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.

was traveling in their direction. At least a normal storm

by Ananke's expression, a

a silent

"Can we outrun it?"

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

think so, my Lord. We are already caught in its

the current of the Great River seemed to have grown much stronger. It was hard to tell when the ketch was flying forward at

storm in their direction, while the current was pulling them into the storm. It was like

'Damn it...'

do we do,

the approaching wall of the storm with a dark expression. A few moments later, she took a deep breath and forced out

will just have to brave it then, my

storm was a roving mass of chaotic time, wild and distorted enough to be absolutely deadly? The Third House had been much larger and infinitely

the hell were they supposed to survive

young priestess shook her

We, the followers of Weaver, had to pass through the tumultuous region from where these storms originate on our way upstream, so we know a thing

confident, but the look in her eyes was

torn apart. It

drawn closer in the few

of the true disaster. The real horror lies beneath the waves, in the depths of water - no one can survive being pulled down by the raging

of being able to salvage the situation by turning into the river serpent had just been crushed. Now, his only choice was to

was not that he didn't trust her...

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

His expression crumbled.

ancient abominations hiding in that wall of darkness,