Shadow Slave

They walked back in silence. Sunny could simply whisk Rain away through the shadows, but she was not ready to return to the embrace of civilization just yet, so instead, they traveled through the ashen expanse of the hollowed out Hollows on foot.

It felt nice and nostalgic, reminding her of the long hikes back to Ravenheart they had often taken after her hunts. The pleasant sense of fatigue, the warm feeling of sharing her teacher’s company, the pride and satisfaction of having slain a Nightmare Creature with her own mundane hands... Times had been so much simpler back then. Eventually, her brother stopped near the scorched remains of an ancient asura and gave it alittle kick. I

”Hmm. These ones are different from the asuras of Condemnation. I wonder what they were called” *

He sighed.

”Sometimes [ miss being infected by the Spell. Its whispers were quite convenient at times, for things like finding out what this city had been called or what kind of deity had ruled it once before becoming swallowed by Corruption” *

Rain lingered for a moment.

”Asuras of Desolation. Tamar had investigated everything connected to the Seed quite thoroughly, so she learned how these abominations were called from a Saint who had slain one during the war. In fact, she tracked down everyone who had slain Nightmare Creatures in these ruins and convinced them to share their knowledge with her!

She looked at her brother intently.

”Things like the details of local abominations, Memory descriptions, scouting reports from both armies... and so on. But you already knew that, considering that you had helped her with the investigation — to increase her chances of becoming a Master”

Sunny smiled.

”Well. She is a subject of my Domain, after all”

Rain studied him for a few moments, then sighed and looked away.

”I’wonder when I’ll become a Master, as well”

Her voice was full of wistfulness.

Sunny hesitated for a short while, then raised an eyebrow.

*I’see that arrogance runs in our blood.” * Shaking his head, he turned away from the fallen Asura of Desolation and continued walking.

”Tunderstand how you feel. It must be a bitter pill to swallow, being left behind by your friends. However, you mustn’t be impatient. It has not even been two years since you Awakened and unsealed your Aspect. People used to spend a decade preparing to challenge the Second Nightmare... things move a bit faster these days, but two years is still far too fast” * He glanced at her.

”And that’s for the carriers of the

”Well. She is a subject of my Domain, after all”

Rain studied him for a few moments, then sighed and looked away.

”I’wonder when I’ll become a Master, as well”

Her voice was full of wistfulness.

Sunny hesitated for a short while, then raised an eyebrow.

*I’see that arrogance runs in our blood.” * Shaking his head, he turned away from the fallen Asura of Desolation and continued walking.

”Tunderstand how you feel. It must be a bitter pill to swallow, being left behind by your friends. However, you mustn’t be impatient. It has not even been two years since you Awakened and unsealed your Aspect. People used to spend a decade preparing to challenge the Second Nightmare... things move a bit faster these days, but two years is still far too fast” * He glanced at her.

”And that’s for the carriers of the Nightmare Spell, who already walk the Path of Ascension at an astonishing speed due to its cruel gifts. You are doing things properly, unlike them. So, it is only natural that things are going to take longer for you!” Rain smiled bitterly.

She followed him in silence for a while, then said:

”You say that I must be patient, but at the same time, you pushed Tamar to enter the Seed earlier than she had planned.”

Sunny shrugged.

”I’wouldn’t have if I thought that she was not ready”

Rain glanced at his back and frowned slightly.

She hesitated a little before speaking again. ”But that is not everything there is to it, is it? You hide it well, but [ can tell... you are worried.”

Sunny gave her an inscrutable look.

Eventually, he averted his eyes.

”Yes, there’s more to it. I might have been inclined to believe that it would be good for your friends to be away for a while! I Rain’s frown deepened.

”So you are worried, after all.”

She remained silent for a while, then said in asomber tone:

”I’am not sure that [ want to know what can make a Supreme nervous”

Sunny grinned.

*Oh, a great number of things. But I am already worried enough for the both of us, so you don’t have to feel worried as well” Rain looked at him cautiously.

*Or you can share your worries and see if doing that would alleviate some of them.” He chuckled.

Sunny continued to walk across the ash in silence for a while, then said:

”It’s just a new enemy. Well, rather, an old enemy — the newest old enemy I’ve had. That enemy is a tricky one, too... he’s unlike anyone I’ve faced. He is hidden in the shadows, while we are out in the open. Quite ironic, isn’t it? He also doesn’t have anything to lose, while we stand to lose everything. All of it makes me uncomfortable.”

He winced, and then added in a low tone: ”We recently encountered an enemy that we couldn’t kill. And now, we are up against an enemy that we cannot even fight. How can one win a war if the enemy refuses to engage in battle?”

Rain scrunched up her face, trying to discern what he was talking about.

Her brother was a demigod, so it was not always easy to understand his point of view. Demigods had different problems from mortals like her, after all.

”So, it’s like... guerilla warfare?”

Sunny smiled.

”Come to think of it, yes. It’s somewhat like that! Rain fell into a thoughtful silence.

After a while, she said:

”From what I remember from school, the best way to counter guerrilla warfare is to destroy the enemy’s source of power — which is usually founded in the support of the local population. Once you get the population on your side, the enemy won’t be able to replenish their numbers, move freely, or hide among the people. Then, you can eradicate the insurgents through a series of targeted offensive operations. Something like that® I

Sunny stared at her in bafflement.

”Just what are they teaching you in schools? Why would they teach kids how to counter guerrilla warfare and suppress insurgencies?” I

Rain blinked a couple of times.

”What else would they teach us? All kinds of situations are possible in the First Nightmare. So, children are taught how to handle various types of conflict effectively — well, at least we were in my school. Granted, it was quite an elite establishment.

Sunny kept staring at her for a bit more, then looked away and shook his head. ”Actually, what you just said made me worry even more.”

He paused for a moment.

”Because it sounds suspiciously like what that bastard is trying to do to us!” Rain scoffed.

’Who is he talking about?

The public was buzzing with rumors about the evil deeds of the King of Nothing, but Rain knew that he couldn’t be the enemy Sunny had mentioned. After all, she was a member of the Shadow Clan, too. So, she knew who was behind the seemingly endless string of clandestine arrests — or, simply put, kidnappings.

Come to think of it, she had been meaning to ask her brother about what was up with that.

Surely, there had to be a good reason.

Rain had almost asked the question when her brother suddenly froze. He remained motionless for a short while, and even though Rain could only see his back, she could tell that his entire demeanor had changed abruptly.

None of his usual carefree attitude remained, replaced instead by tension and sharp focus... and a hint of anxiety, as well. > Rain could not help but tense up, too. ”What is it?”

Sunny turned to her slowly, his face a few shades paler than usual. His eyes were cold and dark.

”It’s Cassie.”

Even his voice sounded like it was brimming with cold darkness, and a chilling wind suddenly blew across the Hollows, making Rain shudder.

The presence of the Sovereign of Death spread like a frigid tide, drowning the ashen expanse around them. ©

Sunny added in an even tone:

”I just received a message from her. I think... it was a call for help? =