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.

the horizon was traveling in

Ananke's expression, a time storm behaved the

a

"Can we outrun it?"

at the clear water flowing

don't think so, my Lord. We are already

only then that Sunny noticed that the current of the Great River seemed to have grown much stronger. It was hard to tell when the ketch was flying forward at full speed, but now that

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

'Damn it...'

do we do,

dark expression. A few moments later, she took a deep breath and forced out a

brave it

with stumped expressions. Hadn't she said that a time 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 more robust than their small ketch, but

the hell were they supposed to survive something like

priestess shook

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 or two about

look in her eyes was anything but. Noticing their doubt, Ananke

can keep this small ketch from being torn apart. It is lucky, actually, that our vessel

wall of darkness - that had already drawn closer

is very important that none of us touches the water, or becomes separated from the ketch. This storm front we see is only the aftereffect 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 currents of

the river serpent had just

he

of the Forgotten Shore on the shoulder of the walking colossus. There had been a storm then, too...

His expression crumbled.

ancient abominations hiding in that wall of darkness, are