Shadow Slave

There were still a lot of questions Sunny wanted to ask Ananke, and a lot he needed to learn. But, surrounded by the silent darkness of the night, he simply listened to the gentle sound of water splashing against the hull of the swift ketch and stared at the glowing expanse of the Great River without saying a word.

A lot had happened yesterday... gods. Was it really just a day ago that he had fought the Azure Serpent? The fearsome battle, the frantic escape from the dark island - there had not been a single moment of peace for him to settle himself and contemplate these matters yet.

'It feels like a dream.'

He had really done it... he had killed a Great Beast.

Of course, it was partly due to the blessing of Neph's soul flame, as well as the fact that the Azure Serpent had been severely weakened. And yet... was there another Master in the world who could boast the same feat? Surely not.

Had there ever been?

Sunny shifted uncomfortably, afraid that the incredible achievement would go to his head. He almost wished to hear the biting remarks of the Sin of Solace, who never missed a chance to bring him down... the bastard was somewhere nearby, but kept out of sight. He could feel the faint presence of the hateful wraith at the edges of his consciousness.

Nevertheless, it was a fact - Sunny had indeed slain the Azure Serpent... Daeron of the Twilight Sea.

'What an unusual name for a Nightmare Creature.'

After observing the mad beast for so long and even assuming its form, Sunny was certain that there was something special about the ferocious abomination. Now, after learning its name, he came to strongly suspect... that the Azure Serpent was not an abomination at all.

Or at least had not always been one.

'Was the old snake actually a human once?'

Humans were all considered to be Beasts by the Spell, after all. A Sovereign, for example, could be called a Supreme Beast.

happen if a

the radiant expanse of the

might be a simple way

he dove into his

five black suns looming above the still water. Only now, after learning the truth of

of shadows stood motionless in

remembered the time when he could count the lifeless shadows with one

I really

of slaughter... even if it had not been of his own volition. The numbers had

of the unborn Spawn of the Vile Thieving Bird, the Forsaken

plenty of humans, too. The nameless old slaver, Harper, Harus, Caster, Pierce, the Red Priest, the War Maidens, the soldiers of the Ivory City, Knight Amiran and the many Awakened of the Great Clans he had killed in East Antarctica, Saint Dire Fang... and many

one that he had slain on the Chained Island, and the other

for

no gargantuan shape of a great serpent among the shadows. And then, he finally saw him... Daeron

indeed, been a human

the darkness, stood the shadow of a handsome man with strong facial features and fierce, downturned eyebrows. He was tall and imposing, with broad shoulders and a strong-willed, angular face. His hair was arranged in a long braid, and he wore an archaic robe

Azure Serpent... he really was a

the silent shadow. His

proud and mighty Sovereign,

of Ariel? How had he ended up losing himself in the madness

up

deep frown appeared on his

'Corruption...'

Nightmare Creatures. However, he felt that if his power continued to grow, he would come into