Shadow Slave

1310 Forsaken

'A Corrupted Titan…'

Sunny's face grew dark. The memories of Falcon Scott flashed in his mind, bringing with them a bitter taste. It was another city that had been destroyed by a Corrupted Titan, even if the scale and swiftness of destruction was different.

He remained silent for a few moments, then asked quietly:

"Aren't Titans usually… huge?"

Ananke hesitated, then shrugged. Her azure eyes were crestfallen.

"Most are. But some aren't. More than that, the Defiled… they were humans once. Their path to profane power is unique."

He nodded, feeling a deep sense of unease. A Corrupted Titan… if one of these Six Plagues was indeed as powerful as the Winter Beast, then just how terrifying the Dread Lord would be?

Still, Sunny felt a dark and scathing desire to kill that Mad Prince.

It was strange, really… he had met all kinds of horrid Nightmare Creatures, but knowing that the mad butcher who destroyed Weave had been a human once filled him with dark wrath.

'Just how low can a person fall…'

Odious. The Mad Prince, whoever he had been before succumbing to Corruption, was simply odious. Such a vile creature had no right to exist.

Sunny gritted his teeth, thinking about how many of the abominations he had slain in the past were former humans as well. After thousands of years of Corruption, the distinction was all but erased, but... here in the Nightmare, it felt different.

Nephis, meanwhile, had another question. Looking at the forlorn vista of Weave with a frown, she hesitated for a few moments, then asked softly:

"Ananke… you said that the Outsiders were the most powerful warriors of your city. The Mad Prince easily killed them all. Wouldn't that mean that he could have killed all the Riverborn, as well? Why did he spare you?"

Sunny grimaced. He was asking himself the same questions, but didn't want to speak it aloud in fear of hurting the young priestess more than she had already been hurt.

Ananke remained silent for a while, her head lowered. Eventually, she took a breath and said quietly:

"Maybe he wanted us to suffer longer. Maybe he needed us to live some more, for whatever reason. Maybe he simply did not care. The Riverborn… he did kill some. However, then, he stayed his sword and kneeled in front of the girl he spared. She was a child who had just recently arrived from the House of Youth. He asked her a question, then left."

Sunny and Nephis looked at each other somberly. She asked:

the Defiled

priestess lingered, then slowly shook

you wish to live? She said that she did. Hearing that, the Mad Prince burst into laughter, wiped his

'Insane bastard.'

drifted on for the first couple of days in the Nightmare. It was a tenuous connection at best… but why had the Mad Prince asked the girl what she wished? Was he, perhaps, the lunatic who had carved the frantic

already become five. Considering that the piece of flotsam had seemed like a fragment of a destroyed vessel, the

very troubling thing about connecting Sunny's improvised raft to one of the Defiled from Verge. There were letters of the

'Damnation…'

was all too eerie

The fierce battle that had taken place here must have fractured the foundation of the artificial island, which was why it became flooded... he sighed

to gather supplies,

She nodded.

from the square and said

show us around Weave. We can get them on

smiled a little, while Nephis threw him

sure to write a detailed research paper after returning

Sunny smiled.

am a well-respected professor in

with a hint of confusion in her

"A… professor?"

He nodded.

our knowledge of the intricacies of surviving in marine environments is not that extensive. I am sure I will gain a lot from learning about Weave. Then, I'll be able to teach my students about

young priestess seemed more confused

"What is it?"

shook her head

food merchant in the future? How

of Sunny's mouth twitched. He remained silent

people also have to eat, don't they? That's just how great I am. Respected academic, renowned warrior,

him, then nodded with bright sparks in her azure

"My Lord is amazing!"

grinned, Nephis

"...And so very modest."

dimmed, but only for a

Nodding energetically, Sunny agreed.

word that can be used to

ahead. Even after long years of being abandoned, the city still seemed to be in a