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.

anything. The important part is that she 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 to chase power

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 politely

Nephis into the Dream Realm. It was no wonder that he dropped everything to come

and froze for a moment, then

it true? Princess

her for a bit, then

her to the healers with my own

did not move for several seconds. Then, a wide grin split her face. It looked as if she was on the verge of

doubt! No Nightmare Creature exists that can

a little, infected by

too long, Kai arrived, as well. Usually, his appearance would have caused a stir, but right now, no one paid the former idol any

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

"Gods… thank the gods…"

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

silently observed the faces of his friends, seeing sincere happiness

feel a strange ambivalence about Changing Star's

the darker part of his mind for a bit,

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 question, as

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cohort was back,

finally opened, and one of the Awakened

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

the government agents couldn't contain

Lady Changing Star is