Shadow Slave

"Ananke greets the Children of Weaver..."

The word hung in the air. Sunny and Nephis glanced at each other warily, both confused by this strange situation. Why was the old woman prostrating in front of them? Why had she addressed them as children of Weaver?

'What is going on?'

Sunny was tired out of his mind, and the inexplicable nature of the strange old woman was simply too much for him to process. She didn't seem hostile, at least. With a sigh, he allowed his exhausted body to collapse and sat down on the wooden deck of the ketch. Nephis, meanwhile, hesitated for a few moments, then took several steps forward and carefully pulled the old woman up.

"Please rise, Grandmother. Do not bow on our account."

The owner of the ketch - Ananke - allowed herself to be gently pulled into a sitting position. Then, Nephis returned to Sunny and sat side by side with him. The two of them were now facing the old woman, waiting for her to say something. But she remained silent.

After a few moments passed, Sunny frowned. He felt nervous... there was no telling just how powerful this woman was, and what her intentions were. Ananke was a complete mystery.

...She could also provide answers to many mysteries that had plagued him. So, he asked:

"I am sorry, Grandmother... but why did you call us the Children of Weaver?"

There were many questions he wanted to ask, but this one was the most pressing - its answer could explain how Old Ananke would treat them.

The old woman took a deep sigh, then spoke in her thin, creaky voice:

"Because you are the Chosen of the Nightmare Spell. You are... a miracle. Your existence is Weaver's triumph."

on his lips. It was warm and almost... motherly. As though she was indeed a grandmother looking at

a deep

created by the Demon of Fate. Now, the last, tiny sliver of doubt had disappeared. Weaver was indeed the being responsible for the great calamity that had

they had wanted to find - a native inhabitant of the Great River. One of the ancient people who had entered the Tomb of Ariel

come to the Great River before the

not making

leaned forward

asking, but who

she said next made both Sunny and

Ananke. The Priestess

that followed, the old woman

the beginning, which was also the end, when the Nightmare Spell was still in its infancy, there was a need for people like me to tend to it, protect it... and, above all, to help

a heavy sigh escaped from

the followers of a daemon, were deemed heretics and persecuted by servants of the gods. All were

she was sharing freely with them that Sunny found

the end? Must be the early stages of the war between the daemons and

was failing desperately to keep up, tired as he was. Nephis was struggling, too, but it seemed as though she had a slightly better grasp

of the followers of Weaver was not meaningless?

nodded and looked at them with reverence, which

are very wise, my

remained silent for a few moments, then remarked

seem to be surprised by the fact that we

to focus. It was a very poignant question, and one that he had failed to think of