Amidst Despair in The Theater of Shadows

[Vritra]

Disclaimer

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None of the Shadow Slave characters belong to me. They belong to Guiltythree the author of the series.

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Everything that happens is purely fictional and is for entertainment only. Whatever happens in this story doesn't reflect my feelings, opinions or interests. It's just written to satisfy my need for reaction fics in this fandom.

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Warnings~!

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This fic will contain a huge number of spoilers pertaining to Volume 8 of Shadow Slave. If you don't want to get spoiled, I would recommend not reading this story before finishing volume 7 and 8.

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This work is transformative content.

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Feedback:

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As I've not fully memorized all of the lore, I'm prone to sometimes make a mistake. When I do, I would like to point where so I can make adjustments so everything is on track.

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I do my best to read and respond whenever possible, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts. Whether it's a simple comment, a deep analysis, or just a reaction, I appreciate every single one of them!

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Schedule:

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I don't know what type of schedule I want at the moment. But I plan to at least update once a week. This story will cover the entirety of the Shadow Slave storyline up to Volume 8. And I plan to cover at least 3 to 4 chapters per singular Chapter. With short breaks between arcs, due having to reared those moments to properly characterize the characters

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Every bit of support means the world to me and helps keep the journey going. Join me on this adventure—let's build something amazing together!

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Community:

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Discord: https://discord.gg/PgSH5aHH

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[Vritra]

Desire is a powerful feeling. After all, all creatures long for something; they desire something. It's ingrained into their very being. To be remembered. To live a life worth remembering. A life of significance filled with love and bonds. Desire comes in many forms. Sometimes, the coagulated essence of the desire can crystallize, forming a seed.

In the lightless void separate from the divine realm and the true darkness of the void, such seed has formulated. Born from the coagulations of wants of a single man. To be free, to be remembered, and most of all, to be loved.

This man has already become an error in the tapestry of fate and the entirety of the world. It was something that shouldn't exist, had no right to exist, but it did. It was a missing piece in the grand scheme of perfection, a cog in the machine called fate.

Reality wanted to reject this piece. This imperfection, but it couldn't.

It was too emotional.

'It' yearned to be remembered. Silently screaming, not being able to pierce through the veil of reality. 'It' wished to be heard. To be seen, to be loved... 'It' wanted to go home, if 'it' had any to begin with. Longing for the light like all the life before it. And so, the light of Desire began shining brightly, growing and growing with each passing day.

Until something happened.

Something stirred. The seed throbbed with passion, beating like a ferocious heart. A piercing screech emanated through the soundless realm. Its roots shattered the black veil of its shell. The dark bark of the lightless tree started to form. Its roots started to stretch across the realm, slowly consuming everything in it, making it part of its domain. The tree's crown emerged colored by bright, glowing leaves.

It's radiance had become blinding. All-encompassing the desolate space it once was a part of. The light spewing from it even reached the divine realm with gentle whispers of its bright, long rays, causing them to shiver at the touch of the unfamiliar presence.

From deep within the domain tree core. Something took shape.

It opened its eyes; every one of the leaves focused on the entirety of the world. The eyes of the tree could see everything. The leaves trebled with excitement. Vivid with life, the pale light filled the realm.

In the next second, light travels as far as the eyes can see. It flared and moved with the precision of a deity. Surging towards the Divine Realms.

The only sound that could now be heard was the melodious sound of rustling leaves that sounded like soft bells and whispers of the spell:

[Seed of Desire has bloomed]

[Formulating Domain]

[Domain Formed]

---

In the Ivory Tower of the floating citadel, a heavenly aroma wafted out from the mess hall. The heat of the stove and the scent of seasoned meat and vegetables quickly filled the room. Skillfully flicking the pan with utmost precision, letting the seasoned meat sizzle under the stove's heat. Her white hair was tied in a ponytail, and her gray eyes were filled with focus. Her lithe body was clad in a stylish apron that was donned over her civilian clothes.

It was Nephis; currently, she was preparing a feast for the entire cohort as they chatted leisurely at the large table. It had been a long time since they had a meal like that. She let out a relaxed sigh.

Ever since they had returned from the Third Nightmere, their lives had become quite busy. Valor had become tense at their quick ascension to power and had been wanting to deepen their invisible leash on her and Cassie for quite some time. Continuous tasks. Missions and Paperwork. It wasn't a surprise for her that they had deep animosity toward her and her cohort. After all, they weren't nurtured by them, and then they didn't trust her; after all, she was a victim of their machinations.

Effie, Jet, and Kai didn't escape the burden of responsibility either. The government work pulled them deeper and deeper into the politics and all the conspiracies piling on top of them. The primary is located around Antarctica to recover some semblance of the lost region, form the clutches of the nightmare creature, or build a new one entirely.

