Shadow Slave novel Chapter 686

It was getting late, and darkness crawled into the stone room, drowning its corners in shadows. Cassie sat motionlessly, the graceful lines of her beautiful face contorted by a deep scowl. Then, a heavy sigh escaped from her lips.

"It started soon after I entered the Nightmare, but no one paid it much attention at first. There were just strange rumors that reached the temple, resembling scary stories that people like to tell each other when the sun is gone and darkness envelops the world. Rumors of a pleasant voice that came from the fog."

She gritted her teeth for a moment.

"Perhaps if my lady's affliction was not as severe, we could have done something then. After all, in this world, scary stories often come true. And this one was more ominous than the rest, because it had to do with the fog. The Night Temple stands at the boundary of the Hollow Mountains, after all… and of the mist that shrouds them. But she was distant and uncaring, and so, we have grown aloof, too."

Cassie somberly shook her head, then continued, her low, deep voice enveloping the room and her three listeners:

"As time went by, the rumors started to change. They grew more menacing and dire, telling tales of people who listened to the fog and disappeared without a trace. At that point, the Eyeless grew concerned, suspecting that a corrupted creature had found its way into their land. Many of them possessed a high affinity to revelation, after all, and they could feel it... unease, threat, danger. So, a priestess was sent to investigate, escorted by a squad of experienced Awakened soldiers. And at the same time, it was decided that a divination will be performed."

She lingered for a moment.

"The divination showed no result, and the priestess… she failed to return with useful clues. In fact, she did not return at all. She and her escort disappeared without a trace, as though they had never existed. Just like the people from the rumors… only, by then, no one thought of them as mere rumors anymore." _{frёeweɓηovel.coɱ}

The blind young woman shivered, then said in an even voice:

"Finally, we became alarmed. The army was summoned, and many hunting parties were sent out to find the creature. Mundane soldiers, Awakened warriors, Ascended champions, the Eyeless… everyone was determined to catch the abomination. But despite all our efforts, we failed… how could we catch the fog?"

Cassie's face darkened.

"And all the while, people continued to disappear. First one or two at a time, then scores of them, and then, one day… we found a whole village that stood empty, not a sign of its inhabitants in sight. Everyone there — every man, woman, and child — was taken by the fog."

She grew silent for a few moments, then added grimly:

"And then, hunting parties started to disappear, too. Powerful, experienced soldiers... we even lost an Ascended. The worst part, however, was that there was no pattern to the creature's movements… at least none that we could recognize. It could attack a settlement far to the west one day, and then suddenly take someone far to the east the next. It was almost as if it could be in several places at the same time. Because of that, we couldn't throw all our forces into one location and corner it on a single island. And so, we constructed a trap for it… all we needed was a lure, and I volunteered to become one."

The blind young woman shook her head.

"...Of course, back then, I didn't know that the fiend of the fog was far more cunning and devious than any Nightmare Creature I have ever faced. But I found out… found out very soon. Because that was when I met him again. And as soon as I did, I realized that what we thought of as a trap for the fiend was, instead, a trap that the Prince of War lured us in instead."