… dismayed.

A deep, unsettling emotion nestled in his chest, making his face grow dark and his eyes grow dim. The shadows around him seemed to become deeper.

doesn't change anything. The important part is that

becoming more powerful than Nephis was not born out of simple vanity or empty pride. Someone else might have been tempted to chase power just for the sweetness of it, but to Sunny, being anything else than

shy about using her prodigious strength, so people did not really have any choice

man had been the person to send Nephis into the Dream Realm. It was no wonder that he dropped everything to come and wait with the rest

huntress finally reached them and froze for a moment, then

it

her for a bit, then

I… I passed her to the healers with my

seconds. Then, a wide grin split her face. It looked as if

a doubt! No Nightmare Creature exists

help but smile a

have caused a stir, but right now, no one

profound relief appeared on the young man's beautiful face. Kai swayed a little, and then leaned on the wall to keep

"Gods… thank the gods…"

for leaving Nephis behind all that time. He was truly too decent of a person for this vile world, and infected by a misguided sense of nobility to boot. Knowing that he had escaped the hell of the Forgotten Shore because of someone else's sacrifice must have pressed down

faces of his friends, seeing sincere happiness and relief written all over

no reason to feel a strange ambivalence about Changing

to ignore the darker

a slave, he would. If he had

now, he chose to just share this rare

of their cohort was back, after

doors finally opened, and one of the Awakened healers in the employ

Morgan of Valor looked up from

of the government agents couldn't

she? Lady