Shadow Slave

Sunny remained silent for a long while, studying Nightwalker with a distant expression. Eventually, he asked:

”A prison?”

The youth nodded, his silver eyes glistening with nebulous light.

”Indeed. Maybe she looked at what Shadow God had done to Kanakht and was inspired... maybe the idea simply came from her own devious head. In any case, the immortality this hell grants its victims comes at a price. And that price is having to stay here forever.”

Sunny frowned subtly.

Nightwalker knew that those who were made immortal by the Eternal City could never leave their beautiful cage for as long as the Eternal City existed. However, his guess at what had motivated the Demon of Repose to build it seemed to be based mostly on his own perception of what this place was.

In truth, Sunny suspected that the real reason was not that unambiguous.

None of them knew what motivated the mysterious daemon, but he did know a few things about her kind. For example, he knew that all other daemons had wrestled with the unconditional taboo placed upon them by the gods and the loneliness that resulted from adhering to that prohibition.

So, had the Demon of Repose truly wanted to torment the prisoners of the Eternal City forever? Or had she simply been unwilling to part with those who won her favor? The answer to that question was now lost, erased by the currents of time.

Even if she had intended to build a paradise for those who were weary, she would have had to find a way to avoid their gratitude.

Because if she had not, the Eternal City would have been destroyed, just like the Kingdom of Hope had been destroyed.

Maybe that was why the Demon of Repose had wandered the world on her living ship instead of residing in the paradise of her creation. Maybe being unwilling to part with those who settled in the Eternal City and tormenting them eternally were not two conflicting possibilities, but cause and effect instead.

Maybe she had indeed been a twisted, demented psychopath. There was a reason why the daemons had been feared so much, after all.

In any case, as much as the secrets of the Eternal City tantalized Sunny, satisfying his curiosity was not his main concern.

His main concern was benefiting from the expedition to the Eternal City as much as possible.

They had already initiated the restoration of the Night Garden and reached the Lighthouse — at the very least, the Saints of Night would be able to use the Memory Nightwalker had used all those years ago and capture some of the starlight trapped within, thus ensuring the continuation of their bloodline. Sunny still had to find the fragment of Weaver’s lineage...

But now, he had a new goal as well.

He looked at Nightwalker.

”’So you can’t leave the Eternal City for as long as it exists?”

Nightwalker nodded.

”Yes.”

Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then said in a neutral tone:

”Let’s destroy the Eternal City, then.”

Nightwalker laughed.

Naeve and Bloodwave looked at Sunny, and even Jet smiled.

However, his expression remained the same.

”Ah, that’s a good one.”

Nightwalker shook his head and looked at Sunny with a wry smile.

”At least you have a sense of humor. From everything you guys told me about Supremes,

I expected them all to be exceedingly serious.”

Sunny glanced around the room in confusion.

”1am not joking, though?”

Naeve and Bloodwave seemed taken aback. Nightwalker’s smile faltered for a moment - he stared at Sunny with a strange expression, then said in a dubious tone:

”So, you uh... want to destroy the Eternal City? Ah, I see.”

Sunny shrugged.

”We had several main goals to achieve here. Repair the Night Garden, gain access to Storm God’s lineage, find a certain thing that I am personally interested in, and maybe get our hands on some valuables. Of course, he hoped to conquer the Eternal City and make it a part of the Human Domain, if possible... but that does not seem very plausible anymore. It seems less beneficial than making you a part of the Human Domain, at least.”

He looked at Nightwalker with a wistful expression.

”Talent is the most precious resource in the world, after all. And we desperately lack resources for what is about to come. So, yes... if it means adding one more special strategic asset to the forces of humanity, I am willing to tum this entire place to ruin.”

Nightwalker studied him silently for a moment.

”It’s called the Eternal City for a reason, though. Are you not familiar with the concept of eternity?”

Sunny grinned.

”I am painfully familiar with such concepts, actually. I once fought an infinite rat... another time, I fought an endless worm. Both are dead now, by the way. I bet there is a way to destroy this prison city, as well — I have yet to finda prison that I could not escape.”

He hesitated for a moment, then added:

”What makes this city eternal is the divine sorcery of the Demon of Repose. I am an accomplished sorcerer myself, so I know better than most that any kind of sorcery can be destroyed... as long as you know how it functions. There has to be some kind of mechanism that allows the Eternal City to continue existing even in the absence of its creator, so if we reveal that mechanism, breaking it should solve the problem.”

A slight frown creased his brow.

”Of course, we will have to deal with the Dutchman first. We will also have to destroy the Flesh of Kanakht to prevent it from escaping into the Dream Realm. And make sure that we don’t drown if the dome protecting this sunken city comes down.”

Nightwalker gave him a deadpan stare.

”That’s all?”

Sunny shook his head.

”Well, I will have to accomplish my personal goal before we venture to end eternity. But

if we do... how about it, old man? Care to pick up your sword again?”

He paused for a moment and added awkwardly:

”Or whatever your preferred weapon is, I mean.”

The beautiful youth remained silent for a while, and then smiled faintly.

”Sure. Why not? If you destroy the Eternal City, I’ll pick up whatever you want.” His tone suggested that he was not taking Sunny’s suggestion seriously. However, Sunny was dead serious... he was both dead and serious, in fact, which added all his promises grave weight.