Shadow Slave

While the three strongholds of the Shadow Legion were besieged by the flood of grotesque flesh, the Night Garden continued sailing toward the distant Lighthouse. Sunny had already begun arming his shades, but it was going to take some time to exhaust the pools of liquid metal and equip as many of them as he could.

He moved the shades that had already received shiny new coats of enchanted armor to the frontline, though, so the rate at which the Shadow Legion was suffering casualties was already reducing.

”It’s amazing, really.”

At the moment, Sunny and Jet were with the Saints of Night on the bridge of the living ship. He was showing them one of the weapons from the arsenal of the Hippodrome.

”I knew that there would be something of value in the Eternal City, but I might have underestimated just how much of a treasure trove this place is. It was inhabited by truly powerful beings, after all — and unlike most other places in the Dream Realm, everything here had been perfectly preserved. The Hippodrome alone can increase the overall strength of humanity by a noticeable margin.”

Bloodwave nodded somberly, then said in his low voice:

”A thousand sets of Transcendent armor... all of House of Night only possessed a tenth of that. Not to mention Supreme relics.”

There were more powerful Memories out there now that the number of Saints had increased, but it was still an incredible discovery. Even if the artifacts found in the Eternal City were not Memories, and were therefore more cumbersome to use, they were a precious commodity.

Not only because of their power, but also because of the fact that they were enchanted — and the fact that these enchantments had come from a previously unknown tradition. Just like Ananke’s Mantle had helped Sunny develop his weaving, the runic enchantments of these ancient relics could help human enchanters learn more about sorcery, and therefore push their craft further.

Jet whistled, then asked:

”Where else do you think we’ll be able to find something valuable?”

’The Hippodrome was an unexpected find, but there were bound to be other similar places in the Eternal City.

Naeve contemplated for a while, then said tentatively:

”Stores? There had to be stores selling enchanted items. Even immortals would have enjoyed luxury... it would be even better to find workshops where the items were crafted.”

At that moment, the usually quiet Aether suddenly spoke:

”Museums.”

He glanced at Sunny and Jet, then added quietly:

”People who lived in this city were made immortal, but they had all come from somewhere. The wealth of history they had witnessed must have been. immeasurable, and they would have brought mementos of that history here. Since they lived lives of opulence and luxury, knowing no need, they would have enjoyed culture more than commerce.”

He smiled.

”Who knows what we will find in their museums? Relic of the Age of Gods, mythical weapons that decided the fate of entire realms... that is what one imagines when thinking about an immortal abode.”

Sunny blinked a couple of times.

’Museums, huh?!’

Aether’s suggestion was quite plausible, not to mention enticing.

Just then, an especially powerful nightmare creature clashed with Slayer, and Sunny got distracted for a while. When the nightmarish horror was finally subdued, he shivered.

’The more time Sunny spent in the Eternal City, the more a particular question gnawed at him.

Glancing at the Saints of Night, he exhaled slowly, and then asked:

”Now that I’ve enjoyed the sights of this lovely city, I wanted to ask. How... the hell did Nightwalker escape from here as a Sleeper?”

Naeve and Aether, in turn, looked at Bloodwave - the oldest of them, as well as the person who seemed to have known the legendary founder of the House of Night personally.

Bloodwave remained silent for a while, then sighed.

”That is Nightwalker you are talking about, the first of the Night Guides. That bastard could find any path and go anywhere he wanted, and nothing could stop him, let alone bar his way.”

It sounded like Nightwalker had possessed an Aspect that had to do with getting places.

...It also sounded like Bloodwave had not been very fond of the mysterious founder of their clan, for some reason. Aether wore a neutral expression, while Naeve’s emotions could not be read.

Sunny sighed.

”Well, I’m in no position to judge. Did you know? I once killed a Great Devil as a Sleeper...”

’They chuckled politely, prompting his expression to fall.

’Ah. It is just not the same without Kai...’

Soon enough, he winced and raised a hand to shield his eyes.

The closer they got to the Lighthouse, the brighter their surroundings became. Most of the Eternal City was shrouded in nebulous darkness, with areas bathed in stark silver light — it was a city of endless night, alien to the concept of sunshine.

As they approached the lighthouse, however, it was simple to mistake the deep darkness of the undersea for daylight, and Sunny suspected that it would become even brighter as they got closer still.

The Lighthouse, just like the Wharf, was isolated from the rest of the city, standing some distance away from the nearest island. It was a magnificent tower that loomed above the landscape, almost reaching the sloping edge of the invisible dome. Brilliant light spilled from it, suffusing the clouds of vapor surrounding its base with blinding, soft radiance.

Sunny had felt nothing when nearing the Wharf, but the sight of the Lighthouse filled him with awe and dread in equal proportions.

He hesitated.

”I am not sure that we should take the Night Garden close to the tower.”

Jet gave him a brief look and nodded.

”There is no dock, anyway. We will stop at a safe distance away.”

Naeve seemed to agree, as well.

”How will we get to ground, though?”

That was indeed a good question.

Sunny looked at the turbulent expanse of glistening water and winced.

”I guess we’re going for a swim...’