Ranobes » Shadow Slave » Chapter 1538: Lord’s Wisdom
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Chapter 1538: Lord’s Wisdom
Shadow Slave

While the Chain Breaker was receiving light repairs, the members of the cohort were left to their own devices. Those who had never been to Fallen Grace spent time exploring its island-ships and getting to know the locals. Cassie was busy arranging things for when she was gone. Sunny… Sunny did not really want to look at the beautiful city of eternal dusk. It made him wistful, and so, he threw himself back into weaving, knowing that there was not much time left. He did, however, continue to observe the blind girl through one of his shadows — out of habit more than anything else, by now, since she had never done anything to confirm the accusations made by the Sin of Solace in the past two months. He also sent one of his shadows to keep an eye on Mordret. Sunny was certain that Cassie was doing the same, as well — the Prince of Nothing could not be trusted to be on his best behavior in a city full of people. Especially people who were inhabitants of a Nightmare, and therefore no different from his countless victims in the Kingdom of Hope. But Mordret did not seem inclined to go on a massacre in Fallen Grace. In fact, he was mostly interested in its myths and legends, of all things, spending his days talking to people on the streets and listening to their stories. The people seem to enjoy his company.

On the third day of their stay in the last human city, Sunny successfully altered the Transcendent arrow Memory Nephis had earned in Twilight, elevating its Rank to Supreme. The onerous process of transplanting a new nexus and reinforcing the weave to withstand it left him drained and fatigued. So, Sunny decided to let himself rest and left the temple, eventually finding his way to the edge of the island-ship. Sitting down there, he observed the busy canals of Fallen Grace and allowed his tired mind to rest. It was not long after that when Cronos found him, brimming with endless curiosity, just like always. Today, however, the teenagers at least tried to keep it in check. Noticing his strange behavior, Sunny raised his eyebrow and asked:

"What's on your mind?"

The young man hesitated for a while, but eventually asked:

"Lord Sunless… I heard that you won't be returning from Verge. Is it true?"

Sunny looked at him, frowning a little. Then, he looked away and sighed. "Sure. We aren't planning to die, mind you. It's just that we are Outsiders. Once the Defilement is destroyed, it's back to the Outside for us."

Cronos seemed saddened by that response. He stared at the water dejectedly. "What is it like, really? The world outside Ariel's Tomb? What are you going to do after leaving here?"

Sunny blinked a couple of times. Indeed, what would he do after leaving the Nightmare? He had no idea. It was hard to tell, considering that the state of Antarctica — and the waking world in general — was entirely unknown.

The war between Valor and Song would probably grow more intense. The Nightmare Gates would continue to pop into existence, slowly consuming the waking world and making it a part of the Dream Realm. No matter how much Sunny wanted to simply live a good life, he knew that these events would not let him remain a bystander. After a few moments of silence, he shrugged. "Well, it's more or less the same. There is no Defilement, but there is still Corruption. Nightmare Creatures are running around devouring people, so Awakened like me need to keep them in check. So I'll probably be battling some hideous abomination every other day, cursing loudly. That's life for you. The secret to a happy life, though, is to do all these things in good company. Oh... and in a place with good plumbing."

He glanced at the teenager and smiled. "Why? What are you going to do after we get rid of the Defilement? Are you really going to the House of Youth?"

Cronos laughed awkwardly. "Well… I will, eventually. But probably not just yet."

He looked into the distance, at the bustling streets of Fallen Grace, and sighed. "In truth, I've been sensing my soul essence recently, a bit. So I'll probably work on forming a soul core and becoming an Awakened. Even if you and the other lords and ladies defeat the First Seeker and vanquish the Defilement, there will still be corrupted creatures left, threatening our city. Someone has to defend it after you leave."

Cronos smiled. "Plus, I've always been interested in how the city works. All these people, all these moving parts… it's a bit of a miracle that a place like Fallen Grace can exist, don't you think? Lady Dusk has always been taking care of us. What are we going to do without her?"

His eyes turned cloudy for a moment, but then shone brightly once again. Wiping them, he smiled again.

"I want to make sure that Fallen Grace continues to exist… and thrive, just like she told us to. For myself, my wife, and our future children. Ah, but I'm just some brat. So, I figured I should become really strong first. Like you, Lord Sunless! So that people had no choice but to listen to what I had to say." Sunny looked at him incredulously. Cronos was, indeed, just some brat. But all great people whose deeds shaped history had been brats, once. Would this kid become a great leader, one day? Would his actions shape the future of Fallen Grace, and create a world where his children could grow up safe and happy? Would the stories of his deeds become legends, one day?

Or would he disappear without a trace once the Nightmare was complete?

