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.

The important part is that she is back.

obsession with 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

She was not shy about using her prodigious

Dream Realm. It was no wonder that he dropped everything to come and wait with the rest of them.

reached them and froze for a moment, then

Is it

looked at her for

I passed her to the healers with

a wide grin split her face.

never had a doubt! No Nightmare Creature exists that can keep

but smile a

would have caused a stir, but right now, no one

appeared on the young man's beautiful face. Kai swayed a little, and then

"Gods… thank the gods…"

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

silently observed the faces of his friends, seeing sincere happiness and relief written all over them. Some… Kai especially… looked on the verge

no reason to feel a strange ambivalence about

Sunny decided to ignore the darker part of his mind for a bit,

with it then. If he had to die to avoid becoming a slave, he would. If he had to kill in order to remain free… that was not out of the

share this rare moment of

founder of their cohort was back,

the Awakened healers

waiting area held their breaths. Even Morgan of Valor looked up from her communicator, strange sparks igniting

government agents couldn't contain herself

is she? Lady Changing