Shadow Slave

'Challengers just like us... each and every one of them.'

Sunny remained silent for a while, a complicated expression on his face. He was remembering the very beginning of the Nightmare, and the strange words the Spell had spoken...

[Thirteen million, seven hundred thousand, and seventy-seven brave ones... welcome to the Nightmare!]

Back then, he had been understandably stunned and confused. There was no explanation for that number, considering that there were not even a million Awakened in the waking world. The start of the Nightmare had been abnormal in more than one way, though, and so he tentatively attributed these words to an error made by the Spell.

However, Sunny had never been truly convinced that the Spell was even capable of being mistaken. So, what if it had been correct?

He slowly exhaled.

"They are."

Cassie turned her head slightly, confused.

"How can it be?"

Sunny lingered for a few moments, then shrugged.

"I'm not sure. But I know for a fact that the people of Twilight were challengers. It is because... we've met King Daeron, Nephis and I."

It was written in the description of the Crown of Twilight - "thus, the valiant king became a guide who guarded his people in their nightmares". That had been Daeron's entire plan, to enter the Tomb of Ariel so that a phantom of him would be conjured by the Spell to guide his people when they challenged the Nightmare.

It had already seemed strange when Sunny first read the runes. However, back then, he had not met Ananke yet... and therefore, had not learned that there were no Nightmares in the ancient past of the Dream Realm.

So where had the Serpent King and his people come from?

met the Serpent

trembled

at each other, and then briefly described their long journey into

appeared out of nowhere just when they were needed... it was very much like the fairy tale of astonishing adventures that Ananke had told him. And yet, it was all true,

the one telling

repaired the ship as best we could and set sail in search of Fallen Grace. There were many battles on the way, but as you can see,

moment,

Creatures we faced was as terrible as the Azure Serpent had been, though. As Daeron of the Twilight Sea had

Cassie frowned.

that Twilight had its own culture and was an independent city, not at all similar to the ones established by the sybils. I also heard that they were tremendously powerful and even laid siege to Verge, at one point, which ended in disaster. Many of the Twilight people were Outsiders, maybe even

thinking. Eventually,

Seeds of Nightmares should have first appeared

description of the Crown of Twilight said? "There was a king who ruled over

Nephis sighed.

If these people were indeed challengers, they would have entered the Nightmare by taking someone's place. Were there thirteen million humans inhabiting the Great River,

a few

least managed to escape. He was a demented beast when we met him, his soul consumed by Corruption. So... will we find millions of powerful Nightmare Creatures

felt cold. As he considered her dreadful words, Cassie said in

also a possibility that we will

He blinked.

'She's... right.'

but it could also be hiding an

was no point in guessing,

Sunny sighed.

there. And we do need to get there - we can't leave Kai behind. We also need Mordret and his power to take on Verge, and

Nephis, then