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.

matter. That doesn't change anything. The important part is

To him, it was of paramount importance. His obsession with becoming more powerful than Nephis was not born out of simple vanity or empty pride. Someone else might have been tempted

Effie pushing her way through 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

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

them and froze for

Cassie! Is it true? Princess is

at her for a bit,

passed her to the healers with

wide grin split her face. It looked as if she was on the verge of starting to howl

doubt! No Nightmare Creature

smile a little,

would have caused a stir, but right now, no one paid the former idol any

the confirmation, an expression of profound relief appeared on the young man's beautiful face. Kai swayed a little, and then

"Gods… thank the gods…"

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

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

feel a

Sunny decided to ignore the darker part of

to avoid becoming a slave, he would. If he had to kill in

just share this

of their cohort was

and one of the Awakened healers in the employ of the Academy

of Valor looked up from her communicator, strange sparks igniting in

government agents couldn't

she? Lady Changing Star