Shadow Slave

As the Night Garden passed through the invisible barrier, it continued to glide across the turbulent waters that covered the infinite expanse of black glass. Great waves rose as its immense mass displaced myriad tons of water, crashing into the towering walls of the wharf and escaping into the wide canals of the Eternal City.

Standing at the edge of the titanic structure’s open gate, Sunny observed the wrath of the elements in silence. The living ship slowly drew closer — as it did, the wharf, which had seemed improbably enormous before, suddenly did not feel so big anymore.

Sunny saw the branches of the trees that grew on the surface decks of the Night Garden sway as it passed him, slowly entering the awaiting berth.

He could not help but feel amazed at the precision with which Jet had steered the wide breadth of the titanic ship into the gate of the great wharf — there was barely a few dozen meters between the tall sides of the Night Garden and the walls of the berth, and that gap seemed minuscule in comparison to its gargantuan size.

The ship continued to sail past him for a long while as it entered the wharf, seemingly endless. Eventually, however, Sunny saw the stern of the Night Garden — which meant that countless kilometers away, its bow had reached the end of the horseshoe-shaped berth, resting against its barrier.

Finally, the living ship came to a halt, swaying gently on the tumultuous currents of water.

‘What now?’

They had intended to find a way to repair the Night Garden here, but the Great Citadel did not exactly come with an instruction manual — let alone the wharf where the Demon of Repose had built her ship once, thousands of years ago.

Sunny did not have to worry, though.

Soon after the Night Garden came to a rest inside the colossal berth... the wharf came alive.

The rest might have just felt a strange, almost palpable energy permeate the air, but Sunny could sense far more. In his eyes, which could peer into the nature of things, the titanic structure lit up like a radiant star. That was because an impossible amount of soul essence was flowing through it, the raging currents infusing every centimeter of the stone walls and the wooden scaffolds with a daunting, exuberant vitality. Various areas of the wharf slowly awakened from their long slumber, igniting with shimmering light.

‘Wow’

Sunny sensed the ground beneath him tremble. Then, the vast vertical plain of the huge gate he was standing on began to move with a powerful shiver — at the same time, the other side of the gate moved, as well.

Seemingly slowly because of its prodigious size, but breathtakingly rapid in reality, the gates of the wharf closed. Sunny, who had unwittingly caught a ride on one of its wings, barely managed to keep his balance when the two sides shut with a deafening thunderclap, cutting out the Night Garden’s path of retreat.

Of course, if there was a need to make an escape, the titanic ship could simply ram the gates with the indestructible immensity of its stern, causing mayhem and devastation on an unimaginable scale. But Sunny hoped that it would not come to that.

Nothing happened for a minute or two — outwardly, at least.

Then, Sunny heard the roaring rustle of flowing water echoing between the sides of the living ship and the walls of its berth. That was the turbulent water inside the wharf draining away through invisible channels. Its level slowly dropped, and the Night Garden lowered with it.

Sunny had expected some mechanism to catch and secure it in place. And there was indeed a mechanism... of sorts.

As he watched in wonder, the wooden interior of the colossal wharf blossomed with myriad flowers and leaves. Then, enormous branches stretched outward, gently catching the Night Garden and fusing with its hull.

Soon enough, the water was entirely gone, revealing the floor of the berth. The Night Garden was resting on it, supported by the colossal branches that prevented it from tilting to the side... like a tree that returned to the forest.

The branches, however, were not there simply for support.

As Sunny watched, his eyes widening a little, the powerful currents of soul essence he had observed before flowed through them into the living ship, nourishing it. There seemed to be some kind of sorcery at work, guiding them in fleeting patterns and dictating what effect they had on the weathered expanse of the Night Garden.

The wharf was not merely replenishing its reserves of essence. Under its nurturing influence, the scars marring the hull of the living ship began to close, and countless damaged parts hidden in its cavernous interior began to be mended.

Although Sunny could not perceive it, he was sure that the process of restoration and rejuvenation was happening to the mystical part of the Night Garden, too — the very sorcery that made it function.

So, in the end, he and his companions did not have to learn how to operate the wharf of the Eternal City, or what to do to repair the living ship. Just like the Night Garden, the wharf itself was a living thing — and so, it could mend the titanic vessel all by itself. The process would probably take quite a while to complete... but it was having an effect already.

Sunny let out a relieved sigh.

‘That’s one thing I don’t need to worry about anymore’

In fact, the restoration of the Night Garden alone was enough to make this expedition worth it. It was one of the few Great Citadels of humanity, after all, and one that offered the Human Domain a unique and vital advantage, not to mention serving as home for millions of people.

But, of course...

Sunny was not going to be satisfied with just that.

As the process of restoration began, his gaze left the vast expanse of the Night Garden and traveled to the far side of the wharf, where a bridge connecting it to the rest of the Eternal City was hidden.

Somewhere out there, the Dutchman was already leading its army of wraiths to conquer the sunken city. The mysterious third contender was on the move, as well. The lineage of Storm God waited to be claimed.

..The fragment of Weaver’s forbidden lineage did, as well.

And myriad treasures of the immortal abode on top of that.

Exhaling slowly, Sunny closed his eyes for a moment and smiled.

“Let’s conquer hell, then.”

He paused for a few seconds, then added in a less solemn tone: This update is available on novel fire.net

”Uh... one more hell, I mean.”