Shadow Slave

The contingent of Valor soldiers camped for a few hours of rest, while several vehicles containing the Fire Keepers secretly continued forward. They advanced at moderate speed for a few hours, then hid the vehicles between the rusty ruins of massive machines left behind by the Dark Times and continued toward the place of the ambush on foot.

Sunny walked with them, scouting the path ahead with his shadows. As he did, he heard the Fire Keepers talk.

One of them - a tall young man who possessed the Ability to summon two more arms and fought by wielding two greatswords - was speaking in a contemplative tone:

"...It's been a while since I killed a human. Honestly, I sort of assumed that I would never have to do it again after leaving the Forgotten Shore. Should have known better, really."

He sighed, then glanced at the leader of his cohort:

"What about you, Shim?"

Shim, the healer who usually fought where the battle was direst, wielding a shield and a spear, shrugged.

"I don't think I've ever killed a human."

The others looked at him with surprise.

"What are you talking about, you maniac? I personally saw you gut at least half a dozen Guards in the throne room of the Bright Castle. And that was just day one of that mess."

The healer glanced at them evenly.

"Those weren't humans. They didn't qualify."

Even Sunny was given pause by that cold logic.

was right about something, though. Some humans were worse than

Perhaps the fact that Clan Song was currently laying

Star herself, she had grown quiet in anticipation of

did not want

stealthily, slowly getting closer and closer to the ravine where three cohorts of Song Awakened were laying in ambush. Cassie confirmed that they were still there, and

was also nearby, separated from the ravine by a few hundred meters of dirt and

view of the ravine, bending low to the ground to

plan, Lady Changing

few moments, then said

"Slaughter them all."

summoned a Memory that resembled a torch made of polished black wood, with the cage at the top of it forged out of silvery metal. Turning around to shield it from view with her body, she activated the enchantment

one hand, drawing the stream of

leave the Ascended

slender rapier slipped out of her hand, hovered in the air for a moment, and then flew toward the calm lake. It

fire she drew from the silver torch, it continued to burn with the same intensity. The rippling blue sphere began to collapse onto itself and compress as more and more flame

heat was

rose from her skin and mixed into it. Slowly, the color of

to

trembling violently, as if struggling to contain the furious power contained within it, and Neph's face grew pale. Then, she suddenly

to

in the ravine, but it was too

to her full height, Changing Star took a step forward

scorched earth in its wake. It disappeared into the ravine a second later, and then, the ground shook.

that, the three cohorts of Awakened elites

looked a little