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

voice trembled a

journey into the past. With each sentence Sunny spoke, the story sounded more

Nightmare Creatures, furious storms of broken time, ghost ships that appeared out of nowhere just when they were needed... it was very much like the fairy tale

was the

and set sail in search of Fallen Grace. There were many battles on the way, but as you

a moment,

faced was as terrible as the Azure Serpent had been, though. As Daeron of

Cassie frowned.

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

slumped in his chair, thinking. Eventually, he said with

the Doom War had ended. Seeds of Nightmares should have first appeared sometime between when the sybils entered the Tomb and when the Spell infected our world. So... maybe Daeron ruled

what the description of the Crown of Twilight

Nephis sighed.

they would have entered the Nightmare by taking someone's place. Were there

lingered for a few

the Serpent King at least managed to escape. He

As he considered her dreadful

there is also a possibility that we will find millions of powerful Awakened warriors, not abominations, when

He blinked.

'She's... right.'

could turn out to be a dire threat, but it could also be hiding an army of allies they sorely needed

point in guessing, either

Sunny sighed.

- we can't leave Kai behind. We also need Mordret and his power to take on

at Nephis,