Sunny forced himself to smile. "Strong like me? Brat, do you think people actually listen to what I have to say? Stronger! Become much stronger than me. Then, they'll listen."

With that, he patted the teenager on the shoulder and rose to his feet. The charm Memory waited to be altered. The day of their departure from Fallen Grace was drawing near. "Stronger than you, my lord? B—but... no, that's just unreasonable!"

Sunny looked at the startled youth with a smile, then shook his head and headed away.

"Then be unreasonable!"

Imparting Cronos with that piece of questionable wisdom, he returned to the temple and spent a few sleepless hours going over his plans for altering the Transcendent charm. He felt that he had already accounted for everything that could go wrong… so he would probably be ready to start the process once his essence was replenished by the Crown of Twilight. Just when the night fell, however, something distracted him from the preparations. After wasting its time for months, the shadow that had been following Cassie finally noticed something strange about her movements.

Shadow Slave
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Comments 19

  1. Offline
    NachoMetKaas
    NachoMetKaas
    1 ⋅ 0
    I want to see more rain side arcs, let shadow serpent show some actionn
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  2. Offline
    kollosus_na
    kollosus_na
    2 ⋅ 0
    "Then be unreasonable!"

    Absolutely correct. Bend the world, don't let it break you.
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  3. Offline
    Hyper
    Hyper
    10 ⋅ 0
    "Then be unreasonable!"


    Oh dear lord, Sunny...
    What have you done?

    His name is Cronos, living in a river of time.

    [Fated] is really going to pull out this card later in the story.
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  4. Offline
    Pro100zver25
    Pro100zver25
    22 ⋅ 0
    1543: Pride of a Craftsman.

    Just as it was in the black void beyond the Great River, the space itself acted strangely in the empty space contained at the center ofendless loop of flowing water. The Chain Breaker had been traversing the vast emptiness for a while now — at least a day or two, from how it felt — but Sunny was not at all sure how far they had traveled.

    All he knew was that the point of the Great River from which they had left seemed far away now, while the point which they hoped to reach was not as distant. It shimmered in the darkness, both alluring and terrifying.

    Navigating the flying ship toward Verge was not very hard, because it was situated near the Source. So, all they had to do was aim for the last stretch of clear water before the area of the Great River shrouded in hazy mist.

    A long time ago, close to the start of the Nightmare, Sunny had an epiphany that the strength of his allies was his own power, as well. Therefore, he had become determined to increase the strength of the cohort as much as he could, in any way he could.

    He had been faithful to that determination up until now. Apart from the very action of gathering every member of the cohort from across the Tomb of Ariel, that had mostly taken the form of arming them with powerful Memories. Sunny had spent much of his time developing and improving his skill as a sorcerer for that purpose.

    Now, his ability to weave had improved tremendously compared to the start of the Nightmare. Studying Ananke's Mantle had allowed him to make a qualitative leap in understanding of the fundamental principles of weaving,and by studying many Memories in order to alter them, Sunny had improved his overall ability, as well.

    As a result, Neph's Crown of Dawn had become a Supreme Memory. That was still his most valuable achievement, because that single Memory was able to empower all the rest of the Memories at their disposal. Of course, Sunny had not stopped there..

    He had also provided his allies with four additional altered Memories — Kai, Effie, and Cassie now wielded them, preparing to use his gifts in the battle against Torment, the First Seeker, and the remnant forces of the Defilement.

    His help was not limited to Memories, either. Whether on purpose or not, Sunny had also helped his friends grow stronger as individual warriors. Jet had received her Aspect Legacy and was now wielding the chilling mist blade. Kai had acquired the [Dragonslayer] Attribute, which enhanced his body and elemental resistance.

    Nephis seemed to have regained her lost confidence. Her understanding of her Divine Aspect had deepened, and with it came the Knowledge of Fire — one of the boons of her mysterious Aspect Legacy.

    She was also a Titan now.

    …Sunny had grown vastly stronger than he used to be, as well. Not even mentioning his sorcery, here in the Tomb of Ariel, he had mastered the fourth step of Shadow Dance and perfected the Shadow Shell technique. He had become a Terror. Two of his Shadows had evolved, growing much more powerful.

    A version of him from before Antarctica would have been like a child in front of him at the end of the harrowing Southern Campaign. But that version of him, in turn, would stand no chance against his current self.

    And somewhere between the two, there was a version of himself that Sunny never wanted to meet, let alone fight. The Mad Prince, which had come and gone, changing everything.

    «Are we ready?»

