Shadow Slave

Both Sunny and Cassie froze, bewildered by the strange scene.

'Surely, I'm seeing things.'

This was Wind Flower, a misty hell where harrowing abominations and Defiled Saints were imprisoned, not even knowing that they were. A place that slowly devoured the souls of Great Nightmare Creatures until there was nothing left but empty husks. The abandoned stronghold of an ancient Seeker who had left to challenge the Estuary.

How could there be someone sleeping soundly in its very heart?

Sunny suppressed the desire to pinch himself.

...He also suppressed the desire to pinch Cassie.

"Hey... you see what I see, right?"

As soon as he spoke, Sunny suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over him and covered his mouth with a hand. Shaking off his bewilderment, he reminded himself where they were, and why they had come here.

Cassie had said that there was a source of terrible danger at the top of Aletheia's Tower... but there was only this sleeping woman. Which meant that she was that source.

What if his voice woke her up?

The blind girl nodded slowly and answered in a whisper:

"I do."

Sunny lingered for a few moments.

"Is this... Aletheia?"

Indeed, that would be the most rational guess. They were standing in the tower built by Aletheia of the Nine, after all. So who else could it be?

Cassie shook her head.

"It... shouldn't be. The Seeker who lived on this island is said to have left it a long, long time ago. Before the Defilement was even born. Of course, the information I received from the people of Fallen Grace might be wrong..."

She frowned.

"But it is said that only the Serpent King has been able to come to Wind Flower and return alive. I... honestly don't see how any human could have survived this place, let alone how they would have ended up sleeping peacefully at the top floor of this tower."

Sunny studied the figure of the sleeping woman tensely, then rubbed his face tiredly.

who the

girl remained

Eventually, though, she answered:

have

hesitated for a

think... I think she is

stared at her

do you mean? She is a personification

blind girl shook her

the name Wind Flower came from. However, I noticed something strange about the Guiding

Sunny nodded.

Cassie sighed.

long time... and after a while, I started to suspect that it's because Jet doesn't have a True Name. Or at least I don't know what her True Name

True Name. Actually, even Sunny did not know

blind girl, meanwhile,

the same person. Only... I think that once somebody becomes Corrupted, their very nature start to change. So, they lose their True Name,

walls of the spacious chamber and

we had the Guiding Light and asked it to point us to Wind Flower... it would have

then

still, the question remains.

suddenly coughed and looked

I

stared at

the Guiding Light, True Names, and all that? We are exactly where we started this

head, he took a deep breath

do now? We wanted to come here to find a way to escape Wind Flower... Aletheia's Island... whatever this place is actually called. Do we just wake her up and hope that she's

Cassie shook her head.

is a Transcendent

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?"

girl

know? I used my Dormant Ability to read her runes. You can do... whatever it is you do to

blinked a couple

could do

had a single radiant core, its brightness similar in intensity to that of

However...