Shadow Slave

Sunny and Nephis did not stay in the crumbling settlement for long. He would have loved to explore it, but sadly, the area wasn’t safe. These were still the hunting grounds of the Creature of Darkness they had encountered before, and with the Tainted Saints gone, nothing was keeping it away from the settlement anymore.

Usually, Sunny would have swept the entire place with his shadow sense. But now, he could only perceive a small area where light fell, which limited what he could do.

There was no guarantee that the Creature of Darkness would not follow them wherever they went, or that they would not encounter other, even more harrowing beings of its kind. But they had to press on, no matter what perils the Underworld had in store for them.

Leaving the devastated square behind, they traversed the streets of the ancient settlement. Soon, the quiet murmur of water grew louder, and they reached the shore of an underground river.

The river was wide and deep, its cold waters flowing like a torrent of liquid darkness. Neph’s light could not permeate their depths, scattering across the surface — because of that, Sunny felt like he was looking at an ancient mirror reflecting nothing but a vast, starless sky.

He studied the river for a short while, then glanced at Nephis.

”This is a tributary of one of the three great rivers of the Underworld?”

She nodded.

“It should be.”

Sunny hesitated for a moment.

“Then our path is decided, isn’t it? We can follow the tributary to the main river, then move upstream until we find the capital of Nether’s kingdom.”

It was a decent plan. Inwardly, though, Sunny felt quite dejected.

‘Ah. I hate water...’

Why was he always stuck having to dive into creepy, dark bodies of water?

Sunny shook his head.

Nevertheless, he looked at the subterranean river with curiosity.

Where did these rivers come from, and where did they flow to? There was no way to tell.

He wondered if the lethal currents that rushed through the countless canyons of Moonriver Plains and eventually gave birth to the River of Tears came from the Underworld.

‘Someone smarter than me will find out one day.’

Moonriver Plains were far away in the southwestern direction. Sunny and Nephis, however, had to travel north — deeper into the Underworld. So, he would not have a chance to find out.

They were ready to leave the settlement. Saint reduced her weight and took a step off a stone pier, walking across the river as if nothing was the matter. The surface tension of the water was enough to support her weight. Sunny had all manner of ways to traverse the river, while Nephis could fly.

However, doing so would require her to constantly channel her Aspect, and therefore endure the agony of her Flaw.

So, instead, Sunny assumed the form of the Jade Titan once more.

Back on the square, he had kept his size similar to that of his enemies — being bigger was not always an advantage, especially when facing skilled opponents of high Ranks. Now, however, Sunny unleashed his shadow from the narrow confines of a human shape, allowing it to wash over the world like a dark tide.

Then, he shaped himself into the true, colossal form of the Jade Titan — easily two hundred meters in height, towering above the crumbling settlements like a dark deity. Stepping into the river, Sunny caused it to seethe and foam around his colossal ankle, spilling from its shores. He took another step, walking deeper into the river — in the end, when he reached its deepest part, water only reached his waist.

Nephis landed on his shoulder, looking at the current of dark water from great height. She dismissed the Blessing, extinguishing its brilliant light — at the same moment, however, blinding radiance ignited behind the visor of Sunny’s helmet, illuminating the river like a powerful searchlight and turning him into a walking lighthouse.

He pushed his unfathomable weight forward, displacing a great mass of water and raising towering waves. Saint moved far ahead, skating on the surface of the river to scout the way — that was how the three of them left the settlement of the Children of Nether and journeyed into the depths of the Underworld.

Their journey was not an easy one.

The Underworld was vast, and unlike all other regions of the Dream Realm, it wasn’t teeming with Nightmare Creatures. However, those Nightmare Creatures that did dwell in its lightless depths were all utterly horrifying.

There were abominations dwelling in the river. There were abominations waiting on the shore.

And, as if their eerie malice was not enough, there were worse things hiding in the darkness.

Most of the creatures Sunny and Nephis met were of the Great Rank. However, these were not at all like the ferocious predators of Godgrave... the loathsome spawns of Godgrave were relatively young, as far as beings of that Rank went. They had all been born after the old world ended — created by the crimson jungle, tempered by its incessant hunger, made into fierce killing machines.

The Great Nightmare Creatures of Godgrave were fearsome, but they were not sophisticated.

The abominations that dwelled in the Underworld, however, were ancient. They had withstood the endless tides of elemental darkness and made their lairs in its cold embrace. The powers they wielded were as insidious as they were terrifying, and as a result, every day was like a nightmare for Sunny and Nephis.

Some days were torn apart by dreadful battles. Some days were quiet and calm, but since danger could descend upon them at any moment, these times of placid silence only served to exhaust them further.

The two of them had thought themselves as strong as the strongest beings of their Rank, but the Underworld had swiftly humbled them.

Sunny knew that he would not have survived this journey without Nephis. And while Nephis was strong, she would not have survived the terrors of the Underworld alone either.

Together, though...

Connected by the Shadow Bond, they could just barely move forward.