Shadow Slave

Sunny and Nephis had learned a few things about navigating the endlessly flowing waters of the Great River, but they were still unsure what distance separated each of the Seven Houses from each other. Nevertheless, they quickly understood that something was wrong by looking at Ananke's face.

The young priestess was almost always either calm or smiling. At some point, however, a deep frown twisted her soft adolescent face, and a dark shadow was cast onto her vibrant azure eyes.

Sunny was the first to notice. He studied the teenage girl in front of them, then asked:

"What's wrong?"

Ananke lingered for a few moments.

"We should have reached the Third House by now, my Lord."

There were seven artificial islands where the children of Weave spent their childhood, and although the swift ketch was supposed to reach the fifth one, they were actually numbered in reverse order - starting with the House of Birth far downstream and ending with the House of Youth. So, the Third House would have been the fifth they saw. However...

It seemed to have disappeared.

The young priestess studied the vast expanse of the Great River, then mumbled with uncertainty:

"I guess... the mechanisms of the island could have broken down, sending it adrift. I haven't visited here in a long while. Still, the deterioration shouldn't have reached that stage already..."

Sunny and Nephis exchanged glances. Rising to her feet, Nephis looked north.

"Could it have been destroyed by an abomination?"

Ananke did not answer for a while. Eventually, she sighed.

"It's unlikely, but not impossible. Maybe that is what happened, indeed."

downstream, but the mood of its three passengers had changed. Not only was there a threat of a powerful Nightmare Creature stalking the waters somewhere nearby, but the disappearance of one of the islands also meant that

'Damnation...'

two of the Seven Houses, but he was concerned about the lower House of

to gift them her ketch, so she needed another vessel in order to return to Weave. There were supposed to be other

'It's not too bad...'

of Weave might not have been destroyed. Even if it was... Sunny could assume the form of the river serpent again, continuing to travel downstream without the ketch. With the Crown of Twilight, he would be able to sustain that

There were less powerful abominations in the past, though... perhaps he and Nephis would be able to come up with

do for now. First, they needed to reach the House of Parting and see whether it was still in one

seven suns had already plunged into the Great River, suffusing it with a soft

he pointed forward and said, his

"I see something. There."

oar, guiding

iridescent glow of the flowing water. It was massive and strangely shaped, rising above the

to say anything, Nephis and Sunny summoned their

they weren't

ketch drew closer to the ominous shape, they saw it for what it

shattered platform built upon the frame of some leviathan's bones was sticking out of the water, tilted and half-drowned. They first saw one of its sides, overgrown by seaweed and barnacles. It took Sunny some time to realize that he was looking at the

they went around the edge of the

water, had mostly collapsed into piles of rubble. The gardens had been destroyed, and the tidy streets had turned into a labyrinth of ruins. The tall windcatchers had been shattered, their blades sticking

was what remained

of violent devastation, Sunny felt a cold shiver

have destroyed it

though a frenzied titan had been let loose on

hilt of her sword tighter. Her face was motionless,

"An abomination?"

studying the ruins with a dark expression. Eventually,