Shadow Slave — Chapter 14

[YOU HAVE SLAIN AN AWAKENED TYRANT, MOUNTAIN KING.]

[WAKE UP, SUNLESS!]

[Your Nightmare is over...]

[PREPARE FOR APPRAISAL...]

WHERE... AM I?

WHAT IS THIS? THIS FEELING...?

SOMEHOW...

I'M IN A SPACE BETWEEN A DREAM AND REALITY.

I'M SEEING...

...THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE NIGHTMARE SPELL?

IT'S... BREATHTAKING.

LIKE THE CELESTIAL EQUIVALENT OF A NEURAL NETWORK.

DOES THAT MEAN THE SPELL IS ALIVE?

WHAT DO I CARE.

I JUST WANT TO RECEIVE MY BOON!

[YOU HAVE RECEIVED A MEMORY: PUPPETEER'S SHROUD]

YES!

PUPPETEER'S SHROUD, HUH? SEEMS LIKE AN ARMOR-TYPE MEMORY.

NICE!

THAT MEMORY BELONGED TO MOUNTAIN KING, WHO WAS AN AWAKENED TYRANT — SO THE MEMORY IS ALSO OF THE AWAKENED RANK.

GETTING IT THIS EARLY IS A STROKE OF INCREDIBLE LUCK!

I WONDER WHAT KIND OF—

[ASPIRANT! YOUR TRIAL IS OVER.]

EPISODE 14

[ASPIRANT! YOUR TRIAL IS OVER.]

THE SPELL'S VOICE...

IT SOUNDS DIFFERENT, LIKE THE UNIVERSE ITSELF IS SPEAKING!

[A NAMELESS SLAVE ASCENDED THE BLACK MOUNTAIN.]

[BOTH HEROES AND MONSTERS FELL BY HIS HAND.]

[UNBROKEN, HE ENTERED THE RUINED TEMPLE OF A LONG- FORGOTTEN GOD...]

[AND SPILLED HIS BLOOD ON THE SACRED ALTAR.]

[THE GODS WERE DEAD, AND YET THEY LISTENED.]

HUH. SO THAT SLAB OF STONE WAS AN ALTAR?

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED A DORMANT BEAST: MOUNTAIN KING'S LARVA.]

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED THREE DORMANT HUMANS, NAMES UNKNOWN.]

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED AN AWAKENED HUMAN: AURO OF THE NINE.]

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED AN AWAKENED TYRANT: MOUNTAIN KING.]

[YOU HAVE RECEIVED SHADOW GOD'S BLESSING.]

[YOU HAVE ACHIEVED THE IMPOSSIBLE!]

[FINAL APPRAISAL: GLORIOUS. YOUR TREACHERY TRULY KNOWS NO BOUNDS.]

THAT'S GREAT!

BUT... TREACHERY? IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES THE SPELL'S PRAISE SOUND A LOT LIKE A BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT?

UGH, WHO CARES!

THE CHANCES OF MY ASPECT EVOLVING TO AWAKENED, OR EVEN ASCENDED, SEEM PRETTY HIGH!

[DREAMER SUNLESS, RECEIVE YOUR BOON!]

[YOU HAVE BEEN BESTOWED A TRUE NAME: LOST FROM LIGHT.]

A TRUE NAME?!

I... RECEIVED A TRUE NAME-

—IN MY VERY FIRST NIGHTMARE?

I'M GOING TO BE RICH!

NOT EVEN ALL OF THE SAINTS CAN BOAST OF HAVING A TRUE NAME!

[YOUR ASPECT IS READY TO EVOLVE. ]

[EVOLVE ASPECT?]

WHAT KIND OF A QUESTION IS THAT?!

YES!

[DORMANT ASPECT TEMPLE SLAVE IS EVOLVING...]

[NEW ASPECT ACQUIRED.]

PLEASE.

[ASPECT RANK: DIVINE.] [ASPECT NAME: SHADOW SLAVE.]

D... DIVINE?

IT'S REALLY DIVINE RANK?!

I'VE NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE RECEIVING A DIVINE ASPECT! NEVER!

I THOUGHT IT ONLY EXISTED IN MYTHS AND LEGENDS!

AND YET I JUST GOT ONE!

ALL THAT SUFFERING AND HORROR IN THE FIRST NIGHTMARE PAID OFF IN THE END!

WAIT...

I DIDN'T MISHEAR THAT, DID I...?

