Shadow Slave

Sunny had an inkling that the Mad Prince had not been willing to quietly disappear for a while now. However, it had always been just that — a suspicion, substantiated by nothing except for his knowledge of himself.

Sunny wouldn't have wanted to cease to exist, so why would his Defiled version be any different?

The Mad Prince had wished to be free, and in the process of fulfilling that wish, he caused Neph's death. His soul was consumed by the Defilement, but not entirely so — a small slither of his humanity remained due to the Sin of Solace, who preserved it to torment his host better.

And so, the vile madman came to regret pursuing his wish. He schemed and conspired to bring Nephis back to life and create such a cycle of the Great River where the Nightmare could be conquered by the cohort. He turned his friends into the Plagues, and then betrayed them, arranging for each to be slaughtered.

But was that all that the Mad Prince had wanted?

Apparently, no.

Sunny was a greedy person, and his past self had to have been, too. Therefore... there were at least two more things the Mad Prince had schemed to achieve.

The first one was more or less obvious. He had not only wished to bring Nephis back to life, but to be with her, as well.

Staring at the Sin of Solace, Sunny shook his head in disgust.

'That crazy bastard. Did he really think that Neph would accept a horrid Corrupted maniac like him?'

Well... it was in the name. Despite all his devious cunning, at the end of the day, the Mad Prince was exactly that — entirely and utterly mad. Sunny had no doubt that the lunatic imagined countless ways to bend the future to his will in that perverse head of his.

The Sin of Solace, meanwhile, smiled darkly.

"Oh... I see that you are starting to understand. I am sorry to say this, though — it's already too late for you."

at

was starting

return, and why was it only happening

second thing he must have wanted to

that thing... was to reach the heart

sanctum of the

the Estuary... perhaps the most terrible, and the most precious,

judgment of the guardian of the lake had the right to learn that

to be a

had the Great Nightmare Creatures that found their way into the Estuary been slain, while Sunny was allowed

was because their souls were Corrupted, while his

was not allowed to come near the heart of the Estuary, as if Ariel had not wanted

the Mad Prince had not been able to

looked at

course... it was so

the heart of the

The answer... was oblivion.

seeds of Corruption into his soul at the start of each cycle, pass the judgment of

Mad Prince had created the Key of the Estuary — a Memory meant to get him to the innermost sanctum of the Estuary intact. A Memory that placed a seal on the Sin of Solace, thus preventing the sword wraith from

once it served its purpose and got Sunny past

the Mad Prince back in all his

of Solace

it. Being stuck with you is already bad enough, you worm. Being stuck with

He sighed.