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."

a few seconds

Defiled sybil could raise the probability of certain events happening, the key to defeating her would be creating a situation where all possible

He sighed.

the brute force approach...

at him

you

his head

"No."

few moments, then let out a quiet

"This mask... is confusing."

Flaw, making it so that he could only tell lies. As it turned

while always wearing Weaver's Mask. Lies might be liberating, but he did not think that a person who

in the Dream Realm alone. But, much

once, but looking back at his life up until now, Sunny clearly saw how it had benefited him, as well. Without the Flaw, he

precious friends. And that, most likely, would

still had plenty of chances to die in a ditch, but at least his death was not going

personal growth right

his breath, he looked at the

Ananke had been right. Only flawed things had a reason to improve... and thus, being flawed was the

mean for the

universal law of imperfection to fuel their own rise to power? If

while, then sighed and shook

The gods were dead, anyway. And he was going to be dead, too, if the three of them failed to kill the Defiled

"I don't see anything."

an eyebrow, then

do

turned and peered at the

slowly appearing from the

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

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

Chain Breaker drew closer to the drifting derelict. The eerie sensation at the back of Sunny's mind

relax. I'm sure there's nothing to worry