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 sweetness of it, but to Sunny, being anything else than the

crowd. She was not shy about using her prodigious strength, so people did not really have any choice except to let her pass. Even Instructor Rock, who had appeared ten minutes earlier, had to

was no wonder that he dropped everything to come and wait with the rest of

them and froze for a

it true? Princess

looked at her for a bit, then simply

passed her to the healers with my own two

Then, a wide grin split her face. It looked

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

couldn't help but smile a little, infected by her

have caused a stir, but right now, no one paid the

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

"Gods… thank the gods…"

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

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

no reason to feel

to ignore the darker

it then. If he had to die to avoid becoming a slave, he would. If he had to

chose to just share this rare moment of joy

their cohort was

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

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

agents couldn't contain herself

Lady