Shadow Slave

Soon, they were deep into the barrier surrounding Wind Rose. There was nothing but blinding mist, hurricane winds, and violent currents in this dreadful and deadly place. Sunny could easily imagine countless ships being drowned by the inconceivable whirlpool... powerful Nightmare Creatures, as well.

No wonder almost no one returned after being swallowed by the mist.

And yet...

The fury of the wind was terrible - but not terrible enough to sway them. Nephis had invoked the True Name of the wind, lessening the pressure on the graceful ship. The Chain Breaker stubbornly cut through the mist, refusing to be pushed back.

The violence of the raging currents was daunting - but not daunting enough to stop them. Guided by Cassie's steady hand, the Chain Breaker broke through the fortress wall of the towering waves, never straying off course.

By then, the natural flow of the Great River was replaced entirely by a terrifying tide that was pulling them deeper and deeper into the mist. The deck beneath their feet was tilted downward, indicating that they were sliding into the giant, insatiable maw of the colossal whirlpool.

Instead of allowing the ship to be carried by the current, Cassie kept its bow pointed perpendicular to the rush of seething water, cutting as short a line to the center of the vortex as possible. It took a lot of effort to keep the Chain Breaker under control, but she managed it splendidly.

It was still too early to take to the sky.

Sunny and Nephis had long joined Cassie at the stern. Fiend and Crow Crow were hiding under the sacred tree, both soaked in water and miserable, while Nightmare had dissolved into shadows and hid in their dark embrace. Only Saint remained on the bow of the ship, standing there like an immovable onyx statue. The plume of her helmet danced in the wind.

It was easy to get lost in the mist, but the radiance of the Guiding Light was showing them the way.

Straining against the howling wind, Sunny yelled:

"How much longer?!"

was swallowed by the

almost the same time, though, the veil of fog was

his face turned ashen. The whirlpool was indeed colossal, stretching as far as the eye could see. The raging tide moved in

the world. The depths of the Great River lay naked and revealed, but his human eyes

was nothing there at all. Just an endless,

shrouded its dark cliffs, and a magnificent tower rose from somewhere far inland, obscured

sight of the island was both austere and sinister, like a stark omen

"Hurry!"

go of the steering oar and stepped out of the circle, allowing Nephis to take her place. Neph was there a split second later. She took

her radiant essence poured into the runic circle, flooding the enchantments of

the next moment, the Chain Breaker shook slightly... and

'It... it's working!'

to before, and its flight was not nearly as smooth. But they were

the ancient flying ship to a shadow of its former glory, it had already been an incredible feat. But that had taken them almost a year, with

it gave them the chance to accomplish

course, it was still unclear if the Chain Breaker would be able to maintain its

they plummet into the darkness and

way

eyes shining with a brilliant white radiance. He could sense a flood of essence pouring out of her soul like a shining torrent... that essence was absorbed by the runic circle and

hint of doubt on Neph's face, and so, he decided to throw away his

Chain Breaker sailed through the blinding fog, with only the rustle

'Come on, come on...'