Shadow Slave

Cassie surfaced from the torrent of torturous memories.

Her consciousness reeled from the bleak terror of the scenes and sensations captured in them. Even though she did not seem to have a mouth, her tongue was burning with a bitter taste... the taste of defeat, betrayal, and hopelessness.

The Tower of Hope had fallen into the enemy’s hands, and the guiding star of mankind was absent. What kind of hope could there be?

‘Ah...’

She let out an anguished groan.

‘At least... at least Jet escaped...’

She had sent her to the Dream Gate before erasing the mark.

Cassie could see it all now — the grand, terrifying visage of the plague.

The Dreamspawn had been sealed on the Moon by the Sovereigns. They had slaughtered those who knew his name and erased all traces of him from the world, going so far as to hide themselves in the shadows to prevent people from remembering Asterion.

No... not all traces. Even with their vast power and uncontested authority, erasing the records of his existence completely would have been impossible. The network could be manipulated easily, but anything committed to paper would have to be found first. Even then, rewriting history too aggressively would have only served to shine a spotlight on the fact that something was being covered up.

And, therefore, make people curious to learn what it was.

So, they made information about Asterion as sparse as possible and continuously culled those who fell under his influence. That was how they managed to keep him sealed.

Of course, Asterion himself had not been in a hurry to return. He waited patiently, observing humanity from above as it slowly grew stronger — until it was powerful enough to satiate his hunger.

The Sovereigns were gone by then, and the young Supremes who had usurped their thrones were ignorant both of the extent of the threat Asterion represented and of how to keep him at bay... precisely because all knowledge about him had been erased by their predecessors.

So, he exerted his influence from the Moon, infecting a few people with a subconscious impulse to spread his name. That was how the plague started, and how his Domain — and therefore his power — began to grow. Eventually, Asterion returned from the Moon. He let his existence be known and endeavored to undermine the foundations of the Human Domain. The new Supremes could not stop him because he was holding all of humanity hostage...

And by holding it hostage, he ensured that the plague continued to spread until all of humanity fell under his spell.

Mundane people, Awakened, Ascended, and Saints — everyone was enthralled by the Dreamspawn. The Great Citadels of humanity fell into his hands. Effie and Kai were captured, while Jet was forced to escape beyond the boundary of the Human Domain.

The only obstacle remaining in Asterion’s path... was Mordret. The mad Supreme who aimed to consume the Hunger Domain before the Hunger Domain could consume everything.

And Cassie herself, who escaped the Hunger Domain to stand by Mordret’s side.

‘So where...’

Where were Nephis and Sunny? Why had they left? What could have forced them to abandon their people, their kingdom, and even their friends?

Cassie pulled back the tentacles of her Will and regarded the dark ocean of memories with intense focus.

Now, her gaze seemed to penetrate the fragmented memories, instantly sensing their nature. In front of her were the memories of her own short life, shared with the memories of experiencing the lives of the others. There were memories she had glimpsed in the minds of those who looked into her eyes, as well as memories of the future she had destroyed.

There were also memories of the past — a vast, traumatic expanse of them — that belonged to all kinds of people and creatures, spanning from the dawn of time to the present day. From the Age of Gods to the Age of the Nightmare Spell, these memories told numerous tales... the tales of those who had been forgotten.

Cassie did not know how she had come to possess them.

She did not want to know at the moment, either.

All she wanted was to find a single shard, a single memory — one that could explain to her why Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows were missing. Everything else would make sense if she found that one memory, which was like a key to unlock the meaning of everything that had happened and was happening to her still.

And there...

’‘I see...’

She found it.

A small, seemingly insignificant shard was glistening dimly among the myriad of them.

‘This is the key.’

Locking her gaze onto the tiny shard, Cassie shot the tentacles of her Will toward it like a vast tide.

Grasping it, she saw...

It happened soon after Asterion visited the Immortal Flame manor, and long before the plague had truly taken hold of humanity. Cassie was still in NQSC, even if she could not stay long — one of Sunny’s incarnations was hiding in her shadow, protecting her, so they had to leave soon.

Before that, however, Cassie wanted to visit the government archives, where the clues gathered in the ruins of the Clan Valor compound were being kept. There was little chance that she would find any hints about how to deal with Asterion there, but she still wanted to check.

Sadly, her search proved to be fruitless. In the end, she left the archives having learned nothing, a heavy feeling on her heart.

She felt like they were losing, and there was no hint of a solution in sight.

Disheartened, Cassie walked through the corridors of the government complex... until she stumbled on a familiar face.

