Shadow Slave

The outer wall of the mundane district was thick and tall. Rain passed through the gateway, still thinking about what her teacher had said...

'Pretty? I'm pretty? He was teasing me, right? That scoundrel! Maybe if he allowed me to have a mirror at home, I wouldn't have had to ask!’

Her thoughts were interrupted by an Awakened warrior who suddenly appeared in her way. His equipment was visibly more potent than that of the young men and women whom she had met outside, and his face was much more mature.

Unlike those inexperienced greenhorns, he was a true warrior of Song.

"This way, please."

Rain obediently followed the Awakened to the side, where a cohort of veterans like him was keeping a watchful eye on everyone entering the city. They were led by a stunningly beautiful woman wearing an enchanted robe of fine wine-colored silk.

A Master.

There was no sign of Rain's teacher, as if he had dove deeper into the shadows. She approached the beautiful woman and bowed respectfully.

The Ascended smiled.

"Oh, it's you, little sister, Rain, was it? Please don't move”

A torrent of ethereal sparks swirled around her hand, and a red flower appeared on her palm. Its dark petals seemed to be glistening with dew, and it emanated a pleasant fragrance.

The woman raised her hand, as if offering the flower to Rain. Of course, Rain did not take it. Instead, she froze and looked at the crimson blossom solemnly. A few moments passed in tense silence, then a few more.

She glanced at the beautiful Master. The woman was still smiling, but her eyes were cold and full of dark... something.

'Murder math.’

remembered the strange term well, because he often lamented the fact that she seemed to lack that cold quality, whatever

Ascended was calmly calculating how to kill her, should the need arise. It was more than

Ascended's smile finally reached her eyes. Moving her hand, she dismissed the red flower and gestured for Rain to

back. Have

bowed one more time and walked

Internally, she sighed.

other Citadel in the Song Domain, she would imagine - had to go through. The Sword Domain had their own version of the ritual, and there were versions of it

was to prevent the dreadful bane, Skinwalker, from infiltrating

were either slain or remained in Antarctica, Skinwalker was different. It had entered the siege capitals by pretending to be human before the

had joined forces to eradicate the creature. The Sovereigns emerged, and Lady Nephis returned from the Third Nightmare with five other Saints just in time. Eventually, they

managed

was like a nightmare that haunted all of humanity, Its vessels were somewhere out there, in the shadows, hiding in the vast reaches of the Dream Realm or in the poisonous wilds of the waking world. Worst of all, the creature had learned and adapted, its act becoming almost indistinguishable from

the Eastern Quadrant had, as well. That was why there were new security measures everywhere humans

and the great wave of colonization that followed, the existence of

being checked while entering Ravenheart. If she had indeed been taken by the harrowing fiend, the flower the beautiful Master summoned would have wilted, alerting her

was one thing she

walked far enough from the gate,

ask

answer came

"You sure can."

lingered for

cohort of Awakened and a single Master... no matter how powerful she is, a Great Nightmare Creature can wipe them out

was a longer pause before her

bronze mirror

Rain nodded.

are mirrors like that everywhere

He sighed.