Shadow Slave novel Chapter 2980

Still lying on the cold stones, Sunny stared into the boundless darkness above them. There, high above the ground, the fabric of the world was torn, and the fissure he and the Vile Thieving Bird had arrived through could still be seen.

He could not enter the heart of the Estuary without Nephis, and was not sure that there was a point in trying to get inside either. So, it was all but certain that he would have to enter the labyrinth of broken time once more in order to return to his companions. It was just that...

That labyrinth was infinite in a very literal sense. It was a maze of eternity.

Sunny did not want to find out how long one could remain lost in eternity.

Delving into the fissure without some sort of guidance was no different from suicide. He closed his eyes.

'Fine... I'll just rest a little bit. Then I will think of a way forward, or at least of a way to find the way forward.'

He remained motionless for a short while, then sighed and opened his eyes again. His body needed time to heal enough for him to move freely, so he had to wait a little bit longer.

In the meantime, Sunny summoned his runes to occupy himself.

They shimmered into existence, and their familiar glow made Sunny experience a peculiar feeling. It was subdued, but also deep and intense, making him take a shaky breath.

He had tried to emulate these runes as best he could with the Handy Bracelet, but...

‘Nothing beats the real thing.'

Sunny inhaled deeply and looked at his runes — the real runes, as opposed to the close approximation he had been able to create himself.

Name: Sunless.

True Name: Lost from Light.

He had to stop right there.

Just reading those three words, Lost from Light, made the intense feeling of seeing the Spell's runes again seem mild and insignificant. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

‘It's me... I'm me again.'

He gritted his teeth.

After all these years...

It took Sunny a good minute to compose himself and continue reading.

Rank: Supreme.

Class: Titan.

Shadow Cores: [7/7].

Shadow Fragments: [7000/7000].

Memories: [Silver Bell], [Extraordinary Rock], [Endless Spring], [Weaver's Mask], [Shadow Lantern], [Weaver's Needle], [Nebulous Mantle].

He paused for a moment, looking at the pitifully short list of the Memories he still possessed.

That damn bird... it had really cleaned him out.

Sunny sighed heavily.

‘Damnation.'

The Vile Thieving Bird even stole the Memory he had received for killing it. The audacity!

He glanced at the shimmering runes with a dark expression.

‘...At least I still have the Rock.’

So if he wanted to talk to someone, there was always a great conversation partner waiting for him within his soul.

Sunny smiled faintly, shook his head, and glanced back at the runes.

They read:

Echoes: —

Shadows: [Jade Saint], [Soul Serpent], [Nightmare], [Shadow Fiend], [Marvelous Mimic], [—], [Vile].

Sunny's gaze lingered on the end of the list. Slayer did not get to be named by the Nightmare Spell. She did not even get to be called -unknown-, as if the Spell denied her the right to possess a name — any name, not only the name of Orphne of the Nine. It was a little peculiar, but...

All the members of the Shadow Clan were listed there, and if Sunny concentrated on a name, he could read their runes, no different from his own. That was a greater amount of information than what Sunny could receive by visiting the Soul Sea of his agents or sharing in their perception, which was quite convenient.

Below the members of the Shadow Clan, a different — and far greater, as well — list was shimmering in the darkness.

Shades: [Mountain King's Larva], [Imperial Slaver], [Mountain King], [Carapace Scavenger]...

If he concentrated on the list, all the soldiers of the Shadow Legion — myriads of them — were listed there, and if he concentrated on any particular one, a short description appeared as well.

Naturally, the list of his shades would be too long to just be shown like the rest of them. So, the Spell somehow made it appear both compact and nearly infinite, existing in both states at the same time. It took Sunny a bit of time to get used to that peculiar sight, but he quickly learned how to navigate the vast field of runes with no more than a thought.

He could probably spend a year... or a few... simply studying the description of each shade. It was like suddenly gaining access to the descriptions of a hundred thousand Echoes, each containing an intriguing piece of information.

His hands were already itching to start working on a new exploration report...

But for now, Sunny simply glanced away and continued to read the runes.

Attributes: [Lord of Shadows], [Flame of Divinity], [Blood Weave], [Bone Weave], [Flesh Weave], [Soul Weave], [Mind Weave], [Spirit Weave], [Jade Shell], [The Curse], [Fated].

The [Fated] Attribute was back... for better or for worse.

...Or both. Most likely both.

Sunny read further:

Aspect: [Shadow Slave].

Aspect Rank: Divine.

Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond].

He lingered for a long while, and then finally read the next string of runes.

They read:

...Master: Changing Star.