Shadow Slave

Snuggle looked down at her clumsy hands and crude dress. She remained silent for a while, as if having realized something. Then, she hesitantly lowered the silver bell.

”A...a Supreme Titan? I see.”

Her voice trembled a little.

The shadow observed her for a while, not sure what to do.

‘A Supreme Titan...‘

Come to think of it, she was correct — he was indeed a Supreme Titan. Technically, at least. In truth, he was probably halfway to becoming Spirit... it was just that he did not know how to take the last step, and had no desire take it anyway.

The curious thing, however, was that the transient soul who had inhabited Snuggle easily identified his Rank. Unlike the humans who wandered into his kingdom from time to time, she had not confused him for a Creature of Corruption. All hints pointed to the fact that she could perceive his soul, somehow — or at least a part of it.

As for the transient soul itself...

Now that the shadow had bothered to take a closer look, he realized that it was quite unusual.

The soul belonged to a Transcendent Beast, without a doubt. However, its radiance was far too brilliant, too dazzling, as if her lustrous essence was more potent than it was meant to be — potent enough to belong to a Supreme, perhaps.

It also possessed an unusual hue.

Souls infected by Corruption brimmed with appalling darkness, while pure souls shone with pure silver light. This soul, however, burned with a beautiful golden radiance, shining like the morning sky set ablaze by the brightness of dawn.

The shadow knew that radiance well.

It was the color of divinity.

‘A wandering soul that burns with the flame of divinity.‘

Where could have a soul like that come from?

The shadow studied the ugly doll for a few moments, then took a physical shape. Soon, a vague figure made of shadows appeared in front of the Snuggle, looking down at her. Its face was a vague silhouette hidden behind layers of nebulous darkness, and the same darkness shrouded it like a mantle. Snuggle looked up at him, trembling.

“Were you... were you hiding in the darkness all this time?”

The shadow tilted his head a little, then shook it.

”No.”

Then, gesturing to the silent city, he said in a cold, penetrating voice:

“Everything you see here is a part of me. The darkness, the shades of the people, the grass, the trees — all of it is my kingdom, and my kingdom is me.”

He paused for a moment, and then smiled vaguely.

”So, silly doll, your attempts to hide from me are meaningless. After all, you are walking around inside my soul, illuminating it carelessly with your light.”

The doll looked around, seeming a little distraught. Then, she coughed.

“So, then, this thing in front of me... is just a physical form you took for convenience?”

The shadow nodded.

Inwardly, he wondered why the doll was pretending to cough — she did not have a throat, after all. It seemed like a human habit.

Come to think of it, Snuggle did not even have a mouth — only an awkwardly stitched curve that served her as one. So how was she even speaking? What power moved her little body, and what gave her the strength to lift the silver bell?

He was not exactly curious... but, for a moment, he did feel a tiny pang of interest.

”It is.”

Snuggle hesitated for a few moments, then asked in her squeaky voice:

“Then... do you mind turning into something less creepy? With all due respect, of course!”

After that...

She giggled awkwardly.

The shadow stared at the brazen doll, stunned for a moment.

‘The... the audacity?’

Did she not know fear?

The request to take a different shape did not bother him, but laughing in the solemn silence of his kingdom, standing directly in front of his physical manifestation...

Was it fearlessness or stupidity? Or both?

‘But probably the latter.’

He glared at the doll for a moment, then smiled pleasantly.

“I don’t mind.”

With that, the shadows swelled and billowed, surrounding him like a storm. A colossal, grotesque shape rose from them, dwarfing the buildings — the shape of a fearsome, hideous creature that seemed to have crawled out of the very depths of the Abyss.

As his myriad limbs obscured the dark heavens, Snuggle shuddered and pressed herself against the wall.

“Come to think of it, your previous form was very fitting! It was tasteful, comely, and full of grace! Ha, ha-ha... it was a joke, a joke, just a joke!”

The shadow stared at her from the great height of his current form, then scoffed quietly and dismissed it.

‘That’s better. That will teach her manners.’

Then, he fell into contemplation for a moment.

Taking a less frightening form? He did not care either way, so he could as well do it.

