Shadow Slave

Sunny did not really believe that the fairy tale Ananke had told him was literal. The magical Well of Wishes did not really exist, and neither did the remnant of the primal desire from which the gods had been born exist in the Estuary. Cassie had told him herself — not everyone's wish would be fulfilled here.

But his would, through some unknown process.

Still, looking at the mysterious lake surrounding him, Sunny could not help but wonder if both of them had, perhaps, been wrong.

Wouldn't it be nice, for something that magical to exist?

But, of course, the dark and seemingly endless lake was not the Well of Wishes Ananke had told him about.

Sunny realized it when faint lights ignited in its depths, and a nauseating feeling assaulted his senses.

'Argh... damn it!'

He staggered slightly, barely keeping himself from plunging into the cold water. Regaining his balance, Sunny stared at the distant lights.

A strange expression appeared on his face.

'Don't tell me...'

There, deep beneath his feet...

More runes shined, weaved from light.

He could not read them, and felt dizzy from merely looking at them, but they were not the same harrowing runes that covered the walls of the tunnel.

Instead, they were the second kind of runes that the Spell refused to translate. The runes that had to do with the Unknown, the progenitor of the daemons.

At least these writings did not threaten to corrupt his soul.

Sunny studied the runes for a few moments, having no idea what they meant. However, strangely... he felt that he was on the cusp of grasping their meaning. It was as if the secrets described by the shining runes were just outside his reach.

'I wonder if Aletheia got that far...'

And the Mad Prince. And all the previous versions of Sunny that had entered the Estuary.

Had any of them learned the secrets written by the Demon of Dread in the depths of a mystical lake? The lake that was hidden behind a tunnel full of Corruption, almost as if guarded by it.

a deep

an impulse,

powerful this blade becomes. It bestows revelations of madness on those who

the cursed sword had long ago reached completion. Therefore... he was

the jade jian landed comfortably

moment it did, Sunny felt the thin barrier separating him from understanding the

meaning was revealed to

Sunny shuddered as

[Hail Weaver

Demon of Fate

Firstborn

of the Forgotten God]

***

the

'Hail... Weaver...'

of shock... or maybe

'The... Forgotten God?'

of

The seventh god?

How could it be?!

hand and wiped his face, suddenly feeling

gods. Sun God, War God, Beast God, Storm God, Heart God, and

Spell — and the Dream Realm as

was

and how

were said to have appeared out of

'No, wait.'

never seen him... her... it?... mentioned anywhere — then why would the Spell

did Sunny feel dizzy and nauseated when encountering the few, exceedingly rare mentions of him,

name of Weaver written in the runes at

a while, then walked further, heading for the next set of runes shining underwater some distance

'Forgotten God, Forgotten God...'

seventh god existed, huh? That was...

the next set of shining