    Still, despite all that growth and power, Sunny could not allow himself to stop until the Nightmare was conquered, and the Spell called for him to wake up. So, he threw himself into weaving, trying to finish the last alteration while the Chain Breaker was still traversing the black void.

    The process… was not going splendidly.

    The silver blade he was trying to alter was a Transcendent Memory of the Seventh Tier, and possessed many enchantments. Its weave was inconceivably vast and intricate, and although he was not trying to change it entirely, he still needed to study every part of it in great detail.

    If anything, trying to isolate and transplant a single nexus was proving to be much harder than simply altering the entirety of a spellweave. The elaborate tapestry of essence strings was deeply interconnected — no single thread existed in isolation, instead crossing and touching numerous other threads.

    Much like fate. The string of a person's fate did not exist in isolation, either — it touched the fates of countless other people, stretching from the past into the future, and thus influenced, and was influenced by, the greater flow of fate.

    But Sunny was nothing if not resourceful. Weaving strings of fate was beyond what mortals like him could achieve, but he could manipulate strings of soul essence with great finesse. Therefore, he could alter the weave of the silver blade to make sure that the nexus he was transplanting only burdened the pattern of a single enchantment, without breaking the balance of all the rest.

    He had to add new patterns in some places, and cut the others down to match. Those that were cut had to be restored, of course, albeit taking a different shape. Slowly but surely, countless lightless threads of shadow essence became intertwined with the radiant strings of ethereal light.

    He had forgotten about all else, pulling on everything he had learned about weaving to accomplish his task. From his first tentative attempts at creating sorcery, back in the bloody menagerie of monsters under the arena of the Red Colosseum, to creating Memories for the Brilliant Emporium, to improving the soul arsenals of his soldiers in Antarctica and creating the Siege Souvenir to slay Goliath, to learning from Ananke's Mantle and altering the Crown of Dawn…

    All the lessons he had learned were put to use, allowing him to create a lethal sword for Nephis. He knew that she would achieve incredible things by wielding this weapon…

    And if he managed to accomplish his ambitious alteration, every achievement she made with the silver sword would, in small part, also be his.

    Sunny, who had always been a fighter, was feeling a strange exhilaration as he worked on the complicated Memory. It was the unfamiliar, but rewarding pride of a craftsman who was confident in the usefulness of his work.

    And then, finally, everything was ready.

    Summoning two pairs of shadow hands, Sunny took a deep breath, picked up Weaver's Needle, and got to work.

    Time seemed to slow down as his six hands moved through the vast tapestry of glowing strings, snapping some and weaving new ones into the intricate pattern. Drops of sweat fell from his brow, but he did not pay it any attention. His expression remained calm and composed, utter focus permeating his gaze.

    Golden sparks ignited in the depths of his altered eyes, and his fingertips felt the slightest vibration spreading through the essence strings. From time to time, his skin was cut, but no blood seeped out of the cuts. He did not allow the pain to distract him, either.

    «Wondrous…»

    Sunny felt exhilarated as he weaved sorcery.

    And then, he felt overjoyed.

    Lowering his hands, Sunny let out a long sigh and listened to the Spell announcing the destruction of a Memory, and the creation of a new one.

    He had succeeded.

    And now that he did, there were no more preparations to be made.

    All that remained was to reach Verge and use everything little bit of strength he had accumulated to destroy the First Seeker, and escape this dreadful Nightmare.
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    1. Offline
      Pro100zver25
      Pro100zver25
      24 ⋅ 1
      1544: Innermost Void.

      After returning the silver blade to Nephis, and failing to say anything meaningful to her, Sunny did not have much to do. He spent some time with Kai, Effie, and Jet, enjoyed a good night of sleep, and then assumed his usual spot under the branches of the sacred tree to meditate.

      Everything that could have been done was already done. They had prepared as best they could… at least he thought they did. Now, all that remained was to clear his mind and prepare himself mentally for the coming battle.

      Sunny and his companions spent the rest of the time the Chain Breaker was traversing the empty void clearing their minds and steeling their hearts. The battle they faced promised to be a dire one…

      But, honestly, Sunny did not find it hard to calm his mind and get ready to face whatever it was that would come.

      There were only so many times he could feel nervous to the point of losing sleep before a decisive battle. He had experienced so many bloody clashes in Antarctica that anticipating another one had long become an ordinary event. Preparing for one mentally was not only a skill, but also a habit.

      So, Sunny found himself feeling strangely calm. He slowly went over his experiences in the Tomb of Ariel, consolidating his insights and shoring up his fundamentals. Rapid growth was most welcome, but failing to digest his many gains properly could leave him unstable.

      He had to eliminate all instability before reaching Verge.

