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. Who cares how she

did matter. 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 to chase power just for the sweetness of it, but to Sunny, being anything else than the strongest was

pushing her way through the crowd. She was not shy about using her prodigious strength, so people did

Realm. It was no wonder that he dropped everything to come and wait with the rest of them. Sunny felt a bit

them and froze

it true?

at her for a bit,

the healers

face. It looked

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

but smile a little,

well. Usually, his appearance would have caused a stir, but right now, no one

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

"Gods… thank the gods…"

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

his friends, seeing sincere happiness and

him, they had no reason to feel a strange ambivalence about

to ignore the darker part of his

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

he chose to just share this rare moment

cohort was

one of the Awakened healers in the employ of the

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

agents couldn't contain

how is she? Lady Changing Star