Shadow Slave

The Fragment of the Shadow Realm was vast, its darkness drowning not only the surface of the dead god's sternum, but also swallowing a considerable stretch of the abominable jungle thriving in its hollow depths. The Dream Curse had lulled the Nightmare Creatures populating the area to sleep, so it was relatively safe.

Sunny and Nephis moved with sufficient speed, reaching the edges of the Fragment in a matter of hours. They could have been much faster, of course, but he used that time to teach her about the dangers of what lay beyond.

"The jungle is hidden from the gaze of the sky, but it is much more dangerous than the surface. The Nightmare Creatures of Godgrave are all born on the surface, yet only those who are strong enough to survive there descend into the Hollows. Here, they can exist indefinitely... in theory. In practice, they are all cannibals. The competition for water and nourishment is fierce, so the inhabitants of the jungle constantly fight and devour each other.”

Nightmare Creatures were known to battle among themselves - it was only in the presence of humans that they united to destroy the uncorrupted first. It was much worse in the Hollows, though, where every abomination was of a type that had to satisfy its hunger often. Life and death came swiftly, and only the most vicious ones lasted for a while.

His tone remained indifferent.

"Only the strongest and most fierce abominations get to descend into the jungle, and only the most ferocious of them get to survive here. It's a boiling pot of horror, where appalling monsters endlessly fight against each other, and only the most dreadful of them gets to live. As a result, the average power of a Nightmare Creature from the Hollows is truly daunting, and has been constantly growing for centuries."

Nephis sighed behind him.

"Doesn't it remind you of something?"

Sunny shrugged.

"It's a bit like a demented, accelerated version of evolution, I guess.”

She looked at a sleeping abomination nearby, a contemplative expression on her face.

"...I was thinking that they are just like us."

silent for

not sure

the Nightmare Creature and used her sword to slice apart a thick vine that

to return. Then, it tosses them into the Dream Realm, where they need to constantly fight for survival. To grow stronger, they need to consume Nightmare Creatures... or each other. So, we humans aren't that different from the

The parallel was indeed there, it was just that the pace of human advancement was magnitudes faster than that of the Nightmare Creatures here in the Hollows. What had taken the abominations thousands of years could very well be accomplished by humanity in less

was

He shrugged.

There are Cursed ones here, as well - I'll do my best to help us avoid them today. There are some Corrupted abominations too.

face twisted behind the

all of them are great masters of disguise, blending in with the jungle. Try to rely on your hearing more than

damage over a large area. So, he was vulnerable to vast swarms of tiny parasites. In that sense, having Nephis with him was a boon - her

a good pair in

He smiled quietly.

can be applied to the plants here, as well. This abominable jungle is just as predatory as the Nightmare Creatures populating it. So, be

while, then said, her tone slightly

you've chosen a lovely place to live, Lord Shadow. A bit deadly,

He chuckled.

Nephis? That place is

answer,

them receded. They were approaching the boundary

true appearance of the subterranean jungle finally revealed

and Nephis stopped, looking at the wild expanse of vibrant forest

the dome of the ancient sternum. Currently, each was connected to the jungle by colossal tendrils of vines, moss, and vermilion growth, each functioning like a twisted sky