Shadow Slave

'I wonder...'

Sunny stared at a delicious-looking golden fruit, torn between the desire to pluck it off the branch and the fear of tasting fruits from mysterious, mystical trees. The last time he had eaten one... was not a memory he liked to remember.

'It probably tastes divine, though...'

In the end, he sighed and reluctantly looked away from the alluring fruit. It was better not to test fate.

Sunny was currently high in the crown of the sacred tree, using it as a crow's nest. The sky above him was of a beautiful azure color, with not a hint of the deep scarlet splendor they had grown accustomed to in Fallen Grace.

It had already been several weeks since they visited the lost library and slayed the Defiled sybil. The fourth month of their Nightmare had ended a few days ago... of course, it had been much longer than that for Cassie and the other members of the cohort.

Effie and Jet had spent more than a year stranded in the place called Wind Flower, by now. Sunny couldn't help but worry about them.

He was also worried about Rain and the waking world, but there was nothing to be done about that.

Climbing to a higher branch, he sighed and looked down. There was usually a black crow following him around, but today, the talkative bird was gone. It was somewhere ahead, scouting for prowling abominations and turbulent currents.

meant that at least one of the two missing

With the help of the Guiding Light, they did not even have to waste time searching for

had not been easy. Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie had to fight for their lives on many occasions. The graceful vessel had been attacked by swarms of Nightmare Creatures, grotesque giants from the deep, aerial horrors, and even heralds of the Defilement. That last

and slaughtered every enemy that dared to attack the Chain Breaker... for now. The ancient vessel withstood all the attacks without receiving serious damage, as well. But the three

for Neph's healing powers, they would have never made it so

either. Sunny had been reminded once more that traveling with an oracle was an invaluable boon. It was because of the blind girl that they had managed to avoid the true perils of the Great River - the twisted currents and lethal aberrations where time itself would have killed them in

not a place where one could survive without extreme battle power, and

'Am I not great?'

shuddered and furtively looked around, checking to see if the Sin of Solace was near. The sword wraith would not have missed a chance to cut him with a snide remark in response to such thoughts, but thankfully, the apparition had not deemed it necessary to climb the

being too close to the tree from the Heart God's grove, for some reason.

He sighed.

Wind Flower had not been easy, but at least they had all gotten something out of it. Nephis was one step closer to becoming a Titan, and wore a chainmail shirt over her white tunic - just like Ananke's Mantle, the new Memory could be worn in conjunction with another armor, albeit due

a fashion strange for an Awakened, she also carried her sword in a scabbard hung from her belt. The scabbard was another Memory, this one capable of enhancing the weapon