      Others were doing the same, each in their own fashion. While Sunny meditated under the sacred tree, Nephis practiced with her new sword, getting used to its weight and powers.

      Jet had found a hammock, somewhere, and was comfortablyasleep in it. Effie was enjoying the snacks she had prepared for herself. Kai was practicing a strange, outwardly inefficient form of archery while absentmindedly humming a song. Cassie was steering the ship, which seemed to calm her down.

      Mordret, morbidly enough, was inspecting his collection of bodies. Those of them that had belonged to Awakened each possessed their own unique powers, so he was probably coming up with plans of when and where to use them best.

      «That guy… is such a creep.»

      Sunny shook his head, and then went to inspect his Shadows... which were created from the dead creatures he had killed. Not creepy at all, surely.

      Everything seemed to be in order. Everyone was ready.

      …But before they could return to the Great River, an unexpected event threw a wrench into their plans.

      Sunny was on his way to the bow when a loud boom resounded from below the deck, and the entire ship suddenly shook. Gritting his teeth, he immediately stepped through the shadows and appeared at the galley, which seemed to have been the place where the booming sound originated.

      He had expected to see some harrowing Nightmare Creature that had come from the void and infiltrated the Chain Breaker, or perhaps Mordret trying to kill one of the members of the cohort… but nothing like that was happening.

      Instead, he only saw Effie standing near the bulkhead, hissing curses. Her fist had crashed through the durable wood, splintering and cracking it. Her other hand was resting on her belly.

      Her face was pale, and twisted by a grimace of pain.

      Before Sunny could understand what was happening, Kai and Jet appeared at the doors. Cassie was not far behind them.

      Mordret had not deemed it necessary to show up, but was definitely watching through the reflections. Nephis, meanwhile, remained on the stern, controlling the ship.

      «What happened?»

      Effie lingered for a few moments, then turned to them and forced out a smile. The sight of it was familiar, but Sunny was unnerved by the dark, bitter look in her eyes.

      The huntress took a deep breath and said, her voice somewhat strained:

      «Ah… I think… that was a contraction.»

      Sunny remained motionless for a moment, trying to comprehend the meaning of what Effie had said. Then, his face fell.

      They had left Fallen Grace so swiftly precisely because they hoped to end the Nightmare before Effie was due. No one knew what would happen to her baby if it was born here… would it be Riverborn, or an Outsider? Would it become infected by the Nightmare Spell the moment it was born? Would it survive the return to the waking world?

      Because they did not know, they could not risk it. They had to escape the Tomb of Ariel as soon as possible, and it had seemed like there was enough time.

      But fate had different plans. Even though Effie had not been pregnant for nine months yet, the labor had started prematurely.

      Seen from a different perspective, though, she had been carrying her child for close to two years now. So, if anything, its birth was long overdue.

      Effie studied their frozen faces, and then looked down with a sigh.

      «...Sorry, everyone.»

      Sunny frowned.

      A moment later, he said in a stern voice:

      «What are you sorry for? Give that nonsense up right now. Also… please don't break the ship any more. We need to traverse this bottomless abyss, so, you know, it would be really inconvenient if it fell apart around us.»

      He glanced at the other members of the cohort. Jet and Kai looked extremely worried, while Cassie maintained a calm expression.

      «First, I need to get Nephis here.»

      Effie was a Master, and her pregnancy was nothing if not irregular. Sunny had very little idea about how to deliver a baby, but he knew that having a powerful healer at hand would be extremely helpful.

      Nephis could recover from having her neck broken and most of her body vaporized. Certainly, making sure that both Effie and the baby survived the delivery would not be a problem.

      Banishing unnecessary thoughts from his mind, he shifted into problem-solving mode and pulled Kai away.

      «Let's go… give the ladies some privacy.»

      Then, glancing at Cassie, he said:

      «I'll send Nephis down. You… probably know what to do better than I do.»

      Receiving a nod from the blind girl, he led Kai away.

      Ascending to the upper deck, Sunny walked over to the stern of the ship and stopped near Nephis, who looked at him with a silent question.

      He lingered for a moment.

      «...Effie seemed to be going into labor. Go, they're waiting. I'll steer the ship.»

      A frown appeared on Neph's face, and she left the runic circle without saying a word. Soon, Sunny and Kai were left alone.

      But not for long.

      Mordret had appeared from somewhere, sparing them a curious glance.

      «I couldn't help but overhear. It seems that a wolf cub is about to be born, huh? How exciting. Can't say I ever heard about a child being born in a Nightmare… that should be a first, even among the Great Clans…»

      Before he was done talking, Kai suddenly turned and raised a hand. It seemed as if he had wanted to grab Mordret by the collar, but managed to control himself, and simply put a hand on his shoulder instead.

