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?

the Serpent

voice trembled

glanced at each other, and then briefly described their long journey into the past. With each sentence Sunny spoke, the story

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 of astonishing adventures that Ananke had told him. And yet, it was all

was the one telling

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

paused for a moment, and

Azure Serpent

Cassie frowned.

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 all of them.

his chair, thinking. Eventually,

maybe they came from the future of the waking world? Either that, or they were the last remnants of the Dream Realm humans, from the time of extinction after the Doom War had ended. Seeds of Nightmares

Twilight

Nephis sighed.

people were indeed challengers, they would have entered the Nightmare by taking someone's place. Were there

lingered for a few

Cassie, you said that Twilight was not destroyed, but lost... devoured by time. None of us knows what it means, exactly, but we do know that the Serpent King at least managed to escape. He was a demented beast when we met him, his soul consumed

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

inhabitants of Twilight can also be long dead. Lastly... there is also a possibility that we will

He blinked.

'She's... right.'

threat, but it could also be hiding

point

Sunny sighed.

leave Kai behind. We also need Mordret and his power to take on Verge, and

Nephis, then at