Shadow Slave

Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie entered the waking world together. It met them with the same kind of inhospitable pressure they had long grown accustomed to, straining to push them back into the depths of the Dream Realm — although now that Sunny’s Domain was smaller, that pressure felt slightly less intense.

There was no fanfare. Everything that needed to be said had already been said, and everything that could have been done was already done. They did not need to pack anything or prepare equipment, either. Supremes did not need a lot to sustain themselves and could carry a lot in their Soul Seas. So, the three of them looked like they were going on a casual walk.

Even if they were leaving to challenge the most dire of Nightmares.

The manor of the Immortal Flame clan was quiet, since the Fire Keepers were in the Dream Realm at the moment. So was Smile of Heaven, who had long resided in the Ivory Tower — now that both Nephis and Cassie were going away, Effie was going to look after her.

It was not only Effie who would remain on the Ivory Island, either. Kai and Jet would be based there as well, taking turns watching over the waking world. The Fire Keepers would remain an independent force ready to assist any of the four Domains that spanned the Dream Realm now, while the Wolves and the Night Singers would return to Earth.

But these... these were not issues Sunny had to concern himself with anymore.

He used Shadow Step to bring Nephis and Cassie out of NQSC, into the depths of the toxic wasteland beyond. They had a long way to go and little time to waste, hurried by the need to reach their destination before the War Realm tossed them out.

Still, Sunny allowed himself a few moments of reflection while taking in the desolate landscape around them.

”Funny.”

His voice was quiet.

“Outside used to mean death... especially to us, people from the outskirts, who lived closer to it than anyone else. The thought of leaving the city was no different from contemplating suicide. We were so scared of it that, most of the time, we forced ourselves to forget that it even existed.”

He inhaled deeply and then grimaced.

“But now, it’s like going on a picnic. I am not sure if that is because I am much more difficult to kill now, or because I have experienced countless places that were far worse than this.”

As if responding to his comment, a chilling howl resounded somewhere in the distance, and he sensed numerous shadows converging on their location.

They were the shadows of the new masters of Earth — the Nightmare Creatures. People liked to believe that the waking world still belonged to them, but in truth, most of its surface had been populated by abominations for a long while now. Just like humans were settling the Dream Realm, the Nightmare Creatures were settling Earth... and they were far more successful colonizers than mankind.

Nephis looked around, too.

”This land will flourish again.”

Her voice was even and resolute.

She bent down and picked up a handful of dry, lifeless soil. It spilled through her fingers like dust, flowing down in a dark stream.

“When it is all over, and the Nightmare Spell is no more, once we’ve won... there will be those who will bring it back to life.”

She paused for a moment, and then added:

“Maybe we will.”

They moved on.

The desolate reaches of the Northern Quadrant were teeming with Nightmare Creatures, but none of them were powerful enough to cause three Supremes serious trouble. Sunny moved with startling speed, as well, carrying Nephis and Cassie through the shadows. It did not take them long to reach the edge of the continent, where a deep ocean washed over its shore.

From there, they took to the sky.

East, east...

Across the ocean.

As they flashed across the heavens, moving from the radiance of day into the dark shroud of the night, Sunny was somewhat surprised to see how swiftly they were devouring distance. He had rarely traveled this way in the waking world, and the Dream Realm was vast — far more spacious than Earth.

But then again, with how swiftly Awakened moved — especially those of higher Ranks — it had to be. The endless expanse of that alien world had seemed too daunting once, but now, it felt ordinary.

Long before the strain of remaining in the waking world became unbearable, they finally crossed the ocean and landed on an unfamiliar shore. Around them, the air was acrid with the smell of sulfur, and great pillars of smoke were rising into the sky on the horizon. Those were the volcanoes that had awakened in the aftermath of the Category Five Gate opening, blanketing the world with ash.

Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie stood on the outskirts of a dead city. The streets were empty and forlorn; the buildings had collapsed or were staring at them with empty windows. Everything was covered by ash, and rusted remains of destroyed ships protruded from the tumultuous water in the harbor.

The landscape — the vast expanse of ashen mounds, the colossal pillars of smoke supporting a dark plane of clouds that obscured the sky, the deteriorated ruins of a lifeless city — was alien and strange, as if they were still in the Dream Realm instead of on Earth.

This was America.

The first continent humanity had lost to the tide of Nightmare Creatures, as well as the place where Immortal Flame and Smile of Heaven had perished while trying to buy as many people as possible time to evacuate. Looking at the ruins, Sunny felt a dull ache in his chest.

All of it looked too familiar.

Ash replaced the snow, and the layout of the city was different. But it reminded him terribly of Falcon Scott — of the mournful devastation of Antarctica.

He sighed.

There, in the shadows of the vast ruin, something was already moving, awakening

due to their presence. Nightmare Creatures were crawling out of their lairs, attracted by the scent of human souls.

Glancing at Nephis, Sunny frowned and moved forward.

“Come. Let’s not linger.”

They had to find the Nightmare Gate that had killed this land.