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.

part is that she is back. Who cares

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

in stunned silence, the sound of hurried footsteps resounded near him. Looking up, Sunny saw 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 politely make

wonder that he dropped everything to come and wait with the rest of them. Sunny felt a bit

and froze for a moment,

it

her for a bit, then

I passed her to the healers with my

move for several seconds. Then, a wide grin split her face. It looked as if she was on the verge

had a doubt! No Nightmare Creature exists that can keep

a little, infected by her

well. Usually, his appearance would have caused a stir,

received the confirmation, an expression of profound relief appeared on the young man's beautiful face. Kai swayed

"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 Forgotten Shore because

four of them huddled together and waited. Sunny silently observed the faces of his friends, seeing sincere happiness and relief

to feel a strange

looking at them, Sunny decided to ignore the darker part of his mind for a

If he had to die to avoid becoming a slave, he would. If he had to kill in order to remain free… that was

for now, he chose to just share this rare

cohort

one of the Awakened healers in the

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

the government agents couldn't

is she? Lady