Shadow Slave

Mordret wanted the Hollow Mountains.

Well, it was no surprise that he did. All the reasons why the Stormsea suited his goals applied to the Hollow Mountains, as well — the mountain chain stretched from east to west, bordering the human territories on both sides of Godgrave.

The endless expanse of white mist shrouding the jagged peaks made it all but impossible to invade them, while those who could survive its cold embrace were free to launch unexpected raids on the lands south of the mountains.

Or north of them. That was where the Forgotten Shore, Sunny’s lightless kingdom, was located.

In addition to that, Mordret had an affinity to the source of the white mist — to Nothing. So, he would have an easier time surviving there than almost anyone else. Of course, his Aspect had to do with mirrors and reflections... which were kin to Nothing Creatures, but not exactly the same thing.

Ina sense, the Hollow Mountains were to Mordret what the Shadow Realm was to Sunny. Perfect hunting grounds that were as full of promise as they were perilous and deadly.

Granted, that only encompassed the surface of the hollow peaks, not the dark depths inside them — the Underworld. Out there, in the realm of true darkness, Mordret would be just as helpless as Sunny... after all, there could be no reflections without light, so his powers would be rendered useless. Mordret seemed to be getting exactly what he wanted. However, Sunny and Nephis had no reason to refuse him — or at least no reason that was good enough to deny him the Hollow Mountains. They themselves had no use for them, and there were no human colonies being built within the mist.

All in all...

Things could have been worse.

Anew Sovereign had risen from the ranks of humanity, and while he was not exactly a reliable ally, he was not inherently hostile either. Mordret might have been a monster who knew neither regret nor remorse, but he did not usually act without reason — otherwise, it would have been the entire population of EQSC consumed by him instead of the Skinwalker.

On the bright side, humanity had another Supreme now, and an immensely powerful one at that. If there was one predictable thing about Mordret, it was that he always acted in self-interest... and in the grand scheme of things, his interests coincided with those of Sunny and Nephis.

After all, the destruction of their world was imminent. Once Earth was fully consumed by the Dream Realm, everything that was not Corrupted would be besieged by the Nightmare Creatures — including those fallen deities of the Cursed and Unholy Rank. When that happened, Mordret would have little choice but to fight side by side with other human Sovereigns in order to survive.

Sunny understood that rationally...

But, still, negotiating with the bastard was exceedingly frustrating.

‘Ah... I want to rip that damn smile off his face...’

He had dismissed the Shadow Legion. The endless sea of Mordret’s vessels was disappearing into the rippling surface of the Mirror Gate, too — they were entering the Mirror Realm, leaving the desolate expanse of the Eastern Quadrant behind.

Mordret himself was still here, though, looking at them with a polite smile. ”Ah, yes, I do agree. We should continue this conversation in a more comfortable setting.”

His smile was the same, but his face betrayed subtle signs of fatigue. The War Realm was straining to expel them, and by now, the pressure was crushing. On top of that, Mordret had only recently concluded the dreadful battle against the Skinwalker and undergone the evolution to Supremacy — he had not had the chance to rest and recover yet, so he was in rough shape. The negotiations were far from being over, of course. They had only set out the very fundamental principles of their future coexistence, so the details would have to be decided later — in the presence of people who could formulate a proper treaty.

It was not a question of authority, but merely of convenience.

Mordret would need building materials and a steady supply of clean drinking water and food to establish his kingdom in the Hollow Mountains, for example, since it was going to take him some time and a lot of effort to make it self-sufficient. Therefore, some kind of trade agreement would have to be established, and Sunny and Nephis were not the best people to define it.

There were countless small details like that. There was the question of what they would be getting in return, as well...

And above all else, they were not going to agree on anything with Mordret unless Kai was present in the room, and could confirm that the King of Nothing was being sincere in his willingness to, if not cooperate, then at least coexist with the Human Domain. 𝑅âΝ𝙤𝔟ЁŚ

So, he was invited to Bastion. The negotiations would continue on the Ivory Island, with most members of the cohort — as well as a team of relevant professionals — present. As for Mordret, he did not have a cohort, close companions, or talented subordinates. Therefore, he would have to oversee the entire process himself.

’I can believe this is my life now.’

Sunny blinked a couple of times, thinking that he had never expected to negotiate a trade agreement with Mordret one day.

Life was, indeed, full of surprises.

They were also going to discuss the Dreamspawn in more detail then. Granted, Mordret did not seem too keen on the idea of cementing an alliance to deal with Asterion — despite everything, he was entirely convinced that Sunny and Nephis were a lost cause. So, he wasn’t inclined to help them understand what his former caretaker was capable of.

All knowledge Mordret possessed would have to be exchanged for something. That was what Sunny and Nephis were getting in return for building materials and food supplies, above all else.

”Well, then. I’ll depart first.”

Mordret gave them a perfunctory bow and vanished without a trace. His Dream Gate disappeared, as well, leaving Sunny and Nephs alone on the desolate wasteland.

Sunny studied the landscape around them for a long while, and then suddenly laughed.

”I... realized something just now.”

He looked at Nephis and shook his head in disbelief.

”This is now the safest place in the world. Both worlds, really.”