Shadow Slave

Eventually, Ananke replaced Nephis at the steering oar. Neph looked drained after commanding the winds for an entire day... nevertheless, Sunny felt that her eyes were duller than mere exhaustion could explain. Throwing a questioning glance at her, he asked:

"Are you alright?"

She lingered for a few moments, then nodded silently. Sitting down and leaning her back against the side of the ketch, Nephis then tiredly closed her eyes. She had not slept since they left Weave, and although Masters like them could easily remain awake for days, mental fatigue still had a way of catching up to them.

'...I guess she doesn't want to talk about whatever it is that's troubling her.' Sunny studied Neph's pale face, then quietly summoned Nightmare and ordered him to guard her dreams. The tenebrous steed hid in the shadows at the bow of the boat, formless and watchful. Not satisfied with that, Sunny sent all but one of his shadows to augment him.

Memories of meeting the manifestation of the Prince of Madness still haunted his thoughts.

Later, there was nothing for him to do but continue weaving threads of essence. Sunny sat on the deck of the ketch with his legs crossed, his fingers dancing in the air. By now, he was proficient enough in creating essence strings to not pay a lot of attention to the process. Ut was a far cry from when he had attempted weaving for the first time and constantly cut his hands to the bone.

His painfully gained experience and the increased sensitivity that Bone Weave granted to his fingertips made it easier. Now, Sunny just needed time and essence to create as long a thread as he needed to weave a Memory.

It still took some time.

After a while, Ananke looked at him with curiosity and asked:

"My Lord... if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?"

Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then turned his head slightly. He hesitated before answering, knowing how weird she was about all things involving the Demon of Fate. Nevertheless, eventually, he said:

"I am creating essence strings... weaving."

Her azure eyes widened slightly.

a weaver, my

weaver...' Sunny tilted

someone who uses Weaver's sorcery, then

young priestess was staring at him with reverence.

very rare in your

She nodded slowly.

mastered it. One of the two High Priests of the Nightmare Spell was one such sorcerer - my

shook his

to create Memories, but as far as I know, I am the only one who truly knows how to weave sorcery,

He sighed.

is why I can only create copies of the weaves

looked at him silently for a while,

the Nightmare Spell is your teacher? How can there

corner of his mouth twitched. Suddenly grim, Sunny looked

taught me

Ananke's smile widened.

beloved by fate, then. I feel

his face, not wanting her to see the dark resentment

to him... it just meant that he was wrapped in its strings like a helpless puppet, doomed to

meant that he would

until he learned how to rip

again, wasn't his fate to become Defiled, tear his face with his nails, and turn into a mad abomination? Wasn't that

remembering that

the only outcome. That stupid theory of mine has to be