Shadow Slave

Silenced by Neph’s raised hand, the roaring crowd grew quiet. An atmosphere of reverence and anticipation suffused the air, countless people looking at the luminous figure that stood in the pouring sunlight above them.

Nephs inhaled deeply, and then spoke:

“People of the Homan Domain… I am Nephis of the Immortal Flame clan. I am Changing Star, daughter of Broken Sword and Smile of Heaven. My grandfather is long dead, my parents are gone, and my clan lies in ruin. Yet I still stand in front of you, unbroken. The edge of my sword is still sharp, and the flames of my soul are still burning. I have not bowed my head in the face of terror and annihilation.”

She gazed at the sea of people below, white flames dancing in her eyes, washed over by the overwhelming intensity of their myriad desires.

“Humanity — all of you — is much the same. We have endured so much, we have lost so much, and we have overcome so much. And even as the terrifying forces of the hostile universe converge to destroy us, we do not bow our heads. We stand unbroken, burning with the righteous flame… the flame of desire. The desire to live, the desire to thrive. The desire to triumph over the cruel world that would see us gone.”

Nephis paused for a moment, her voice growing solemn.

“Today is Remembrance Day. A year ago, we found salvation from a dire threat in the embrace of a terrible tragedy. Many lives were lost, and countless dreams were snuffed out, sacrificed on the bloody altar of survival. Today, we remember all that we’ve lost… but that is not all we must remember. We must remember more — the things that were lost, the things that were gained. We must remember it all.”

Nephis raised her head slightly, speaking in a clear, resonant tone. She was not shouting, but the vast crowd below could make out each word — in fact, those who had not been able to make it to the courtyard in front of the main keep could hear her clearly too.

That was because Nephis had used Shaping to make her voice be heard across the entire Castle, easily reaching even those people who stood on its outer walls.

She spoke:

“Fifty-seven years ago, the seeds of Corruption bloomed for the first time in our world, bringing the Nightmare Spell with it. Back then, Earth was already dying, ravaged by the great wars and disasters brought about by our ancestors. Humanity had just regained a state of balance, and having learned the bitter lessons of the past, was slowly building a new, harmonious world from the ashes of the old one.

But what we met instead was bloodshed on an unimaginable scale. Countless people fell victim to the horrors of the First Nightmare, and more people still were slaughtered by the tide of Nightmare Creatures. The fragile balance that allowed humanity to persist was broken, and it faced extinction.”

Nephis paused, her voice reverberating above the Mirror Lake. People were looking at her, entranced by the radiant visage of the living goddess and by the dark truth contained within the words she spoke.

As if experiencing the horrors of that distant time with her.

“…But we did not go extinct. Instead, the valiant Awakened of the First Generation and all those who supported them rose to the occasion, pushing back against the encroaching Nightmare and mastering the very same power that had brought the world to its knees. They endured, they overcame. They triumphed.

But most importantly, they learned… they remembered. That was why, when the forces of Corruption grew more powerful, and the Nightmare Gates opened to bring terrifying abominations unlike anything the Awakened had faced before to Earth, they did not falter. They aimed their swords at the Nightmare Creatures, challenged the Seeds of Nightmare, and became Ascended.”

A hint of sorrow found its way into her clear voice.

“Even when America fell to the dread of a Great Gate, humans did not succumb to hopelessness and despair. Raised by the stalwart warriors of the First Generation, the Awakened of the Second Generation took up the torch of humanity and chased the darkness away.

They protected the human strongholds on Earth while launching daring crusades to subjugate the dreadful expanse of the Dream Realm. They built settlements in that dire new world and conquered the Third Nightmare to become Saints. They even rose to the throne of Supremacy, acquiring power that no human of the waking world had ever possessed before. And that power… that power corrupted them.”

Neph’s voice grew colder, and her expression turned harsh.

She sighed deeply.

“They cowered in front of the Nightmare Spell, forgetting their duty. But their fall became a lesson to us all, as well. And so, by the time the Third Generation of Awakened rose to prominence, holding up the banner of humanity, we knew how to avoid sharing in their ghastly fate.

We faced the Chain of Nightmares and survived. We faced the Skinwalker and survived. We faced the war in Godgrave and survived. And we have survived the tragedy that stole numerous lives from us a year ago, as well.

Myriad perils, countless Nightmare Creatures, the lethal undercurrents of the world were unaware of — humanity had faced it all, and only grew stronger as a result.”

Her voice rose slightly, brimming with a powerful emotion…

Or perhaps simply with power.

“Today, we are the strongest we have ever been. There are more Awakened than there have ever been, more Masters than there have ever been, more Saints than there have ever been — and their number continues to grow every day. We know more than ever before, and are capable of doing more than we ever could. Humanity is protected by many brave warriors, and those warriors are supported by countless valiant people — by all of you. And so…”

She fell silent for a moment, looking at the people below with scathing intensity.

“Today, above all else, I want you to remember one truth.

Yes, the perils we face today are more dire than ever before. Yes, our world is being slowly devoured by the Dream Realm, and what lies ahead of us is more dire than anything our forefathers experienced.

But humanity has never given up. Humanity has never lost its fighting spirit.

We have already overcome countless challenges, drowning the Dream Realm in the blood of our enemies. People say that the world is ending… a world is ending, no doubt. But even when it ends, humanity will remain.”

She leaned forward, placing her hands on the parapet, and smiled.

“If more powerful abominations come, we will destroy them. If perils more terrifying than anything we have experienced before reveal themselves, we will conquer them. If fallen gods of the ancient past rise from the darkness to consume us…

Then we will kill the gods.

Remember!

That is what I, Nephis of Immortal Flame, promise you.”

And as if ignited by her words, the flames of desire burning in the souls of people below ignited with a newfound ferocity. They blazed with blinding light and incinerating heat, fusing into a sea of radiant fire.

The crowd roared, infused by the desire to thrive… to triumph.

To live.