Shadow Slave: Eternal Madness

Nephis looked down at Raphael's lifeless body. She had already seen him like this thirty times now.

'Sigh... at least he didn't unsummon Tank this time.'

With practiced ease, she lifted Raphael's limp form and carefully placed him on Tank's back.

"Tank, let's move. Your Master will be angry if we don't reach the tree."

Two months had passed since they first entered the Nightmare Desert, and Raphael hadn't lied—this Region wasn't made for the weak.

Nephis glanced at their supplies from the Forgotten Shore. Surprisingly, there were still enough provisions to last four months.

Her gaze shifted to Raphael's still body.

'If it weren't for him, it would have taken me at least a year to get here.'

After six long hours of trudging through the desert, a distant silhouette resembling a tree came into view.

Suddenly, she heard Raphael's familiar voice behind her. The sound made her exhale with relief. Even though she knew he'd regenerate, it was never easy seeing him lifeless.

"Argh... did we reach the tree, Neph?"

She turned to look at him.

'His eyes are still regenerating.'

"No, but I can see it now," she replied.

Raphael sighed as he sat up.

After some time, he turned his face toward her, empty sockets making his expression unreadable.

"Nephis, do you think I'm human anymore?"

She stared at him for a moment before replying, "Why would you think you're not human?"

Raphael gave her a tired smile.

"In essence, humans fear death. They fear pain. They need food, water, and rest to live. But I don't fear or need those things. So... does that make me less human?"

She frowned, her tone calm but firm.

"Sigh... Raph, do you feel emotions? When you die or get hurt, don't you feel anger at yourself for being weak? Raph, there are people who don't fear death—does that make them any less human? What defines us as humans is our emotions... and our desire to become more than ordinary."

Raphael fell silent, absorbing her words.

"We're close to the tree. How much longer until you fully regenerate?" she asked.

"About an hour," he replied. After a pause, he added, "By the way, Neph, my friend might be a little racist toward you since you're a Nephilim... but don't worry. He'll still help us."

Nephis stopped and glared at him.

"And you're telling me this now?"

"I forgot!"

"Eurys! Azarax! Are you there?!" Raphael's shout echoed through the barren expanse.

From the tree ahead, a voice answered, laced with surprise.

"Hmm? If it isn't Raphael. Why, in the Gods' name, have you come back to this hell? And you've brought someone with you... Is that a Nephilim?!"

A second voice, sharp and disdainful, chimed in.

"By the Gods, why is such a cursed creature still alive?!"

Raphael glanced at Nephis, his smile awkward.

"Ahm... Neph, let me introduce them. The one on the left is Azarax the Mighty! The Plague of Steel! King of Kings! Conqueror of a Hundred Thrones! And the one on the right is Eurys of the Nine. He's just a humble slave... the kind of slave who once slit a God's throat."

"It was a misunderstanding!" Eurys snapped.

Nephis studied the two undead figures nailed to the massive tree and sighed.

"My name is Nephis. It's nice to meet you."

"Hm. Anyway," Raphael interrupted, "I'm going to take a shower in that pool over there. Have fun chatting."

As Raphael left, Eurys turned his attention to Nephis.

"A Nephilim... I didn't think your kind still existed. So, why are you here, child?"

"I don't know. Raphael said one of you would guide us to where we need to go," she replied.

Azarax grinned, his voice booming with authority.

"Then choose me, Nephilim! I will guide you to the shores of the Underworld and through its dark expanse, back to the world of the living! You'll need someone powerful if you wish to escape!"

Nephis ignored him, waiting in silence for Raphael's return.

Five minutes later, Raphael came back, his hair still wet.

"It's your turn now. Go take a shower."

Nephis nodded but hesitated.

"Raph, don't you dare look."

Raphael chuckled.

"Hahaha—Neph, I already saw everything when you put your armor in your Soul Sea to repair. There's no need to be shy."

Nephis turned to him, shocked.

"But I was sure I only did that when you were dead!"

"Neph, as long as my brain's intact, I'm not really dead. Hahaha!"

He gave her a teasing grin. "Also, I already have a woman in my heart. And you? You're obsessed with Sunny. You check his status every day like a stalker."

"I don't love Sunny! He's... he's just a friend! Yes, a friend!" she stammered.

'Argh... poor Sunny just got friend-zoned.'

Nephis huffed. "Wait... who's the woman you love, then?"

Raphael's grin softened. "The woman in my heart is none other than my mother. Her love, her care, and her cooking... top-tier. Nothing compares."

"You... love your mother?" Nephis asked, her face twisting in disgust.

"Wait! That's not what I meant! Why would you even think— Argh! Just go already!"

Raphael sighed as Nephis walked off toward the pool, muttering under her breath. He turned his attention back to the two undead nailed to the tree.

"Now then, I need a guide to help us reach the Underworld. Can either of you help?"

Eurys stared at him, his hollow sockets somehow sharp with intensity.

"Why do you need to go to the Underworld, Raphael?"

"It's the only path I know to return to our world."

"I see. Then I will guide you," Eurys said, his voice grave. "But there's a cost. Tell me—how do you know about Aletheia? Don't even think about lying to me, mortal."

Raphael froze for a moment before answering carefully, "I read about her... in a book."

"A book? Tell me more about it," Eurys demanded.

"I don't know much. It spoke of the future—that's all I know."

Eurys considered this for a moment, then gave a slow nod.

"Very well. I will help you reach the Underworld."

Raphael felt a wave of relief.

'Thank God he agreed.'

Azarax, however, wasn't so pleased.

"Wait! What about me, mortal?!"

