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

blind girl remained silent for a

Eventually, though, she answered:

have

a moment,

think she

stared at her in

mean? She is a personification of

girl shook her

Wind Flower came from. However, I noticed something strange about the Guiding Light. It continued pointing to the center of

Sunny nodded.

Cassie sighed.

able to make it point to you, Neph, and Effie. But not Jet. I puzzled over how it worked for a long time... and after a while, I started to suspect

was simply Jet's nickname, not her True Name. Actually, even

blind girl,

points to Effie, and not her. That is strange, considering that they are the same person. Only... I think that once somebody becomes Corrupted, their very nature start to

of the

Guiding Light and asked it to point us to Wind

then

Let's say that you are correct... still, the question remains. Who the hell is

coughed and looked away

uh... I don't

stared at her in

about the Guiding Light, True Names, and all

his head, he took a

here to find a way to escape Wind Flower... Aletheia's Island... whatever this place is actually called. Do we just wake

Cassie shook her head.

Defiled. She is a

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?"

girl raised an

not know? I used my Dormant Ability to read her runes. You can do... whatever it is you do

blinked a couple of

he could do

into the soul of the sleeping woman. She had a single

However...