Shadow Slave

Rain let out a relieved sigh.

Then, she trembled.

Escape?

They were abandoning the Ivory Island. The Tower of Longing had become the symbol of the Human Domain and was synonymous with Changing Star’s throne, so if it were to fall into the hands of the adversary — whomever the enemy was — wouldn’t it mean that the Human Domain fell, too? Not to mention that they were high above ground, with nothing but open sky all around them. Even if Lady Cassia could summon a winged Echo, how were they supposed to escape the pursuit of the Night Garden?

”Go!”

Lady Cassia was already exiting the room. Biting her lip, Rain assigned three Epithets to the wheelchair — Stable, Light, and Levitating — and pushed it forward while assessing how much of her essence was being consumed.

It was far less than she had anticipated.

‘So the efficiency of the Epithets is affected by my Rank, as well.’

Being a Master was quite neat.

She wondered what her Ascended Ability was. Sadly, now was not the time to find out.

Rushing through the acrid smoke, they reached the main stairs of the Ivory Tower and swiftly descended to the ground floor. As they did, a few more Fire Keepers attacked them — Lady Cassia clashed with them each time, bringing them down in mere seconds.

The woman in the wheelchair remained emotionless and detached through all the mayhem.

Rain, meanwhile, had to reassess her opinion of Song of the Fallen. Lady Cassia was renowned among the Saints, of course, but not exactly for her battle prowess — more so for her insight, virtue, and diligence. She was seen as a wise advisor and assistant to the radiant Changing Star, all but indistinguishable in the brilliance of her master.

However, seeing her fight the Fire Keepers — the best of the best among the warriors of humanity — Rain had to admit that Lady Cassia was a bit... terrifying. More so because her strength had gone unnoticed for so long, despite the spotlight aimed at her at all times.

Yes, the Fire Keepers were of a lesser Rank than her. But she did not simply defeat them — she crushed them with impossible swiftness, a cold kind of grace, and flawless efficiency in her movements. More than that, she did so barehanded despite the array of powerful Memories her opponents wielded, while managing to keep them all alive.

Suddenly, Rain felt that the blind Saint was far more suited for the darkness of the Shadow Clan than for the splendor of the Fire Keepers. In fact, she was far more suited for that darkness than most of the actual members of the Shadow Clan.

They passed through the jaws of the dead dragon and escaped onto the emerald grass of the Ivory Island. From here, the Night Garden was like a dark wall that loomed above the great pagoda, blotting out the sun.

There were already winged Echoes and Awakened warriors trying to breach the gap between its deck and the shores of the flying island — a complicated runic array was keeping them at bay for now, but it was not going to last long against the devastating cannonade.

“Hurry.”

Lady Cassia guided Rain around the Ivory Tower and moved across the grass toward the grove of ancient trees in the distance. Then, however, the whole island shook, and the runic array was extinguished in a flood of silver light. Rain barely kept her balance, sensing something colossal and terrifying approaching them from the sky.

Lady Cassia turned and raised her head. Her expression turned grave.

”...Nightwalker””

She hesitated for a moment, then faced Rain.

“You go forward, Rain. There will be a gazebo and a stone arch behind the grove. Invoke the True Names of Fire, Divinity, and Stepping Across Thresholds when you get there, then channel them into the stone. I’ll join you shortly.”

Rain hesitated, looking at her with worry. ”But...”

But Lady Cassia was already turning away, outstretching a hand to summon a Memory. ”Go. There is no time to waste.’

Gritting her teeth, Rain turned her back to her and pushed the wheelchair forward. The island quaked and quaked as they rushed toward the grove. Then, the ground beneath her feet seemed to ripple, and a flash of silver light drowned everything around.

A deafening thunderclap slammed into her back, sending Rain to the ground.

‘Damn it...’

Rising, she grabbed the handles of the levitating wheelchair once more and hurried toward the stone arch Lady Cassia had told her about.

There, Rain stopped and invoked the True Names.

The True Name of Fire was simple enough to channel. So was the Name of Stepping Across Thresholds. Divinity, however... That was one of the first Names Nephis had taught her, since it was the foundation of countless other Names. It was also the opposite of the Void, and therefore of Corruption. However, although all Shapers had to know it, they almost never invoked it. Rather, they were incapable of invoking it, since mortals were not meant to command Divinity.

Nephis could channel it because of the Flame of Divinity burning in her soul, as well as because of her Divine Lineage.

Rain, however, possessed neither. So, she had never even attempted to do the same. She had no other choice now, though.

The weight of the primordial Name was almost crushing. To Rain’s surprise, however, she was not torn apart by it — instead, her Mark of Shadows seemed to respond to the Name of Divinity, and assisted her in channelling its radiant melody.

As Rain swayed from the burden of invoking three Names, the ivory arch seemed to grow a little hazy.

Then, the emptiness within it was suddenly replaced by a cool darkness.

It was a startling sight. Behind the arch was the blue sky, but inside it was a dark hall illuminated only by the ghostly light of an enchanted lantern.

‘What... now?”

Before Rain could finish the thought, someone suddenly landed on the ground near her. Then, a delicate hand pushed her into the darkness.

Rain stumbled forward, passed through the portal, and rolled on the stone floor. Turning around, she saw Lady Cassia — her bloodied garments disheveled and torn, their hems singed — pushing the wheelchair from the grass of the Ivory Island onto the obsidian floor of the dark hall.

As soon as they passed through the portal, it was extinguished. All that was left was an ebony arch that seemed to grow from the floor.

Lady Cassia exhaled heavily and fell to her knees.

In the silence that followed, Rain suddenly heard the sound of unhurried footsteps approaching them from the darkness. Looking up, she saw eyes that were like two pools of mercury looking down at her.

Her reflection in them looked small, weak, and frightened.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in!”

A tall man with strange mirror-like eyes was looking down at her, smiling faintly.

Then, he turned to Lady Cassia, his smile turning a little sinister.

“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite witch. Welcome to my Domain, Lady Cassia. I must say, being covered in blood suits you really well...”