Shadow Slave

Instantly, all three of them - Sunny, Jet, and Seishan - were on guard. Jet readied her glaive, while Sunny gripped the hilt of the Sin of Solace tighter. Seishan, meanwhile, lowered her hands slightly, as if preparing to defend herself with bare fists.

The cursed sword whispered into Sunny's ear: "Use them as a shield... take a step back, and let whatever comes feast on their flesh first..."

Sunny struggled to ignore it. Before, he had not dared to send his shadows outside to keep an eye on the desert - with how dreadful the creatures populating it at night were, many of them were bound to possess means of destroying intangible things. Sunny did not want to risk one of his shadows being obliterated.

But now, he regretted that decision. As his expression hardened, streams of sand fell from above, and then, someone jumped softly on the stone plates of the chamber's floor.

Sunny felt immense relief. It was a human... Jet remained on guard, but Seishan seemed to relax. She straightened slightly and let out a soft sight, her exquisitely beautiful face illuminated by a pale smile.

"Ascended Xu... you have survived, as well."

They were safe. The newcomer was not a terrifying Nightmare Creature - it was a survivor like the three of them. One of the Masters of Clan Song.

The man groaned slightly, then shielded his eyes from the bright light of the luminous Memory. His hand trembled slightly.

"Lady... Lady Song?"

Looking at him, Sunny suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

A sense of fear like he had never experienced before wrapped its fingers around his heart.

He almost staggered back but forced himself to remain in place, wearing the same expression as before.

'W-what... the hell...'

Sunny stared at the newcomer. The man was tall and muscular. His black hair was cut short, revealing a strong, handsome face. His eyes were like two pools of darkness, and there was a strained smile on his cracked lips.

Ascended Xu wielded no weapons and wore no armor. He was dressed in a dark-red bodysuit, which was torn, revealing ugly lacerations and bruises covering his body.

...It was, without a doubt, the dead man whose eyes Sunny had closed just a few hours ago.

Sunny shivered, and even the blurry figure of the Sin of Solace who stood beside him suddenly seemed wary.

Seishan took a deep breath.

"Master Xu! Thank the gods... have you seen any of my sisters?"

The man looked around, then said hoarsely:

"...No, my lady. I... have not seen anyone. Only you."

'Is it some kind of regenerative Aspect? No, wait... is it that bastard, Mordret?'

Sunny stared at the newcomer, studying his every move. Then, he shifted his perception and looked within the newcomer.

...The blade of the Sin of Solace trembled slightly.

Within the body of Master Xu, where a radiant soul core should have been... instead, there was nothing but vile, impenetrable darkness. A darkness so vast and deep that Sunny couldn't even conceive its magnitude.

Jet was not in a hurry to lower her glaive. Looking at the... creature... she frowned slightly and asked:

"How did you survive being outside during the night?"

The creature wearing the corpse of Ascended Xu looked at her and shivered.

"...Barely, my lady. Just barely."

Then, the creature smiled.

"Are there more people nearby?"

The question was directed at Jet, so Sunny could remain silent. He shifted slightly, considering their options.

'It's a Nightmare Creature... a Nightmare Creature that can control a corpse and speak the human language flawlessly. It even knew Seishan's name. It can even perfectly imitate human behavior. If not for Weaver's lineage, I would not have known at all. It... it is... it is unlike anything I have seen or heard about before.'

...And the creature was strong enough to walk the Nightmare Desert at night.

The three of them were trapped in a small underground chamber with a creature like that.

Sunny felt terror.

He activated the Blessing of Dusk and sent Jet a mental message, trying to sound calm:

[That thing is not human.]

Jet sighed, then shook her head.

"There might be, but we haven't met anyone else. The four of us will have to stick together."

At the same time, she answered Sunny:

[I know. Its soul... is much more vast than a Master's soul should be. Or a Saint's soul, even. It is... harrowing.]

Then, Sunny sent a message to Seishan.

[That is not Ascended Xu. Think of an answer, and I will hear it.]

The beautiful woman did not show any sign of surprise as her answer resounded in his mind:

[What are you talking about? I know this man. He and I grew up together... wait. Did the son of Anvil take his body?]

'Gods. I never thought I would say something like that... but I wish it really was Mordret...'

Sunny summoned the runes, seeking the prize he had received for slaying Dire Fang.

[No. Something else took his body. His dead body. Something old, vast... and powerful. I saw the corpse on the way to the ruin.]

The creature, meanwhile, seemed a little disappointed. Its smile grew bleak.

"Of course. We will stick together... and search for more people. Once the morning comes. Yes?"

Sunny stared at a particular string of runes, and then offered the Endless Spring to the corpse of Ascended Su. Forcing out a smile, he said:

"That sounds like a plan. Here... some water. You must be dying of thirst."

The creature accepted the glass bottle with an awkward nod.

"Yes. Yes... I am thirsty..."

Sunny smiled as he watched it bring the bottle to the corpse's lips. Then, without changing expression, he silently thrust the Sin of Solace into the creature's chest.

At the same time, a blade made of darkness appeared from behind, piercing the dead man's back. Saint escaped from the shadows, her eyes burning with crimson flames.

A whirlwind of white sparks rose around Sunny, almost filling the entire chamber.

Jet and Seishan were already moving, too.

The creature looked at the Endless Spring, which was disappearing from the corpse's hand, and titled its head a little.

"Yes... I am thirsty..."

Its smile widened into a grin, and Ascended Xu's face was distorted by that grin, turning into a wicked parody of what a human face was supposed to look like.

The corpse's hands shot up with impossible speed, grabbing the blades of Sunny's and Saint's swords. The pristine white jade of the Sin of Solace seemed to warp under immense pressure.

Sunny suddenly felt cold.

'Not good...'