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."

a few ideas,

be a simple Nightmare Creature. it reminded him a lot of the Crimson Terror of the Forgotten Shore... so, perhaps, it was also a terror,

of evolution, only to be devoured from the inside by

Saint had messed the whole process up, somehow, and even

closer to the eerie black dimension - whether it was a heart, a harrowing egg, or a Chrysalis - when it burst open. Sunny

was also curious why her broken stone sword had managed to harm the sphere when the

Saint was not destroyed, since he had felt her return back

Obel, and then found a

as

was not right. The taciturn demon's absence felt different from how it usually

not feel her at

suns of his shadow cores for a few moments, and then

[Marble Saint],

his control. Saint's, however, appeared normal.

Shadow: Marble Saint.

Shadow Rank: Ascended.

Shadow Class: Demon...

end of the field of shimmering runes, a

skipped a

[...Marble Saint is evolving]

'...What!'

for a while, then

how

cold air of the polar night, and smiled crookedly. He was both happy and