Shadow Slave

1486 Colorful Ribbon

The Chain Breaker was still flying at high speed in the direction it had been expelled from the vortex. Thankfully, Nephis had rolled the ship in time, preventing the members of the cohort from plummeting down… but Sunny was still pressed into the deck, struggling to stand up.

The world was dark, with only the soft glow of the sacred tree illuminating it.

Finally, he rose to his feet, swayed slightly, and called out in a stifled voice:

"Is… is everyone alive?"

He could see Nephis nearby... she was safe. Looking across the deck, he noticed Effie leaning on the sacred tree, a startled expression on her face. Luckily, the huntress did not look injured.

Jet was a bit further away. It seemed that she had used the fifth form of her mist blade, the scythe, as a hook to keep herself in place. Her icy blue eyes were alert and focused.

Cassie had been sleeping in her cabin when the strange event happened, so she was definitely fine — the blind girl might have suffered a few bruises, but she wouldn't have been thrown overboard.

"I'm fine!"

"Alive is a strong word…"

Hearing Effie and Jet answer his question, Sunny let out a relieved sigh. Almost at the same time, Cassie appeared from below the deck, looking a bit haggard.

With each member of the cohort accounted for, he relaxed a little.

They seemed to have escaped the dreadful whirlpool. At least it looked that way.

The twisting tunnel was gone, replaced by a vast empty space. The oppressive feeling Sunny had felt in the depths of the Great River was gone, too, and time seemed to be flowing naturally as well.

Space, however…

was a bit

was definitely there. Humans, after all, were not meant to perceive the fabric of space — why would

had become vague with the descent of the Spell. Especially here in the Tomb of Ariel, many things that he had considered absolute had proven to be less than reliable. The existence of the Tomb was in

Sunny could not perceive the fabric of space, he could still

on? No, first… where are

water splashing against the hull of the Chain Breaker, no sunlight, no glow that suffused the Great River at night. There was only darkness, silence, and

was nothing for her to do. The ship was still flying… rising?... due to inertia, and it was

then looked behind her. There was nothing there… only a vast, boundless

wind played with

looked at him, too. She hesitated

think… we have

it was not. Nobody knew what was at the heart of the Great River, so there could very well be a vast empty space inside it. However, somehow, Sunny did not feel as if they were buried under an

Had they reached the

instead of being thrown down? In fact… the Chain Breaker was still rising, even though

"What the hell happened?"

answer, and eventually said with no confidence

crossed a boundary of some sort. You saw what

something else, but then suddenly

moments later, her

raised a hand and pointed

"Sunny… behind you…"

there was nothing immediately behind him — otherwise, he would have felt it

was just as empty as what he had seen before, but when

Sunny grew still.

am I

lilac, azure, and crimson, with parts of it drowning in shadows. Seven small motes of light slowly moved through the darkness around it, making

surface twisted on itself like a Möbius

few moments to