Raphael turned to him with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, but we only need one guide."

Just then, Nephis returned, her damp silver hair gleaming under the strange light of the desert sky.

"Is everything settled?"

Raphael nodded.

"Yes. Eurys will guide us to the Underworld, where the Seed is. We'll leave in three days. The journey will take about a year."

Nephis gave a quiet nod, her expression unreadable.

The journey into the Underworld began on a silent river.

A dark current flowed through a cavernous expanse of black stone. Fog clung to the water, veiling it in a ghostly shroud. Cutting through the mist was a slender gondola of onyx, its bow adorned with a glass lantern. Inside the lantern, a pristine white flame burned, casting an otherworldly glow on the murky surroundings.

Raphael sat on the gondola, his long black hair falling over his shoulders. His light tan skin looked pale under the lantern's light, his brown eyes fixated on the pale figure resting on his thigh.

Nephis lay curled into a ball, her silver hair draped across his lap. In the stark light, her ivory skin appeared almost translucent, her face vulnerable in sleep.

Raphael's expression darkened.

"She hasn't eaten anything in two weeks..." he muttered under his breath. "Damn it! I already told her to eat his flesh, but she wouldn't listen."

At the stern of the gondola stood Eurys, clad in tattered rags. Despite having no lungs, no lips, and no tongue, the skeleton was humming an eerie tune:

One day the gods will fall

And reveal their lie

The one who sleeps will awaken

To devour his children

Oh, and us all

That which was forgotten

Will be remembered

And consume the world

Oh, all of us will dream

The nightmare

Of the Forgotten God...

Raphael broke the silence.

"Eurys... do you know why the Six Gods used the Forgotten God to seal that place?"

The skeleton turned his hollow gaze toward Raphael.

"No," Eurys replied.

"I see..." Raphael murmured, his expression unreadable.

Nephis stirred, slowly opening her grey eyes.

"Good morning, creature," Eurys said, his tone mocking. "How have you slept?"

Nephis sat up straight, her movements slow and deliberate. She didn't reply, her tired eyes locking onto Eurys.

The skeleton shrugged at her silence.

"Hmm... something about you feels different today. Your shadow... it seems deeper. How peculiar."

Nephis ignored him.

"Neph," Raphael interjected, his voice soft. "You're still weak. Rest some more."

She didn't answer, turning her gaze toward the fog.

"Are you feeling well?" Eurys asked, his tone turning sharper. "You haven't spoken much these past weeks. Has your mind finally broken?"

Nephis remained silent.

Raphael's voice cut through the tension.

"Neph... did Sunny become an Ascended?"

"Yes," she replied simply.

They continued in silence, the boat gliding through the river until the fog began to part. A jagged black shore came into view, rising from the inky water like a fractured monolith.

Eurys maneuvered the gondola toward the shore, letting it scrape against the rocks before coming to a halt.

"This is it, you two," Eurys announced. "This is as far as I go."

Raphael rose and helped Nephis to her feet. She reached out to the lantern, allowing the white flame to travel from its crystal prison to her palm. With Raphael's assistance, she stepped onto the shore.

"How close are we to that place?" Raphael asked.

Eurys shrugged.

"Close enough, I'd wager. Sorry for lying to you, by the way. But in my defense, you only have yourself to blame, Raphael. Who in their right mind believes they can cross the Underworld? Even reaching this far is a miracle."

He hesitated before adding, "Are you sure you want to go on? There are worse fates than death, creature. Trust me... I should know."

Nephis glanced back at him.

"What about you? What will you do now?"

The skeleton chuckled.

"Me? Oh, I don't know. Now that I'm free of that cursed tree, I don't have much time left to exist. Maybe I'll search for the remnants of the Shadow Realm and try to have a proper death. Or maybe I'll go back to torment Azarax one last time. Spending eternity with him was the worst punishment of all! A word of advice, creature—choose your eternal companions wisely."

He turned to Raphael.

"Perhaps I'll go to the Tomb of Ariel to see Aletheia. But honestly, I'm not sure I want to."

Raphael nodded.

"Thank you, Eurys. Without you, we'd never have reached this point. Farewell, my friend."

Nephis, already walking ahead, spoke without turning back.

"Thank you, Eurys. Farewell."

The skeleton watched them go, his hollow sockets fixed on the faint light of Nephis's flame as it receded into the darkness.

"What a foolish duo... Still, I wish them luck. Whatever they seek, I hope they find it."

As their figures disappeared, the fog crept closer, veiling Eurys in its ghostly embrace.

"...They're not as foolish as I was, at least," he muttered.

Then, the white mist swallowed him, and his voice abruptly fell quiet. Soon, impenetrable darkness reigned the cold river once again.  

…And far in the distance, a lonely spark of light continued to climb higher and higher, soon disappearing from view

———————

Raphael and Nephis stood in front of the Nightmare Seed.

"Are you ready?" Raphael asked.

"No," Nephis replied.

Raphael let out a small chuckle, then lightly patted her shoulder. "I'll see you in the Wakening world."

Nephis gave a tired smile, nodding. "Yes, in the Wakening World."

Without hesitation, they both stepped into the Nightmare Seed.

[Dreamers! Prepare for your Second Trial…]

'It's been a long time since I heard the Nightmare Spell's voice,' Raphael thought.

[Two brave ones… welcome to the Nightmare!]

"Let's do this."

—————————

We are here Gentlemen and women, the Second Nightmare!

For this we have a 2K+ chapter.

Also, just for clarification, there is no romance between the two of them, their relationship is like a brother and sister, so please don't ask me to ship them.