      Kai's usually gentle eyes were shining with a cold and furious kind of light.

      «...You stay away from that child, Prince Mordret. I'm warning you.»

      His clear voice did not contain the authority of his Ascended Ability, but it still crashed into the Prince of Nothing like a wave. Mordret stared at the charming… usually charming archer for a few moments, amusement slowly disappearing from his gaze.

      Then, he scoffed.

      «Who do you take me for? A monster?»

      He shook his head.

      «Well, alright, I might be a bit of a monster. But I'm not a fool. What do I gain from taking the body of an infant? Relax, Ascended Nightingale. We are all in the same boat. Quite literally.»

      Kai glared at himfor a few moments more, then slowly removed his hand and took a step back, leaning on the railings. His expression was suddenly somber and pained.

      He remained silent for a while, then said in a lost voice:

      «How… did this happen?»

      Sunny knew how he felt, because he felt the same.

      Nevertheless, he suddenly had a ridiculous impulse to start explaining the birds and the bees to his friend, just like Effie had done to him so many times.

      Steering the Chain Breaker through the dark void, Sunny chuckled all of a sudden.

      «It just did. Don't worry… with Nephis there, it's all going to be alright.»

      However, he knew that the delivery itself was not what Kai was worried about.

      It was everything else.

      Shaking his head, Mordret walked to the edge of the deck and looked into the dark emptiness beyond.

      Somewhere fat away, the Great River flowed, a long span of it shrouded in mist. Outside the mist of the Source, Verge was waiting for them.

      He smiled.

      «What an exciting Nightmare it is?»
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      1. Offline
        shaakh
        shaakh
        8 ⋅ 1
        Bet Sunny’s gonna name the child oru2x
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          Verdant
          Verdant
          9 ⋅ 0
          If it really is so, I hope he inherited his mother's naming sense 😁
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            shaakh
            shaakh
            5 ⋅ 0
            Cloud, Snow, Sunset FamilyGuy061 yeah
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            1. Offline
              6pain
              6pain
              8 ⋅ 0
              Twilight
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                Verdant
                Verdant
                0 ⋅ 0
                Dawn, Dusk... Maybe even Ariel
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  5. Offline
    Nucleus
    Nucleus
    6 ⋅ 0
    The Sin of Solace is a memory, the Mad Prince was corrupted... How did the Mad Prince keep the Sin of Solace?

    Also, if Nephis doesn't need Soul essence to use her healing flames, why didn't she heal Jet as soon as she arrived on the time loop island?
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      Doksoo
      Doksoo
      5 ⋅ 0
      maybe essence is needed to heal someone else, but not to heal yourself?
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    2. Offline
      James005
      James005
      3 ⋅ 1
      mad prince is defiled , to be precise
      defilement is a form of corruption, and not the same type of corruption NMC have
      the reason why mad prince has sos and the twilight crown is because mad prince is still spell carrier/aspirant ,but just that he is corrupted by defilement, he he still had the memories and echos and shadows even after the defilement
      but mad prince killed all of his shadows to ascend to titan class, that was why when sunny first met mad prince in weave, MP said it had been a long time since he saw onyx saint

      g3 mentioned (in discord) that due to severe Essance exhaustion and fatigue nephis was unable to use her dormant ability.
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        savagellama
        savagellama
        4 ⋅ 0
        When Modret went into the Dread lords soul sea, it was described as being devoid of memories. We got an explanation as to why that is, in chapter 1520. When a carrier of the nightmare spell becomes defilled the spell banishes them, revoking their memories. This means that defilled can not have memories since memories can only be granted by the spell
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          James005
          James005
          0 ⋅ 0
          okay ,tell me this

          what are the plagues doing in this NM??

          to conquer the 3rd NM , and get to the outside world and DR

          if they are not spell aspirants, then the above wouldn't be true ,right?? why is the cohort trying hard to kill them instead of avoiding them. (read the chapters right after the wind flower island. it was said there)
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      Uchia-Madara-Pathway
      Uchia-Madara-Pathway
      2 ⋅ 0
      Neph was the one who used up all her essence to steer the ship and bring them to the loop island. She exhausted her reserves and couldnt use her ability.
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      Verdant
      Verdant
      0 ⋅ 0
      What if he wasn't really corrupted, but had to activate King's resentment to avoid it and then just gradually got used to it?
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        Nucleus
        Nucleus
        1 ⋅ 0
        Then they'd be no need for the eustry key
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          MTL Ancestor
          MTL Ancestor
          0 ⋅ 0
          The sunless at the start doesn't have the crown.
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