Shadow Slave

The war party had stopped and made camp. Sunny's APC was parked within the defensive perimeter, and he was calmly preparing supper. It seemed strange to be doing something so mundane on the verge of an event that had the potential to alter the course of history, but... He was hungry. Hunger was much more powerful than the forces that shaped history.

'Ah. I miss the Rhino...' The armored vehicle that the Fire Keepers had used was by no means cheap, but its amenities were rather bare-bones. There was not even an integrated kitchen, just a few devices for food storage and preparation. Still, he was good at improvising.

As Sunny cooked, he mentally went over what he had gained since coming to Antarctica, and what he could use if the worst happened and the two great clans clashed in a bloody battle.

Sunny had been a Master for many months before the Chain of Nightmares, but he felt that he only came into his Ascended powers here. His mastery of Shadow Manifestation had improved tremendously, both in terms of impact and versatility. He also developed Shadow Shell and Shadow Incarnation, as well as their combination - both of these abilities were extremely powerful.

His practical knowledge of sorcery had grown as well. He was now able to copy more complex enchantments, and do it faster. He could even modify them to a degree. Even though the realities of the Antarctica campaign had prevented Sunny from spending a lot of time on weaving, his repertoire was much broader than before.

There were new powerful Memories in his arsenal, including Transcendent ones. The Sin of Solace, the Shroud of Graceless Dusk, and others... there was the Mirror of Truth, too. Chances were, he would have to use it soon.

In terms of raw power, Sunny was now a Tyrant. He had five cores and five shadows, which increased both his physical prowess and essence capacity. Strangely enough, even his essence control had undergone a noticeable improvement - unable to rely on the Soul Serpent in the dire conditions of the Southern Quadrant, Sunny had been forced to elevate this aspect of his power to an almost flawless efficiency.

Then there were his Shadows. He had gained a new one, the Ravenous Fiend. Now that Imp had feasted on the remains of the Sun Prince, the scrawny goblin was strong enough to be sent into battle. Nightmare was close to both Ascension and unlocking his Terror Ability. Saint had risen both in Class and Rank, becoming a Transcendent Devil.

That alone was an incredible leap for him, but the sublimation of the Mantle of the Underworld was perhaps no less important. His new Attribute, the Marble Shell, improved his resilience and combat performance to a remarkable degree. Honestly, having it was almost like possessing a secondary Aspect.

Considering all that, it was hard to deny that the present Sunny was incomparably more powerful than his past self from before Antarctica. The comparison was not even funny. That past Sunny was nothing more than a feeble brat.

in search of strength, and although he stopped caring about that goal a

were much more valuable things he had gained

had learned - those were what

East Antarctica and its many dangers, Sunny had grown

had been harrowing defeats,

taught him

three people, Sunny

be turning twenty-one in about a month... there had been a time when he

don't really

like Wake of Ruin would laugh at these words, but Sunny truly felt that way. He had never really gotten a chance to be a

'Am I... old, then?'

soon followed by Cassie. The two had been spending the last few

the distant expression on Sunny's

you thinking

flinched, then shook his head and

I was just thinking...

pierced him with a cold

than

Are you calling me