Shadow Slave

They managed to reach the ruin before the ancient dead rose from beneath the sand. The structure they used as shelter was palatial and vast, isolated from the desert by a wide field of black glass. It didn't seem like a building that people were supposed to live in, though.

After observing many ruins across the desert, Sunny was starting to feel as though there was a reason why all of them were so strange, broken, and deformed. It was almost as if these structures had not been built here... but had instead fallen from the sky and shattered after hitting the white sands.

Then again, the Nightmare Desert might not have been a desert in ancient times. Rolling dunes like these were usually left behind by dying seas. If the vast expanse of white sand had once been the bottom of an ocean... then maybe the structures had not fallen, but instead drowned.

Why would Ariel build his pyramid at the bottom of a sea?

Sunny shook his head.

'No... the description of the Mirror of Truth did not mention any seas or oceans.'

There was a lot of talk about rivers in the description of other Memories he had received during the Chain of Nightmares. But what river could have been so vast?

The spacious hall the survivors had sought shelter in was illuminated by the light of a small fire. Beastmaster was roasting monster meat above it... she seemed relaxed and amiable, but everyone else was terribly tense.

That was because the bewitching Saint was perhaps no less dangerous than the apocalyptic battle going on outside.

Now that they had escaped the Gate Guardian, at least for a few hours, everyone became painfully aware that being in her presence was an insidiously terrifying experience. Beastmaster could subtly take hold of anyone's mind, after all, to enthrall or drive them mad.

Perhaps she already had.

Sunny was uneasy, but Summer Knight was more tense than the others - if there was one reason for the beautiful demoness to warp the minds of the survivors, it was to kill him and get rid of daughters of Valor.

As if reading his thoughts, Beastmaster smiled.

"Gods. Can you stop drilling a hole in my forehead, Gilead? I know I am pretty... but still, a knight like you should have some manners. Stop staring."

continued looking in her direction,

looked

up at him, blinked a couple of times, then traced the bleeding wound

that thing? Ah, it refuses to heal. Whispering Blade left me with that present... before he died. Miserably. It's too bad that you couldn't protect

darkened. Morgan, who was sitting beside him, looked at the beautiful Saint

"You vile witch..."

Beastmaster laughed.

so serious. Look, the

although her face was disfigured by the ugly torn wound,

dangerous. And completely crazy. I really... really don't want to have anything to do

himself of the Corrupted Tyrant the beautiful demoness had arranged

was supposed to

wasn't going to

sat down and hungrily bit into it.

brother... how are you still

been dislocated, but his face was still covered in dried blood. At least the internal damage he had received seemed to have healed to some extent - he could breathe, and there was no bloody foam on

Sunny shrugged.

"I don't bleed easily."

smile widened a

"How interesting."

still couldn't move her hands. The sight of the two of them being so... tender and sisterly

to have an appetite, but they still forced themselves to eat. Right now, food was fuel, and all

an empty void in them, but slowly, arduously, a spark of

turned his attention

you killed one, Beastmaster and