Shadow Slave — Chapter 13

Shadow Slave Chapter 13 follows Sunless as he drags himself toward the peak while freezing, exhausted, and losing his train of thought. He recognizes the sleepiness as hypothermia setting in and warns himself that falling asleep means death, yet the cold and fatigue keep pulling him down as he repeats that he is almost there and only needs to reach the top. The core of Shadow Slave Chapter 13 is the conflict between surrender and spite as Sunless confronts his limits. He admits he is tired and wants to lie down and sleep, then wonders if he is going to die here before deciding that maybe that outcome is acceptable. Instead of quietly fading, he turns his remaining focus toward hatred, calling his enemy an ugly bastard and vowing to kill him in the next life. That choice to offer himself up leads directly to the Spell responding that he has offered himself as a sacrifice to the gods, then declaring that the gods are dead and cannot hear him. The immediate consequence is transformation rather than rescue, as the Spell states that his soul bears the mark of divinity and names him a temple slave. The Shadow God stirs in eternal slumber and sends a blessing from beyond the grave, telling the child of shadows to receive it. Shadow Slave Chapter 13 closes with the revelation that he has slain an Awakened Tyrant, Mountain King, followed by the Spell commanding Sunless to wake up because his Nightmare is over, only for a final voice to warn that his Nightmare has only just begun.