Shadow Slave

A long time ago, there was a child whom no one wanted. The child conquered a Nightmare and was split into seven fragments, each fragment encompassing a part of the original boy’s shattered heart. They were meant to wander the world together, perhaps, and never find themselves alone again. But instead, the fragment who knew no regret killed the others and reclaimed the parts of himself they contained.

However, he couldn’t kill the last one… because the last one contained their death. And now, he was asking that pitiful fragment to kill him, instead.

Hearing Mordret’s words, the other recoiled and looked at him with a terror-stricken expression.

He shook his head, as if the thought appalled him.

“N—no, no… I can’t…”

Mordret smiled.

“I know.’

He remained still for a moment, his face contorting, then leaned forward.

“I know you can’t. You are incapable of feeling all the emotions that I know so well — anger, resentment, contempt… oh, and hatred, of course. Despite everything I’ve done to you, you just can’t bring yourself to hate me.”

Mordret gritted his teeth, suppressing a groan.

“Ah, but… you love me, don’t you?”

He let out a bitter laugh.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? I don’t think anyone has ever loved me… except for the person I hate the most.”

Drawing a shaking breath, he moved closer to his terrified reflection and grabbed him, pulling him closer until they were face-to-face.

“So kill me out of love, brother. If you truly love me, kill me before I become a beast.”

Behind them, the cold expanse of the mirror was almost entirely swallowed by the darkness now. A net of cracks appeared on its surface, and then it shattered with a deafening ring.

The shards scattered on the obsidian floor, still reflecting a lightless expanse of a fallen god’s soul.

Mordret’s eyes were now full of darkness, as well. He let go of his other self, groaned, and then smiled pleasantly.

“Then… you will finally know what hatred feels like, too.”

His voice was cold and vicious.

As the other Mordret sat on the floor, frozen, Mordret took his hand and placed a shard of the mirror in it.

He sighed deeply.

“I’d like to say something profound in honor of this poignant moment… but, alas, nothing comes to mind.”

Mordret remained silent for a moment, then laughed.

“Perhaps there is no conclusion more fitting, though.”

He looked at his petrified other self, the smile slowly draining from his bloodied face. In the end, all that was left on it was a calm and emotionless coldness.

An absence of feelings so absolute that it was strangely sincere.

Mordret lingered for a few long moments, and then barked in a commanding tone:

“DO IT!”

The other Mordret’s hand moved.

***

Walking up the steps of the Ebony Tower, Asterion paused for a moment and looked down, in the direction of its basement. There, a storm of soul essence was gathering, and something brilliant was slowly forming in the darkness.

A new Supreme was being born.

A look of detached amusement appeared on Asterion’s face, and, looking away, he continued to ascend the endless stone steps.

All around him, the soldiers of the Hunger Domain felt the Ebony Tower quake, pieces of obsidian falling from the tall ceiling above. They gave each other uneasy looks and continued forward, ready to carry out their Sovereign’s commands.

***

On the third floor of the ancient tower, Cassie was drowning in the swarm of vicious crows. She was bleeding heavily and struggling to stand, her dagger having proved useless in the battle against Wake of Ruin — the oldest Saint of humanity.

She had already destroyed a dozen crows, but their number was only increasing as more and more poured through the broken windows, wisps of white mist trailing inside in their wake.

And she could feel it, too — a harrowing presence drawing closer and closer, making her blood run cold.

Asterion was coming to claim her, and there was not much time left.

“Enough!”

Cassie abandoned all pretense of being in control and unleashed herself upon the world, brushing away all the limitations and taboos she had set for herself.

She allowed her darker side to take over… And that suppressed side of her was much more vicious and cruel than her usual self. Lunging away from the wall that had protected her back, Cassie ignored the sharp pain of talons tearing into her flesh… she knew that a far more terrible pain was coming, after all.

Grabbing one of the crows from the air, she grasped its neck and brought it close to her face.

Cassie did not break the struggling bird’s neck in her fist, however…

Instead, she looked into its round onyx eyes and activated her own Transcendent Ability, diving into the vast sea of Saint Cor’s memories.

This time, she did not search for hidden knowledge or handle them with a scalpel, though.

Instead, she simply destroyed them.

She burned them all to ash, cleansing Wake of Ruin’s mind of all the countless years of a storied life that were contained there — eradicating the very notion of him, until all that was left in his place was an empty, charred husk.

The countless crow all opened their beaks, letting out a harrowing, ear-piercing shriek. Their flight turned chaotic and frenetic, many of them crashing into the walls and the ceiling of Nether’s workshop. The crow Cassie had caught fell into a trance at first, but then started to struggle desperately, straining to break free.

It was too late, though.

There was no escaping the abyss contained in Cassie’s eye.

Even as a terrible pain ignited in her empty eye socket, pulsing like an incandescent blade, Cassie kept at it — until the swarm of crows retreated and coalesced into a human figure, the gaunt man falling powerlessly to the floor.

Wake of Ruin… the man who had been Wake of Ruin once… tried to sit up and looked around with an empty gaze, no hint of thought or identity present in his bestial, pained, frightened eyes.

Blood flowing down her face, Cassie was already rushing toward him, the blade of her dagger glinting in the dim light.

However, before she could finish off the husk of Saint Cor…

A calm voice made her stumble, drowning her heart in despair.

“That is quite enough.”

Entering the ancient workshop, Asterion looked at her with a faint smile.

“This is no way to treat your elders, young lady. How about we have a talk instead?”