Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3221

Shadow and Snuggle glided down to the precipice of the abyss, enveloped by the roaring of the great waterfall. Clouds of water vapor shone in luminous radiance like nebulas woven out of myriads of diamonds, and beyond them, the cold darkness of the Underworld stretched endlessly. Eventually, they reached a shelf of rugged rock that protruded from the roaring wall of falling water. It tapered to a point, hanging above the abyss like a narrow cliff.

Below them was the Abyss.

Shadow walked to the tip of the shelf, looking into the darkness below with a distant expression. Snuggle followed carefully, trying to steady her footsteps on the slippery rocks, and stopped just behind him.

Looking down into the unfathomable darkness, she shivered.

"So, what? Do we just... jump down?"

Shadow remained silent for a few seconds, then shrugged.

"I am not sure. I have never dove into the Abyss before."

He studied the darkness.

The dreadful prisoner of the Abyss was not there. As for the Creature of Darkness that was meant to bind it... he wasn't sure. It had not haunted them on the journey through the Underworld, at least. Possibly it had not been born yet; possibly it already existed, but had not been reared by Nether to become as vast as it would be one day. Maybe it was simply uninterested and hid itself in the depths of the Abyss, or didn't dare to leave it because Shadow God still ruled his realm far below.

In any case, Snuggle was more or less correct. If they wanted to brave the Abyss and enter the Shadow Realm through one of the cracks created in its walls by Rime, the Demon of Repose, all they could do was take a leap of faith.

But...

Did they want to?

Shadow did. He was not sure if he wanted Snuggle to follow him, though.

And he had to make his choice now. Shadow remained motionless for a long while, staring into the darkness. His mind was too restless and crowded, brimming with a screaming legion of memories. It was difficult to remember who he was, who he was meant to be, let alone form cohesive thoughts and decide something so vital, so important... so irrevocable.

A thousand images flashed in his mind, forcing him to grit his teeth.

But then, suddenly, he grasped the only correct thought in this sea of fragmented memories.

Once he realized the essence of that one right argument, the screaming rending his mind apart settled, and he let out a quiet sigh.

That truth he realized was very easy...

It was that the difficult choice haunting him was not his to make, to begin with.

What right did he have to decide for Snuggle?

She had to make that choice herself.

It was just that before making it, she had to know what she was choosing.

Shadow threw one last glance into the darkness, then took a deep breath and turned his back to it.

He glanced at Snuggle, who seemed to read something from his expression.

Her brow furrowed faintly.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Shadow lingered for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

He had to face the truth... and even if the truth was cruel, this lost soul had to face it, as well.

Knowledge was the heaviest thing in the world, but there was a reason why myriad men had pursued it desperately despite knowing the cost. It was because knowledge was precious, as well. It was the origin of all power.

And in this dire world, who dared to exist without power?

He sighed deeply.

"It is because I have to tell you something.”

Shadow paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

His smile carried a subtle hint of wistfulness.

“Once I reach the Shadow Realm... I don't think I will be coming back, Snuggle."

She blinked.

“Huh? What do you mean?"

Shadow shook his head lightly.

“What did you think? It is not easy to escape the Shadow Realm. Very few beings ever achieved that feat... and I never intended to follow in their footsteps, to begin with."

Snuggle frowned.

“Wait a minute. What are you saying? Why would you want to stay in such a dreary place?"

Shadow smiled sadly.

"Why would one want to stay in the Realm of Death, Snuggle?"

He glanced down at the head of the little doll sticking out of his pocket.

The winged woman standing in front of him, meanwhile, glanced at him with a stunned expression.

"C... come on, Shadow! Stop joking around."

He sighed and glanced away.

After remaining silent for a few long minutes, Shadow lowered his head and said:

“Back then... didn't I tell you why I wanted to come to the Shadow Realm? It was because I wanted to set the shadows trapped in my soul free. Because a friend had once told me that their existence was awfully sad."

He faced Snuggle, her bright radiance reflecting in his lightless eyes.

“But am I not the same, Snuggle? How am I different from those lost, pitiful shades?"

He shook his head.

"I am tired of this place... of this vicious, never-ending nightmare. I have lived myriad lives, and all of them were full of nothing but horror and strife, ending violently. Agony, torment, madness, and death — those are the things I know best. They are the only things I know, and I've had enough of them."

Shadow inhaled deeply, settling his mind.

"So, I will go to the Realm of Death in search of Shadow God's mercy. I will cross the Abyss to find peace within him."

He remained silent for a moment, then looked Snuggle directly in the eye.

Shadow exhaled slowly.

Then, he said softly: 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“And I want you to come with me."

Snuggle took a step back, looking at him in disbelief.

A baffled smile appeared on her lips.

“Are you seriously asking me to... die together?"

Shadow did not look away, but his expression changed subtly, a sense of tired melancholy reflecting in his eyes.

"Yes, I am. If... if you want to."

A startled scoff escaped from Snuggle's mouth.

She studied Shadow for a while, her brow creased by a scowl. Then, with an angry smile, she asked:

“Why would I want to die, Shadow?"

But he just continued to look at her silently. Eventually, he said:

“You know why."

Snuggle's frown deepened, and she took a step back.

"No... no, I don't. I cannot die. I have to wait for the person who will come to find me. I have to return to the people who are waiting for me. There are so many things that I want! That I haven't had the chance to experience yet! What... what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Shadow did not answer for a long while, feeling a peculiar pain permeate his entire being.

In the end, he sighed.

"Smile of Heaven... that is your True Name, isn't it?"

Snuggle... Smile of Heaven... froze.

"H—how... how do you know it?"

Shadow smiled sadly.

“Because among the myriad nightmares I've lived, there were countless nightmares about the dark future you come from."

She stared at him with a pale face, her eyes suddenly full of fear.

She shook her head slowly, taking another step back.