Shadow Slave

Cassie opened her one remaining eye... however, Sunny knew that she could not see anything, still.

For a brief moment, her pale face twisted in an expression of pain and fear. It was only after she activated her Awakened Ability that it relaxed a little, betraying her disoriented state.

”Cassie.”

Nephis called her name quietly, holding one of her hands.

”You are in the Ivory Tower. You are safe... have you shut down your mental network during the attack? You can activate your marks again now.”

Sunny walked closer, lowering himself to the floor near the bed.

”It’s just you, me, Nephis, Effie, Kai, and Jet here. How do you feel?”

Cassie remained motionless for a few long moments, then drew a deep breath and sat up, using Nephis for support.

Her voice sounded weak.

”My... mom?”

He hesitated a little.

”She is safe, too. But she... seemed out of sorts. So, one of my incarnations brought her to the quarantine facility — she is still under observation there.”

Jet added from behind him:

”l’ve also sent someone to recover your father. He is in protective custody now”

Cassie nodded slowly.

Then, her hand hesitantly reached toward her face, where a gaping wound had replaced the gorgeous blue ocean of her left eye.

Her fingers hovered just above the wound, trembling slightly.

Nephis gritted her teeth.

”I haven’t been able to heal it yet. We’ll... find a way, soon. Don’t worry.”

Cassie did not respond. She remained silent for a while, then lowered her hand, exploring the changed geography of her face with a gentle touch.

Eventually, she asked in a hoarse voice: ”What happened? Tell me everything... no. That will take too long”

She turned to Sunny, a silent question written in the subtle shadows on her face. He nodded simply, giving her permission. ”Go ahead.”

Cassie’s remaining eye drew him like a boundless abyss, and as she activated her Transcendent Ability, Sunny felt something pouring over his memories. He saw flashes of past events before settling on what had happened after he received Cassie’s call for help.

Before he could fully relive the memory, though, Cassie suddenly let out a piercing scream and fell back to the bed, clutching at the left side of her face.

Crimson blood flowed from between her fingers, painting the sheets red.

”W—what... what’s the matter?”

Kai stepped forward, shocked. Nephis leaned forward, her hands igniting with healing light.

Sunny just remained frozen in place, powerless to do anything.

Then again, Neph’s flames did not seem to have any effect, either.

Cassie’s scream turned into a tortured groan, then into a deafening silence. She stayed quiet for a while, gritting her teeth in pain.

Then, slowly, she lowered her hands, revealing the bleeding wound of her missing eye.

”It’s... alright.”

Cassie seemed to stare at the ceiling, her expression slowly becoming still.

”It’s alright... a little bleeding won’t kill me.” She paused for a moment, then asked:

”So he came here, to the Ivory Island?” Sunny and Nephis glanced at each other.

He studied Cassie for a brief moment, then said cautiously:

”Yes. But, how is your... can you still use your Transcendent Ability?”

A pale smile twisted Cassie’s lips. ”..Somewhat.”

She remained silent for a while, then added quietly:

”Barely. It’s difficult, with only one eye. The strain is too severe for me to handle... at least without causing myself harm.”

A somber silence hung in the brightly lit hall.

It was good that Cassie had not lost her Transcendent Ability completely. However, if she had to harm herself so severely every time she used it, it was as good as gone. Which meant that their only way of curing Asterion’s thralls was effectively gone, too.

Perhaps Cassie would be willing to sacrifice herself in order to cleanse the minds of especially vital people, should they fall victim to the Dreamspawn... but Sunny was not sure that he would be willing to let her, especially not for such marginal gains.

He suppressed the desire to curse and stood up with a sigh.

”It’s alright. We will simply find another way.”

Now that everyone in the world knew Asterion’s name, the number of thralls was bound to explode. The quarantine facility and Cassie would not have been able to handle the flood of infected, anyway — so, Sunny and Nephis would have had to resort to more radical means of containing them regardless.

Cassie exhaled slowly.

”The thrall who attacked me in the lounge bar... he was a Master. There were others, as well.”

Her expression remained still.

”We have only encountered enthralled Awakened before. But now that the Hunger Domain has sufficiently grown, the Dreamspawn seems to be capable of claiming Ascended, too.”

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

”The ambush could only have been prepared in advance. I was supposed to meet Wake of Ruin... he was the one who had chosen the location, as well. There might be thralls embedded into his immediate circle of subordinates, but we can’t exclude the possibility that Saints are becoming susceptible to the Dreamspawn’s influence either.’

Jet looked at her with a dark expression, lingered for a while, and then said somberly:

”I will investigate Cor.”

Cassie nodded slowly.

”In any case, it is more important than ever to keep our strongest vassals confident in the authority of the Immortal Flame throne. Seishan and her sisters, Morgan, the White Feather clan, the Saints of Night... and others. They must be waiting for an explanation. Time is of the essence, so we must reassure them first.”

She turned her head, facing the members of the cohort.

”You must address the population immediately after that, Neph. You cannot reveal the Dreamspawn’s true nature and goals, though... doing so will only cause widespread fear and panic, which will weaken the integrity of the Human Domain in turn. We must choose our words carefully.”

She took a deep breath, drops of blood still rolling down her face.

”This bet he offered you... we cannot win it. He will inevitably defeat our efforts to prevent him from stealing the Human Domain. However, we can slow him down.” She paused for a moment.

”And using the time we gain by slowing him down, we will find a way to destroy him.”

Cassie gritted her teeth, then pushed herself into a sitting position once more.

”I will command the Fire Keepers to start preparations for receiving high-ranking guests. I will send a message to the Saints of the Human Domain, as well, announcing an emergency council. There is no time to waste.”

Nephis gently prevented her from standing up.

”The rest can do that — and more. You should rest and recover for now. Take care of yourself first.”

Cassie faced her with an unreadable expression.

She remained silent for a few moments, then said:

”I am not a cripple yet, Neph-”

Then, Cassie softly pushed her hand away and staggered to her feet.

”And none of us has time to rest. The Dreamspawn has returned, so I don’t need to tell you... a war for the survival of humanity has begun. Even if there are no armies marching to destroy each other — yet — you know that this war will be far more ferocious and harrowing than the war in Godgrave. You cannot afford to pity me. You cannot afford to pity anyone, or show anyone mercy.”

Cassie faced them somberly, the crimson blood on her face contrasting sharply against the vivid blue intensity of her remaining eye.

She exhaled slowly, and then said in an even tone:

”And I shall not show anyone mercy, either.”