Shadow Slave

Eventually, Rain made it to The Ivory Island. It seemed more deserted than it had been before, which meant that most veterans of the Fire Keepers had been dispatched to somewhere else. She should have expected as much — considering what was going on in the world, the elite forces of the Human Domain had to be scrambling to put out multiple fires.

Since there was no one around, her brother rose from the shadows and assumed his human form. She studied him carefully.

“Are things... not going great?”

He smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

”Yes, it is a bit of a mess.”

Rain considered everything she knew, slowly realizing that the situation was probably far more serious than she had assumed. Sunny had not told her everything, but because of the few pieces of information that he did let slip, she was able to form a few unsettling theories.

However, she had never once imagined the possibility of a true calamity... until now. As far as Rain was concerned, her brother and Nephis possessed truly unimaginable power. There were profane creatures out there who could wipe them out, sure, but they were few and distant — no different from a scary legend. But now, the threat suddenly seemed close and real.

She hesitated for a moment.

”Is there a possibility that you will lose?”

He chuckled, remained silent for a bit, and then shook his head.

”No. I don’t think that our defeat, at this stage, is possible.”

His expression turned grim then.

”However, our victory might come at a price that we are not ready to pay. That is the real problem.”

With that, he guided her to the Ivory Tower. Sunny seemed quite busy, so he handed her off to Lady Cassia in the Gateway Hall and disappeared somewhere. Seeing the blind seer only made the ominous feeling in Rain’s heart stronger.

Lady Cassia looked like her usual self, but something about her was not quite right.

‘Oh... her rapier.’

She usually wore the rapier in a sheath on her belt, but today, the sheath was nowhere to be seen. Additionally, for some reason, the familiar blue blindfold seemed to sit a little awkwardly on her face.

Was Rain only imagining it, or did Lady Cassia seem a little paler than usual?

“Welcome.”

When the radiant Saint smiled, Rain briefly forgot about her worries.

“Oh... good day, Lady Cassia.”

She had visited the Ivory Tower often in the past, but this would be her first time staying here for a prolonged period of time.

”Come. Let’s say hi to Nephis, and then I’ll show you to your quarters.”

Today, they climbed to a higher floor of the Ivory Tower than the ones familiar to Rain. In fact, there was only one floor left above them now — Changing Star’s personal quarters. The second-to-last floor was where Lady Cassia’s office was, but other than that, Rain did not really know much about it.

They stopped near a closed door and waited patiently there for a while. Eventually, the door opened, and Nephis walked out before carefully closing the door behind her.

In that brief moment, though, Rain could see the brightly lit chamber hidden behind it.

It looked like someone’s bedroom, but was peculiarly barren. There was a bed, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. A vase with a bouquet of pretty flowers stood on the nightstand — the flowers looked fresh, as if Nephis had just put them there.

There was also a wheelchair standing in front of the window, with a stunning woman sitting calmly in it. Rain could only see half of her face, so she wasn’t sure who she was... she thought that there was a strong resemblance between her Nephis, though, even if the woman was slightly older.

Rain couldn’t tell how large the age gap was, considering that Awakened of the higher Ranks aged differently from ordinary people. They looked like they could have been sisters... however, Rain knew for a fact that Changing Star was an only child. She was not called the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan for nothing, after all. So who was this woman?

There was a strange air of passiveness about her, as if she was not simply calm, but rather absent. Rain wasn’t sure if she was serene or merely hollow.

Before she could see more, the door closed, and Nephis looked at her neutrally.

”Ah, Rain. You’re here.”

Rain tried to hide her curiosity and nodded. ”Yes, Teacher.”

Nephis was not the most expressive person, but at that moment, she seemed to be surrounded by a subtle air of melancholy. The next second, however, it was gone.

She turned and headed away, gesturing for them to follow.

“It is good that you are here. I was told that you want to concentrate on becoming an Ascended now... that is good, too. I think one of the volunteers who has been following your example is slowly approaching the point where they’ll be able to attempt forming a Soul Core. If they are successful, it won’t be long before we can make the path to natural Awakening known to everyone.”

As they passed a few doors, she said:

”This is Cassie’s office. This is her bedchamber. This is our library... there is a government committee responsible for preserving the cultural heritage of humanity now, so that nothing important is lost during the transition to the Dream Realm. So, we have many more printed books on the shelves than before, as well as a few priceless artworks...”

Finally, she stopped near a door that was not much different from the rest and smiled faintly.

”These will be your quarters. Don’t worry about anything and concentrate on your Ascension. I hope you will achieve it soon.”

Rain smiled.

‘Soon...’

She wasn’t sure if she would be able to Ascend, let alone about the timeframe of her Ascension. However... it would be great if she could become a Master before Tamar and the rest return from their Nightmare. Simply imagining their expressions when she welcomed them back as a fellow Ascended made Rain’s heavy mood lift a little.

“Alright. Thank you, Teacher.”

Nephis left her to settle in, while Cassie stayed behind to explain a few things about the Tower of Hope and the nuances of living here. Then, she was gone too.

Rain was left alone.

Her living quarters consisted of a bedroom, a bathroom, a spacious meditation room, and a chamber that looked like it had been a chapel once, but was refitted to be a closet. If she needed to train, there was also a well-equipped training room a few doors down.

As far as living conditions went, this was probably the best she had ever experienced.

‘Wow.’

Rain explored her quarters a little, then entered the peaceful meditation room and sat down, ready to begin working immediately.

’I wonder how long it will take.’

She closed her eyes.

...When she opened them again, however, the peace was no more. The Ivory Tower was quaking, and there was smoke drifting in the air. Rain was laying on the floor, dazed, and Lady Cassia was kneeling beside her, blood dripping from beneath her blindfold.

“Rain.... Rain! Stand up. We need to move, now.”

‘Wha...’

Rain tried to sit up and was confused by the fact that she was not wearing the same clothes she had put on this morning.

Her hair was both disheveled and visibly longer than it had been, too.

Much more importantly...

An incredible strength permeated her body. The flow of her essence was powerful and deep, and her essence itself seemed vastly more potent. Her control over it had become so much finer, as well — so fine, in fact, that what she had called control before seemed pitiful in comparison.

”Huh?”

How come...

Was she a Master, already?

“Stand up, Rain!”

Lady Cassia pulled her to her feet.

It was only then that Rain faced the window and caught a glimpse of what was happening beyond it.

She froze, dumbstruck and horrified.

Out there, in the blue sky...

The Night Garden was drifting among the clouds, casting a shadow on the Ivory Island. Immense chains connected it to the shore of the island like boarding hooks, and something flashed brightly on its deck every few seconds or so. Every time there was a flash, the Tower of Hope quaked.

That was because the Night Garden was firing its cannons at it.