An Awakened man was waiting for an appointment in a corridor. Cassie could not see his face, but recognized his scent. Hearing his breathing and heartbeat change, as well as the quiet rustle of his clothes as he changed posture, she determined that he was surprised and elated to see her.

“Lady Cassia, ma’am!”

She paused and turned to face him, seeing her own pale face and the blue blindfold covering her eyes through his own.

She lingered for a moment.

“Awakened Yutra. What a coincidence... it is nice to see you.”

Indeed, it was Yutra — her former subordinate and the first of Asterion’s thralls she had cured of the plague.

He seemed to have smiled.

”Oh, yes. You too!”

Yutra remained silent for a bit, then said awkwardly:

”It is really nice to see you, ma’am. After the facility closed... well, life has been a bit chaotic for me. Because of the missing memories, you know? But, still. I hope you know that I — all of us, actually — are proud to have been able to assist you. With, uh... whatever it was we were really doing there.”

Cassie couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you. I am proud to have received your assistance, as well.”

Embarrassed by her words, Yutra chucked. He remained silent for a short while, and then said suddenly:

“Actually... you probably don’t remember... but we’ve met once before — a long time ago, when you were only a Master. The famous Lady Cassia! For me, it was very memorable. So that was why, while working at the facility... well, I felt like fate brought me there. Uh. What I mean to say is...”

Cassie tilted her head, listening to him silently.

‘...We’ve met before?’

She had delved into Yutra’s memories many times, but never into his memories before the fall of the Sovereigns. There was simply no reason to, since he had only learned the name of Asterion later.

For him, meeting a member of Changing Star’s cohort had been a memorable experience. He was also under the impression that Cassie would not have remembered him, in turn...

But Yutra was wrong.

Cassie never forgot anything. Her memory had always been good, and as she climbed the Path of Ascension, it came to a point where she was incapable of forgetting a single thing.

‘Why don’t I remember meeting Yutra before the Chain of Nightmares?’

Her expression changed subtly.

“Awakened Yutra...”

He fell silent.

”Yes, ma’am?”

Raising an arm, Cassie pulled down her blindfold.

”Would you do me a favor? Can you please look me in the eye?”

He seemed startled.

”What? Oh... of course.”

Then, as the gaping wound in the place where her left eye had been revealed itself, Yutra gasped.

”Lady Cassia! Your... eye...”

His voice faltered, and then fell into silence. Bewitched by her gaze, Yutra grew still.

At the same time, unbearable pain pierced Cassie’s mind, and drops of blood trickled down her face.

Enduring the pain, she dove into Yutra’s memories.

Past the quarantine facility. Past Godgrave. Past the years that stretched toward the Chain of Nightmares. And past the Chain of Nightmares, as well...

Finally, she found it. The day the two of them had met.

In that memory, Yutra was standing in line at a cafe. Bored, he turned around and noticed a petite, stunningly beautiful young woman standing behind him.

He stared at her for a few moments, dazed, and then suddenly flinched.

His heart raced.

“Excuse me... aren’t you Lady Cassia? Song of the Fallen?”

The young woman smiled gracefully.

”Yes. Nice to meet you.”

Yutra’s mouth hung open.

It was Song of the Fallen! The famous Master and the idol of both women and men. There were movies filmed about her life!

The actress who played Lady Cassia was exceptionally lovely, but she could not even compare to the real thing.

Were all Masters so... so...

‘My wife won’t believe me!’

He tried to pretend to be composed.

‘Behave yourself, you fool!’

”Wow! It’s an honor to meet you, Master Cassia. I can’t believe that I just ran into a celebrity. My wife won’t believe me.”

Yutra coughed.

“Oh, my name is Yutra. Awakened Yutra. Actually, my wife and I went to see your movie on one of our first real dates...”

Lady Cassia chuckled.

Her quiet laughter was incredibly pleasant to the ear.

“Well, I’m glad to know that it worked out for you.”

Her voice was, too.

Lady Cassia exhaled slowly, and her expression seemed to change subtly. Yutra was too mesmerized to notice.

”Actually, I’ve been thinking...”

He held his breath.

”Yes?”

She lingered for a moment, and then said:

”How does one defeat an idea that spreads like a plague?”

Yutra blinked a couple of times.

‘Huh?’

What had she said?

”Oh... is it like a puzzle? I don’t know. What’s the answer?”

Facing him, Lady Cassia smiled faintly. When she spoke, her clear voice was like an enchanting melody:

”...The answer is oblivion.”