Shadow Slave

As it turned out, there were two other Sleepers somewhere out there, hiding under the roots of a dead tree in the Hollows. They were well outside the Shadow Realm's Fragment and inside the bones of the colossal skeleton, which made the potential rescue... problematic.

In fact, it was miraculous that they had survived for so long.

Too miraculous, maybe.

While the Fire Keepers were calming the dirty teenager and giving him food, Sunny stared at him coldly. He had already studied the Sleeper's soul, making sure that he was indeed a Dormant human. But why were Nephis and her people so careless?

He glanced at her, then asked, his voice emotionless:

"How do you know that he's not one of Skinwalker's vessels?"

Nephis, who was standing a few steps away from the Sleeper, shrugged:

"If he was an abomination, my flames would have burned him, not healed him."

Sunny raised an eyebrow. It made sense... her soul was immune to Corruption, so the flames of her soul did not tolerate it. Granted, Nephis had not yet mastered that aspect of her powers to such a degree in the past.

‘Alright, he's not Skinwalker.’

That didn't mean that the sleeper was harmless, though. He could still be a body Mordret decided to wear... granted, that was very improbable. It would be exceedingly hard to find a Sleeper just a few days after the winter solstice, let alone drag one to Godgrave. And while Mordret was powerful, it would be harder still to traverse Godgrave in a Dormant body, even for him.

So why was this Sleeper so strange?

Sunny walked forward, and although he did not say anything, the Fire Keepers instinctively parted before him. The Sleeper looked up, his eyes suddenly widening in fear.

"Uh... m-my lord..."

Stopping in front of the teenager, Sunny looked down without saying a word.

'How strange.'

Even though he could see the dirty young man, he could not sense him. It was as though there was no one there - there was no scent, no presence, not even a shadow he could perceive.

Was that why he had not sensed what Saint was carrying until she was already in the temple?

his

"Is that your Aspect?"

Sleeper flinched, then

except for hiding.

Sunny tilted his head.

‘What a powerful Aspect.’

for a Dormant Ability to fool the senses of a Saint. Perhaps it wasn't completely unreasonable for the Spell to

explain how the

"What is your name?"

The young man shivered.

it's Ray, my

a bit,

I've decided not to

with his mouth hanging open, Sunny walked away. As he did, the Fire

by a few words from

him and

you kill Sleepers often, Lord

to remember how many

"Not often"

turned to face her and asked in the same

you,

changing the tople to the fate of

and my warriors... can we rescue the other two Sleepers from the Hollows? That is not the mission entrusted to me by

for

that all of them or any of them - will survive in the Hollows. You and I can

She nodded simply.

that is what we'll do. If you are

silently,

of risking your life for strangers, Lady Nephis? Braving a Death Zone for a couple of insignificant Sleepers... wouldn't it be

She smiled faintly,

I'm not planning on dying here. Call me arrogant, if you wish. Secondly, aren't you being a little hypocritical, Lord Shadow? No one forced you to rescue the Sleepers last year, and yet you did. Not only that, but you even escorted them all the way to the territory of Clan Song.

‘Am i, really?’

frowned, deciding to act