Shadow Slave

1073 The Fourth Step

Sunny remained silent for a while, looking at Nephis with a somber expression.

Eventually, a dark smile appeared on his face.

"Pray tell."

Neph sighed, then stood up and started gathering the dirty plates. Her movements were calm and unhurried, as if they had not been discussing matters that could very well decide the fate of the whole world.

"Help me do the dishes?"

Sunny blinked, amused by the mundane banality of her request. He lingered for a moment, then shook his head and went about giving Changing Star a hand. As they cleaned the plates in the cold water produced by either a Memory or the Ivory Tower itself, she started talking:

"I've known for a long time that the great clans - especially Song and Valor - were opposed to each other, despite being outwardly unified. The symptoms of the approaching war were quite apparent, if one knew where to look. However, the reasons for this animosity have always eluded me. Ki Song and Anvil had been comrades once, after all... well, I guess it doesn't really matter. My father was their comrade, too.

Sunny hesitated for a moment.

"Do they really need a reason, though? Power is already reason enough. Both have an unimaginable amount of it, but in my experience, those who possess great power are the. ones most greedy for more.

Nephis slowly shook her head.

is too ill-timed, anti too destructive. The great clans stand to lose more from it than they would gain. There are other powers to consider, too - the House of Night, for example. Even the government,

for

out, there is - although I only learned of it recently. I still don't know why the hostility between the two great clans has suddenly escalated so much now, of all the times

though he was about to learn a great secret... one that would finally let him see the full picture clearly, or at least show him the. way to the

one of the great

on the drying rack, and turned to him. White sparks ignited in her

do with the

He raised an eyebrow.

word. However, I still don't

to

if you

her a dark look. then followed. As they ascended the

synonymous with their rule. so, one might

an abstract concept... in fact, they are very real. A Domain is

silently. He had suspected as much, hilt never

than that, he had no idea what

Ability that the Saints

Neph frowned.

call it a supreme, ultimate, or pinnacle Ability, I guess. But a Domain is something separate from the

for

bits and pieces of information where I could. The point is, each step of the Path of Ascension... as well as of the Path of Corruption... has its own meaning. The first path is the ascent toward divinity, while the second is the