Shadow Slave novel Chapter 2169

Chapter 2169: The Anomaly

Jest did not know what to do.

A person like him, who had survived the end of the world and lived long enough to see a new one emerge from the ruins, could usually maintain composure no matter the circumstances.

All kinds of unexplainable things were possible now that the Nightmare Spell ruled the world, and Jest had experienced more than a fair share of bizarre encounters. He had braved the wild reaches of the Dream Realm and the mournful desolation of the waking world, spending decades fighting harrowing monsters — humans and Nightmare Creatures alike.

And yet, at that moment, he felt utterly lost.

’It doesn’t make any sense...’

Hiding his shock, he accessed a special panel on the sleeping pod and studied Anvil’s vital signs. Everything seemed to be in order — he was perfectly healthy. His body was, at least.

His soul, though, was not inside its mortal vessel at the moment. It was somewhere far away, in the depths of a Nightmare...

It was supposed to be.

Could it be that the boy had somehow escaped the Seed without conquering it? When Awakened slept, their souls traveled to the Dream Realm, where they were manifested as spiritual bodies. In the process of Ascension, the physical and the spiritual bodies fused, making one a Master.

Jest assumed that Anvil had conquered the Second Nightmare and Ascended. If he had not, however, then his physical and spiritual bodies would still be separated.

The physical body was right here.

The spiritual body... would appear near the Gateway where his soul was anchored.

Which was the throne room of Bastion.

Jest covered his face with a hand for a moment.

Was the man they had found there really Anvil?

Or was it an impostor?

He was unsure. And uneasy.

He was afraid.

Taking a deep breath, Jest turned to the butler and said hoarsely:

"Sebastian... gather the Knights and station them here. Tell them to be ready for battle."

The butler raised an eyebrow.

"Are you expecting an attack?"

Jest wanted to shake his head, but stopped himself. Eventually, he shrugged with a sigh.

"I don’t know yet. You have to keep it quiet, though. The less people know, the better."

He hesitated for a moment, and added:

"This concerns the safety of the main family."

Sebastian inhaled sharply, then nodded.

With that, Jest left a tether near the sleeping pod, then reached into his soul and pulled on his anchor, traveling back to the Dream Realm.

The throne room was empty. Time in Bastion was somewhat similar to that in NQSC, so it was early dawn. The first rays of sunlight were already pouring through the tall windows, which meant that the Gateway would have visitors soon.

Few Awakened stayed in the Dream Realm for prolonged periods of time, preferring to return to the waking world as soon as they could. The main keep was locked at night, which meant that those who needed to use the Gateway would start arriving before too long.

There was a noise from just beyond the door. Jest pursed his lips, then walked there with silent steps.

Madoc was kneeling in front of the gates, using a rag and a bucket of water to wash the stone floor. It was a rare sight, to see a prince of Valor performing such a mundane chore with his own two hands — so much so that Jest was taken aback for a moment.

But then, noticing drops of blood on the stone plates, he understood the situation. It seemed that at least one of the squires had proven to be unreliable, and due to the need for secrecy, Madoc could not very well summon a servant to clean up the resulting mess. It seemed like both of them had had a busy night.

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