Shadow Slave

After Sunny had broken through the mind hex and spent two days rescuing the mesmerized people, saving dozens of lives, the horror hiding in the cold black waves seemed to have left the vicinity of LO49.

The victims had regained their senses, and every person in the settlement was able to see and hear them clearly once again. In the next few hours, no one showed any sign of being under the influence of the hex. The vanishings stopped.

And the Ariadne was supposed to arrive soon.

The exhausted, frightened, and shaken inhabitants of the fortress were tentatively starting to unwind. Their fragile hope bloomed and blossomed.

However, the person most responsible for the positive change - Sunny - did not feel any of their cheer or relief. On the contrary, with each passing minute, his unease and sense of foreboding only grew stronger.

He did not like what was happening, not at all.

Walking through the snowy streets of the settlement, Sunny studied the lively faces of patrolling soldiers with a troubled expression on his own. It was dark and somber.

'...Doesn't make sense. None of it makes any sense.'

Approaching the security center, he placed his hand on the panel of a sophisticated biometric lock. The sensor was supposed to initiate a thorough scan, but as seconds passed, nothing seemed to happen. The damn thing was on the fritz.

Sunny stared at it for a moment, then sighed and banged on the heavy alloy door with his fist. Soon, it was manually unlocked from the inside by a sleepy soldier, who then allowed Sunny in.

Walking inside the security center, Sunny dusted snow off his shoulders, looked around, and headed toward Verne.

"What is the situation?"

sent one of his officers off with a list of orders, then looked

changed. The Terror - or whatever that abomination was -

Sunny gritted his teeth.

a Nightmare Creature ever moved on?

The older Master frowned.

for sure, of course, but the disappearance of the hex speaks for itself. Don't sell yourself short. Although creatures capable of mind manipulation are exceedingly dangerous, they often lack direct means of launching an effective attack. Maybe it decided to search for easier prey after

a bit, then

seen even a fraction of its power yet, so why would it simply give up

his face

really know how powerful it actually was. In any case, how else do you explain the fact that the hex is gone, and no one

for a

to change tactics. Maybe it is gathering power for a singular, overwhelming attack. Maybe

counterpart looked away with a somber

still on high alert and prepared for battle. We are still keeping the civilians locked up and concentrating our defenses on the southern wall. I don't see what other contingencies are there

let out a frustrated

good time to become complacent. On the contrary, we must be preparing for

him blankly for a few

everything we can. No matter how small, the possibility that you are right still exists, so we must. That is my position as the officer responsible for the safety of every person inside this

bit, then said in

never led me

he

wrong this time. Even if I'm not, Verne is right... what else are we supposed to do?

feel so disturbed? Why was his sense of unease so