Shadow Slave

After the ominous mountain disappeared from view, hidden by the snowy slopes and darkness... the mundane darkness of the polar night, not the unfathomable true darkness that they had just barely escaped from... the convoy finally came to a stop.

Around them was the familiar landscape of the Antarctic Center. Deep in the mountains, they were temporarily protected front the wind by an overhanging cliff, and had reaclted a wide area that was somewhat fit to serve as a campsite. The vehicles needed to be checked after the recent mad dash, and the people needed time to come to their senses.

Pitts, they had no idea where they were. Sunny had to scout the area, determine their location on the map, and come up with a route forward. He also needed to make sure that there were no swarms of Nightmare Creatures close by or heading in their direction, and do a thousand other things.

'Ah... I don't want to...'

Creating a bridge of shadows had cost him a lot of essence, but the mental strain had been far worse. Sunny felt tired and lazy, but he had no choice except for to get busy right away. Rolling off the roof of the military vehicle, he landed on the snow, sighed, and sent his shadows to explore.

By then, the members of his cohort and other people had already emerged from their transports. Some went about establishing a camp and searching for good watch posts, while some headed toward him with complicated faces.

Pretty soon, he was surrounded by the Irregulars. A few of them looked relieved to find him safe and relatively sound, others were mostly full of questions. Luster, who had witnessed more titan the rest, was the first one to speak:

"Captain, sir! That... that was something else."

Sunny simply nodded, in agreetnent with the young man, for a change.

Luster hesitated for a few moments, then asked cautiously:

"But, uh... what was it, exactly?"

He stared at Sunny, and added in a suddenly hoarse voice:

"I don't mean that amazing bridge you made, I mean the... the other thing. The one that almost gobbled its up."

Sunny did not answer for a while. Eventually, he shook his head and looked south with a dark expression.

"I do not know."

had a few ideas,

Shore... so, perhaps, it was also a terror, one that had gone into a slumber to evolve into a titan. Or maybe a titan that was in the

it was a creature that had entered the process of evolution, only to be devoured

and Saint had messed the whole process up,

damned beetles had not seriously wounded him, but she had been standing much closer to the eerie black dimension - whether it was a heart, a harrowing egg, or a Chrysalis - when it

had managed to harm the sphere

back into his lightless soul after being dismissed, but she might

to the Irregulars, checked on Professor Obel, and then found a quiet

Just as

taciturn demon's absence felt different from how it usually was when wounded Shadows slept in

almost could not

into the Soul Sea, stared at the four dark suns of his shadow cores for a few

[Marble Saint], [Soul Serpent],

Serpent were lifeless, indicating that it was outside his control. Saint's, however,

Shadow: Marble Saint.

Shadow Rank: Ascended.

Shadow Class: Demon...

However, at the very end of the field of shimmering runes, a new string of

heart skipped

[...Marble Saint is evolving]

'...What!'

motionless for a while,

that's how it

Sea, Sunny looked up, breathed in the cold air of the polar night, and smiled crookedly. He was both happy