Shadow Slave

1487 The Source

Sunny stared at the distant Great River, frozen in place. His face was motionless.

However, there was a storm raging in his mind. Fragmented truths that he had learned, witnessed, and experienced in the Tomb of Ariel were moving, colliding with each other, and clicking in place with a dreadful noise. The inconceivable truth of their Nightmare was slowly revealing itself.

From start to finish... it was all...

He was suddenly overcome with fear.

Shifting his gaze slightly, Sunny studied the beautiful ribbon that twisted on itself, forming an infinite loop.

Deep crimson, vibrant azure, soft lilac... the seven suns shining in the darkness...

It was like a dream.

'How can this be? How can the Great River flow in a circle?'

But then again… of course, it could.

In hindsight, it made so much sense.

There had always been a paradox in how the Great River was described. Because it was always described as "endless"... Sunny had not paid it much attention before, assuming that the word was simply there to provide flavor. But he should have known better. The Spell was always deliberate with its choice of words.

The description of the Stifled Scream read:

[...a great river was contained within it, flowing endlessly from the future into the past.]

But how could a river of time be endless? The past wasn't infinite. If the Great River really flowed into the past, anyone sailing it would reach the point beyond the origin of time eventually — so, by definition, it could not flow endlessly.

Tomb of Ariel, the past was connected to the future, creating a single whole. The

Great River were most powerful in the far reaches of the past, near the Estuary, and in the far reaches of the future, where Sunny had initially come from. The two

frowned, then shook his

wait… that doesn't

existence of the Estuary was also undeniable. Not only was it mentioned in the descriptions of the Stifled Scream and the Shroud of Graceless Dusk, but it was the reason why the Seekers of Truth

the secrets that the Demon of Dread had

hideous truth he had wished to

had finally found

of the Great River was to reach a point before time existed — before the gods were born, and therefore outside their control. At least that

how could there be

The

the beautiful ribbon. From this distance, he could not really see the current of the Great River, but

gave birth to immense cyclones. That was the area of

whirlpool where Aletheia's Island had been situated was hidden from view, but Sunny saw a tiny speck on the crimson layer of the twisting ribbon. That was Fallen Grace. He thought he saw another city on the lilac layer. That had

mist was absolutely impenetrable, covering a considerable length of the river. The flow of time near it seemed restless even from a distance, which meant that

that not only was

is… that is

already

explode

***

'Of course…'

distant Great River, Sunny took a shaky

was remembering the first few days he had spent in the Nightmare, drifting on a piece of flotsam in

situation had seemed strange and bizarre. So, he had never properly questioned where that place was. However, now that he thought about it… even considering the general weirdness of the Great River, those first days

the piece of flotsam, and what had happened

heard the water roaring and was thrown underwater when the suddenly furious current overturned the piece

there was only the sparkling, dreamlike expanse of the Great River, as if the mist had never

as if he had been sent there through time and space