Shadow Slave

Drowning in the shadow of the Ebony Tower, pouring her essence into the runic array meant to protect it from the great army of humanity, Cassie — the witch who had betrayed her kind to help the wicked butcher, Mordret of Nowhere — inhaled deeply and then called upon her Aspect. She was resorting to something that she had forbidden herself from doing in the wake of Asterion’s resounding victory over the Longing Domain. She was reaching into the hearts of those witnessed by her Dormant Ability and leaving her mark on them.

Blind and maimed, she was opening myriad eyes to look upon the final battle of the bitter war from countless perspectives.

It used to be that Cassie could only mark those with whom she had shared physical contact. But she had been learning how to use her Aspect better, as well. She had been reaching new levels of mastery over her powers, slowly perfecting her craft.

And now, she could finally see.

Of course, she was also making herself vulnerable to Asterion and his wicked authority. But now that everyone had already become enthralled by the monstrous Supreme, it did not matter that much — especially because the battle was going to be long over by the time her mind could become irrevocably infected by his insidious power.

And so, Cassie saw.

She witnessed.

A great swarm of Echoes and winged abominations rose from the islands surrounding the Ebony Tower, rushing across the chasm like a vast cloud of darkness. Their advance seemed unstoppable, and yet, Mordret did not look bothered. He watched them fly across the lilac sky silently, his mirror-like eyes reflecting the approaching calamity with a hint of disinterest.

If a swarm like that had been summoned to defend Antarctica, the Chain of Nightmares would have been drowned in the blood of Nightmare Creatures. If it had been summoned in America, humanity would not have lost the western hemisphere of its own home planet. Just a small fraction of the swarm would have washed over the Forgotten Shore, saving all the Sleepers of the Dark City…

But today, it was merely an opening act of a far more terrifying battle.

It was a diversion meant to shield the true attack.

By the time the aerial combatants of the Hunger Domain reached halfway to the Ebony Island, Mordret finally responded. His vessels moved, rending the sky apart with a world-ending barrage of ranged attacks. Those of them who had been human once took aim, calling upon their Aspects and activating a sea of enchantments woven into their Memories. Most of them had been Nightmare Creatures, though, so the attacks they unleashed were eerie and hideous. On one side of the Ebony Island, a long black arm extended from the towering hill of dark hair. An eerily human-like hand grasped a giant slab of obsidian and squeezed it, sending cracks running through the surface of the indestructible stone. Then, the creature rose to its feet, revealing its gargantuan, monstrous visage.

The ape-like abomination hurled the enormous boulder into the approaching storm, raising a hurricane and causing a deafening sonic boom to roar as it shook the sky.

On the other side of the island, an abominable vessel that looked like a giant tick rose its swollen belly to the sky, myriad shapes moving under the grey skin in a ghastly pattern. Then, tens of thousands of bleeding holes opened on its surface, and something shot from it at tremendous speed, filling the air with a chilling buzzing.

Those were millions of hideous wasps leaving their nest and flashing across the sky like sentient bullets. Their wings were razor-sharp, and their mandibles were covered in deadly venom. They shredded everything that appeared in their path, and soon, the sky was washed by blood, a storm of ethereal sparks swirling in the hurricane winds.

As blood and light filled the Sky Above like a terrifying storm, the blood that was being spilled in the Sky Below remained unseen. There, a different kind of wasp had clashed with the hidden forces approaching the Ebony Island under the cover of darkness. These were enormous and utterly lethal, their translucent bodies almost invisible in the lightless void that rested under the Chained Isles.

There were countless other vessels of the King of Nowhere eradicating the great swarm, as well. Many of them were winged themselves, rising into the sky to meet the enemy. And above it all, below it all, beneath it all… his Will was clashing against the Will of the Dreamspawn, sending ripples through the fabric of existence.

Cassie drew a shaky breath, controlling the defensive array to do what little she could in this cataclysmic battle of two inhuman giants.

As the great swarm of Echoes and enthralled abominations rushed toward the Ebony Island, distracting its defenders, the true assault began.

Far away, across the vast chasm of the Tear, the armies of humanity moved forward. As they did, stepping on the desolate soil of the nearest islands, clouds of scarlet spores escaped from beneath it, spreading swiftly in the wind.

Harrowing screams filled the air, and Cassie could not help but shudder when she felt one of her marks dying in unbearable agony. Soldiers fell to the ground, convulsing, blood spilling from their mouths, their noses, their eyes…

But the army of the Hunger Domain was simply too vast and too powerful to be deterred, while the hearts and minds of its soldiers were too consumed by Asterion for fear or reluctance to take hold. Controlled by him, the soldiers simply stepped over the dead, ignoring the pleas of their companions and comrades, to continue the unstoppable advance.

Asterion’s army split into seven legions, each flowing onto one of the celestial chains to cross the dark void of the Sky Below and conquer the Ebony Island.

Mordret finally showed a reaction.

Looking at the seven colossal chains, he inhaled deeply and then glanced at Cassie with interest.

“What do you think will happen if I sever the chains?”

She remained silent for a few moments, then said in an even tone:

“I suppose they will all fall down.”

They would fall endlessly into the darkness, until their lifeless corpses were finally swallowed by the divine flames — except for those who would plummet through the rift. Those unfortunate souls would probably continue falling for all eternity, since no one had ever been able to discover the bottom of the Sky Below.

Cassie pursed her lips slightly.

“The Dreamspawn will send winged thralls to rescue Saints and Masters — those who do not possess Memories that can help them fly out of the darkness, at least. But the Awakened soldiers will die.”

She turned her head slightly, facing Mordret.

“Still, it will decrease the pressure on you. And it is not like the Ebony Island will fall — after all, it is holding up the Chained Isles in the skies, not the other way around. So why haven’t you severed the chains yet?”

Mordret studied her for a moment, then smiled and glanced away.

“So heartless.”

With that, he sent his Reflections forth. They dashed toward the great celestial chains, and the monstrous vessels of the King of Nothing followed, assembling into seven ghastly columns.

In the deafening roar of the heavenly battle, under a blood rain, they poured onto the chains like loathsome rivers, hurrying forward to meet the armies of humanity. The great chains swayed and groaned loudly, their rattling sounding like the death wails of the world.

A dreadful battle above, a terrifying battle below…

The forces of the King of Nothing clashed with the legions of the Dreamspawn between two skies, causing a ghastly clamor to drown out the groans of the great heavenly chains.