Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

Throughout most of the night, Eirwen hadn't slept. He spent the time either reading the thick books Leviathan gave him or exploring his Soul Sea, searching for an ability the mysterious man could give him.

He hadn't learned much useful from the books so far. The first fifty pages he'd read were filled with legends and theories about how the Underworld came to be.

No one was entirely sure how the Underworld came to be, but the most popular theory among its inhabitants was that it was created by living creatures themselves. When the first living being died, its death gave birth to the Underworld and it's layers.

Eirwen had also learned that the Underworld was said to consist of nine layers, each one housing billions of souls. Unfortunately, the fifty pages he had managed to read offered no further details about these layers, and his tired brain soon forced him to set the books aside.

He sighed and flopped onto his large bed, face buried in a pillow, his long blonde hair spilling messily around him.

Closing his eyes, he focused on summoning his Runes. In the darkness behind his eyelids, glowing Runes began to appear.

Aspect Ability: [Frozen Reflection]

Recordings: [2/2]

Recording one: [Pressure]

Recording two: [The Kraken's grasp]

The second Ability was something he had copied from Leviathan. However, Eirwen wasn't certain if he could use it as often as [Pressure], which he could activate at least three times in a single battle without pushing himself to exhaustion.

[The Kraken's Grasp] allowed Eirwen to manifest additional limbs from his body, an ability that, according to Leviathan, was the strongest he could bestow to him. Even so, it was overwhelming for Eirwen's body and mind.

When Eirwen tried to use it for the first time in his Soul Sea, his brain nearly melted down in his head. Maybe it did, Eirwen couldn't know.

Either way, he liked it. It was mysterious and strong. He felt more and more like someone special and unbeatable. A stupid and prideful grin appeared on his face before he fell asleep.

---

"Eirwen, wake up," a gentle voice called out beside him, accompanied by a light shake. The attempts to wake him were far from effective though.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the bright light flooding the room. "What is it? I still want to sleep," he mumbled, turning sideways and lazily swatting Andromeda's hand away.

"Gale is already waiting for us. He wants us to meet his friends, so please wake up!" she urged, her voice persistent, mostly because she didn't want another maid to come in and handle the situation.

"Man don't like women who don't listen. Get out and let me sleep," Eirwen muttered, his voice muffled by the pillow he pressed against his face, trying to shield himself from the bright light.

Andromeda gasped, but didn't say anything in response. She looked down, as if bracing herself for what was about to happen. With a deep breath, she stepped back and interlocked her hands, almost as if praying.

Boom

A second later, the door leading to his room flew off its hinges and shot towards Eirwen.

His eyes snapped open, confusion and fury igniting in them. "What the fuck?!"

The door slammed into him, sending him rolling back and destroying his bed in the process, its splinters scattering around him.

"Wake up you goddamn sloth!" Gale roared from the doorway.

Eirwen groaned, throwing the shattered pieces of wood off his body and face. "You will pay for this!"

Gale leaned against the doorway with a laugh. "You ain't doing shit. Now get up before I carry you out in pieces." He turned around, walking away and leaving Eirwen burning in rage.

Andromeda looked up again and walked towards the closet. She quickly picked up some clothes for Eirwen and handed them over.

"I will wait outside," she whispered.

'I will kill this man… I will kill him!' Eirwen thought meanwhile.

---

"Look at you, all extravagant and expensive. We're going to the Undercity, not a damn fancy show," Gale laughed at Eirwen who was wearing a crimson silk button-up shirt which was neatly tucked into his beige trousers.

"At least I don't look like I just escaped an Asylum," he rolled his eyes, stepping closer to the luxury saloon next to them. It was a rather long, black car with golden accents here and there.

Gale opened the door for both Eirwen and Andromeda before sitting down opposite them. The car was spacious, with two rows of seats facing each other, while the driver sat in the front row, separated by a partition.

"Why are we even going to that dirty place anyway? If it's for your stupid friends, I'll allow you to call them over," Eirwen scoffed, grabbing a glass of water from the mini refrigerator under his elbow.

Gale shook his head and leaned back as the car finally started moving, its motion nearly silent. "Nah, they don't wanna leave the place. They're scared someone will take it away from them."

"As if anyone wants that place" Andromeda chimed in out of nowhere, leaving both Eirwen and Gale slightly stunned.

The girl who usually remained silent had started to become more articulate after her first Nightmare. She even began to show more emotion on her face. It was especially noticeable whenever Gale annoyed her or Eirwen.

"What…?" she whispered embarrassedly when she noticed their gazes.

After that the drive to NQSC was more or less tame, with Gale and Eirwen arguing about something unnecessary here and there.

"There is no point in staying here when the Dream Realm is that much better," Eirwen argued after multiple hours of driving.

"People grow up here, they live here, and they die here. This is their home. And do you really think the Dream Realm is safer than the waking world? No, it's not. There are places in the Dream Realm where you can die just by moving or even blinking!" Gale countered loudly; his voice so intense that even Andromeda couldn't help but get annoyed.

