Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3231

The screams stopped before too long.

But the fire remained.

A great pyre of pristine white flame swallowed the towering throne, illuminating the great chamber and populating it with dancing shadows. The familiar heat washed over Smile of Heaven as she watched the fire sway in stunned horror.

Eventually, she forced herself to speak:

"W—why... why is he still alive?"

Had that poor man been burning in the depths of this pyramid since ancient times? Her daughter shrugged indifferently.

A few moments later, she said in a tone that sounded both meaningful and empty:

“He has angered the gods."

Smile of Heaven shivered.

Nephis turned away from the flame, facing her, and asked evenly:

“Why have you come?"

Her question echoed in the vast chamber. Smile of Heaven did not answer immediately, studying her daughter. Now that a towering pyre was shining in the chamber, she could see her much better. She searched for any hint of emotion on her beautiful face, but found only detachment. So, she took another step in her direction.

“I came to find my daughter."

A slight hint of a frown creased Neph's brow as Smile of Heaven smiled awkwardly.

"Not that I've been a good mother — in truth, I didn't even know that I was a mother until recently. But once I knew, I had to do something. Especially because I was told that you are the only family I have left. Just like I am yours."

It was true. At first, when Smile of Heaven saw Nephis, she only thought about the two of them. She only felt guilt, compassion, and pity... and regret. She also felt like something precious had been taken from her, and that she had to get it back — or, at least, to get a semblance of it back, if it was possible.

But now, facing this young woman... this ancient demigod... she could not help to think about everything else she had lost, as well.

Her father, her mother... her husband.

If it was true that they were gone, then Nephis was all that remained of them in this world. She was the sum of everything that Smile of Heaven cherished, and so, Smile of Heaven could not lose her.

Suddenly, she felt a strong determination. She was never going to let this eerie demigod go.

Even if Nephis begged her to let go, she was going to cling to her with all her might. After all, if there were clingy children, why couldn't there be a clingy mother? Especially since she was actually much younger than her daughter.

So, Smile of Heaven smiled.

"Well, to tell you the truth, it never occurred to me that the mythical White Abyss would turn out to be my daughter. But I was led to believe that, by finding you, I would come one step closer to finding my daughter as well. And, wow... that was the understatement of the century!"

She laughed awkwardly.

Since Nephis remained silent, showing no reaction, Smile of Heaven cleared her throat and added:

“Actually, I didn't come here by accident. Someone sent me to find you... a woman named Song of the Fallen? It must be her True Name. Since both of you are challengers, you probably know her."

Nephis frowned, as if trying to remember. Eventually, she nodded hesitantly.

"Yes. I seem to remember knowing a woman like that, a long time ago."

She did not sound very excited to receive news of her old friend... in fact, she did not seem excited at all, responding with the same aloof expression.

Smile of Heaven could not help but feel anxious.

‘What exactly is wrong with her?'

Was her eerie indifference simply a result of age? She must have spent thousands of years in this Nightmare, so her senses could have become dulled.

But Shadow had been here just as long, and while he was somewhat aloof, he wasn't emotionless... not at all.

What, then?

‘What was it that she said? About being one-billionth part of my daughter?’

The first part...

Which implied that there were other parts — the second, the third, and so on.

A billion of them.

Smile of Heaven was not sure what it meant, but if she took her daughter's words literally...

What kind of emotions would a being made up of a billion individual personas feel? If that being had felt every possible emotion a billion times, when wouldn't their heart grow calloused and numb, incapable of feeling anything?

So perhaps it was not an issue of time, but simply an issue of scale. If a person had been in love twice, then each relationship they had experienced would make up half of their memories of love — and a half of a person was quite important. But if a person had loved someone a thousand times, then each of their past relationships would take up merely one-thousandth of their heart. Its intensity would be dwarfed and drowned in the shadow of the other nine hundred and ninety-nine infatuations.

What if there had been a million of them, then... a billion?

To Smile of Heaven, it seemed eerily strange that Nephs felt nothing after meeting her mother. But if she had experienced being the daughter of a billion women, why would meeting one more stir her heart?

Suddenly, Smile of Heaven felt dismayed.

‘I have only just met my daughter, and I already have to compete with a billion other mothers for her attention?’

Who were these vixens?!

She shifted from one foot to another nervously.

But, still... Nephis had said it herself. The part of her that had been Smile of Heaven's daughter was the first, and therefore held a lot of significance.

So, there was still hope.

Smile of Heaven took a deep breath.

"That woman, Song of the Fallen — she told me to take you to the Jade Palace. How about we... ditch this place and go there?"

She hesitated for a moment, and then added tentatively: