MY FIRST KILL.
I THOUGHT I'D FEEL GUILT... OR FEAR...
I FEEL NOTHING.
MAYBE MY CRUEL LIFE IN THE REAL WORLD...
...HAD ALREADY PREPARED ME FOR THIS MOMENT.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN A DORMANT HUMAN, NAME UNKNOWN.]
THE SPELL'S VOICE?
OH, RIGHT. KILLING PEOPLE IS ALSO AN ACHIEVEMENT.
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED A MEMORY...]
Memory: A magical item tied to the essence of a Dream Realm inhabitant. Memories are created from Soul Essence, but can assume physical form when summoned.
YES! COME ON, GIVE ME SOMETHING GOOD!
A WEAPON! GIVE ME A SWORD!
[...YOU HAVE RECEIVED A MEMORY: SILVER BELL.]
DAMN IT. A BELL?
WELL, WITH MY LUCK, WHAT WAS I EXPECTING?
Silver Bell
A SMALL MEMENTO OF A LONG-LOST HOME, WHICH ONCE BROUGHT ITS OWNER COMFORT AND JOY. ITS CLEAR RINGING CAN BE HEARD FROM MILES AWAY.
WHAT A USELESS PIECE OF CRAP.
NO MATTER.
BUT HAVE I REALLY THOUGHT THIS PLAN THROUGH WELL?
DAMN IT! WHY WON'T THIS COME OFF?
MY COMPANIONS ARE UNRELIABLE.
THIS SHOULD FETCH A DECENT PRICE.
THE FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN.
EVEN THE REQUIREMENTS OF PASSING THE NIGHTMARE TRIAL REMAIN A MYSTERY.
ANY DECISION I MAKE IS A GAMBLE, AT BEST.
STILL, I HAVE TO MAKE SOME.
WHAT'S THIS?
THE WHOLE PATH'S DESTROYED.
THERE MUST HAVE BEEN AN AVALANCHE RECENTLY.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?!
I TOLD YOU, THE BOY'S CURSED!
EVER SINCE HE JOINED THE CARAVAN, NOTHING HAS GONE RIGHT!
THAT SHIFTY GUY IS ALWAYS BLAMING ME FOR EVERYTHING.
IT'S TRUE THAT I'M UNLUCKY...
BUT I DIDN'T ATTRACT MISFORTUNE TO THE SLAVE CARAVAN.
IT'S BECAUSE THE CARAVAN WAS DOOMED TO BEGIN WITH THAT I ENDED UP HERE.
EPISODE 8
SEVERAL HOURS LATER...
I KNOW CLIMBING STRAIGHT UP THE MOUNTAIN WAS OUR ONLY OPTION.
...BUT, GODS, IT'S EXHAUSTING.
I'M RUNNING LOW ON WATER ALREADY.
IF YOU ARE THIRSTY, DRINK YOUR WATER. DON'T TRY TO CONSERVE IT.
WE NEED TO STAY HYDRATED.
IF WE RUN OUT OF WATER, CAN'T WE JUST MELT THE SNOW TO DRINK?
FOR NOW, PERHAPS.
HUFF
HUFF
HUFF
BUT THERE MIGHT COME A TIME WHEN WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE A FIRE...
SO THAT WE DON'T ATTRACT UNWANTED ATTENTION.
THAT'S TRUE...
ANYWAY, THE SUN IS SETTING.
AND WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED.
THIS GUY'S ALTITUDE SICKNESS SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE, TOO.
I'M FINE, ASSHOLES. GET OUT OF MY FACE.
THEN WE NEED TO HURRY AND FIND A PLACE TO STAY FOR THE NIGHT.
DAMN IT...
CLIMBING LIKE THIS IS INSANE...
IN THE OLD DAYS, THERE USED TO BE A PATH LEADING TO THE PEAK OF THE MOUNTAIN. IT WAS USED BY PILGRIMS.
THE REMNANTS OF THAT OLD PATH SHOULD STILL BE SOMEWHERE ABOVE US.
IF WE REACH IT, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND OUR WAY BACK TO THE UNDAMAGED SECTION OF THE ROAD.
IF IT WEREN"T FOR THE DAMN AVALANCHE, WE WOULDN"T BE SUFFERING LIKE THIS.
THEN WE CAN STILL MAKE IT THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN PASS. LET'S HURRY!
YES!
KID! WE'LL FIND A PLACE TO REST, SO HANG IN THERE JUST A BIT LONGER.
DAMN IT. THIS IS TORTURE!
