Shadow Slave

There could not have been a tunnel that stretched under the Antarctic Center for hundreds of kilometers. Not only would a structure like that be a miraculous feat of engineering, but far too many people - especially the army strategist and someone as knowledgeable as Professor Obel - would be aware of its existence.

However, no one had been.

Sunny remained silent for a while, then looked at the old man. Professor Obel simply shook his head.

"I am afraid I can't explain. Which... is not too surprising. After the Nightmare Spell descended, there are many things in the world that science - or rather, our limited scientific understanding - fails to explain."

Sunny sighed.

'Great.'

What was he supposed to do now?

It was clear that the laws of nature were either broken or worked differently inside the tunnel. Space was not behaving as it was supposed to behave... or maybe they had simply traveled to some. strange pocket dimension that was filled with nothing but true darkness.

Maybe they were all under the influence of another mind hex. Maybe they had all been devoured by the swarm of Brood beasts, and were now condemned to an eternal purgatory.

Who could tell?

Sunny cursed silently, then wrapped all four shadows around the Undying Chain to ramp up its mental protection. Nothing changed. The oppressive darkness did not disappear... if anything, it seemed even more foreboding now.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"Alright. Let's not panic yet."

with his fist. A startling bang rolled through the tunnel, echoing in the darkness. In the place where his steel gauntlet had landed, a small impression appeared, with a net of cracks spreading from it through the cold

into your

followed his instructions without asking questions. The convoy continued to move forward. However, this time, Sunny made it stop after ten minutes and

and ran back into the darkness. Moving much faster than the vehicles had,

the tunnel was not wide enough for the Rhino and the civilian transports to turn around - and drive

he gave

'...This is bad.'

seemingly erratic actions, of course, had

possible to go back to a previously visited spot inside the tunnel - Belle, Dorn, and himself had walked for around six kilometers during the initial scouting, and then safely returned

stop he had ordered was to make sure that the same principle still applied. Indeed, he had been able to return to the

stop was to test if something would

it, but there was none. At some point in time. somewhere between five and ten kilometers of separation, the mark had disappeared without a

meant that they could not return to the collapsed exit from the tunnel. The way back, and the second option he had of escaping to

felt a cold shiver run down

the convoy forever? Would they be doomed to wander the darkness alone, for the rest of their

come close to disaster without even

'I was lucky.'

strike down, even if their strength seemed overwhelming. However, he was as powerless as the rest against circumstances like the one they found themselves in right now - against threats that were both unseen and unexplainable. dooming those who encountered them silently and without

Simply by existing.

was far away, probably preparing for the

'...Damnation!'

the tunnel, then at the battered vehicles of the convoy. There were almost four hundred people in them that he had promised to rescue... was he going to become a liar? Sunny tilted his head a little, then

am I thinking about? I have always been a liar! There's nothing for me to

a deep