Shadow Slave

Sunny almost choked on his tea.He had grown accustomed to Ananke being helpful and accommodating, so he did not expect her to become philosophical all of a sudden. Worse still, because of his own Flaw, he had no chance but to answer her philosophical question.

'What is life, huh?'

He coughed.

"Well, I don't know. To me, life is all about being rich and comfortable. Throw a little decadence in the mix, and it's even better! If I ever manage to build such a delightful life for myself, I'll be more than happy to never improve or grow... apart from growing fatter, that is..."

The old woman laughed.

"That is a remarkable dream, my Lord."

Nephis threw a burning gaze at him at the mention of decadence, then turned to Ananke.

"Then what about the next step? How does one become Supreme?"

Her voice was tense.

The old woman lingered for a while, then shook her head with a sigh.

"That I don't know... and there is no one left to teach me. I am sorry that I can't be of help."

Sunny shook his head.

"No, no... you've already been very helpful. We learned a lot from you."

Ananke smiled.

"In that case, thank you for this meal, my Lord and Lady. I've been blessed by your grace. Rest well tonight."

She rose and added, her voice tinged with melancholy:

"...Tomorrow, we sail to the center of the city."

After she left, Sunny and Nephis remained silent for a while. Both were thoughtful, pondering the startling truths of how the ancient humans walked the path of Ascension before the Nightmare Spell.

Eventually, Sunny sighed.

"It seems that Awakening took a lot longer before, but was not nearly as fatal as it is with the Nightmare Spell."

silently. He scratched the back

about something else, though. If it is possible to Awaken without the help of the Spell, then why has

She frowned.

to a different set

shook her head and added, her voice

would also not be surprising if the possibility was there, but no one has ever managed to grasp it. After all, all steps except the first one - gaining the ability to sense your essence - require some kind of knowledge. Forming the core, refining essence, expanding the soul... you wouldn't be able to do it blindly. For the ancient humans of the Dream Realm, it was not too hard to gain that knowledge. All they had to do was observe the Awakened creatures or learn directly from one of the

Sunny nodded.

was something to be learned. Yes... it is a good theory. The

before answering. After a

and why. But, personally... I don't buy that there has always been a connection between

She shook her head.

Why has there never been an Awakened creature on Earth before the Nightmare Spell? No soul shards, no sorcery, no

a while, thinking.

was created as a sanctuary... or an ark. If so, then perhaps it is precisely because there

with a

our world is the only place that was

and rose to wash the

case, I am tired, and it is time to rest. Where are you going

gave him a

there a particular

that, he almost dropped the dirty

know which room you chose, to

huffed, glanced at

"Although..."

Nephis was already

"Goodnight!"

few moments later,

a while,

Eventually, he sighed.

come I'm the only

"Look!"

its sails full of wind. Sunny was standing at the bow, staring into the distance curiously. Nephis was a few steps back, sitting on the deck with

opened them

slowly

Weave.

was a network of canals between the various districts that served as roads, and a forest of narrow towers rising into the sky. Most of them were windcatchers, just like the tower of the House of Parting was - some blades still rotated, some

fluttered

Weave was varied, airy, and beautiful. Some buildings were constructed out of stone, some seemed to be carved of ivory, some were pavilions of sun-bleached, bright silk. There were districts with homes