Ranobes » Shadow Slave » Chapter 1585: Climbing Out of a Grave
Options
Bookmark
Chapters list

Chapter 1585: Climbing Out of a Grave
Shadow Slave

Sunny looked at the ceiling, extending his shadow sense upward. At the same time, he allowed his mind to drift back to the very end of the Nightmare. …And what a Nightmare it had been. Sunny did not know how long he had spent wandering the dreadful currents of the Great River, trying to escape the Tomb of Ariel. The last cycle had taken… how long was it? Close to a year? And that was only his subjective time. For some people, like Cassie and Mordret, it had lasted for much longer. But that was only the final of the countless cycles. So, he could not even guess how long of a journey it had been. What he did know, however, was that it ended in the very heart of the Estuary, past the silent lake where Ariel's heretical testament had been inscribed. Near the forgotten grave of the Demon of Oblivion…

Where a Cursed Terror had been waiting for him, hidden in the darkness. That Terror…

Sunny was more or less sure who it was. 'The loathsome Thieving Bird, hated both by the gods and the beings of the Void…'

It was the thieving miscreant who had stolen the Weaver's eyes, and whose spawn he had slain on the Forgotten Shore, thus receiving the [Drop of Ichor] and Weaver's lineage.

That single event had started the chain of falling dominoes that intertwined his fate with the nebulous Demon, as well as the rest of the daemons and the dead gods. Wasn't it very ironic, then, that the Thieving Bird would be the one to break that fate? And Sunny… was pretty sure that that was exactly what the vile thing had done.

The moment the Thieving Bird's talons plunged into his chest, he felt it taking something from his soul. But then… he vaguely sensed it taking something else, from somewhere that lay even deeper. It was a hard thing to describe. Even now, Sunny felt somehow different, in addition to all the changes caused by the Transcendence. It was as though a burden he did not even know he was carrying had been lifted, making him feel both unburdened and scarily untethered. Had the Vile Thieving Bird stolen… his fate? That would certainly be one way — an indescribably bewildering and roundabout way — for Cassie's promise that he would gain freedom in the Estuary to come true. It would also explain whose True Name Torment had delivered to the blind seer at the cost of her life. But what did it mean, exactly, for his fate to be stolen?

Did it even work? Did he lose the [Fated] Attribute? Was he really free? What about Shadow Bond? He had been banished from the Nightmare Spell as a result of losing his fate… would his mystical connection to Nephis be severed, as well? Sunny frowned, knowing that he would find out soon. 'One thing is certain, though…'

If the Nightmare had not ended at just the right moment, he would have certainly been killed. Sunny could justifiably be proud of his power and prowess, but he was a mere ant in front of a Cursed Terror... and a very special Cursed Terror at that. If even Weaver had fallen victim to the vile Thieving Bird, what hope did he have to resist it?

'What was that thing even doing in the burial chamber? Why did it enter the Tomb of Ariel? And how did it get past the guardian of the lake?'

The last question was the easiest to answer. The vile thing had even been able to steal from the Demon of Fate, so bypassing a guardian left behind by Ariel would certainly have been easy for it. As for the other two…

A piece of Weaver's soul had been left in the heart of Ariel's Tomb. Perhaps the Thieving Bird had become obsessed with the Demon of Fate? The description of the [Drop of Ichor] said that it had been enamored by Weaver's beautiful eyes, after all. Not to mention that it had gone mad after witnessing the reflection of the Void frozen in Weaver's pupil.

Had it stolen Sunny's fate because it was connected to the enigmatic daemon?

If so, it would have probably taken his body and soul, as well, given the chance. He had inherited three parts of Weaver's lineage, after all.

'Was the Nightmare ending just at the right moment simple luck, or the last gift from [Fated]?'

Sunny did not know. Nor did he care, really. If he was truly free from that damned Attribute, he would rather never remember that it had ever existed at all. 'Let's go.'

