Shadow Slave

It was a strange thing to see...

The remnants of the Dreamer Army were fighting against an overwhelming horde of Nightmare Creatures, with the members of Changing Star’s cohort leading them. It was almost as if they had gathered to reenact the ruinous siege of the Crimson Spire.

Of course, not everyone who had participated in that battle was here - but most were. Out of the hundred or so Sleepers that had returned from the Forgotten Shore, more than a half chose to follow Cassie, and were now fighting for Nephis. A few decided to stay independent, like Sunny or Aiko, a few joined lesser Legacy clans, while the second-largest group - the surviving Handmaidens - followed Seishan into the embrace of the great clan Song.

The former Handmaidens were here on the battlefield, too, although not in this exact spot.

’It’s like a morbid reunion...’

The Fire Keepers were fighting like the expert slayers they were - no abomination, no matter how terrifying, could shake their fighting spirit and resolve. Not because they were fearless, but simply because the survivors of the Forgotten Shore had been inoculated against the fear of Nightmare Creatures by being exposed to too much of it, too early, and with too harrowing results.

It was especially clear how out of the norm they were in contrast with the ordinary Awakened that comprised the two elite companies - the Wolves and Nightsingers. No matter how brave and capable the Awakened under the command of Effie and Kai were, they simply could not compare to the unflinching lethality of the eerily calm Fire Keepers.

And, of course, the members of Changing Star’s cohort were the deadliest of them.

Effie was like a wall of steel. Nothing could move her, and nothing could move past her - all the abominations could do was die, either pierced by her spear or broken by her shield.

Kai was swift, elusive, and unpredictable. The months of fighting a bitter war against Solvane’s zealots in the Nightmare had forged him into a more capable warrior than he was giving himself credit for - the enchanting young man moved like wind among the abominations, cutting them down with his sharp saber. His ivory armor seemed to shine as it reflected Changing Star’s light.

Nephis herself was like a radiant omen of death. Her ruthless sword seemed inescapable, and where it could not reach, incinerating flames reached instead. Shining like a beacon of light in the dark sea of Nightmare Creatures, she was without a doubt the heart of the battle, and the guiding star that kept hope alive in the hearts of the struggling soldiers.

As long as the Immortal flame burned... humanity would not be extinguished. Even those who were indifferent to such sentimental proclamations were compelled to believe it now, watching the beautiful white radiance of Changing Star’s light devour the dark tide of Nightmare Creatures.

There was Jet, as well. Although not a part of the former Dreamer Army, she was no less deadly than the rest of them... maybe even more so. There was nothing particularly flashy about how she fought, but nonetheless, the number of dead abominations surrounding her was staggering. The more of them died, the more alive she looked... it was a sight both disturbing and beautiful.

And lastly, there was Sunny.

In the past, he had perhaps been the most unassuming member of Changing Star’s cohort. Every impossible feat he had performed, every improbable victory he had achieved - all of it had happened where no one could bear witness... very much so by design.

Today, however, Sunny was at the center of everyone’s attention.

...Because he was just too savage, brutal, and domineering.

The slaughter he was perpetrating could only be described as barbarous.

Towering at three meters of height, crowned by twisting horns, and clad in fearsome onyx armor, the frenzied four-armed fiend tore through the Nightmare Creatures like a man possessed by a devil. Or was he a devil possessed by a man? All four of his hands were sleek with blood. His armor was slick with blood...

Even his face was covered in blood, because Sunny had used his sharp teeth to bite through an abomination’s throat at some point, finding it more convenient than bringing his sword around.

He did not know if he was the deadliest of the five Masters today...

But he was definitely the most eye-catching.

And frightening.

The Sin of Solace laughed.

Sunny laughed, as well.

His laughter escaped from between the fangs of the shadowspawn shell as a ragged breath.

’Ah, it’s really funny... we are all going to die...’

Indeed, despite how excellent the Fire Keepers were, and how deadly their leaders were, the situation did not look good.

And it was for one simple reason - the Awakened and the Masters were putting on a splendid fight, felling countless abominations and preventing the horde from pouring into the breach. The titans were tied up by the Saints, and without them, there was nothing on the battlefield that the five of them could not face.

If it were any other group of Ascended, perhaps things would have been different. But they were not just any Masters. They were perhaps the five most powerful Masters alive... not counting monsters like Mordret and Morgan.

But there was one big problem with that.

The problem was that their essence, as well as the essence of their soldiers, was being slowly depleted, while the tide of abominations was seemingly endless. Only Jet could fight indefinitely, but she alone was not enough to change the scales of this massive battle.

Sunny wondered if he should summon Nightmare and Saint. He felt really tempted to...

But something was holding him back.

Slicing through a Corrupted Demon and emerging from the severed carcass to thrust the blade of the Cruel Sight into the chest of a howling abomination, he briefly glanced in the direction where a revolting mountain of flesh was being slowly carved apart by invisible swords.

Sunny... was pretty sure that, together with Neph, he could take down one of these Titans.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be able to do it alone, not without substantial preparations at least. And perhaps Changing Star wouldn’t be able to do it alone, either. But together, they could.

All they would have to do, really, was bestow all of their blessings - all of his shadows and all the heat of Neph’s flame - onto Saint, and send her forth. His taciturn devil was already immensely powerful, and if her strength were augmented fifteen times over, even a Corrupted Titan would perhaps have to retreat.

A Fallen one would just die.

However, it was not the Titans Sunny was worried about.

It was the Saints.

Today, they were fighting Nightmare Creatures. But one day soon, they would most likely have to fight one or several of the seven Saints dominating the battlefield.

Whispering Blade, Beastmaster, Summer Knight, Silent Stalker, Dire Fang... perhaps even Saint Tyris.

There was Mordret, too. And Morgan, and Seishan.

These people were no less frightening than the Titans. Actually, they could be considered more terrifying than the dreaded Nightmare Creatures.

So, Sunny was reluctant to reveal his hand. His life could very well depend on it.

’Well...’

Without ever slowing his bloody rampage, he started considering his options. If Sunny wanted to do something drastic, he had to do it now, while his reserves of essence were still somewhat substantial.

He thought long and hard... as he continued killing one abomination after another in increasingly wild and ruthless ways, making the soldiers pale in sickened awe... and in the end, Sunny decided to do nothing.

’Cassie must have a plan.’

It had not escaped his attention that the blind girl subtly manipulated the events of the battle, making sure that the Fire Keepers, the Wolves, and the Nightsingers - the three units led by the members of Changing Star’s cohort - ended up together in this particular spot of the battlefield.

If she had put them here, she must have been reasonably certain that they would not be swallowed up by the horde.

As for how they would prevail...

Sunny decided that he did not really care.

Today, he would care only about one thing - how to kill many, many Nightmare Creatures. As many of them as possible.

Kill, kill, kill...

The Sin of Solace laughed, its voice full of gleeful amusement.

”Yes! Right! Kill them all!”