Shadow Slave

The Awakened warrior was simply gone. The whole facility was swept, both by the soldiers of the garrison and Sunny's shadows, but no trace of him were found. Verne even made the decision to unseal the dome of the old observatory. However, there was nothing but old equipment, darkness, and dust inside.

Sunny then sent his shadows to scour the coastal plain outside the fortress, hoping to discover a clue. He did not.

A sense of unease and foreboding spread through the isolated fortress.

As people were crowding together to alleviate this tension, Sunny, Verne, and Professor Obel gathered in the security center to have an emergency discussion. However, none of them

seemed too eager to speak first.

They simply had nothing to say.

Eventually, Sunny rubbed his face with a sigh.

"Well, there are only three possibilities, right?"

Verne looked at him darkly.

"And they are?"

Sunny hesitated for a moment.

"First... he might have really deserted."

The stern Master simply shook his head. There was no hostility or defensiveness in this gesture, since Verne was not the type of leader to be insecure about his people or himself. He did not have the kind of fragile pride that would make the statement sound offensive.

"That is improbable. I know this Awakened very well. He was... is a stalwart man."

moved on with a

The other two possibilities are much more

tired frown appeared

that he was killed, for whatever reason, by another person stationed at LO49. The killer subsequently disposed of the body and removed the signs of the crime. Considering that it is not easy for a

out

think that

him with a

are always only one step away from turning into monsters. With how much pressure Antarctica exerts on people... many will inevitably start to break. In

pursed his lips, but then

about the last

lingered for a few

Creature that has infiltrated the facility and is now hiding somewhere within these walls. Considering that we failed to find any traces at all... it has to be either

remained silent for a while, then said

a plan. However, what happens if neither of

His eyes were

for the Ariadne to arrive and hope that no one else disappears. According to the last communication we had with the outside, it will reach us in four days at the earliest, and in eleven at the latest. Surely,

spoke, the persistent noise of the Call kept scratching, pressing, seeping into his

his eyes for a

that is what we will

***

climbed back on top of the Rhino and sent his shadows to explore LO49 for the third time that day. He had little hope of finding anything, but the thought of

had something to

but with a new, unknown threat looming somewhere just out of sight, their moods grew even more bleak and unstable. Most held up

hope and how important it was in

in effect. Mundane humans were prohibited from remaining alone, and a mutual responsibility

First Nightmare unexpectedly. Living quarters were fitted with additional sensors and alarm locks, Awakened were supplied