Unfortunately, this has kept the cohort split for quite some time now.

But now everyone was back together. Not to mention, she finally found someone who could be her equal and a lover: Sunny.

Life was starting to turn for the better for her. She froze. Then she remembered that in a couple of weeks, a war would happen that would determine the supremacy of the dream realm—the realm war.

Nephi's hand paused, and she laid down the pan.

She refocused as the door to the kitchen burst open. Effie peeked through with a wolfish grin.

"Sooo… Princess?! How long until the food is ready? The others are waiting for your amazing cooking." Effie's growing grin couldn't be contained.

Nephis looked over and replied with a calm timbre.

"I'll bring it right now."

Nephis grabbed several plates and carried them with food into the other room.

When she entered, all eyes focused on her.

But before she could approach. She froze. Windows Shattered, Table Tumbled. And with a loud bang, everything vanished into pure white.

...

Today was a strangely slow day for the Brilliant Emporium. Nothing was happening as of late.

The lack of clients was not that strange, but the mood that accompanied the city impacted the number of people who showed up.

It was an odd mixture of agitation and somber anticipation. People were indignant on the attempt on Nephis's Life, which attributed to Clan's Song more and more ruthless and exaggerated rumors and propaganda.

All in all, there were as many dissenting voices as those wishing to hold the Queen of Worms responsible.

It was all happening a little too quickly.

Luckily, despite being deprived of customers. He could finally focus on designing the weave of the soul sword. Oh, and he had a date with Nephis to worry about, too.

The pressure of designing a perfect date was daunting on his mind, much more than designing the weaves for the soul-bound blade. He had been fairly confident when he had asked her out, but now that he had to come up with something, his mind felt numb. Paralyzed even.

There were not a lot of romantic places in Bastion. Even worse, Sunny himself was not that knowledgeable about romance.

And not to mention Nephis wasn't a typical young lady. Who knows what her idea of a romantic encounter was.

Abbreviating, Sunny was stumped

…And Aiko's suggestions didn't help.

"What's the problem, boss? Just take her to an inn. I mean, you are both adults. Some inns charge by the hour, you know…"

He snapped back.

"You. You are the problem! Do you want to get me killed?!"

Aiko laughed. Hiding her coy smirk behind her hand.

"Alright, alright, I'm joking. Honestly, though, I say you're overthinking it. Anything and anywhere will be fine. After all, the only necessary ingredients are you and her. And since both of you will be present, that's most of the work done."

She glanced at him and asked.

"Just be yourself. Draw from your experience. What's the most romantic memory you have?"

Sunny scratched the tip of his nose.

"Uh... well... I spent a month being stuck on the corpse of a giant Nightmare Creature with a girl once..."

Aiko stared at him silently for a few moments. Her gaze spoke more than her words:

"...On second thought, don't be yourself. Forget everything about your experience. Just take her on a boat ride or something!"

Sunny's eyes brightened.

"A boat ride? Huh. That's not a bad idea…"

He would have said more, his eyes focused on the door.

He sensed a group of people approaching the Brilliant Emporium, and they did not seem like the usual customers.

Heavy armor. Sharp Weapons. The movements were filled with discipline, and their intent was clear.

'Soldiers.'

Why would a cohort of Awakened warriors of Clan Valor approach his humble shop?

For a moment, Sunny wanted to get rid of them. It would only take a moment; not even an ounce of his power and soul essence would be wasted. Then he could grab Aiko and get out of here with the shadows. None of them would be able to catch him. Of course, unless Anvil himself would do it personally, Sunny doubted he would care too much.

Of course, it only mattered if his cover was blown… that would be the only way out of here.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea.

First of all, even if his cover was 'somehow' blown, they would only, most likely learn that he was the lord of shadows. And the Lord of Shadows was an ally of Clan Valor. He relaxed his muscles and leaned on the counter.

'So…'

'Why the hell are they here, then?'

Sunny was very confused. If not for his identity, what reason would they have to appear?

"What's the matter, boss?"

Aiko looked at him apprehensively and a little with curiosity.

He hesitated for a moment.

"I, uh… have no idea."

The clanks of armor got louder. At that moment, the soldiers reached the Brilliant Emporium. Then, there was a loud knock on the door.

'Don't eat them.'

Sunny sighed, adjusted his shirt, put on a pleasant smile, and went to open the door.

He opened the door with grace befitting the owner of this fine establishment.

"Welcome, welcome to the Brilliant Emporium! How may I help you?"

He was met with a sharp, unfriendly stare.

What welcomed him was six Awakened warriors that were standing a few steps back, while one was looking at him with disdain. That man was tall and sharp, clad in an enchanted armor, a vermilion cloak hanging from his broad shoulders.

He was also an Ascended. He looked him in the eyes, still keeping his pleasant smile.

"Master Sunless?"

Hearing the deep voice, Sunny smiled a little wider.

"That's what they call me, yes,"

The knight nodded.

"Please, come with me then."

Sunny blinked a couple of times.

'Uh…'

The man glanced at him with badly hidden irritation and then said coldly:

"I was ordered to escort you to the Castle. Please follow."

'What the hell?'

Sunny hesitated for a moment. Wondering if it wouldn't be better to just kill them all and get rid of this riddance.

But he had to reluctantly abandon that idea.

"Why, by all means."

Exchanging a glance with Aiko, he shrugged helplessly and followed the Knight out of the confines of the Brilliant Emporium.

He tried to strike up a conversation a few times on the way to the castle, but all of his escorts seemed to be in a foul mood. They weren't fans of his, that's for sure.

With his sharp hearing and trained senses, he could catch a few of them muttering under their breaths:

"Dammed Mongrel"

…

The escorts brought him across the lake and then to the very heart of the Castle.

When Sunny was led to the main keep, where the direct line of the Clan Valor resided, he was on the verge of collapsing from fright. His heart kept on hammering in his chest as he looked around and marched behind the guiding knight.

Half an hour later, he somehow found himself in a grand hall, facing none other than Morgan, the Princess of War.

Morgan was leaning on a stone throne, holding a sharp sword in her hand. Her gaze was piercing. Sharp, like that of a razor blade.

Sunny felt chills run down his spine.

'She doesn't know. Does she?'

The last time they had met was during the assassination attempt. Of course, it was in his other persona.

Morgan's calculative, cold gaze traveled across his figure as if measuring him, making him shiver.

Then. Her scarlet lips parted.

"Oh."

Morgan's voice sounded calm, even demure. It took on an unusual soft timbre. Something Sunny didn't expect from this battle-obsessed maniac.

"I understand now."

Sunny scratched his head.

'What… what does she understand?"

It didn't make sense to him; what would she need to understand from one glance of him?

Smiling faintly, Morgan descended from the dais and approached him.

The sharp blade of her sword glistened in the rays of reflected light.

She gave of a presence of a sharp blade.

"Master Sunless, I presume."

Sunny nodded along and forced himself to smile politely. He forced himself to speak:

"Princess Morgan. It's an honor."

She stared at him with a strange, relaxed expression as if contemplating something. Then, she cleared her throat to snap back to reality.

"Indeed. Please kneel."

Sunny raised his eyebrows; his eyes widened a little.

'What?'

"Pardon?"

Her gaze turned a little dark, as if the sharpened blade was ready to be unsheathed.

"I told you to kneel."

He hesitated for a moment, glancing at his escort, and then elegantly lowered himself onto one knee.

'Morgan has grown stronger after Transcending. Still… If a need arises, I should be able to dodge.'

She raised her sword slowly, and at the same time, he prepared to call upon the shadows.

However, to his shock…

The sword did not fall to cut his neck or any part of his body. Instead, Morgan touched the blade to his left shoulder lightly, then repeated the process with the right shoulder and the crown of his head.

Sunny was stupefied.

'What… is going… on?'

Having finished the strange action, Morgan dismissed her sword and smiled in strange satisfaction.

'Is… is she smiling?'

"Master Sunless… I hereby proclaim you a Knight of Valor. Rise, Sir Sunless. May your edge never dull."

Sunny's eyes widened.

"P-pardon?!"

…

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Sir Erik"

"It's my pleasure as well. Sir Edward"

Erik responded with a calm and serene smile.

"How is it going? aren't we going to go on patrol. And what's up with that commotion?"

Erik couldn't help but be surprised by the commotion the other knights were discussing when he approached Sir Edward. All of them were muttering about something.

"Ah… That must be about the knighting ceremony performed by Princess Morgan herself." Edward responded with a sincere yet irritated smile.

But before he could ask again, he thought he could hear something faint, like the buzzing of a power line. But that was impossible. There were no electricity or power lines in the dream realm, anyway. Erik steadied himself using the stone wall. His eyes traveled onto the face of the elderly gentleman, and his eyes connected with his. Erik froze.

That… that is no human.

Erik ducked. His body contorted and tumbled on the floor as the blade of light almost pierced his heart

The gentleman's face reradiated light, slowly peeling his skin, exposing his pink gums and visceral bloody flesh.

Erik knew that he had no chance. The 'human' moved with a speed faster than his own. Even his Ascended body wasn't enough

'What… what the fuck is that!'

monster's hand reached for him, its sharpness was unpalpable, and only a slight touch of the light had started to melt his body.

'It's atle…'

Erik fell. His body tumbled and melted into a puddle of liquid flesh only to be absorbed by the outreaching light claw of the nightmare creature.

That was the fate that soon would befall all of the world.

…

Sunny was stunned that he did not know what to say.

All he could think was…

'What the hell?!'

No, really…

Him? A Knight of Valor?!

His mind short-circuited for a moment. Of all things, he expected when a cohort of unfriendly soldiers approached him and invited him to the castle, this one wasn't one of them.

Still standing on one knee, he raised his head and looked at Morgan with a dumbfounded expression. She studied his face for a few moments, then clicked her tongue and turned away.

"That will be all. You can go now."

Before he could rise. He stopped; His heart started to hammer like crazy. He peered with his shadows all around him. Seeing the dim lit light form across the hall. Weird… there shouldn't be light. Taking a deep breath, he extended his reach. With each meter farther, Sunny could feel his heart beat faster and faster.

A chill ran down his spine as he heard the sound of iron on the cold stone. It was a piercingly loud sound. Almost blowing up his eardrums. Something was off; he could tell it, but he couldn't think what.

'Isn't it normal that the light would be there?'

What… He stopped and looked at Morgan Her eyes weren't even looking in that direction.

'It's as if. as if it didn't exist.'

The smell of damp and decay filled his nostrils. It was suffocating and overpowering. His ears strained, trying to pick up any more signs of sound. He knew something was there.

But all he heard was a soft sound of a buzzing power-line.

'What!'

He jumped. His body propelled him forward onto the Princess of War, she didn't have a chance to even react. She was startled and ready to fight.

"Get off m-"She scoffed, but before she could finish, Sunny covered her mouth.

Crack

The cracks in the wall appeared; they glowed with ethereal light.

"Calm down. Can't you sense that something is amiss?"

Morgan looked around and noticed that none of the previous accoupling them knights were present, as if they vanished without a trace. But what shocked her even more was.

'He… He can touch me?'

After all, due to her flaw, every contact with her skin ended up terrible, her flaw causing anything she touched to become vulnerable, fragile, and falling apart.

But she couldn't be distracted, even though he was cute. Just as he said, something was amiss.

She thought for a moment.

'Could it be Mordret? No… that wouldn't make sense; he doesn't have any mental attacks.'

"Look at the wall. Princess," Sunny said with a nervous smile. And she did as he said; her piercing gaze was directed at an already falling apart wall. The rims of the cracks glowed with bright yellow light, almost like sunlight. They were throbbing and beating like a heart and looked just like veins made of pure light. Spreading along the interior just like a plague.

'Could it be a Nightmare Creature?'

Before she could react. Sunny grabbed her in a bridal carry and jumped into the shadow. He couldn't care less about identity at this moment. He could feel that this creature was something more powerful than he even faced.

'Could this be more powerful than that good-for-nothing ugly bird?'

He didn't care enough to get an answer. In truth, he cared more about preserving his life and Morgan's. After all, she was the last person Sunny had seen. And if something were to happen to her. Suspicions and propaganda would likely spread. Probably something along those lines:

'Master Sunless, a café owner was a spy of the Song Domain and responsible for an assassination of Princess Morgan.'

He didn't want to deal with that. That would be annoying.

But before he could emerge somewhere safe. His body froze; he couldn't move an inch. Something was pulling on his very being, pulling him up along with the Princess.

"What… What is going on?" She was still startled from going into the shadows unannounced. Well, it would be a very shocking experience. But even so, he couldn't answer her.

"I don't know… Something is pulling us up!"

The strain of pushing through the shadow travel despite being pulled by an invisible presence was excruciating. It felt like his entrails and organs were crushed with pressure, slowly pulled apart, and dragged for the world to see. Morgan also showed discomfort on her face, so Sunny assumed that it was the same sensation for her.

Suddenly, Sunny felt something warm brush against his skin. He froze. Then it grabbed his neck, tightly squeezing it. His heart leapt into his throat as all terrible possibilities ran through his head. Sunny thrashed his arm at the creature that blinded him with pure light, desperately trying to fend off whatever it was. Sunny surrounded himself in shadows, augmenting his body. He turned around just in time as the creature almost pierced his heart and the princess along with him.

He coagulated all of the shadow he had into his fist and punched the beast straight into it head. A loud bang was heard. His Hand broken. The creature still breathed; it was completely unscathed.

Before he could react, he was already enveloped in pure light; only white remained.

A pure white world.
***Chapter End***
So, what did you think about the chapter? and I would love for you to write suggestions in the comments on who I should add to the reaction fic, because I'm still unsure.

The ones I'm planning are definitely:
Dearon
Wind Flower
Ananke
Julius
And all of the main Nephis Cohort members.