Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3188

The shadow stared at the tattered doll in complete incomprehension.

It was all very peculiar.

Why was Snuggle suddenly moving and talking? The last time he checked, it had definitely been a mundane doll. The only unique thing about it was its unusual longevity.

Countless years had passed since Snuggle had been sewn. Entire kingdoms had been founded and collapsed, the bones of their rulers turning to dust. Humanity had endured the countless trials of prehistoric times and entered a new, enlightened era. The Age of Gods had even come to an end, but the ugly doll was still here.

Snuggle had already been close to four hundred years old by the time the shadow brought her to this cave, and more time had passed since then. At first, it had persevered because Tatal wanted it to ... and after Tatal died, it was because the shadow willed so.

But despite that, it had been a simple doll. Now, however...

Peering into the depths of the ugly thing, the shadow was blinded by the pure radiance of a brilliant soul.

Now, Snuggle seemed to have become a living being.

She was a Transcendent Beast.

The shadow frowned.

‘Since when?'

For a moment, he entertained the idea that Snuggle had somehow come to life. But, naturally, that was not the case. It was the light — the one he had been chasing for the last few days. The strange thing had turned out to be a naked soul that was somehow able to wander the world without a physical body, and now, it had hidden inside the ancient doll, using it as a vessel.

The shadow...

Was greatly displeased.

A dark feeling of dismay and anger rose from the depths of his being, and he considered ruthlessly destroying the audacious soul. What right did it have to touch that doll, after all? That doll was the only memento of Tatal he had left. Any being who touched or damaged it without the shadow's permission deserved to suffer his wrath.

But, in the end, he did not move to destroy the brilliant soul.

One reason for his inaction was that, despite having eradicated all life in this kingdom, the shadow felt a faint reluctance to kill anyone without cause.

The main reason, though, was that he was not entirely sure how to destroy the odd being without damaging Snuggle. After remaining silent for a few seconds, he reached down to pick up the doll. However, it let out a stifled squeak and dashed away, escaping his grasp.

Due to Snuggle's form, her attempts to run away looked very clumsy. The doll swayed and wobbled from side to side as she ran, raising her arms to keep her balance. Despite that, though... her speed was quite surprising. She was so quick that her hair, made out of coarse black fur, fluttered in the wind. Her crude dress rippled.

The shadow sighed.

‘Does she really think that she can outrun me?’

He took a step and appeared dozens of meters away, directly in front of the running doll. She let out another squeak and desperately tried to turn, only to slam into his shin and bounce back.

As the shadow leaned down to grab her, the doll reached for the closest thing she could find and shielded herself with it, turning her head away.

"Please, don't eat me!"

A clear, melodious ringing resounded in the dark cave.

The shadow froze.

In front of him, held between Snuggle's small hands, was a silver bell...

And as soon as he heard it ring, he was overwhelmed with memories.

The memories of meeting Tatal for the first time. The memories of her introducing the ugly doll to him. The memories of finding the doll in the silent room, beside Tatal's deathbed.

And many more, as well.

Tatal...

Probably wouldn't have wanted him to kill this lost soul.

Or anyone, really.

She had been kind, after all — unlike him. Suddenly, a mournful feeling welled inside the shadow's soul. He missed his friend... but, more than that, he was saddened by the understanding that Tatal would not have liked to see him the way he had become.

She probably would not have liked him at all.

So what right did he have to hold on to this doll?

‘How many children were there in the city I destroyed?’

The shadow had never once considered this before.

But now that he did, suddenly, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

The shadow was nauseated.

He straightened and pulled his hand back, staring at the cowering doll with a distant expression.

His heart felt heavy.

‘Since when do I have a heart?'

The shadow threw one last look at the familiar form of Snuggle, then silently turned and walked away. Soon, his figure dissolved into the darkness.

A minute or two later, Snuggle carefully lowered the bell and peeked from behind it. Then, she hesitantly rose to her feet.

"It... left?"

Her squeaky voice was full of surprise. Exhaling in relief, the crude doll then leaned on the bell and glanced around. After a few seconds, her voice resounded once more, full of trepidation:

“But... where am I?"

***

The shadow dismissed his physical manifestation and returned to his usual state — passively observing his kingdom. All across it, countless shades began to move once more, simulating mundane actions of the living.

The people went about their business. The birds flew from branch to branch. The trees swayed, and the insects crawled in the mud. Shrouded by darkness, all of them were flawlessly black and silent.

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