Shadow Slave

Chapter 880: Cause and Effect

The old man chuckled and looked at his subordinates, who were packing things up in a hurry. After a while, he signed.

"Whether Nightmare Gates are produced by the Spell or not, there is definitely a connection between the two. Or rather, the three... since Awakened are also part of this equation."

He grew silent after that, and then added in a more serious tone:

"What interests me the most, however, is which of the three came first."

Sunny looked at him with surprise.

"Forgive me, Professor, but isn't that common knowledge? The Spell came first, bringing with it the Nightmares. Then, we Awakened appeared as the result."

He frowned slightly.

"... Of course, common knowledge is not always trustworthy. But in this case, it seems to follow logic."

Professor Obel shook his head.

"Who can really say? The beginnings of the Spell are not documented well. Back then... the world was not in the best shape, and by the time we knew that something was happening, it was already out of our ability to prevent, contain, or control. We tried, of course, but... even then, some truths never get to become widely known, or even be put on paper at all. It is very likely that what you said is true. There are other possibilities, though, ones that would demand entirely different solutions."

Sunny looked at him with a perplexed expression.

"What do you mean?"

The elderly scientist hesitated.

me. This

Sunny blinked.

"What?"

The old man smiled.

known that one becomes an Awakened through surviving the First Nightmare. However, after that, things become more interesting... you are too young to remember, but at the beginning of it all, the disasters of the Spell descended on the waking world in stages.

Obel's eyes suddenly became distant, as if he was remembering a distant

Dormant abominations. Then, after the first solstice, there were Awakened. However, there were also Nightmare Gates of the Second Category, and with them, more powerful creatures came into

He paused.

were Saints. And North America. And now, we

not like the sound

he trying to

"...Wonder about what?"

let out a

questions is whether there is a correlation between the number and power of Awakened in our world and the number and power of the Nightmare Gates that manifest here. Awakened and Nightmares... which of these elements is the cause, and which is

bit, then simply shook his

a big flaw, Professor. If there really was a correlation and we, Awakened, were somehow responsible for attracting bigger and better Nightmare Gates, then there would not have been a Category Five Gate in North America before

not been any when that Gate swallowed an entire continent.

nodded with

is always good to have a healthy amount of skepticism. However... your point is only unassailable if we assume a crucial

Sunny frowned.

"Yes? What detail?"

scientist surrounding them and

a ripple through time, just like the aftershock of a Gate manifesting itself into reality, then it doesn't

fatigued eyes suddenly

the harrowing Gate that destroyed North America... who knows? Maybe it is just an echo of a god emerging