IF YOU'RE SO WORRIED, WHY DON'T YOU CARRY MY SHARE OF SUPPLIES AS WELL, NOT JUST SHIFTY'S?!
I'M EXHAUSTED TO DEATH!
IT'S LIKE HE'S MOCKING ME.
RIGHT... LET'S TRY TO THINK ABOUT SOMETHING PLEASANT.
IF I ACTUALLY SURVIVE THIS TRIAL...
I WONDER WHAT KIND OF REWARD I'LL RECEIVE?
AFTER COMPLETING THEIR TRIAL, ASPIRANTS FORM THEIR SOUL CORE.
SOUL CORES ARE THE BASIS OF ONE'S RANK AND POWER.
THE STRONGER YOUR CORE IS, THE GREATER YOUR MIGHT WILL GROW.
THE ONLY WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SOUL CORE IS TO CONSUME SOUL SHARDS SCAVENGED FROM THE CORPSES OF NIGHTMARE CREATURES.
THAT'S WHY AWAKENED GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO BATTLE POWERFUL NIGHTMARE CREATURES DESPITE THE RISK OF DEATH.
ANOTHER BENEFIT OF PASSING THE TRIAL IS GAINING YOUR FIRST ASPECT ABILITY.
ASPECT ABILITIES ARE DIVERSE, UNIQUE, AND POWERFUL. SOME CAN BE CATEGORIZED INTO TYPES - LIKE COMBAT, RANGED, AND UTILITY - BUT SOME ARE SIMPLY BEYOND IMAGINATION.
I WONDER WHAT TYPE OF ABILITY A TEMPLE SLAVE WOULD GET.
IF THE ASPIRANT PERFORMS ESPECIALLY WELL DURING THE TRIAL, THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THEIR ASPECT GOING THROUGH AN EARLY EVOLUTION INTO A HIGHER RANK.
DORMANT
AWAKENED
ASCENDED
TRANSCENDENT
THE LOWEST RANK IS CALLED DORMANT, FOLLOWED BY AWAKENED, ASCENDED, TRANSCENDENT, SUPREME, SACRED, AND DIVINE – ALTHOUGH NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN THE LAST ONE.
WITH THE AMOUNT OF CRAP IT'S PUTTING ME THROUGH...
THE NIGHTMARE SPELL HAS TO GIVE ME AT LEAST AN AWAKENED ASPECT, RIGHT?
SUPREME
SACRED
DIVINE
OR MAYBE EVEN AN ASCENDED ONE!
I MIGHT EVEN RECEIVE A TRUE NAME...
True Name: An extremely rare, honorary title bestowed by the Spell to its favorite Awakened. It is considered to be the hightest mark of excellence.
NO! WHAT GOOD IS A TITLE?
I NEED POWER!
I'M PROBABLY ASKING FOR TOO MUCH. AT THIS POINT, I SHOULD JUST HOPE THAT MY FLAW ISN'T TOO HARMFUL.
AS THE PRICE FOR GAINING MYSTICAL POWERS, EVERY AWAKENED ALSO RECEIVES A FLAW, RANGING FROM COMPARATIVELY HARMLESS TO CRIPPLING, OR, IN SOME CASES, EVEN FATAL.
DAMNATION!
THIS WISHFUL THINKING IS JUST MAKING ME MORE DEPRESSED...
I MUST BE ALLERGIC TO DREAMING.
AT LEAST IT HELPED ME PASS THE TIME...
I... CAN'T...
?
WHAT WAS THAT SOUND?
HE FELL...
HE'S DEAD!
AT LEAST...
IT'S A GOOD THING THAT WE TOOK MOST OF THE SUPPLIES HE HAD BEEN CARRYING.
A BIT HEARTLESS, BUT NOT WRONG.
MAY YOU REST IN PEACE, MY FRIEND.
WOW. WHAT A PERFORMANCE.
IT'S OBVIOUS THAT HE ONLY CARES ABOUT HIMSELF.
THERE'S NO TIME TO DELAY!
LET'S MOVE, QUICKLY!
WHY DO I FEEL SO GUILTY?
HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED.
...THERE'S ONLY THREE OF US LEFT, NOW.
Shadow Slave Chapter 8 follows the boy after his first murder as he confronts his lack of guilt and an uncertain future. He receives the Silver Bell Memory from the Spell but finds it useless, then learns an avalanche destroyed the road. Forced to climb straight up the mountain while facing thirst and exhaustion alongside a companion with worsening altitude sickness, he reflects on Soul Cores and Aspect abilities before a companion falls to his death, leaving only three survivors.
