Shadow Slave

Sunny raced to the Source, afraid of the passage of time. It was ironic, really...

Before the fateful conversation with Cassie, he had been tense and concerned about how the cohort would survive the battle for Verge. Now, however, he was concerned that they would destroy it too soon.

He had been worried for Nephis, but now, he was wary of her.

Changing Star seemed like something almost inevitable, now that his fate — or lack thereof — depended on how fierce and unrelenting her assault on the monstrous First Seeker would be.

Human mind was funny that way. It was colored by what one desired, making the same thing appear entirely different depending on the circumstances.

And so... Sunny needed to hurry.

He guided the ketch, pushing the currents forward with the help of the Crown of Dawn. The graceful boat seemed to be gliding on the water, moving with incredible speed. The shore of Verge had long disappeared from view, and there was nothing in front of him except for the vast expanse of the Great River.

The air itself felt different here, at the dawn of time. The waters were treacherous and full of peril. Now that Cassie wasn't with him, Sunny had no way of knowing where danger lurked. So, he remained as alert as possible, extending his shadow sense as far as he could.

That caution saved his life on more than one occasion.

The far reaches of the past, which corresponded to the very dawn of the Age of Gods, were not only full of bizarre and lethal hazards, but also of all kinds of harrowing Nightmare Creatures.

had faced the Azure Serpent, the Black Turtle, the Dark Butterfly, and the countless other

his growth.

abominable monstrosities... but, luckily, there was one thing at which he was

and being able to adapt to

pull him under the water and devour him, Sunny summoned the

terrifying abomination descended from the sky, he turned into the onyx serpent, hid the

helpful in its own way. Of course, maintaining the shell cost him a lot of essence, so, afraid to drain his reserves of it, Sunny mostly remained in the ketch, guiding it away

alone, he almost lost his life a

when the water under him suddenly boiled and moved at incredible speed, threatening to overturn the boat. Sunny instantly summoned Saint, using her weight to balance the ketch,

Great River, as far as the eye could see, instantly turned into a furious vortex. The speed of the current was so terrible that the hull of the ketch almost splintered, bombarded by powerful waves. It was pulled sideways,

Sunny opened the gate of the Shadow Lantern and called upon the shadows, forming the shell of the Dark Butterfly. His vast wings moved, throwing him into the air. His

was

the catastrophic turbulence that had turned the current of the

stretching from one horizon to another. The terrible whirlpool that had almost shattered the catch was caused by these titanic jaws opening and sucking in an

entire span of the Great River disappeared into the harrowing maw of the underwater