Shadow Slave novel Chapter 500

After drinking her fill, Nephis sat silently on the edge of the pool for a while, staring into the distance.

Her eyes, however, were moving, as if reading an invisible book that floated in the air above the calm waters.

Some time later, a pale shadow of a smile touched her lips.

'That guy… he did something crazy again, didn't he?'

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

'How is he so fast…'

In the past months… years, lifetimes?... spent traversing the Dream Realm, surrounded by nothing except for pain and bloodshed, Nephis had started doubting the memories of her previous life. Sometimes, all of it seemed like something that she had simply imagined… a bittersweet dream she had invented to escape from the horrors of the real world. This world.

The world of neverending nightmares.

The change of the runes describing Sunny was the only connection she had left to the actual reality. Perhaps, it was the only thing keeping her sane.

...Even if the things she saw in the shimmering runes were sometimes hard to believe.

The impossible Lineage that should not have existed, the divine Memory of the seventh Rank, the strange essence of his soul, the true nature of the taciturn stone demon… and of course, of his Flaw.

It seemed that Sunny had much more secrets than Nephis had suspected. With that knowledge, many things made much more sense now… but at the same time, many others seemed much more incredible.

Well, it was not like she didn't have secrets of her own.

And anyway, it was all in the past.

Everything was in the past.

All that remained was the future.

...She did hope that he was doing well, though, out there in the real world. With Cassie...

Looking up from the water, Nephis shifted her gaze to the ancient tree and saw two weathered skeletons cruelly nailed to its white bark. Both stared at her with empty eyes, their teeth bared in eternal grins.

After some time, one of the skeletons said:

"My, oh my. Am I that pleasant to look at?" _{freewebnøvel.com}

The other grated its teeth and let out a creaky growl, then strained, trying to wrestle free of the large silver nails impaling it to the tree. However, no matter how furiously it struggled, the nails held true.

Nephis looked at the skeletons with a calm expression, no emotion reflecting in her cold, grey eyes.

The first skeleton spoke again:

"Is that… is that living blood I smell? Gods! What terrible sins have you committed, girl, to be cast into this hell alive? Even for a revolting nephilim like you, this is too harsh of a punishment."

Finally, she opened her mouth and said hoarsely, in a voice of a person who had almost forgotten how to speak:

"...What language do you use?"

The skeleton laughed.

"The only language there is in this place, of course. Why? Do you wish to learn it?"

Nephis remained silent for a long time, and then said:

"I seek a way back to the waking world. Do you know how to escape this place?"

The skeleton stared at her with a grin.

"The waking world? What is that?"

The second skeleton suddenly spoke, his voice deep and full of rage:

"Can't you smell the stench of a daemon on this abominable thing? She is one of Weaver's, you fool!"