Shadow Slave

Sunny had never thought that he would leave the city one day. He had barely ever thought that there was anything beyond the city, actually. More than that, for him, the city proper itself had always seemed like an alien land. His whole world used to start and end with the outskirts.

Tens of millions of people who lived in the outskirts had a very special relationship with the wilderness beyond. They spent their lives much closer to it than real citizens, and were not separated from it by the tall barrier walls that encompassed powerful air filters. On one hand, it made them more attuned to the existence of the outside.

On the other hand, they associated the outside with death, disease, and starvation on a much more visceral level. To them, the wilderness meant death in a very practical sense of the word, as opposed to distant and purely theoretical.

That was why Sunny felt very weird as he stared at the train that was supposed to take him to the rendezvous point where Master Jet was supposed to to meet him.

The long-range transcontinental train did not look anything like the light intracity ones Sunny was familiar with. It resembled a massive, heavily armored metal beast that stretched for hundreds and hundreds of meters, its long body composed of various bulky segments.

There were passenger carriages, massive cargo carriages, various utility carriages, and even a mobile repair and fabrication unit capable of restoring damaged sections of the railway should the train encounter any hindrances on the way. Rows of large-caliber turret, automated cannons, and gun emplacements rose from the roof, manned by the railroad technicians and security officers.

It was a fearsome, moving fortress. Anything less would not have been reliably safe, considering that the government rarely paid attention to the Nightmare Gates that opened away from population centers.

Sunny studied the train curiously for a while, then went ahead and found the carriage he was assigned to.

As a Master, he was entitled to ride in the lavishly furnished car meant for high-ranking citizens, government officials, and members of Legacy clans. He also got a whole cabin to himself. The cabin was comparable in size to his room at the Academy, but much better stocked and equipped.

Sunny threw his backpack on a shelf and sat down near the window, enjoying the softness of an expensive-looking armchair. A strange expression appeared on his face.

this

course, he was sure that these luxurious conditions would

had bothered him until the train started to move, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Soon, the familiar sights of the city and the outskirts flew by, and the great metal

reaches of the Dream Realm, he somehow felt as if he was stepping outside human civilization for the first time.

of his world did not make any impression on him. It was just sort of…

place. It was almost entirely made out of mud and snow. Whatever flora still clung to life in the barren soil looked sickly and dull. The sky was heavy and grey, and the

of dead Nightmare Creatures or rusty wrecks left behind from the times of human

Sunny sighed.

'What a waste…'

certainly inhospitable to the species that had once populated its every

spoke in the ruined cathedral of the Dark

up and walked to a narrow bed, deciding to go to sleep early. This was probably going to be

a soft pillow, Sunny closed his

the night, he was awakened by strange vibrations spreading through the frame of the train. Looking up, he saw pale flashes of light outside the window

and front carriages of the train were

shadows, which were standing watch, seemed alarmed, Sunny sighed, turned on his other side, and

dreamt of ice

morning, the train was moving forward as if nothing had happened. Sunny had expected as much, so he wasn't surprised. After freshening up in the small bathroom attached to the cabin, he walked over to the dining car and had a scrumptious breakfast. The cooking could