As if remembering an old habit, the shadow made a little effort and appeared in front of trembling Snuggle again. This time, he looked like a human.

In front of her stood a young man with porcelain skin and eyes that were like onyx, his hair as black as the darkest depths of night. He wore a simple tunic of black silk, while his expression was cold and aloof, devoid of all emotion.

“There. Are you satisfied?”

The doll looked up cautiously, stared at him for a few moments with its beady eyes, and then nodded.

“Y—yeah... that’s better! Much better!”

The corner of his mouth rose slightly, but the faint smile never reached his tenebrous eyes.

‘What am I supposed to do now?’

The shadow had never entertained guests in his kingdom. All who came here either fled or died — so, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do next.

After remaining silent for a while, he bent, picked up the silver bell, and tied it to his belt. Then, he glanced at the little doll and asked:

”Shall I show you around my kingdom?”

And that was how he ended up escorting Snuggle along the dark streets, describing the past of the Shadow Tribe. It felt strange and unfamiliar... but not entirely unwelcome.

Perhaps he had missed having conversations with someone.

Perhaps he had simply grown tired of his monotonous existence, and wanted to brighten it with the sound of someone else’s voice.

After some time, Snuggle rubbed her forehead.

“It seems that I’ve been trapped for a long time.”

He looked at her with a hint of curiosity.

“How did a wandering soul like you end up being trapped inside that crystal and locked inside a box, to begin with?”

Snuggle let out a nervous laugh.

“Well... actually, only the box was a trap. I created the crystal myself.”

The shadow raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue.

”It’s a... enchantment of a sorcerous item I possess. It places something into a state of stasis for as long as its master can sustain the sorcery with their essence. A very useful thing! You can remove a powerful Nightmare Creature from battle and deal with its minions first, for example. Or keep a can of be... I mean, an amphora of wine cool for a long time.”

Snuggle sighed, her shoulders dropping.

“But, well, after spending years in this nightmarish world, I ended up in big trouble. So, in order to survive, I cast the sorcery on myself. That created a paradox — the sorcery could only be sustained for as long as I had essence, but I was placed in stasis. So, the amount of essence I had became static, as well. Therefore... I actually have no idea how may years passed since that day.”

She looked around in confusion.

“They must have failed to destroy the crystal and decided to lock me in that box instead. The item that creates it is very powerful, so I am not even sure what could have damaged the sorcery enough for the crystal to crack... but it did crack some time ago, and little by little, I regained my senses. However, I couldn’t escape the box... until you opened it.”

The shadow remained silent.

He wasn’t sure what danger the wandering soul had found itself in, and who it was that put the crystal in the box. Had it been the High Priest of the Shadow Tribe temple, or the rulers of the city? The very people who had sacrificed a living soul to him?

Or had it been someone else, who then traded the sorcerous crystal away or surrendered it to an enemy as a spoil of war? How many hands had the box passed through before ending up in the inner sanctum of that temple?

The shadow did not know.

He knew two things, though.

The first one was that, no matter who had trapped the wandering soul in the box, they must have been quite a powerful being. Runic sorcery had not spread widely yet, after all, and Shaping did not function in the absence of a sorcerer. So, creating a soul trap was not an easy task.

The second thing... he had an inkling of what had damaged the sorcery keeping the stasis crystal intact.

Looking at the small doll that waddled by his side, he said:

“I think I know what put a crack in your crystal.”

Snuggle seemed curious.

“Oh, really? What was it?”

Then, she waved a hand.

”By the way... sorry for earlier! Now that I got to know you a little better, you don’t seem quite as scary anymore, Lord Titan. You are actually quite nice!”

The shadow shrugged.

Was he?

Glancing at the shades that surrounded them, he said:

“The crystal must have cracked when I swallowed this land and killed every living thing in it — the people, the beasts, the trees, the grass... I willed everything to die, but the crystal must have protected you. It is quite unexpected that something survived.

He looked down at Snuggle and smiled faintly.

“You are quite a fortunate little soul, aren’t you? Oh, and thank you for saying that I am not at all scary and very nice... I agree.“

Snuggle tripped and fell down.