Shadow Slave

Both Sunny and Nephis knew what awaited them in the near future — the dire and unknown peril of the Fifth Nightmare.

If all went well, they were going to enter it after six new Sovereigns ascended, leaving the duty of protecting the world in their hands until the Nightmare was conquered. If the worst came to pass, and their friends perished while attempting to rise to the throne of Supremacy…

They would still have no choice but to challenge the Fifth Nightmare. Only, this time, there would be far fewer champions left to defend humanity, and Sunny and Nephis would only be able to pray for something to remain by the time they returned.

The Fifth Nightmare was inevitable, but it made both of them feel wary.

It was a trial that no human had conquered before, and therefore, information about it was scarce. All the knowledge about it they possessed came primarily from two sources — some came from Eurys, while some came from the Dreamspawn himself.

According to what they had learned, the Fifth Nightmare was fundamentally different from all the rest, meant to bridge a far wider gap than those that existed between other Ranks. There were supposedly two elements to it — one personal, resembling the First Nightmare, and one meant to be conquered together.

More than that, their own Domains and powers would apparently become a detriment in the Fifth Nightmare, somehow. That meant that the very thing that allowed them to resist the apocalypse would be turned against them in the Nightmare.

And then there was the most worrisome detail — the fact that they would have to shed their humanity before becoming deities. That their very consciousness and sense of self would have to irrevocably and fundamentally change.

Needless to say, all of that made it seem like the Fifth Nightmare was an immensely difficult and perilous obstacle to overcome. So, they needed to prepare for it as thoroughly as they could. They needed all the strength they could muster and all the advantages they could collect.

That was why, even while the world was ending, Sunny and Nephis were willing to abandon their posts for a while and venture into the darkness of the Underworld — to make sure that Sunny possessed the full Lineage of the Demon of Fate before they had to challenge the Nightmare.

For Sunny, it was not too troublesome. He possessed seven incarnations, after all, so he did not have to withdraw from the fight against the apocalypse completely. All he had to do was decide how many incarnations he was going to send into the Underworld.

Neph’s situation was quite different, though. She was not only one of the most powerful combatants humanity possessed, but also a living symbol of hope for all humans — the face and fire of the Human Domain. She always led the warriors of humanity from the frontline, her personal example and brilliant radiance inspiring them, so she could not simply vanish.

Her temporary absence had to be explained and accounted for, and for that reason, they had to spend some time laying the groundwork for the eventual departure.

In the end, though, everything was ready.

It was announced that Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan would personally lead an expedition into a previously unexplored Death Zone, searching for a source of mystical materials needed to empower humanity. That was not even a lie — the Underworld was indeed a potential source of incredibly valuable resources.

All this time, the efforts to bring back the powerful asuras of Mictlan had continued. However, asuras could not be built from just any stone — among various materials required to construct them, stone was the most important. The source people of Mictlan had used was long gone, but the stone of the Underworld, steeped for eons in true darkness, was a good substitution. In fact, it could very well prove to be a superior medium. The Stone Saints had been built from that stone, after all.

So, scouting the possibility of establishing a quarry in the depths of the Underworld was an additional goal Sunny and Nephis pursued.

Ananke stepped up her efforts to defend the Stormsea. In the east, Cassie was prepared to enter the battlefield personally. After some negotiations, Mordred had agreed to lend his strength to the defenders of the west.

With Sunny’s Shadows, Mordret’s Reflection, and the power wielded by the newly Transcendent Fire Keepers, humanity could endure for some time, even in the absence of its two guardian demigods.

And so, on a sunny day at the peak of spring, they left.

There were several paths they could take to enter the Underworld, most of them hidden on the Forgotten Shore. However, the Forgotten Shore was currently a warzone, enduring a full-scale invasion of the Barrow Wraiths — and more than that, there was an easier way.

So, Sunny and Nephis made their way to the northern edge of the Chained Isles, where the Night Temple island had once connected them to the Hollow Mountains via a colossal anchor chain.

The Night Temple was long gone, but the chain itself still existed — in fact, it had been pulled from the depths of the Sky Below and extended, now firmly attached to the new northernmost island.

Sunny and Nephis stood at the southern end of the great chain, looking at the jagged black peaks that towered above them, obscuring the world.

An endless mass of white mist swirled as it flowed slowly, spilling into the Sky Below.

‘This certainly brings back memories.’

Sunny lowered his gaze and looked at the distant spot where the anchor chain was connected to the roots of the Hollow Mountains.

There, a lone figure waited for them, surrounded by mist…

It was their guide.

Grimacing, Sunny stepped on the chain and walked forward, reminiscing about the time he had spent on the Chained Isles, gliding across the heavenly chains to explore and map the floating islands. It seemed so far away, like a distant dream — a dream he had dreamt once, but was still unable to forget.

The Chain Isles had changed drastically since then. The world had changed, too… and Sunny himself had changed as well. Even Mordret, whom he had met here for the first time, was not the same.

Looking at the familiar face, void of its usual pleasant smile, almost made Sunny feel wistful.

As Sunny and Nephis approached, Mordret looked at them with an aloof expression and nodded somberly.

“You’ve come.”

His voice did not carry any particular emotion.

Sunny hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

“Indeed. Now… which mountain are we climbing?”