Shadow Slave

By now, they knew that Asterion was back. Nephis was going to address the top brass of the Human Domain today, but actually, a different, far more secretive meeting had already happened on the day that the Dreamspawn revealed itself.

There had been far fewer people attending that meeting, and they left it with an ominous feeling. Seishan had been one of them.

”So, it’s really true? That man is back?” Beastmaster’s voice was laced with unease. Nephis had only been four when her father died, so she did not remember the Dreamspawn too well — the contact between the Immortal Flame clan and Broken Sword’s companions had not lasted long after his death. However, the Song sisters were older and had a far clearer impression of the man who called himself Asterion.

In fact, he had still been around when Seishan ventured into the Dream Realm for the first time. It was only after returning from the Forgotten Shore that she learned about his disappearance.

Honestly, it had been a relief.

Asterion was charming and affable, treating Ki Song’s daughters well. However, there had always been something unnatural and creepy about him. The Song sisters grew up as princesses of the Great Clan Song, but they had been orphans before then, and orphaned children had a special kind of intuition about adults.

So, they never liked the third Sovereign very much.

Lonesome Howl sighed.

“Does it even make sense?”

She sat up and looked at her sisters with a disgruntled expression.

”It is like... your mom passed away, you were evicted from your childhood home, and if that wasn’t bad enough, your creepy uncle suddenly returns from prison. Oh, and it had been your mom who sent him there, in the first place.”

She bit her lip.

”Do you think he’s going to *** revenge against us, since we’re all that remains of Song?”

Moonveil opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment, Death Singer interrupted her with an innocent question:

”By the way, where’s Revel?”

The others looked at her with inscrutable expressions.

Eventually, Seishan answered her in a calm tone:

“She’s with the Lord of Shadows on the Forgotten Shore.’

Death Singer blinked a couple of times.

“Huh? Why?”

Seishan shrugged.

“He invited her to join the Shadow Domain. So, she lives there with the Lord of Shadows now. Due to...”

Death Singer jumped.

“She what?!”

Silent Stalker shifted slightly and gave Seishan a questioning look, too.

Seishan tilted her head a little.

”She has become a champion of the Shadow Domain. I know that this is sudden, and that our soldiers will suffer without her strength, but Revel and the Lord of Shadows are a good fit. Her powers will serve humanity well at the head of the Shadow Clan.”

Death Singer stared at her in shock, then looked away and said in a trembling voice: ”“T—that... that traitor! Wow! What they say is true... it’s the quiet ones you should look out for...”

Silent Stalker looked at her and frowned. Seishan studied the two of them for a moment, then turned to Lonesome Howl. ”To answer your question, it doesn’t matter whether the Dreamspawn seeks revenge against us or not. He’ll come for us regardless... to make us part of his Domain.”

Beastmaster smiled bitterly.

”Unless we submit to him first, right? After all, we’ve already abandoned a Domain once.”

Their mother had been killed by Changing Star, and yet, they now served the Immortal Flame.

A silence settled between the Song cisterns. Moonveil broke it a few seconds later, asking a question in a lighthearted tone:

“It seems that a clash between the Longing Domain and the Hunger Domain is inevitable. So, it is only prudent to ask if we want to blindly put our loyalty into Changing Star or if betting on the side we consider to be winning is a better choice, isn’t it?”

Seishan had not shared Asterion’s ultimate goal with them yet, and she remained silent now as well, curious to hear what her sisters would say.

Moonveil chuckled.

“Gods, why are you all so serious? I’ve asked the question, so I’ll answer it first. I want to follow Changing Star, regardless of what side looks to have the upper hand.”

Seishan raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

Her sister shrugged with a faint smile. “Because I crossed swords with her before. What I saw that day makes me want to put my faith in her... oh, and I really hope to never have to fight her again.”

Lonesome Howl leaned back and sighed.

“Same. Only it’s the Lord of Shadows I never want to fight again.”

Death Singer looked into the distance with a resentful expression, then nodded reluctantly.

“Yeah. Even if he has been led astray... I am still on his side. I’ll always be on his side!”

Beastmaster laughed. Then, however, her expression grew somber.

“The question is moot. Nephis is the Human Domain — without her, it will cease to exist. And I quite like the Human Domain. So, I have no desire to surrender to that eerie man.”

Silent Stalker just shrugged and then nodded.

Seishan remained silent for a while.

”Good. Because the Dreamspawn does not have the best interests of his subjects in mind. Instead, it’s the opposite — people only exist to become his thralls, and his thralls only exist to fuel his power. So, we’ll be in mortal danger in any case of whether we submit to him or not.”

She gave her sisters a cold look.

”Which is why we will fight for the Human Domain until the last drop of blood. Do you understand?”

They hesitated for a few moments, then nodded.

Seishan looked back to the window and fell quiet.

Eventually, she said:

”It’s time to go. Revel will meet us in NQSC... whatever happens from now on, take care of each other. We will see this storm through and emerge on the other side unscathed.”

‘Survival of the fittest.’

Her sisters would have to learn how to adapt, as well.