He had already extended his shadow sense as far as he could — which was much further than before, now that he was a Saint. Sadly, all he could feel was a mess of compressed concrete and alloy for dozens of meters above. That was only logical, considering that Valor's stronghold in Antarctica had been largely built underground. He was, more or less, buried alive. 'Figures…'

Still, there was no reason to worry. Sunny could not simply use Shadow Step to reach the surface, but he was more than strong enough to burrow through the ruins — mundane concrete and alloy could not stop a Saint. However, there was a simpler method. Sunny lingered for a moment, then dismissed his avatars and wrapped the shadows around his body. Then, he dissolved into the darkness, becoming a shadow himself. The collapsed stronghold was not a monolith. Even after it crumbled, there was plenty of space left between the debris — perhaps not enough to accommodate a human body, but more than enough for a formless shadow to slip through. Gliding up the wall, Sunny slid into a thin crack between two concrete plates and slithered upward for a few meters, eventually reaching a dead end where the debris was compressed too tightly, leaving no gaps. There, he simply used shadow sense to locate another tiny pocket of empty space nearby and teleported to it, still maintaining the form of a shadow. Just like that, he ascended higher and higher, slowly approaching the surface. In the process, Sunny discovered something remarkable. Now that he could absorb the ambient essence while in the embrace of shadows, the rate at which his own essence was being consumed to keep himself intangible was lower than the rate at which it was being replenished. In other words, Sunny could remain in the form of a shadow indefinitely now, for as long as he stayed away from bright light and true darkness. 'Amazing…'

Eventually, he reached another large pocket of space and temporarily assumed corporeal form to look around. By some luck, the level of destruction was much lower here, enough so that there were mostly intact pieces of furniture strewn around the floor, covered in dust. Sunny observed the dark, claustrophobic space for a few moments, then took a step forward and bent down, fishing out a small device from under the dust. It was a standard-issue military communicator, its screen cracked. Nevertheless, the communicator was still working — when Sunny picked it up, the broken screen lit up, revealing a fragmented image. The thing seemed to be malfunctioning, but he could still make out what he needed — the time and date. Staring at the blinking screen, Sunny opened his eyes wide. '...Huh.'

According to the broken communicator…

Today was roughly a week since the disastrous Battle of the Black Skull. Considering the time the members of the cohort had spent traversing the harrowing desert, the Spell sent them back to the exact moment they had entered the Seed of Nightmare. While they were wandering the dreadful depths of the Tomb of Ariel, time stood still in the waking world.

Shadow Slave
Chapters list

Comments 13

  1. Offline
    ZEXOS
    ZEXOS
    26 ⋅ 0
    1591. Years Later


    There was a rustle, and a gentle breeze caressed Sunny's face. He awoke slowly, allowing himself to enjoy the sweet moments of comfort and peace that dwelled on the edge between dream and wakefulness. His bed was soft, warm, and cozy… today, it was especially hard to abandon its familiar embrace.

    After a while, he sighed and opened his eyes.

    The sun was yet to rise, but the sky outside his window had already started to brighten. The wind blowing from the lake made the curtains flutter, filling the modest bedroom with the delightful smell of freshness. Even after all these years, Sunny was still sometimes startled at how clean and pure the air of the Dream Realm was.

    He took a few deep breaths, rubbed his face, and rose from the bed.

    His room was not very large and not very luxurious. However, it was very cozy. There was a bed, a nightstand, a case with various books crowding the shelves, a writing desk, and a simple dresser. The furniture was made out of natural wood, crafted with affection and care. There were a few decorations added here and there, as well as plenty of signs of the room being well lived-in.

    Well, of course it was. He had been spending his nights here for a long time, after all..

    Putting on simple clothes and summoning the Nebulous Mantle, Sunny yawned, tied his hair back, and left the bedroom. He splashed some water in his face, then went to the kitchen and brewed himself a large cup of strong, fragrant coffee.

    Finally, holding the steaming mug, he left the house and sat down on the porch, intending to enjoy his coffee while watching the sun rise.

    It was rather hard to get his hands on coffee beans in the Dream Realm, but today, Sunny wanted to pamper himself. It was his birthday, after all.

