Shadow Slave

1528 New Eden

Mordret studied him with a neutral expression. Then, he smiled pleasantly.

"How should I know? Am I a Sovereign?"

Sunny stared at him silently for a few moments. Eventually, he shook his head.

"No… but you are a son of one, was raised by another, and currently serve the third. If you don't know, then who would?"

Mordret laughed.

"Well, if you put it like that, it does sound like I should know. However, Sunless, you seem to be mistaken about something. The thing is… I don't care to know. Why should I care about the waking world? Whatever happens to it has little to do with me."

Sunny frowned.

Indeed, Mordret had spent most of his childhood in the Dream Realm, so he had little attachment to Earth. More than that, he was not someone who would care about the lives of hundreds of millions of innocent people, let alone feel inclined to do something to save them.

All Mordret cared about was his revenge against the Great Clan Valor.

A faint smile appeared on Sunny's face.

"Sure, you might not care about the waking world. But you do care about your father's plans — at least as far as to be able to try and ruin them better. So cut the crap and just tell me what you know. If you don't mind."

Mordret stared at him with amusement for a while, then sighed and shook his head.

"Well, why not? But I'm afraid that you are overestimating me. I really do not know what my father and the Queen of Worms are planning. I am not exactly on speaking terms with the former, and the latter does not trust me enough to share such secrets. All I know is that they are serious about having a war with each other. That was why I joined Ki Song."

He lingered for a moment and added, his voice losing its usual lightheartedness:

"I'll warn you, though. Don't presume to understand the Sovereigns, Sunless. You might think that you have them figured out, but you don't. They are far older than we are, and far more powerful. They are also not some cardboard villains. My father, Ki Song, and the third one… are the most exceptional individuals of their generation, or maybe even of all generations. They did not end up on their thrones by accident."

Sunny looked at him somberly.

are you trying

with a

their plans. Abandoning the waking world? Well, that surely sounds like something they would do. But if you think about it, why would they do that? Even if the Sovereigns only care about the Dream Realm, they still need Awakened to

thinking about what Mordret had said. Although the terms he used were very cynical, the underlying message held true. Indeed, there had to be an immense population of mundane people for a comparatively small amount of Awakened to

was indeed destined to be consumed by the Dream Realm, the Sovereigns could not allow themselves to abandon it completely before

what Sunny

He frowned, feeling confused.

his head and asked, his

about the third one? Asterion, what

were spoken, Mordret's smile dimmed, growing strangely… forced. He

me a favor, try not to speak that name aloud. Otherwise,

a couple of times, staring at him

"Come on. Really?"

out a long sigh, then shook his

telling the truth. The old man… his powers are a bit beyond comprehension. If you feel threatened by Ki Song or my father, wait till you meet him. Better yet,

back, crossing

about him? If he's so powerful, why isn't he participating in this war Song and Valor started? Where is he? Come to think of it, where does he come from? There is almost nothing written about him in the history books. Is he a

Mordret shrugged.

other two. Yes, Domains can be different in nature. Most are like what my father and Ki Song possess, territorial. That is why Valor and Song are

for a few moments,

were built by those who inherited the Divine Lineages. Valor was born from the Lineage of War, Immortal Flame from the Lineage of Sun, House of Night from the Lineage of Storm. Clan Song rose to prominence later, after Ki Song discovered the Lineage of Beast. The old man is the one who has the Lineage of Heart…

Sunny shook his head.

lineage of

as emotions, memory, hunger, and growth. What kind of Aspect could Asterion possess, then? What powers did he wield? What

took a deep breath,

from the Legacy Clans. Legacy Clans have been in power since before we were born, so we are conditioned to assume that it has always been like that. But, in fact, there were many powers competing for the right to shape the world as they saw fit, back in the chaotic time

about that. From what he knew, the current system — with the government and the Legacy Clans maintaining the world order together — was established after several other, fringe factions had been defeated by the first Legacies. Even with all the sins of the

what he

for

man is not that old, actually. It's just what I call him. The faction he comes from, you see, was a small group of the Path of Ascension zealots. Real fanatics, far more extreme than anyone you could have met among the Legacies. Now, those people… they were really in favor of abandoning the waking world completely, believing that the Nightmare Spell was meant to pave the way for a new

He shook his head.

the waking world, establishing an isolated colony in the Dream Realm not long after the first Masters Ascended. The man who would one day become the third Sovereign… was actually born there. In fact,