Shadow Slave

A suffocating cloud of pristine sand had bloated out the sky, and hurricane winds were raging across the vast sea of white dunes. The world was perfectly white and suffused with incinerating heat. The grains of sand cut the skin like knives, but six fragile humans stubbornly marched forward through the radiant inferno, covering their eyes with tired hands and struggling against the wind.

Sunny was at the head of the small column, shielded from the hurricane, somewhat, by Saint's indomitable back. There was a piece of black glass in his hand, and in it dwelled a reflection of a young man with one shining mirror-like eye.

"Hurry, Sunless... you are almost there, but you must hurry. The creature is drawing close."

'Shut up, bastard... I know... I know it all!'

Gritting his teeth, Sunny pushed through the wind and walked forward. He felt as if he had been thrust into a scorching oven. The Skinwalker was on their heels, as relentless and inevitable as ever, but at this rate, the desert itself was going to kill them before the great abomination could.

'What... a joke... six of the most powerful Ascended in the world... will be done in... by the environment...'

Wasn't it funny? His journey as an Awakened had started with almost freezing to death in the cold mountains, and now, he was on the verge of succumbing to the unbearable heat of the cursed desert. The Dream Realm was merciless to the weak, but it was also ruthless toward the strong. Not that Sunny was particularly strong, yet.

Randomly, he remembered a part of the speech Nephis had given to the Sleepers in the Bright Castle, right before leading them to siege the Crimson Spire.

'The weak will die. The strong will die, too. And those who remain won't be the same... follow me... and you will never be slaves...'

He wanted to laugh.

The world was entirely white, and incandescent. They were not going to last much longer in the annihilating sandstorm. Sunny already felt ready to collapse... he could only imagine how the others felt, without the same elemental resistance as his. Everyone had their own tools to deal with the heat, of course, but still... they were all balancing at the very edge of oblivion.

But, luckily, their destination was already close. Slowly, a massive dark shape revealed itself in the hurricane of pristine sand. Sunny froze for a moment, looking up.

In front of them, some distance away, a giant block of black stone lay between the white dunes, tilted to the side, its lines perfectly even and immaculately smooth. It seemed impervious to the destructive force of the sandstorm, the cataclysmic fury of the eternal battle between the ancient dead, and even the cruel ravages of time... and yet, one of its ends was cracked, broken, and utterly shattered.

want to know. The sight of it stunned him. Not

of it emanated a

block of black stone... was

All of it.

the sand. Its powerful limbs and long tail were dwarfed by the size of the black stone block, but none of them were deceived - the creature was massive, and dangerous. It raised its

same time, Mordret's reflection

body is

and a small human body fell out of it into the sand. A moment later, the creature suddenly dropped its head, lifeless. The human

Nothing slowly rose to his feet, and then waved at them with

Skinwalker is

wasting any more time, he gathered the last of his strength and dashed toward the giant block of

Everyone already knew everything there was to know about the nature of the

trial with their physical bodies this time, for one. After all, there was no distinction between the body that dwelled in the waking world and the body that wandered the Dream

was something Nephis and Cassie had learned from Clan Valor, and shared with them. It was good to know. Apart from this fact, though... the Nightmare

their necks, so there was no time to hesitate. Sunny reached Mordret and looked at

pull anything once we're

Nothing lingered for a moment, then

took the words out of

his companions.

forced out a smile

stay alive! We will return as

that, he spared each

Kai was looking at the black stone with a sense of resigned trepidation. Effie seemed grim and determined. Jet... was smiling. She shook her head

would have thought that I'd end up challenging the Third Nightmare,

Reaper laughed as