    He was turning twenty-six.

    …Of course, no one in the world knew that.

    Taking the first sip of his coffee, Sunny smiled slightly and looked up. A few of the brightest stars could still be seen, shining in the pale lavender expanse of the morning sky. Just at that moment, the gentle sun finally crested the dark line of the distant horizon, imbuing the sky with a beautiful golden radiance. The soft twilight of dawn was imbued with a hint of bright daylight.

    He watched the sun rise while enjoying his coffee.

    Despite the beautiful sight, Sunny felt a bit of melancholy. He looked down with a wistful smile.

    ...I am older than mom was when she passed now.

    It was a strange feeling. When Sunny was a child, his mother was the definition of an adult to him, and adults were magical creatures who possessed wondrous and incredible powers. But now, he was an adult himself, which was why he was able to realize… that his mother had been a kid herself.

    She was gone, but both her children were alive and doing well. There was precious solace and consolation in that fact, so Sunny did not feel too sad.

    Well, alive was a given, but he wasn't too sure about doing well. During these last four years, he had gone through a long rough patch… and had even done a few very stupid things. Still, it was looking better now.

    This peaceful morning he was able to enjoy was proof.

    Sipping on coffee, Sunny watched as sunlight finally reached the lake and reflected on its clear surface. The lake was vast and picturesque, so calm that its surface was like a mirror.

    A grandiose, magnificent white castle rose from the lake, with vermilion flags fluttering on its many towers. It almost seemed too beautiful to be real, like something from a fairy tale. But, of course, it was truly there.

    The beautiful castle of white stone was Bastion, the Great Citadel of Clan Valor, where the King of Swords held his court. It was also the heart of a populous city that had grown around the lake in the last four years.

    After the Sovereigns had revealed themselves, most of the remaining civilian population of the Southern Quadrant — around two hundred million people — was evacuated directly to the Dream Realm, divided between Bastion and Ravenheart, and gradually funneled into lesser Citadels. Later, the Dream Gates were opened in the other Quadrants, and even more mundane people received a chance to relocate into the Dream Realm.

    Even if few understood the true meaning of these events, the gradual exodus of humanity from the waking world had already begun. For now, most of those who left were from the fringes of society — people who did not possess citizenship, and therefore did not receive their share of the scarce resources needed to live a proper life on the dying Earth.

    But Sunny knew more than most. He had no doubt that, sooner or later, everyone would leave… if they were given enough time. As the years passed, the situation in the waking world would gradually turn worse and worse. There would be more Nightmare Gates, more powerful Nightmare Creatures, and less space for humans to exist. Until the entire world was swallowed by the Dream Realm.

    Granted… humanity was growing stronger, too.

    The Chain of Nightmares had been like a turning point in history. Before, the number of Awakened in the world was relatively limited… there were a hundred thousand Awakened or so, a few hundred Masters, and a few dozen Saints.

    After Antarctica, these numbers changed. By now, there must have been no less than a million Awakened out there, with several thousands of Masters and more than a hundred Saints guiding them all to fight against the Nightmare Creatures. The balance of power that had been maintained for decades was finally broken, and humanity set out on the path of no return.

    There were hundreds of millions of mundane humans residing in the Dream Realm, too. Many lived in the sprawling cities surrounding the three Great Citadels, but most had settled across the lesser Citadels scattered around the human-controlled regions of this dangerous world. Dozens of towns had popped up here and there, all developing swiftly.

    Of course, life in the Dream Realm was not easy, and people had to go through a period of adjustment before becoming accustomed to this new, harsh reality. But since most of them were either refugees or from the outskirts of the overcrowded siege capitals, they were no strangers to discomfort. Instead, the lives of many had only improved after leaving the waking world behind.

    They could not return, anyway. Or rather, they could not return without risking their lives. The moment a mundane human entered the Dream Realm, a Seed of Nightmare was planted into their soul. However, that seed would not bloom, summoning them into the First Nightmare, unless one of two conditions had been met. One of the conditions was stepping back into the waking world.

