Shadow Slave

There were numerous Citadels scattered across the Stormsea, hidden in its eerie and unpredictable waters. Some had been ruled by the House of Night for decades, some were conquered recently, as a result of Mordret infiltrating the Great Clan in preparation for the Domain War.

A year ago, one of them was ceded to the River People after they escaped the Tomb of Ariel, so that they had a home in the new and unfamiliar world Ananke had brought them to.

That Citadel had been known as the Black Obelisk before. It was a gargantuan stone spire rising from the water and pointing at the sky as an accusing finger… in fact, it was a finger — a tip of one.

If one dove deep into the turbulent waters and followed the Obelisk into the depths of the Stormsea, they would eventually discover that it connected to an immense hand carved from black stone, with four more fingers protruding from it at an angle. The structure was overgrown by enormous barnacles, seaweed, and algae — with myriad Nightmare Creatures nesting in the underwater jungle — but its form was still recognizable.

That hand seemed like it belonged to a human, but there was something eerie and unnervingly wrong about it.

And if one dove even further, into the crushing darkness of extreme depths, they could trace the hand to the arm, eventually reaching the colossal head of the inconceivable statue.

No one knew what its face looked like, though, because everyone who had dared to gaze upon it either died or went mad, eventually losing their lives to the agony of violent delirium.

So, people did not dive that deep near the Black Obelisk, and none of them had ever dived deeper than the hidden face of the drowned statue.

The Citadel itself was not very populous, considering that there was not a lot of surface here for people to live on. It was located close to the shores of the Stormsea, though, in relatively safe waters — safe meant stable in the Stormsea, having nothing to do with how many abominations inhabited the region.

More importantly, it was the closest Citadel to the estuary of the River of Tears, which made it an important way station for the ships traveling from the far reaches of the Stormsea or from the East. So, the population of the Black Obelisk had been small and largely transient.

That was how it had been before, at least… Today, the Black Obelisk was unrecognizable.

Standing at its highest point, Sunny glanced down with a sense of wonder.

Below him, a city sprawled above the waves.

Bright sunlight poured from the azure sky, illuminating its vibrant expanse. The Black Obelisk was not black anymore, having turned entirely silver from the myriad strings of essence silk wrapped around it. Powerful cables of silk stretched outward from the silver spire, supporting vast platforms that swayed lightly on the water. These island-ships were built from manifested essence, as well, supporting ornate residences, verdant gardens, and lush fields. Arched bridges connected them to each other, and myriad gondolas were moving in the channels between them. The streets were full of people, and on the outer edges of the floating city, new islands were being built by crews of busy workers. Dozens of graceful ships with silvery sails were moored to the long piers, and Awakened warriors patrolled the waters around the city on swift boats or aquatic Echoes.

And all of it — the gardens, the fields, the people — emanated the sense of overflowing health and vitality. That was because everything in the floating city bore the blessing of its ruler — Ananke of Weave, the Silk Weaver.

That was the title the River People had given Ananke after emerging from the Ark Amulets and learning the story of how she carried them across eternity, to the vast skies of a new world. As for the name of the city itself…

After hearing it for the first time, Sunny was relieved to learn that his wasn’t the most unsophisticated naming sense in the world. Come to think of it, the River People were quite straightforward with giving things names, as well: Weave, Verge, Twilight, Ark… The new city they had built in the Stormsea was called Web.

This was where most of the River People lived. There was also an enclave of them in the vast city at the estuary of the River of Tears that Moonveil ruled, as well as a dozen crews scattered across the Stormsea, helping people of the Human Domain expand the settlements surrounding other marine Citadels.

Now, a year after arriving in the Dream Realm, the River People were somewhat settled into their new lives. Still, there were myriad things that needed to be done, and it was going to take many years before they were truly accustomed to life outside the Tomb of Ariel.

“It’s a marvelous sight.”

Sunny was being sincere… well, of course he was. He couldn’t lie, after all.

Web was quite tiny, compared to the behemoths of human settlements like NQSC, Bastion, or Ravenheart. However, seeing it thrive tugged on his heartstrings. There was something about seeing the River People build a city that made Sunny feel like there was hope for all of them… it was a soothing feeling.

Standing next to him, Ananke smiled.

“It is, isn’t it?”

She paused for a moment, then chuckled.

“Do you know, Lord Sunless? When we first began building this city, we almost built the Houses of Youth out of habit. It was only later that we realized that we would never need them again — people age differently in your world, after all.”

Sunny glanced at her, remained silent for a while, and then smiled darkly.

“This is not my world, Ananke.”

He turned around to the radiant vista of the floating city and added in a neutral tone:

“This is not my world yet.”

She nodded politely.

After a few moments of silence, Ananke added:

“We still built a House of Youth, though, as well as a House of Parting. They serve a different purpose than in the Tomb of Ariel, but… although the purpose is new, its essence is the same. Like all other things in this new, peculiar world.”