Shadow Slave

The Chain Breaker was sailing across the bloodred expanse of flowing water. Under the blazing crimson sky, no mystical force seemed to be influencing it... and yet, its course was being set by someone other than the person holding the steering oar.

The ship was being pulled toward the lost temple of Fallen Grace.

On its deck, three Masters were preparing for battle.

Sunny was stretching, his expression calm and focused. Not that Cassie and Nephis could see it - he had summoned Weaver's Mask a long time ago. In the battle against a corrupted oracle, it was both his best weapon and shield.

Cassie had summoned her armor and half-mask. The Quiet Dancer and a long dagger were resting in twin scabbards on her hips. Nephis was still wearing her white tunic, but there was a beautiful longsword in her hands now. Its hilt was black, with the symbol of a scarlet anvil being pierced by a sword etched into the pommel.

"How do we even fight an enemy who can influence the future?"

After Sunny asked the question, both he and Nephis turned to Cassie.

The blind girl frowned slightly.

"...How should I know?"

Who else would know but her?

Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then said awkwardly:

"Wouldn't a person who can perceive the future know how to kill one of her kind best?"

The blind girl shifted, then turned to face him. After a short pause, she smiled faintly and asked:

"What, haven't you thought about how to kill someone like me before? A lot?"

He coughed.

"...Never crossed my mind."

Hearing him, Cassie laughed.

"It's like Nephis said, her power has to have a limit. Say she can alter the path of one arrow... then, hit her with two. If she can alter the path of a hundred arrows, hit her with a hundred and one."

deal with Cassie... purely out of academic curiosity, of course. Since she could perceive a few seconds into the future, the only way to defeat her was to either exhaust her essence or create a future that was inescapable.

the future, in theory. Assuming that the Defiled sybil could raise the probability of certain events happening, the key to defeating her would be

He sighed.

force

stared at him

you like

shook his

"No."

few moments, then let out a quiet

"This mask... is confusing."

think that it was that confusing. All it did was reverse his Flaw, making it so that he could only tell lies. As it turned out, always lying was much more liberating than always telling the truth... that was because there were countless lies, but only one

not think that a person who only deceived could be a part of a community... at least not

Dream

had benefited him, as well. Without the Flaw, he would have continued to

friends. And that, most likely, would have led to

chances to die in a ditch, but at least his

personal growth right

breath, he looked at

to improve... and thus, being

it mean for the gods and

the gods, who had been born flawless, create the universal law of imperfection to fuel their

while, then sighed and shook his

dead, anyway. And he was going to be dead, too, if

"I don't see anything."

eyebrow,

do

turned and peered at

dark shape was slowly appearing from the scarlet

most of it hidden from view and drowned. Its walls, once white and beautiful, were covered by cracks and overgrown with moss. Dark

temple had once stood upon was broken and partially submerged. What little of it remained above the waves was like a wild

dim as the Chain Breaker drew closer to the drifting derelict. The eerie sensation at the

there's nothing to