    The other was leaving the territory of the Domain to which they had pledged their loyalty. As long as the Sovereigns willed it, their mundane subjects were protected from the ravages of the Nightmare Spell.

    This was another reason why the number of Awakened had increased so much in the last four years. Those who wished to challenge the First Nightmare could simply request it from the great clans instead of waiting to be infected by the Spell. Many of them even survived.

    Sunny took another sip of coffee and turned his head, looking at the lively city that had grown around the beautiful, calm lake.

    Of course, it could not be compared to a vast human hive like NQSC. However, there was still a startling amount of people here, at least a dozen million of them or so. Another million or two lived in the castle itself.

    Building a city like that in a short amount of time was a great undertaking, but with thousands of Awakened participating in the construction, all possessing inhuman strength and powerful Aspects, it happened surprisingly quickly. Now, the city looked neat and tidy, with two- or three-storied houses lined along lovely streets.

    The houses were built from white stone, their roofs covered by colorful red tiles. There was plenty of trees and greenery, as well, with parks, gardens, and water features placed harmoniously here and there.

    Modern technology might have been hard to use in the Dream Realm, but nothing prevented the city planners and architects from using the vast accumulated knowledge of humanity and all the processing power of the waking world to do all the preparatory work in advance.

    In short, Bastion looked very pretty and picturesque. It was also usually quite lively.

    This early in the morning, however, most people were still asleep, which was why Sunny was able to enjoy his coffee surrounded by peaceful silence.

    …Oh, he owned a house in Bastion as well. More than that, it was a house many would be jealous of.

    Although not as prestigious as being able to live in the castle itself, his property was on the very shore of the lake, with its back windows opening straight to the water.

    It was an elegant one-story cottage, which was seemingly built from brown bricks, with a sloping tiled roof and a tall chimney. There was a small garden in the back and a neat lawn in front of it, with herbs and flowers growing in ceramic pots.

    Since it was situated at the end of the street, few people ever passed by.

    If they did pass by, however, they would have seen a modest sign hanging above the door of the cottage.

    It read:

    "Sunny's Brilliant Emporium: Café & Memory Boutique"
    Read more
    1. Offline
      ZEXOS
      ZEXOS
      29 ⋅ 0
      1592. Humble Shopkeeper


      As the city was slowly waking up, Sunny finished his coffee and leaned back, enjoying his last moments of peace. He did not have a lot of regular customers, but there were some. They were probably going to start arriving soon, which meant that he would be busy for the next few hours.

      Before that, however…

      He glanced at his shadow, his gaze becoming distant for a moment.

      Then, a familiar voice whispered into his ear:

      [You have slain a Great Demon.]

      [Your shadow grows stronger.].

      It was his own voice.

      Sunny brushed his fingers across the black bracelet on his left wrist and slowly exhaled. The bracelet was a Memory he had created a while back… it was a crude knockoff of the Spell, replacing some of its simplest functions. Announcing his kills was one of them.

      He shifted slightly.

      'That… went better than expected.'

      He had just killed a Great Demon.

      Well, technically, it was his other self that had done it. His avatars were not beholden to the maximum range of Shadow Control, so there was a vast distance between them.

      Currently, Sunny was simultaneously in three separate locations. His original body was here in Bastion, enjoying a peaceful life in the company of the gloomy shadow — he had kept that guy so that people had no reason to ask why he was walking around without a shadow at all. His second self was incarnated by the happy shadow, keeping an eye on Rain. His last avatar was far away, in one of the most dangerous regions of the Dream Realm, incarnated by the haughty shadow.

      Haughty, naughty, creepy, and crazy were together. Saint, Fiend, Serpent, and Nightmare were with them, as well. Unlike the first two, the third Sunny knew no peace. He wielded the most power of the three and spent his days in eternal darkness, often clashing with dreadful abominations.

      Of course, the three of them were actually one person. So Sunny had been enjoying a peaceful morning in Bastion, accompanying Rain, and battling the Great Demon at the same time, all along.

      But he had grown good at compartmentalizing over the years, allowing him to at least pretend to live three separate lives.

      So that thing is finally dead, huh.

      It had taken him almost a month of meticulous preparations to finally attack the abomination in its lair. Sunny had expected to sustain heavy injuries, but the battle ended well. With the demon's death, there was no one left to challenge him in the immediate vicinity of the temple…

      Sunny lingered for a moment, then summoned the runes. A field of familiar symbols appeared in front of him… the runes themselves might have been the same, but they looked a bit differently. He had designed this whole thing himself, after all, tying the enchantment to his memory, perception, and the black bracelet. So, Sunny had taken liberties to change the look and feel of the field of runes to his taste.

      The runes read:

      Name: Sunless.

      True Name: —

      Rank: Transcendent.

      Class: Terror.

      Shadow Cores: [6/7].

      Shadow Fragments: [1591/6000].

      His True Name had been lost in the Tomb of Ariel, and he could not earn another while banished from fate. As for his shadow fragments… seeing the measly number, which had been very slow to increase in the past four years, made Sunny a bit disheartened. But there was nothing he could do about it.

      He had slaughtered countless Nightmare Creatures after becoming a Saint. Their blood would have been enough to fill the lake surrounding Bastion… the problem was, his soul only grew stronger when he killed Corrupted and Great abominations, which were not that easy to find, and harder still to survive.

      So, he had only managed to slay a mere thousand of those, or so. Of course, if anyone heard Sunny being disappointed about only killing a thousand Corrupted and Great Nightmare Creatures, they would have slapped him across the face. But for him, it was a sign that he would not be able to become a Titan anytime soon — unless he found some shadow creatures to hunt, at least.

      Sadly, Sunny had not discovered any in all these years. It seemed that shadow creatures had gone entirely extinct during or soon after the Doom War. Come to think of it, discounting Fiend, he had never encountered a corrupted shadow creature. Were there none, or had they remained somewhere far away, in a place that he wasn't able to find yet?

      Shaking his head, he glanced back at the runes.

      Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Extraordinary Rock], [Endless Spring], [Weaver's Mask], [Shadow Lantern], [Shadow Chair], [Overpriced Saddle], [Weaver's Needle], [Nebulous Mantle], [Handy Bracelet], [Quintessence Pearl].

      There was no surprise there. Sunny made his living by creating Memories, but strangely enough, he was not in a hurry to create many Memories for himself. He did not need to seek power in them, because he himself possessed tremendous power. With Onyx Mantle and Soul Serpent, most of his needs were met.

      Which was not to say that Sunny did not plan to forge himself new equipment in the future. It was just that what he wanted to create was too ambitious to be crafted in a hurry, and he had only opened up his shop a year ago.

      For now, the only Memories he crafted for himself was the [Quintessence Pearl], which was basically an improved version of the destroyed Essence Pearl, and the [Handy Bracelet] — the poor replacement for the Spell. He also modified Ananke's Mantle a bit, renaming it the Nebulous Mantle in the process.

      The Quintessence Pearl and the Handy Bracelet were simply for convenience, but the last one was of vital importance for him. After all, it was the Nebulous Mantle that allowed him to live in Bastion, pretending to be a mere Master. If people found out that the humble shopkeeper was a Saint… things would become complicated.

      Sunny turned back to the runes.

      Echoes: —

      Shadows: [Onyx Saint], [Soul Serpent], [Nightmare], [Shadow Fiend], [Marvelous Mimic].

      The [Marvelous Mimic] was what Sunny had called the latest of his Shadows, which was created from the modified Covetous Coffer and the shadow of the Mordant Mimic. It was the only Shadow that he kept with himself in Bastion instead of sending it to his third avatar.

      The reason was that he needed it. It was next to him right now, actually…

      The unassuming brick cottage where his shop was located was, in fact, not a cottage. It was the Marvelous Mimic, who had taken the shape of a picturesque house. Its interior existed in a separate dimension, which allowed Sunny to hide a lot of things below ground.

      His house could also walk, swim, shapeshift, devour intruders, and produce soul coins. Among other things.

      Sunny had lost his home in NQSC after his existence was erased from the tapestry of fate, so he made sure that his new home would be able to follow him wherever he went.

      Smiling faintly, he glanced back at the runes.

      They read:

      Attributes: [Lord of Shadows], [Flame of Divinity], [Blood Weave], [Bone Weave], [Soul Weave], [Onyx Shell], [Fateless].

      The [Master of Shadows] had evolved into the [Lord of Shadows] during his Transcendence. Its description was succinct…

      [Shadows recognize you as their ruler.]

      With it, all his Abilities had been strengthened and enhanced. The range of his Shadow Control was now north of forty kilometers, and he could extend his shadow sense just as far. He could remain the form of an incorporeal shadow indefinitely, and cover great distances with each Shadow Step. The depths and intricacy of what he could manifest wild shadows into had also increased tremendously.

      In short… it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Sunny a demigod.

      Or rather, to call his third avatar a demigod. This version of Sunny was just a modest Master with a Utility Aspect who ran a cafe and sold Memories from time to time. All people could call him was… harmless.

      Speaking of running a cafe, the customers would be arriving soon.

      Sunny smiled and took a last look at the runes.

      Aspect: [Shadow Slave].

      Aspect Rank: Divine.

      Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond].

      Master: —

      Aspect Abilities: [Shadow Control], [Shadow Step], [Shadow Manifestation], [Shadow Incarnation].

      Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].

      Flaw: [Clear Conscience].

      There was another string at the very end of the field, as well. It read:

      …Citadel: Nameless Temple.

      Those words did not mean that Sunny was anchored in a Citadel called the Nameless Temple.

      They meant that he owned it. It was his Citadel, which he had personally conquered and claimed.

      That was where his third avatar was, and that was the reason he had to kill that Great Demon. After becoming the lord of a Citadel, Sunny also became rather territorial.

      No Nightmare Creature was allowed to exist in the vicinity of his temple, because there was already an apex predator living there. Preparing for the moment when the Death Zone turned into…

      Well, anyway. That was for his third avatar to worry about. This Sunny had nothing to do with it.

      Dismissing the runes, he stood up and stretched.

      It was time to open the shop.
      Read more
      1. Offline
        Tax Si
        Tax Si
        2 ⋅ 4
        Is it empty or my phone got bug?
        Read more
        1. Offline
          ZEXOS
          ZEXOS
          2 ⋅ 0
          That was empty, updated it tho
          Read more
      2. Offline
        Moods
        Moods
        1 ⋅ 1
        Bro chap is messing
        Read more
      3. Offline
        shaakh
        shaakh
        2 ⋅ 0
        Thanks man
        Read more
      4. Offline
        14042001
        14042001
        12 ⋅ 0
        For those who don't remember.
        now:
        Sunny fulfilled his dream.
        He is no longer just Sunny.
        It's the store owner Sunny.
        Read more
      5. Offline
        Dummybaron
        Dummybaron
        7 ⋅ 0
        -Since when Sunny doing stuff Klein did?(use puppets to imitate his other personalities)
        -🔫 Always, he always did.
        Read more
      6. Offline
        Nucleus
        Nucleus
        5 ⋅ 0
        I did say Sunny would create a rip off spell. Justified! 😤
        Read more
        1. Offline
          BlueClay
          BlueClay
          3 ⋅ 0
          HEY ITS YOU update me on your novel pls its been on my mind
          Read more
          1. Offline
            Nucleus
            Nucleus
            3 ⋅ 0
            I posted chapters 4 - 9 for a bit in the comments, but I took it down because the new chapter of SS was posted. I'll be releasing them on WN in July. 40 chapters ready, 10 to go and editing. Thanks for remembering me.
            Read more
      7. Offline
        Slayer0710
        Slayer0710
        2 ⋅ 0
        Sunny: I am Really not the Shadow God's Lackey. ehh
        Read more
    2. Offline
      EVOLT
      EVOLT
      3 ⋅ 0
      A TIME SKIP 2
      Read more