Shadow Slave

The five members of the cohort were gone, off to scout the approach to Verge. Sunny felt uneasy and worried about their safety, but not tremendously so. Each of them was a powerhouse in their own right, and possessed a wealth of experience when it came to moving stealthily through a region infested with Nightmare Creatures.

Nephis, Kai, and Effie were veterans of the Forgotten Shore, where humans had been at the very bottom of the food chain. Effie, who had hunted in the Dark City alone for many years, was especially proficient in navigating dangerous terrain without alerting anyone or anything of her presence.

Jet had already been a frightening existence before the Southern Campaign, and grew only more tenacious after going through the disastrous months in the Antarctic Center, followed by serving in the military reconnaissance in East Antarctica.

Mordret was by far the most slippery of the five, so even if Sunny was inclined to care about his well-being, the bastard was the last person in the Tomb of Ariel he would be worried about.

So, the scouts were more than capable of fulfilling their mission unscathed.

If anything, Sunny was more concerned about himself and Cassie. The restlessness he had felt for the past few months reached an apex, telling him that something was about to happen.

The Sin of Solace was not shy about voicing his opinion, either:

"You've done it now, fool. What madness made you think that staying here alone with her was a good idea? It wasn't me, that's for sure. Now, you are completely defenseless against whatever new betrayal she had in mind, with no one to cover your back."

Sunny looked at him somberly, then turned away.

Saint, Fiend, and Nightmare were still aboard the Chain Breaker. So, the loathsome wraith was wrong — there was someone to cover his back. There were plenty.

'No, that's wrong...'

would he even need that? Cassie was not going to betray the cohort. That

a

incredible mental strain he had been exposed

the Mad Prince started to slip, as

of the sword wraith and went about his

the shore of the ice land, hiding it in the shadow of a tall rock mound. Sunny moored

nothing for them to do but

consumed by alarm and doubt, Cassie seemed perfectly at ease. If she had been surprised by his sudden decision to stay back —which, in all honesty, went against how he would usually act — she did not show it. The blind girl remained at the stern of the ship, ready to activate the runic circle

a better view of the environment. He commanded Saint and Fiend to remain on the ship and sent Nightmare to hide in the shadows on top of the mound they were moored

tense silence,

...It was strange, really.

know how potent and miraculous, albeit not applicable in a direct confrontation for the

had her other Abilities grown, and what was she capable

which only made Sunny feel more nervous. If there was one thing he did know, however, it was that the Last Plague would be attuned to fate and revelations to an incredible degree. Which meant that she would have means of knowing when she was in

danger. They had already exterminated the other Plagues, after

no one waiting for them when they descended from the black void. There was no one laying in ambush at the shores of the frozen landmass, either. ?ìg??օ???verse~?օ?. Even now, when the members of the cohort had split up into three

Why was that?

any visions of fate in the Tomb of Ariel, just like Cassie was unable

would certainly make

unable to see

the result of the Mad Prince's