Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3240

Shadow scowled, looking at the radiant oracle with a hint of dismay. He considered her words for a short while, then smiled chillingly.

“You spoke a lot about the things you want, Lady Cassia. However..."

As he spoke, a cold chill spread through the opulent chamber, and every shadow populating its corners grew deeper and darker, encroaching on the brilliant sunlight.

The sun seemed to dim.

“What about the things that I want?"

He looked at her somberly.

“And what do I care about your desires? You sent an abomination to attack me. You dragged me to the mortal realms against my will. And now, you seem to be demanding something from me without offering anything in return. I thought that you knew who I am a bit too well... but why does it seem like you have forgotten who is standing in front of you, instead?"

Shadow had a mild temperament and was in the habit of maintaining a human appearance. However, anyone who mistook him for anything but an immensely powerful, ancient monster — a Supreme Titan — was a complete fool.

His agreeable demeanor was not the result of cowardice or softness. Instead, he only carried himself in that manner because he could not be bothered to annihilate everything that stood in his way, bringing death and destruction to those who opposed him.

He was a Creature of Death, after all.

And no matter how powerful the Oracle of Thetis or the Jade Queen were — or both of them put together — if Shadow truly wanted to leave the Jade Palace, there would be little left of the Jade Palace by the time he was gone.

So, he decided to remind the Oracle of that fact.

She did not react to his subtle display of displeasure in the way he had expected, though.

Instead, she simply remained silent for a while, then asked:

“The things you desire?"

The Oracle shook her head slowly.

"You don't even know who you are, don't want to know who you are. So how can you know what you desire?"

Shadow frowned, finding her question preposterous. Of course, he knew who he was... just not who he had been. And since he was not that being anymore, what it had desired once was of no consequence to his current self.

And yet, he lingered with the answer. Because he had sincerely believed that what he wanted was to die — only to be proven wrong by Shadow God.

A pale smile illuminated the Oracle's face.

"I know what you want better than you do. Right now, for example... you wish to remain silent. But you can't, because there is a pain building up inside of you — it is growing stronger and stronger, forcing you to answer."

Shadow, who had been gritting his teeth, exhaled slowly and glanced away.

"My past does not define me, and neither does it define my desires."

The Oracle of Thetis chuckled and took a step back.

"Your past does not define you? You are wrong. We are defined by our memories — we only exist for as long as we remember what shaped us, and cease to exist once our memories disappear. Then, we vanish forever when those who remember us forget, as well."

She raised her chin slightly.

"You might have forgotten who you are, but I remember. Because I never forget — am unable to forget. Just like you sow death but are refused its embrace, I can grant other beings oblivion but am refused its grace."

The Oracle smiled wistfully.

"So even if you have forsaken your memories, you are not gone. You will never be gone while others — while I — remember who you truly are."

Shadow studied her for a long while, then scoffed.

“There is a reason why I do not want to remember. If what you said is true, then you — someone who is unable to forget anything — should be able to understand why. You should know how heavy the burden of remembering endless lives is, how exhausting, how unbearable. And yet, you want me to dive into that horrid ocean of memories? That is the opposite of why I came here, lured by the words your Nightmare Creature spoke."

The Oracle bit her lip, then sighed and turned away.

After remaining silent for a few moments, she spoke:

"Yes, I understand. But I also do not. After all, your unmaking had to have been far more terrifying than what the rest of us endured — if not in scope, then in nature. Because you are of Death, and death is a weapon that destroys Corruption. So, most of those you slaughtered were abominations, and most of the lives you remember were detestable. Anyone would be crushed by that weight."

The oracle paused, then turned to face him.

“But that still does not excuse your failure, nor can it help you get what you want... let alone what you wanted."

Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"You speak as if enduring this endless torment was my choice. As if I subjected myself to this horrid eternity of my own volition, pursuing my own goals and desires."

She smiled.

“Of course, you did.”

Shadow laughed.

“Oh? How curious. And what was it that I wanted so desperately?"

The Oracle remained silent for a short while, then responded simply:

“To become a god."