Shadow Slave

Chain Breaker was sailing across the vast expanse of the Great River. With each day, the time of their inevitable arrival at Verge drew closer. Torment was waiting there, as well as the remnants of the Defiled horde. All dreadful and powerful adversaries, without a doubt.

Sunny felt a strange melancholy settle in his burdened heart... something he did not want to carry, and could not afford to feel. His mind had to be focused on the preparations for the nearing battle. The battle that was going to decide whether they would return home as Saints, or be buried forever in the dreadful darkness of the Tomb of Ariel.

So, he did what he did best. He put his feelings aside, and got to work.

Five Memories waited for him to alter them, each possessing a unique and complicated weave. Each was different from the Crown of Dawn, and called for a different approach.

The suits of armor Effie and Kai had received for slaying the two Chain Lords of the Ivory City were the easiest to deal with. Armor was meant to be durable, after all, and perhaps for that reason, the weave of these Memories was robust and durable, as well.

Or maybe it was simply because of where they came from. In any case, Sunny had a good feeling about altering the Memories left behind by the two immortal Saints.

The deadly arrow and the helpful charm Nephis had received in Twilight were much more complicated. They were entirely different from each other, as well, which made the task of studying the weave of their enchantments harder.

But the most troublesome Memory by far was the Transcendent weapon of the Seventh Tier Nephis had received for slaying Soul Stealer. Not only was the weave of the silver blade infinitely more complex, but Sunny was also trying to do something he had never done before — replace a single nexus of a greater Memory and enhance only one of its enchantments, leaving the rest untouched.

More than that, the weave of the altered enchantment had to be completely isolated, so that the pressure of its more potent essence did not break the balance of the entire tapestry.

of it all was driving him insane. Finding countless solutions to a myriad of problems demanded all of his

be solved. He also liked not being able to dwell on other things too much, focusing entirely on

passed. Turning

vast expanse of the azure sky and finally entered the reaches of the Great River where the world was

Nightmare Creatures on the way. Sunny was somewhat forced to swallow his previous confidence — yes, nothing managed to defeat the cohort or gravely wound any of the seven Masters. But they came

having to hastily patch the damaged section in the middle of a prolonged battle made everyone remember why arrogance was the

to an end, Sunny finally finished his work on the two suits of armor. Effie and Kai each

of the preparatory work for the other three alterations had been complete, too. Sunny had plenty of essence strings at his disposal, as well as detailed knowledge of each of the three weaves. All that remained now was to carefully go over his

him some time... but before that happened, the Chain Breaker finally arrived

was different from the

known what to expect from the last human city on the Great River. Therefore, they had been wary and ready for battle. He had even chosen to assume the form of the onyx

the water instead of resting on the currents. There

like an island of safety and peace in the ocean of perilous

and Nephis saw Fallen Grace, it was like a wilting white flower that floated on the crimson waves, bathed in the intense glow of the setting suns. There were still

be recovering

Grace stay in place seemed freshly dyed. The island-ships were connected by solid bridges, and a few new ones were being constructed at the edges of the city, with countless people working

atmosphere of the last city had entirely changed. If it had been somber and stifled before, now it was brimming with vigor and

if people who had no hope had