LET ME CHECK ONE MORE TIME.

ASPECT: [SHADOW SLAVE]. ASPECT RANK: [DIVINE]. ASPECT DESCRIPTION: [YOU ARE A MIRACULOUS SHADOW LEFT BEHIND BY A DEAD GOD. AS A DIVINE SHADOW, YOU POSSESS PLENTY OF STRANGE AND WONDROUS POWERS...]

[...HOWEVER, YOUR EXISTENCE IS EMPTY AND LONESOME.]

[YOU MOURN THE PASSING OF YOUR FORMER MASTER AND LONG TO FIND A NEW ONE.]

WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

[THE FIRST SEAL IS BROKEN.]

[AWAKENING DORMANT POWERS...]

WHAT...?

WH... WHAT IS THIS?

MY CHEST IS BURNING!

IS... IS THAT MY SOUL CORE FORMING?!

WHAT IS THIS FEELING?

ALL THE ACHES AND PAINS THAT BUILT UP IN MY BODY OVER THE YEARS ARE GONE!

I FEEL STRONGER AND HEALTHIER... AND MY THOUGHTS FEEL CLEARER, TOO.

IT'S AS IF...

...I'VE BEEN REBORN!

[AWAKENING ASPECT ABILITY...]

THIS IS IT. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

EVEN WITH A DIVINE ASPECT...

THE ASPECT ABILITY I RECEIVE COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH DURING MY FIRST JOURNEY TO THE DREAM REALM.

[ASPECT ABILITY ACQUIRED.]

[ASPECT ABILITY NAME: SHADOW CONTROL.]

ASPECT ABILITY DESCRIPTION: [YOUR SHADOW IS MORE INDEPENDENT THAN MOST. IT IS AN INVALUABLE HELPER.]

HMM...

WHY IS THE DESCRIPTION SO VAGUE?

INNATE ABILITY: [SHADOW BOND].

HUH? ANOTHER ABILITY?

ABILITY DESCRIPTION: [FIND A WORTHY MASTER AND LET THEM KNOW YOUR TRUE NAME.]

[ONCE THEY RECITE IT OUT LOUD, YOU WILL BE BOUND TO THEIR WILL, UNABLE TO DISOBEY ANY COMMAND. IT IS IMPROPER FOR A SHADOW, LET ALONE A DIVINE ONE, TO WALK AROUND WITHOUT A MASTER.]

ARE YOU KIDDING?

WHAT KIND OF ABILITY IS THIS?!

THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING BACK TO LIVING AS SOMEONE'S SLAVE...

TO HELL WITH THAT!

NO, WAIT...

IT MIGHT NOT BE THAT BAD.

NO ONE EXCEPT FOR ME CAN SEE MY STATUS. SO ALL I HAVE TO DO IS KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT...

AND NO ONE WILL EVEN KNOW THAT I HAVE A TRUE NAME, LET ALONE WHAT IT IS.

I'LL HAVE TO GIVE UP THE BENEFITS THAT BEING BESTOWED A TRUE NAME AFTER THE FIRST NIGHTMARE WOULD ENTITLE ME TO...

BUT THAT'S NO PROBLEM.

EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT I HAVE A DIVINE ASPECT.

YEAH. I CAN WORK WITH THIS.

I'D BETTER CHECK MY RUNES AGAIN.

NAME: SUNLESS TRUE NAME: LOST FROM LIGHT.

RANK: DREAMER.

SHADOW CORE: DORMANT.

SHADOW FRAGMENTS: [12/1000].

WHAT?

WHAT IS THAT?

SHOULDN'T THE RANK OF MY SOUL CORE BE HERE? WHY DOES IT SAY SHADOW CORE?

I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CORE...

ON TOP OF THAT, INSTEAD OF LISTING THE NUMBER OF SOUL SHARDS I'VE CONSUMED, THERE'S A "SHADOW FRAGMENTS" COUNTER.

DO I...

DO I ACTUALLY HAVE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PROGRESSION PATH THAN ALL AWAKENED?

[ALL POWER HAS A PRICE.]

HERE IT COMES...

[YOU HAVE RECEIVED A FLAW.]

[YOUR FLAW IS: ...]

OH, NO. NO, NO, NO...

THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING...

PLEASE, BE GONE!

PLEASE!

FLAW: [CLEAR CONSCIENCE].

FLAW DESCRIPTION: [YOU CANNOT LIE.]