Shadow Slave

Hearing Nightwalker’s words, Sunny frowned.

”Kanakht... I’ve heard that name before.”

Jet had fought a Great Devil named the Heart of Kanakht, as well as several lesser nightmare creatures bearing similar names. According to Cassie, he had been a cursed king whose parts were kept apart to prevent him from coming back to life. More importantly, Eurys had mentioned an individual called Kanakht once, when talking about those cursed by Shadow God.

Considering how many traces of Kanakht were left in the Dream Realm, he must have been quite powerful. And considering the nature of these traces, he must have been quite sinister.

Now, they were facing a Great Terror born of the same source — a being of the same caliber as Skinwalker.

”Who the hell is Kanakht, though?”

Nightwalker smiled wryly.

”Just an old myth.”

He hesitated for a short while, then sighed.

”He was supposedly one of the first humans, born at the dawn of the Age of Gods. Gods and deities walked the earth back then, battling Void Creatures and their spreading Corruption — they brushed sides with humans quite often, as well, to various results. Most of those encounters were benign in nature, but not all of them. Kanakht in particular managed to anger Shadow God, somehow, so Shadow God took his shadow away... and with it, his ability to die.”

Sunny scratched his head.

”Doesn’t sound like much of a punishment.”

Ina sense, he was the opposite of Kanakht — Sunny had more shadows than he knew what to do with. One was cursed by Shadow God, the other received Shadow God’s blessing.

...The latter could be said about Sunny and Eurys, as well.

Nightwalker grinned.

”A very topical remark, considering where we are.”

He fell silent for a moment.

”Gods have their own views on things, I guess. In any case, Kanakht did not seem to mind the curse of Shadow God. Eventually, he established a vast kingdom and ruled it for numerous generations, defending his people with his overwhelming power. His power was so great, in fact, that people started calling him a god.”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

”Bute”

Nightwalker shrugged.

”But Kanakht didn’t just want to be called a god, he wanted to be a god.” Sunny leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.

”Ah. That troublesome thing, Apotheosis.””

Nightwalker stared at him blankly.

”A what? Apotheosis? Oh... I guess the word fits.”

Sunny had to remind himself that the man had been gone for decades. Even the existence of Supremes was news to him — naturally, he would not know about the impenetrable barrier that prevented them from climbing higher on the Path of Ascension.

He shook his head.

”Anyway, so what happened?”

Nightwalker responded in a neutral tone:

”No matter what Kanakht tried, he could not step over the threshold of divinity — not without a shadow, at least. He became obsessed with the idea of godhood, and his kingdom gradually became a dark and nightmarish place. People who used to venerate and worship him were now full of terror and hatred for the undying monster who ruled them, and entire generations disappeared into the ghastly cauldron of his obsession. They could not do anything to free themselves, though. After all, Kanakht’s power was overwhelming, and he could not be killed.”

He leaned forward a little.

”They did manage to topple his throne in the end, still. Kanakht’s body was severed from his soul and spirit, cut into pieces, and all these parts were sealed separately in various places, never to be reunited. The end.”

Sunny stared at him incredulously.

”It’s obviously not the end, though?”

Nightwalker smiled.

“Well, I assume those seals were guarded by someone. However, the guardians all perished when the Dream Realm was consumed by Corruption. The seals weakened after a while, and the same Corruption took hold of the severed remains of Kanakht. Those pieces eventually became monstrous abominations.” He fell silent for a while, then added in a somber tone:

”I only know about this because I had the misfortune of visiting the kingdom of Kanakht in one of my Nightmares. The interesting part, however, is not what he did to eam the curse of Shadow God, and not what happened to his severed parts. It is not even what will happen if those parts fuse back together one day.” Nightwalker leaned back.

”The interesting part is how Kanakht was overthrown... and why.”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

”Oh?

Nightwalker lingered for a few moments.

”The being who helped the enslaved people of Kanakht’s kingdom get rid of him was none other than the Demon of Repose, who happened to pass nearby. As for why she decided to help them... according to the myth, it was because after countless years of searching, Kanakht finally found a way to become a god despite being disqualified from achieving divinity the usual way.”

Sunny’s eyes widened a little.

He remained silent for a few moments, then leaned forward.

”He found an alternative way to achieve Apotheosis? How?”

Nightwalker studied him a bit, then shrugged.

”I am not entirely sure, but apparently, he was planning to consume his own kingdom, complete with every person living there. So, not the best role model, as far as kingship goes.”

He gave Sunny a curious glance.

”If only that poor fool lived in the age where the Nightmare Spell existed, huh? All that nonsense could have been avoided.”

Nightwalker fell silent for a while, then asked:

”You told me that the first Supremes emerged decades ago, right?”

Sunny nodded.

”Around twenty-five years ago, yes.”

Nightwalker looked away with a pensive expression.

”How come none of them challenged the Fifth Nightmare, then?”

Sunny tilted his head a little.

”I guess it’s because one of them is stuck on the Moon, while the other two were misguided, afraid, and had too much to lose.”

Nightwalker looked at him directly.

”What about you? Are you not misguided and afraid? Do you have nothing to lose?”

Sunny smiled faintly.

”Me? No. And I am in a completely different situation than they were.”

He looked at Nightwalker and said in an even tone:

”Because of the decades they wasted, I am not afforded the luxury of having a choice. The end of days is not on the horizon anymore — it is already in progress. So it’s become Sacred or die... or at least watch everything I treasure die.”

Sunny sighed.

”That is the reason why I’m here, in the Eternal City. Conquering this place is a part of the process.”