Shadow Slave

There were still a lot of questions Sunny wanted to ask Ananke, and a lot he needed to learn. But, surrounded by the silent darkness of the night, he simply listened to the gentle sound of water splashing against the hull of the swift ketch and stared at the glowing expanse of the Great River without saying a word.

A lot had happened yesterday… gods. Was it really just a day ago that he had fought the Azure Serpent? The fearsome battle, the frantic escape from the dark island — there had not been a single moment of peace for him to settle himself and contemplate these matters yet.

’It feels like a dream.’

He had really done it… he had killed a Great Beast. Of course, it was partly due to the blessing of Neph’s soul flame, as well as the fact that the Azure Serpent had been severely weakened. And yet… was there another Master in the world who could boast the same feat? Surely not.

Had there ever been?

Sunny shifted uncomfortably, afraid that the incredible achievement would go to his head. He almost wished to hear the biting remarks of the Sin of Solace, who never missed a chance to bring him down… the bastard was somewhere nearby, but kept out of sight. He could feel the faint presence of the hateful wraith at the edges of his consciousness.

Nevertheless, it was a fact — Sunny had indeed slain the Azure Serpent… Daeron of the Twilight Sea. ’What an unusual name for a Nightmare Creature.’

After observing the mad beast for so long and even assuming its form, Sunny was certain that there was something special about the ferocious abomination. Now, after learning its name, he came to strongly suspect… that the Azure Serpent was not an abomination at all.

Or at least had not always been one.

’Was the old snake actually a human once?’

Humans were all considered to be Beasts by the Spell, after all. A Sovereign, for example, could be called a Supreme Beast. …So what would happen if a Sovereign succumbed to Corruption? Looking at the radiant expanse of the Great River, Sunny felt restless.

’There might be a simple way to find out.’

Closing his eyes, he dove into his Soul Sea. It was exactly the same as it had been before, with five black suns looming above the still water. Only now, after learning the truth of how the world of the Great River had been created, he perceive it in a somewhat new light.

A legion of shadows stood motionless in the silent darkness. Sunny still remembered the time when he could count the lifeless shadows with one hand, but there were so many of them now. Thousands…

’Have I really killed that many?’

Of course, he had. From the Forgotten Shore to the Tomb of Ariel, Sunny had lived a life of slaughter... even if it had not been of his own volition. The numbers had especially swelled during the Southern Campaign, where he had been constantly surrounded by vast hordes of rampant Nightmare Creatures. Most of the shadows were abominations — the Mountain King, the formless shadow of the unborn Spawn of the Vile Thieving Bird, the Forsaken Knight, the Mordant Mimic, the Terror of LO49, the mountainous Titan Goliath…

But there were plenty of humans, too. The nameless old slaver, Harper, Harus, Caster, Pierce, the Red Priest, the War Maidens, the soldiers of the Ivory City, Knight Amiran and the many Awakened of the Great Clans he had killed in East Antarctica, Saint Dire Fang… and many more. There was also Solvane. Two of her, actually — one that he had slain on the Chained Island, and the other he had slain in the Kingdom of Hope. Sunny felt bizarre every time he saw them. But he was looking for someone else right now. He first guessed that his suspicion was right after noticing that there was no gargantuan shape of a great serpent among the shadows. And then, he finally saw him… Daeron of the Twilight Sea. The Azure Serpent had, indeed, been a human once. There, in the darkness, stood the shadow of a handsome man with strong facial features and fierce, downturned eyebrows. He was tall and imposing, with broad shoulders and a strong-willed, angular face. His hair was arranged in a long braid, and he wore an archaic robe that seemed both simple and regal. ’The Azure Serpent… he really was a human.’

Sunny froze, looking at the silent shadow. His heart was in turmoil.

This was the first time he had seen a human who had succumbed to Corruption. And not any human, at that — a proud and mighty Sovereign, an exalted being of the Supreme Rank. Even Solvane, who had spent thousands of years being tormented by the Wormvine, never gave up her humanity. Who was King Daeron? Why had he come to the Tomb of Ariel? How had he ended up losing himself in the madness and turning into an abomination, becoming no different from a mindless beast?

…Would Sunny end up the same, one day?

A deep frown appeared on his face. ’Corruption…’

Sunny had not really faced Corruption yet, only the result of Corruption — those frenzied fiends humans of the waking world called Nightmare Creatures. However, he felt that if his power continued to grow, he would come into contact with it eventually. Perhaps even inevitably.

’Troubling.’

He glanced at the shadow of Daeron one last time, hesitated, and then said quietly:

”Find peace within me, Old Snake. Your nightmare is over.”

The Azure Serpent had been a terrible enemy, but he had also protected Sunny and Nephis from the other horrors of the Great River. They wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the blissful month on the dark island if not for his madness, hunger, and ferociousness.

Sunny had learned a lot from the great serpent, as well.

With a sigh, he turned away and walked to stand between the five black suns. There was still something he needed to see…

Sunny had received a Memory after killing the corrupted Sovereign, after all. His first Memory of the Supreme Rank.

Well… his first Memory of the Supreme Rank that he had actually earned, as opposed to mysteriously receiving it out of nowhere. Summoning the runes, Sunny found the unfamiliar string of them and read:

Memory: [Crown of Twilight].

Memory Rank: Supreme.

Memory Tier: I.

Memory Type: Tool…