Shadow Slave

Sunny and Cassle were seated across from each other, enjoying tea and refreshments. The courtyard was peaceful, and the leaves rustled quietly above them. Other than that, there were no other sounds.

The scene would have been picturesque if not for the fact the world was shrouded in absolute darkness. Neither of them had any need for light, and that, too, was a reason why having Cassie here felt comfortable to Sunny.

Dirty deeds were meant to be done under the cover of darkness. And although them having tea in a friendly atmosphere seemed innocent enough, in truth, it was a meeting between two people who conspired to usurp the world in a mayhem of violence. There was hardly a dirtier and more treasonous intent than a bloody rebellion.

Today, they were going to reveal their cards to each other. Without knowing what each of them was scheming, it would be impossible to form a meaningful cooperation.

Cassie was going to relay all the information to Nephis, of course.

She sighed.

"Fundamentally, there are two tasks that need to be accomplished. One is to eliminate the Sovereigns, The other is to usurp their thrones, Needless to say, both are hard to achieve.”

She sipped her tea and took a bite from a soft pastry.

the work that has gone into ensuring the former. Ultimately, Nephis is responsible for warfare and conquest. My role in ensuring the downfall of the Sovereigns is limited - for now, I have been mainly focused on elevating

She smiled faintly.

we were fortunate in many regards. The decision made by the government to turn Nephis into a symbol, back when she had failed to return from the Forgotten Shore, was a stroke of luck. The reason why they made that decision the great and tragic legacy of Immortal Flame and Broken Sword - is a grim blessing, as well. Conquering the Second Nightmare as a

shook her head

for the past four years. She is always on the forefront, spilling her own blood for someone else's sake. Better yet, she has never lost a battle after becoming a Saint. The number of lives she has saved is incalculable. So It's embarrassing to admit,

tea

But not only for that. If... when Nephis faces the Sovereigns in battle and vanquishes them, it is paramount that her Domain consumes theirs. There is no point otherwise. The Sword Domain, the Song Domain - when the war is over, there should only be the Immortal Flame Domain, and it must encompass all of humanity. Becoming the Human Domain. Not only because hundreds of millions of people in the Dream Realm would be thrust into the First Nightmare otherwise, but also to prepare

finished

a lot of things that must be done to achieve that. Nephis is already immensely venerated by the people, but when the time comes, she has to be acknowledged by the Saints who hold dominion over the Citadels, They must pledge their loyalty to her after Ki Song and Anvil of Valor are gone. It would be simpler to eliminate all the loyalists and raise new ones to replace them, but

expression darkened a

of the Black Skull. There are others, as well, who have been helped by her in recent years. The government will follow Jet, and we even have a few connections in the Song Domain. However... there is still a lot of work to be done, on that front. If there is a saving grace to all that, it's that the weight of an individual in the era of the Nightmare Spell is infinitely greater than it had ever been before. Because one person can indeed be more powerful than an army. If Nephis is the only Supreme left standing, then many

closed her eyes for a moment, a tired

the reason for the war-so, in a way, the war will start from her. If we want everyone to accept her ending it, then we must position her as the voice of those who are opposed to the war from the very start. That way, when she betrays her adoptive clan and eliminates both Sovereigns, we

tea was growing

Now, for the details... where do

she was weaving behind the scenes, every resource at Neph's disposal, every connection, every clandestine preparation, every strategy and tactic they had developed for the eventual battle against