Shadow Slave

The Great River flowed endlessly. Somewhere in the future, the ruins of Weave drifted empty and silent, with no one left to witness their inevitable march toward destruction. Somewhere in the past, the city of Verge stood, harboring the hidden horrors of the Defilement. There was Twilight, too, mysterious and dreadful, lost to time.

...But here in Fallen Grace, the days were peaceful.

The work on the Chain Breaker started soon after Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie finished their tea. He visited the piers to observe the repairs, but there was really no point. The elderly citizens of the last human city knew how to tend to a ship much better than he did, and even though their bodies were ancient and frail, there were still some Awakened among them.

Their physical strength solved many problems, so Sunny did not need to help. The best he could do was not get in the way.

Knowing that there were many battles ahead, he dedicated his time to preparing as thoroughly as possible. Cassie and Nephis were doing the same. The latter was practicing her swordsmanship without rest, while the former... actually, Sunny was not entirely sure what their blind oracle was doing.

She spent a lot of time arranging measures to keep Fallen Grace safe in her absence, but also made a point of sparing as much of it as possible for him and Nephis. They had meals together, toured the city, and held long strategy meetings.

He was happy because the three of them were together again.

But it was also a bit strange.

Cassie had spent an entire year in the Nightmare... which meant that she was older than Sunny by a few months now, making him the youngest in the cohort. He had treated her as a little sister once, at the start of it all, so it felt odd to suddenly be the one who was younger.

But then again, age was such an abstract thing... especially so for the Awakened. Sunny himself had spent an unknown length of time in the dream prison created by Nightmare. Even though he had forgotten most of that cruel trial, his soul still remembered its scars.

Speaking of Nightmare, the dark destrier was his main priority for now. Sunny had been unsure that he would be able to create enough Memories to help his steed Ascend before departure from Fallen Grace, but he was pleasantly surprised to have been mistaken.

There were two main reasons for that. The first one was that Cassie had opened the treasury of the temple to supply him with the few soul shards he lacked. The second one was the Crown of Twilight.

dusk lasted for nearly the entire day, interrupted only by

situated at the opposite edge of the Great River, where it was almost always dawn. Sunny was certain that having a boundless amount

weaving Memories to feed Nightmare above all else. The counter of shadow fragments was

counter of nightmares the tenebrous steed had subjugated, at a speed much greater than ever before. Maybe because of the

ways of collecting nightmares - it was because the dreams of mundane humans were powerless, while Awakened never dreamed. It was only Masters and abominations that could supply

the Tomb of Ariel - were different from those infected by the Spell. Their souls did not travel between worlds when they slept, and so, Nightmare could

a result, the citizens of Fallen Grace enjoyed strangely blissful sleep during these days, while his

Sunny did not know what would happen first - the black steed's Ascension or return to full power as

weave more rudimentary Memories, and do it

after another,

finally... Sunny weaved

the spacious chambers Cassie had arranged for him within the temple, Sunny slowly dismissed his

beautiful nacre ornament. What made it look so tantalizing was not the colorful sheen, though, but the ethereal weave hiding behind

"It's done."

slowly, then dismissed the ornament

'I did it.'

one more Transcendent Memory to reach Ascension

up, Sunny looked at the crimson sky beyond the window. The night had already passed, which meant that his Shadow should have returned to its post. These days, the black steed was usually hiding in the shadows near where

go visit him right now,

Sunny contemplated how much stronger Nightmare would become as an Ascended Terror, a swift shadow fell from the sky and landed on the windowsill. It was

couple of times, then stared at him angrily

"Stuck! Stuck!"