Shadow Slave

The ominous words hung in the air, as foreboding as the wall of darkness veiling the sky far in the distance. Sunny and Nephis looked at Ananke, wary because of her somber expression.

This was the first time either of them had seen the young priestess show signs of despondence. The three of them must have made for a funny sight... two battle-hardened warriors staring at a teenage girl, waiting for her guidance.

Sunny frowned.

"A time storm?"

Ananke nodded slowly.

"...Yes, my Lord. I have told you before that time can be unpredictable on the Great River. There are places where it turns stale and unmoving, great whirlpools that nothing can ever escape, clashing currents, and deadly tides of all kinds. A time storm... is one of the most dangerous anomalies one can encounter."

Her youthful face darkened.

"It is a wandering disaster that twists and rips time apart, containing within itself absolute chaos. These storms originate from the span of the Great River that corresponds to the final days of the Doom War, when the last cataclysmic battles between the daemons and the gods were fought, and when both sides perished. They... usually don't reach that far upstream. I am sorry."

Nephis shook her head.

"You don't need to be sorry, Ananke. It is not your fault. However... how do we escape it?"

The young priestess lingered for a few moments, then said quietly:

"I am not sure that we can."

She uttered several words, easily overpowering Neph's Shaping. The wind that had been filling the sails of the ketch disappeared, and a moment later, a powerful gale crushed into the wooden boat, making it creak.

This one was not summoned by anyone. Much worse... it was blowing from downstream, pushing their hair back.

meant that the dark wall devouring the horizon was

a time storm behaved

uttered a silent

"Can we outrun it?"

young priestess swiftly moved to the side of the ketch and looked down, at the clear water flowing past the polished wood. A few moments later, she

so, my Lord. We

stronger. It was hard to tell when the ketch was flying forward at full speed, but now that it slowed down and was about

storm in their direction, while the current was pulling them

'Damn it...'

we do,

with a dark expression. A few moments later, she took a deep breath

have to brave it

storm was a roving mass of chaotic time, wild and distorted enough to be

were they supposed to

young priestess shook her

had to pass through the tumultuous region from where these storms originate on our way upstream, so we

the look in her eyes was anything but. Noticing

ketch from being torn apart. It is lucky, actually, that our vessel is not too

the wall of darkness - that had already drawn closer in the few minutes they were talking - and

The real horror lies beneath the waves, in

river serpent had just been crushed. Now, his only choice was

was not that he didn't trust

the walking colossus. There had been a storm then, too... and a

His expression crumbled.

hiding in that wall of darkness,