Shadow Slave

The beauty and tranquility of the blooming wharf were in stark contrast with the horrid carnage of the battle taking place on the other side of the island — especially for Sunny, whose consciousness was split between both. Walking to the inner edge of the wall with determined steps, he jumped off, plummeted about a hundred meters, and landed softly on the bow of the Night Garden. Naeve was standing guard there, listening to the distant clamor of the devastating battle with a grim expression. Sunny’s arrival seemed to alleviate some of his worry, and when Jet joined them, most of his tension disappeared. Glancing at the walls of the wharf, Naeve exhaled slowly.

”What the hell is happening there?”

Sunny gave him a brief look.

”A dead army is battling an immortal army. It’s quite hideous.”

With that, he looked around and asked:

”A better question is what’s happening here. This wharf was supposed to repair the Night Garden - how is that going?”

Naeve hesitated for a moment.

”Aether would be able to answer better, since he is in the runic hall, but in short- Nightwalker was right. The Night Garden is indeed being mended, although we are not quite sure what it means just yet.”

Sunny had already been reasonably confident of that fact, but it was good to receive a confirmation.

As Jet studied her ship with curiosity, he asked:

”So... how long do you think it will take?”

Naeve raised an eyebrow.

”Probably quite some time. Days... maybe weeks. Why?” Sunny grimaced.

”Because we were hoping to take the Night Garden on a small voyage. The situation in the city is difficult, so having it at our disposal would be of great help.”

It was truly a blessing that the living ship was safe from the horrid abominations populating the Eternal City, already. If not for Daeron and his runic array... Sunny shuddered to imagine what would have happened once they drew close to the sunken ruin.

There was a good reason why the Serpent King had not only built a barrier around the city, but also left a warning to anyone wishing to explore it.

Jet smiled.

”By difficult, he means that there’s a myriad of abominable immortals, the Dutchman and its army of wraiths, and also something else entirely, which might be even more dreadful. The Lord of Shadows has unleashed his legion, and there are three battles between Great and Supreme beings happening at the same time. Oh, and that is just the beginning of the end of this expedition.” She sighed.

”We want to take the Night Garden directly to the Lighthouse, though, where the lineage of the Storm God is hidden. So, can it sail? And more importantly, should we interrupt the mending process?”

Naeve studied them both silently for a short while, then nodded.

”Tt can sail, and it doesn’t matter whether we do or not.”

It was Sunny’s tum to be surprised.

”It doesn’t matter?”

Naeve nodded calmly.

”You must keep in mind that the Night Garden is not a mundane ship. It is not merely an enchanted ship, either—instead, it is a living ship. So, the reality of how it is being repaired is different from how we would usually imagine it.” He pointed at the deck beneath their feet.

”The wharf is not literally repairing its broken parts, like one would a mundane vessel. Rather, it is as if... the wharf infused the Night Garden with a great torrent of vitality. That vitality, in turn, fueled the ability of the Night Garden to mend itself — much like a living being would heal naturally. So although we say that it is being repaired, in truth it is more like it’s healing.”

He shrugged.

”So it doesn’t matter that much if we stay docked or not. The process has already been initiated, so it will continue even if the Night Garden leaves the wharf.”

Sunny looked at him for a while, then looked at Jet.

Then, he smiled.

”That’s what I want to hear!”

The process of healing would probably reach its conclusion faster if the Night Garden remained in the blossoming berth, but it could continue unseen even if the living ship dove back into the crushing darkness of the Stormsea.

This was truly great news - not only because it allowed Sunny to use the living ship in the battle for the Eternal City, but also because it gave them an opportunity to retreat without worry. Even if other goals of the expedition ended up not being achieved, the Night Garden would benefit.

So, Sunny did not have to feel too worried anymore.

”Let us cast off, then.”

He looked at them with a smile, hesitated for a moment, and then added in a nonchalant tone:

”How do we do that, by the way?”

As it turned out, leaving the berth was just as easy as entering it.

The Night Garden was currently connected to the wharf by the branches that supported its weight. Its hull and the berth had become a single whole, and therefore, the sorcery of the living ship expanded to contain the sorcery empowering the titanic wharf, as well.

So, the person controlling the Night Garden could control the wharf, too. Granted, there was no instruction manual on how to do it — nevertheless, Aether had been able to learn how to activate the simplest functions after a short period of experimentation.

Soon enough, Sunny heard the sound of rushing water, and saw great waterfalls spilling into the vast reservoir of the berth. The water level rose slowly, and as it did, the wharf slowly retracted its branches one by one, separating itself from the living ship.

Finally, the great gates of the colossal wharf opened, and the dark expanse of water revealed itself once more.

The Night Garden slowly glided out of the birth and reached the edges of the dome protecting the Eternal City.

Then, turning its bow, it took course toward the Lighthouse.