Shadow Slave

Effie frowned, sensing that something had gone wrong. She let go of the ancient reflection’s shoulder and drew her hand back.

“What...”

Sunny just barely had time to grab her and pull her away before the Castellan’s body was contorted by a strange convulsion. His glassy eyes opened widely... and then, a vast flood of white mist suddenly exploded from his body in all directions, drowning the vast underground chamber.

Suddenly, Sunny could not see anything except the milky white mist swirling around him like a ghostly ocean. A familiar sense of his very being collapsing into nothingness washed over him for a brief moment, but then, Sunny forcefully asserted his existence and pushed the feeling back. ”Concentrate on your True Name! Will yourself to remember who you are!”

Effie must have done as he told, and her willpower must have been sufficiently firm, because she seemed to regain her bearings just a few moments later.

For a few long moments, nothing seemed to exist in the world except for the ghostly fog and the feelings of the two of them holding each other. All sounds had disappeared, as well, muffled by the white mist.

Sunny glanced around, full of dark anticipation.

And then, a disembodied voice resounded in the silence, enveloping them like a tide:

“Ah, what a strange sensation. I’ve never taken a reflection as a vessel before... it feels so odd. But also oddly fitting.”

The voice laughed, full of amusement, but Sunny did not share that feeling. Instead, he was full of wariness.

‘Mordret, that bastard...’

It seemed like Mordret had escaped from Morgan and Saint, after all. He had found the right reflection to escape to... he must have traveled to the eyes that had been stolen from the victims of the Nihilist, then reflected from them into Effie’s, and finally entered the Castellan’s eyes from hers.

And now, he had consumed the Castellan and made the ancient reflection his vessel. Things must not have gone well for Mordret, though, both in the battle against Saint and in the soul duel with the reflection of Omer of the Nine. Otherwise, he would not have been talking — he would have already moved to kill Effie and usurp the authority over the Palace of Imagination. And speaking about that authority...

The ocean of white mist around them stirred suddenly, and then moved, flowing slowly at first, then faster and faster. If Sunny was to hazard a guess, Mordret was probably in the process of absorbing the essence of the Castellan — considering how much of the mist there was, it would probably take him a bit of time.

And when that time ran out...

Sunny decided not to think about it. Instead, he thought about how to deal with the Prince of Nothing.

Effie moved slightly, reaching for her gun. ”I am guessing we won’t be able to shoot him dead, will we?”

Sunny shook his head, and at that moment, the disembodied voice spoke once more from the white mist, seemingly coming from all directions at the same time.

”What an amusing suggestion, Saint Athena! But I am afraid I will have to disappoint you... to tell you the truth, you could have probably finished my original body off with a mundane bullet at the moment — it is in quite rough shape after getting to know the Child of Nether better, alas. But, luckily, I’ve managed to secure a new attire just in time.” An ominous note found its way into Mordret’s pleasant voice:

“So, I am very curious to see just what this vessel is capable of...”

Sunny remained calm, thinking.

Mordret’s new vessel was the body of the Castellan. But the Castellan himself was dead, destroyed in a soul duel... wouldn’t that mean that the authority he had usurped belonged to no one at the moment, then?

And since no one was usurping it, wouldn’t that authority return to its intended owner? The Master of the Castle... or rather, it’s Mistress.

”Effie...”

He paused for a moment, and then said in an even tone:

”Tell me to regain my power.”

The white mist was a raging current now, moving around the vast chamber like a powerful whirlpool. Mordret had to be at the center of that whirlpool, straining to absorb the ferocious torrent of nothingness that was pouring into his soul.

Effie shifted and glanced at him for a split second, confusion clearly written on her face.

Then, her eyes gleamed with understanding.

She smiled faintly.

“Suffering from the lack of potency, huh? Not performing as you used to? Well, Auntie Effie can help with that... you’re a Sovereign, partner! Rise and shine!” ℞ÂＮỐＢЁＳ

And as she spoke those words, Sunny swayed and staggered. If not for Effie supporting him, he might have toppled over.

“Aaahbh...”

Suddenly, he felt his powers returning to him. Effie did not seem to have regained full control over the Palace of Imagination yet, or perhaps she was simply unable to wield that authority as intricately as the Castellan had been able to — therefore, her command had failed to completely negate the laws of the illusion established by him fully, even if Mirage City was already falling apart.

But it did negate them to an extent.

Sunny was definitely not a mundane person anymore, and he could sense some facets of his Aspect becoming unsealed. Not enough to give him his full power, by far, but enough to allow his shadow sense to wash over the Castle.

And that was all that he needed.

He had not known it before, but the great tower had collapsed in the fierce battle between Saint and Mordret. The roof of the throne room was shattered, and rain was falling on the throne of Mirage. Sunny could sense Saint there, as well as the broken form of Morgan — she was alive, but grievously wounded, being supported by the taciturn Shadow as they moved through the debris.

‘Found you.’

As the white mist in the underground chamber became thin, almost allowing him to see the towering form of the Great Mirror — and the figure of Mordret at the heart of the fierce white whirlwind — Sunny reached through the shadows and pulled both Saint and Morgan underground. A moment later, they appeared on the stone floor beside him.

Morgan staggered and fell, blood flowing from the ghastly wounds on her body. Saint, however, maintained her balance easily. Sunny forced out a smile, knowing that it was all going to be over for them the moment Mordret finished absorbing the ocean of white mist, and nodded in his direction.

“Go drown him in true darkness. Go!”

True darkness was an enemy of shadows... but it was an enemy of reflections, as well.

Because just like shadows, reflections could not exist without light.

Saint lunged forward at terrible speed, not wasting even a split second to question his words. Her eyes blazed with cold crimson flames, and the white mist parted in front of her.

Mordret let out a melodious laugh.

”How cunning, Lord of Shadows. Ah, but it is too late... much too late...”

A tidal wave of true darkness escaped from Saint’s body, crashing into the white whirlwind. It washed over him before he could even finish the sentence.

Effie knelt near Morgan to check her wounds, then glanced at Sunny.

“Do you think Saint will be able to destroy his vessel?”

Sunny lingered with the answer for a moment.

Then, he shook his head.

”No. If she could, he would not have stayed still to meet her attack.”

But she would be able to buy them some time.

Effie whispered something to Morgan, and her bleeding seemed to slow down. She must have regained some of her powers, as well — enough of them survive her horrible wounds, at least.

Something collided with a terrible boom under the cover of true darkness, and the underground chamber shook.

Effie cursed.

”So what do we do?!”

Sunny stayed silent for a few long moments, looking into the darkness with a tense expression.

Then, suddenly, he smiled.

“Follow me. I’m going to need your strength.” Instead of joining Saint in the battle against Mordret, he ran into the opposite side — toward the Great Mirror.

That was because he had guessed what form the fragment of Weaver’s lineage had taken... was going to take.

Reaching the Great Mirror, he grabbed the black fabric covering it and gestured for Effie to do the same.

”Pull!”