Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3179

The land was shrouded in darkness.

The world was still and silent, devoid of life. The shadow beheld the silent world and felt at peace.

'Yes... this is good. I like it better.'

There were no humans to disturb him with their noise, with their greed, with their worship... with their blazing, desperate desires. There were no trees, no grass, no beasts, no vermin. There was no chaos — there were only shadows.

The shadow had wanted to become one with the world, dissolving in its endless changes. But now, he was the world. It was a different kind of unity, but one that he found himself more fond of.

Everything was as it should be, since there was nothing to impose on his tranquility. And yet...

Somewhere deep, deep within the shadow's vast and ancient being, he felt a hint of a strange emotion.

Was it regret? Or guilt? Or perhaps horror?

The shadow did not know what guilt and regret were, so he wasn't sure.

He did not care to find out, either.

He simply wanted to enjoy his peace. Eventually, the land transformed.

The shadows surged, and countless shapes rose from them. Black trees swayed in the wind, their black leaves rustling to create a soothing melody. Black flowers bloomed beautifully in the darkness. The city was now populated by myriad shades — the shades went about their business, mimicking the mundane actions of the living.

It was just that they were silent.

The shadow was in absolute control of this dark and eerie realm. So, he could observe it without feeling disturbed, time flowing past his small island of tranquility.

‘Why did I kill them?'

At some point, he asked himself that question.

The shadow did not feel uncomfortable with his decision. The disappearance of the nascent nation had only brought him peace and relief. He had experienced countless lives, after all... he had existed for myriad years. To him, the lives of humans were brief and fleeting — a dozen generations would be born and die in a flash, devoid of meaning.

All humans died, and most of them died swiftly. He merely hastened their deaths by an instant, replacing the turmoil of their lives with eternal peace.

Just like a human would not feel much after stepping on an anthill, the shadow was not someone who concerned himself with the fate of humans.

At least he had not been, once.

The being who he had been once would not have destroyed the city, though. At most, he would have wiped out the priests and supplicants who had sacrificed a life to him — simply to avoid further annoyance.

But, at some point, something about him changed.

What was it?

After considering it for a long while, the shadow came to the conclusion that it was all because of his friend, Tatal. Tatal, who had left the mark of humanity on him. Before meeting her, the shadow did not know what loneliness was. He did not know what affection was, either... love, joy, trust, hope. He had become capable of all these emotions because of her.

But those were not the only emotions he had learned.

There was also sorrow, anger, resentment... there was hatred.

It was hatred that he had felt on that dark day.

So, in an ironic twist of fate, the shadow had not destroyed these people because he was like a deity. He had destroyed them because he had been overcome by anger...

Which was the most human thing he had ever done.

Coming to that conclusion left the shadow in low spirits. Observing his lifeless kingdom, he asked himself an old question once again.

‘What am I?'

The shadow was not quite mortal. But he wasn't a deity, either... just a forlorn being stuck somewhere in between.

Left alone in his silent kingdom, ruling it like a god, the shadow found a measure of peace.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify