Shadow Slave

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

Two identical questions sounded at the same time, but they couldn't be more different. Neph's voice was tinged with a hint of sincere concern, while the voice of the sword wraith was full of biting mockery.

Sunny was motionless for a few moments, still holding Nephis by her hand. He shivered slightly after his second attempt to use Shadow Step failed, and she must have felt it.

He looked up at her and hesitated. When he spoke, his voice sounded hollow:

"My Ability... doesn't seem to work anymore."

An insidious fear suddenly drowned his heart, and at the same time, the dark island quaked again... the source of the tremor much closer than it had been before.

The fear was irrational and animalistic. It had little to do with their perilous situation, and more with that fact that his powers had abandoned him without a warning. It was as though he had suddenly found himself missing a limb. There was disbelief, confusion, dread... and, finally, terror.

It took all his willpower to push that terror down.

The Sin of Solace laughed.

Ignoring it, Sunny forced himself to speak:

"Just... just give me a moment."

He had no idea why Shadow Step, which had never failed him before, was suddenly ineffective. Perhaps something was wrong with the shadows populating the insides of the Black Turtle... if so, there was an easy way to check.

A few moments later, the Shadow Lantern appeared in his hand, and a flood of shadows flowed out of its open gate. However, the result was the same - it was not the shadows that were wrong, but Sunny himself.

"Ah... ah, really... such an idiot!"

The damned sword wraith was having the time of his life.

Sunny clenched his fists, then uttered through gritted teeth:

"I don't seem to be able to bring us away, at the moment. S-sorry..."

then carefully looked around. After a short

it

a sudden sense of hope, he raised an eyebrow."It

She nodded.

armor by teleporting directly inside. The Black Turtle is dead, but some of its defenses must still remain... perhaps if the gap in power between us wasn't

for a few

think

Nephis shook her head.

too much? We couldn't have known. We've never faced an

Shadow Step before, but he saw how the Azure Serpent had killed the Black Turtle. He could have

simple in hindsight. He winced, then looked at Nephis silently. As if reading his thoughts,

the same. Shadow Step

leaving him, Sunny drew in a shaky breath and belatedly realized that he was still holding her hand. ...He was in

the direction of the entrance of the tunnel. Right now, the Azure Serpent and the Great

were their options, though? Staying here was tantamount to death, as

depths of the

burrowed right through, didn't it? The exit wound is on the other side of the turtle's body, under its flipper. We'll escape through

most rational decision he

other, Sunny and

'Hurry... hurry...'

as much strength as he could muster. The tunnel was not that long... the entity body of the Black Turtle spanned less than two kilometers, and

were going to reach the exit

had wrecked, both when killing the Black Turtle and while feeding on its flesh later on. The walls of the tunnel sometimes expanded into vast caverns where the turtle's organs had been,

both

Monster.

A Nightmare, to be

something strange. Out there, a small distance in front of them... it was as though something was softly shining in the

on the golden rope and pushed his tired body against the current once again, trying to make his way to

at the wall of the tunnel.

took a

enormous, radiant crystal that

shards that the