Shadow Slave: Eternal Madness

Raphael sat under the tree, gazing out at the endless sea.

To his relief, the storm from the novel never came, but that only made Raphael tense.

"Everything is going good…"

From uniting humanity against the Underworld to entering the Tomb of Ariel, everything had gone according to plan… and that made Raphael nervous.

When nothing goes wrong in his plans, it usually means something bad is about to happen. That's how [Fated] works.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He turned around and saw Nephis and Sunny.

"What?" he asked.

"We need to talk," Nephis said.

"Then sit and talk."

Both Sunny and Nephis sat down in front of Raphael.

Sunny glanced at Raphael and asked, "So, what's your plan?"

"Hmm, conquer the Nightmare as fast as possible."

"We all want to conquer the Nightmare quickly," Sunny said. "What's the plan?"

"You don't understand, Sunny. What I mean is different."

"How?" Nephis asked.

Raphael looked at Nephis and asked, "Do you know what corruption is?"

They fell silent, until Nephis spoke.

"Do you mean what happens to sleepers when they lose their first Nightmare?"

"Yes, when a being encounters corruption, a seed is planted inside them. That seed corrupts their soul, turning them into an abomination, like the Azure Serpent you fought against, Sunny."

Sunny stared at Raphael for a moment and asked, "How does corruption happen?"

"There are many ways—by touching something corrupted or gaining knowledge of things you shouldn't know."

"So, what does this have to do with what you meant?" Sunny asked.

"I'll get to that in a moment."

Raphael looked at them and continued.

"First, you need to know the history of the Tomb of Ariel. When the Doom War started, the Sybils foresaw the end and fled to the Tomb, seeking shelter for their people. Others ventured to the Tomb searching for the Truth that the Daemon of Dread had buried. They were called the Seekers."

"The Sybils built cities, and the Seekers built solitary manors. It was the golden age for those living in the Tomb of Ariel, but every age comes to an end. The Seekers searched for the Truth, but no one found it until the First Seeker, Aletheia of the Nine, discovered it in the Estuary. But there was no Truth, only corruption. That's when The Defiled One was born."

Raphael paused for a moment, looking out at the sea, sighing.

"The Defiled One spread corruption. Anyone who touched it, or any of its subordinates, would become corrupted. The people of the Tomb had no chance. The cities fell to corruption. There was no hope, until an outsider came."

"King Daeron of Twilight came from outside the Tomb with his people and founded Twilight. He gathered the people of the River and fought against The Defiled One. But even a Sovereign was lost to it, becoming corrupted…"

"The reason I'm telling you this is because we might also get corrupted. And if we do, do you know who will be the first among us?"

Sunny thought for a moment, then a terrifying realization struck him. He turned to Nephis, and for the first time, he saw fear in her eyes.

Nephis looked at Raphael and said, "Cassie."

Raphael nodded and said, "Unlike me, she can't control the visions she sees. There's a high chance she might see the knowledge in the Estuary. That's why I came to you both first. The only way to stop her visions is by using your Shadow, Sunny. Nightmare."

Sunny rose to his feet, urgency in his voice.

"Then we need to reach her as quickly as possible!"

Raphael sighed.

"You're right, but before we go to her, there's a place I need to visit first. You don't have to worry—it's on the way."

It took some convincing, but eventually, Raphael persuaded Sunny and Nephis to follow him. They agreed, on the condition they stay there for a day.

Sunny looked at Raphael and asked, "Where are we heading?"

Raphael smiled.

"Weave, the city of the Nightmare Spell priests."

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Ananke watched the port as a large ship docked, carrying three humans—two men and one woman.

She observed as they disembarked. The man with long black hair stopped at the edge of the crowd and surveyed the people before him.

"Priests and priestesses of the Nightmare Spell," he began, his voice steady and commanding, "it's an honor to meet you. By the guidance of fate, we've come from the outside to kill the Defiled One and bring salvation to the people of the River."

As he spoke, another figure stepped forward from behind him. A man with short black hair and pale skin, who suddenly summoned a memory.

The crowd erupted into chaos at the sight of the mask the man was wearing, but the one with long black hair didn't pause in his speech.

"The mask is no ordinary mask," he continued, his tone rising above the turmoil. "It is one of the two holy relics. And the man standing before you bears the bloodline of Weaver!"

At those words, the crowd went into absolute uproar, their voices rising in fervor.

"Hail Weaver!"

"Hail the Daemon of Fate!"

Raphael, standing at the back, could hear the loud cries of worship rising from the sea of people.

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The stay on Weave wasn't long. From the start, Raphael's purpose had been to acquire more knowledge from the head of the village, but to his disappointment, there was nothing to be gained.

Still, thanks to the villagers, they gathered more supplies. The important thing, however, was that they managed to repair the rune circle of the Chain Breaker.

Sunny walked toward the Chain Breaker, but as he got closer, he felt someone tugging at his shroud.

He turned to see a woman in her twenties, reaching out toward him with a small box.

He raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"

"It's a gift, my lord," she said, her voice a little hesitant.

Sunny scratched his head, still unsure, and took the box. "Ah, thank you… by the way, what's your name?"

The woman stammered a little. "I-I'm Ana… Ananke, my lord."

Sunny smiled. "Thank you, Ananke."

At his words, Ananke's face turned bright red, and she quickly ran back to the village.

Raphael, standing on top of the ship, glanced over at Nephis, who was beside him. He couldn't help but ask, "Are you jealous?"

Nephis turned her gaze to him, her expression as neutral as ever.

"What do you mean?"

Raphael chuckled.

"You know I can see right through you."

He grinned and teased further.

"There's no need to escape the truth… you love him, right?"

Nephis didn't respond, but as she walked back toward the middle of the Chain Breaker, Raphael noticed her ears flush a deep shade of red.

He couldn't help but laugh softly to himself.

'They really do look like teenagers who've just fallen in love with each other… wait, does that make me the wingman?'

He shook his head, amused by his own thoughts, and made his way toward the rune circle.

Behind him, Sunny approached, his voice tinged with a sense of urgency. "So, where are we going?"

Raphael looked up, meeting Sunny's gaze.

"Fallen Grace. Where Dusk reigns, and where we'll find Cassie."

Sunny's jaw clenched. Just thinking about what might happen to Cassie, made his teeth grind together.

Raphael sat in the center of the rune circle, focusing. He poured his essence into it.

The Chain Breaker began to tremble as the magic within the circle responded. A few seconds later, it took flight, lifting off the ground.

Finally Raphael commanded Chain Breaker to fly toward the past where Fallen Grace is.

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I'm really sorry for not uploading any chapters over the past two days. I've been really sick and couldn't get out of bed.

Anyway see you again next time👋