Eirwen scoffed dramatically, "Weak people die here too. And yeah, it is more dangerous, but there are also more opportunities to get stronger."

"It's not always about being stronger," Gale shook his head when the car suddenly halted.

They had arrived.

With a click, the door opened and the trio carefully stepped out. The stench and horrible air hit Eirwen immediately as he looked around. "I hate the outskirts," he groaned and spat after making sure no one except his two friends saw.

"It's not that bad if you grow up here," Gale said, patting him on his back and taking the lead. The driver meanwhile started the car once more and drove back to the mansion.

"I'd rather die than grow up here," Eirwen answered dramatically as he walked side by side with Andromeda after Gale.

Gale dismissed Eirwen's grumbling and stopped in front of a tall and old building. The flat was a simple high-rise block of concrete, towering with at least seven floors. Behind it even more buildings stretched out. It was an old concrete jungle around them.

Gale approached the door and banged on it loudly, "It's Master Gale, open the door, I'm here to meet Merlin."

Seconds passed, but eventually the sound of a lock opening could be heard. Eirwen raised a brow, 'Last time we entered through a tunnel, why are we here?'

A bulky, tall man in full black attire with a shaven head opened the door. His face was square-shaped, and half of it was covered in strange, rather distasteful tattoos.

"What are you waiting for?" Gale asked, his usual nonchalance replaced with impatience.

The tall man sized them up for a moment before stepping aside and letting them through. 'That's better,' Eirwen thought, his annoyance clear after he scoffed.

Gale was well-known here, with connections to important people, so Eirwen couldn't help but feel annoyed that the security didn't just let them through immediately as he should have.

Once they stepped through the door, they were greeted by a dimly lit and filthy hallway. In the centre stood a set of stairs leading up, and at the far end, another door that seemed to lead outside.

"I hate hallways," Eirwen mumbled.

Gale looked at him confusedly, "What was that?"

Eirwen waved him off and followed closely behind. Andromeda with her eyebrows furrowed, held a white silk napkin to her nose, clearly bothered by the smell. Eirwen found it a bit silly but kept his thoughts to himself.

"Why are we entering from a different place?" Eirwen asked, giving his best not to step into any garbage with his black loafers.

Gale entered the door at the end of the hallway and led them into a short alley, the left and right sides were blocked by metal fences. In front of them was another building though. "I just wanted to skip all the walking and go straight to Merlin and the others," he said, sounding somewhat impatient.

Andromeda gently held on Eirwen's shirt, stepping carefully around the filth, "It's so dirty," she muffled into the napkin.

Eirwen chuckled quietly and stepped into another, smaller building, following his teacher. It was a one-story concrete house, its windows barricaded with metal bars. 'Rather unwelcoming' he thought.

Inside, there was no furniture or even any entrances to other rooms, just an elevator.

Gale pressed the down arrow button. There was an awkward silence between them as they waited. The only sound was Eirwen's impatient tapping of his foot against the floor.

After a moment Gale spoke.

"Let me introduce you to the people you are about to meet. First and most important is Merlin. He's a Master," he paused, thinking for a moment. "Or a Saint, honestly, I don't know. All I know is he's stronger than me. Anyway, he's really nice and patient. I've never seen that man get angry."

The doors to the elevator finally slid open, revealing the inside. Andromeda and Eirwen both expected a dirty, half-broken elevator, but instead, they were met with a surprisingly clean one. The grey metal walls reflected their figures faintly. The space inside looked well maintained.

"Next one is Puppeteer -those aren't their actual names by the way," Gale clarified after noticing Eirwen's confused look. "He's also a Master, but a weirdo to top it off. Just ignore him and don't let him annoy you. He's really good at that."

"Another you?" Eirwen scoffed, watching as the elevator finally began its descent.

"Oh, shut it," Gale rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Then there's also Anora. I don't need to tell you to ignore her because I know you don't care much for… well, having fun with the opposite gender. She is rather open minded on that stuff..."

He then looked at Andromeda, "But you... don't mind anything she says to Eirwen -or to you," he added, clearly embarrassed for his friends they were about to meet.

The girl arched her brow as she gently folded her napkin, slipping it into her midnight-blue, high-waist trousers. She nodded and moved her gaze away from Gale.

Eirwen knew there were at least two more Gale forgot to introduce, but before he could finish, the elevator doors slid open.

They were met with warm lighting and a spacious room. A circular table sat in the middle, surrounded by furniture that seemed to fit the space perfectly, as if chosen by a professional architect. Beige sofas and cushioned chairs were scattered across various spots.

"Gale!" a gentle voice echoed from somewhere, making them all turn around.

A man with a pretty face appeared out of nowhere, his hands wide and a smile across his face. "You're finally here! Oh, and you must be Eirwen, right? Nice to meet you," he said warmly, nodding and extending his skinny hand. "I'm Merlin."