Shadow Slave

1019 The Fall of Falcon Scott (37)

Some distance away, the ethereal flower suddenly swirled, its beautiful petals billowing outward like a current of white silk. Ghostly tentacles of flowing cloth shot toward the charging Saint, too swift and insidious to dodge.

As Sunny watched in fear, Bloodwave's head became enveloped by the silk, his glowing eyes disappearing from view. The body of the monstrous killer whale shuddered, moved weakly, and then grew strangely still.

'Gods...'

He saw something much more frightening, as well.

Two of the longer petals were already flying through the dark abyss, approaching Sunny and Naeve. They were fast... too fast. Inescapable.

He had no time to dodge, or even react. There were no thralls close enough to hide in their shadow, and not enough time to try and swim away. All Sunny managed to do was slash forward with the Sin of Solace. The jade blade met the white petal, cutting through the cloth. A small piece of it drifted away, but the petal was not slowed down at all.

It seemed to unfurl into a vast expanse of billowing silk, surrounding Sunny from all sides. Then, he was wrapped in the cold whiteness, encompassed and immobilized by it. The feeling of smooth satin brushing against his naked skin made Sunny shudder.

'Damna... tion...'

Then, the world grew still.

The dark abyss of the ocean disappeared, replaced by an eternity of fluttering white cloth.

His exhaustion and fear disappeared, too.

His memory, foresight, awareness, intent, and resolve were gone.

His mind was empty.

Sunny vaguely remembered having thoughts, desires, and hopes. But those words seemed senseless now, their meaning unfathomable. In fact, the word he had used to describe himself — Sunny — was meaningless, too. What a strange one it was...

movement. There were... shadows... moving around him. He was moving, too, being drawn closer to the

Soon, it would be gone completely. And then, something

at

He felt... empty.

The emptiness was comforting.

peaceful white flawlessness of the empty satin

sinister, mocking voice. It whispered into his ear,

we go. A pathetic end for

voice — his

Lost from Light.

That was his name.

one memory unlocked all the rest like

'What... is... going on?'

against the white cloth enveloping his body, but it was hopeless. The terrifying understanding flooded his mind, making him remember what

was probably about to

one part of it sensing the reality of being dragged through the mass of water by one of the Terror's petals, the other still

labored, but inevitable. Sunny

'Ah... not good...'

thoughts were slowing

body, and the white cloth refused to part before the blade of the Sin of Solace, like the flesh of other Nightmare Creatures usually did. He wasn't going to cut through it while only being able to move his wrist a

'Curse it!'

seemed that he was

but it could not have been the only reason. Bloodwave was the enigmatic Saint's True Name, as well, and yet the monstrous killer whale was motionless, silently drifting on the currents

attacks. Even though he now

it, though, since Sunny could neither free

could feel himself growing... insubstantial. With each moment, his thoughts became less his own. His eyes stared at the

felt

Sensing something else take possession of his body, while utterly helpless to resist the slow dissolution of his will... it was the