Shadow Slave FanFic - Hopeful Life

While Sunny and I were talking, Nephis stood up. Her expression was full of a strange emotion. It definitely wasn't fear or anger—I couldn't quite tell what she was feeling, but her face was grimacing unusually, and her brows were furrowed. 

It was clear now that she was beyond confused, probably a little angry too, but I made sure to stay calm. 

She looked to be on the verge of tears. I'd never seen her this emotional before—or ever, really. 

Just in case, I made sure my raven was watching over us from a safe distance. I was sure she wouldn't do anything irrational, but having a countermeasure was definitely necessary. 

Cassie looked completely and utterly shocked as well, but not to the extent that Nephis was. 

"Ho… How d… How do you know?" The tone of her voice sounded like she was trying to suppress any emotion, but she was utterly failing. 

Clearing my throat, I answered, "Well, I am quite knowledgeable, but I assure you that I'll keep your secrets. And so will Sunny… and as for Cassie, I'm sure she'll do the right thing too." 

Looking over at Cassie, she just looked around adn nodded after a few moments of silence. "See? Your secrets are safe." Pointing to Cassie, I smiled while looking over at Nephis. 

Eyeing the two of us, she took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter if you keep them, but how do you know?" 

"I'm just very know—" Before I could finish, she interrupted. 

"Don't give me that! How do you know all of that? Especially my aspect rank. What's your aspect rank?" She took a few steps closer to me, looking ready to pounce at any moment. 

My smile never faltered as I looked at her. "Although I'd love to tell everyone everything, I unfortunately can't do that." 

"Why can't you?" 

"I simply don't have the same authority I used to. I can't reveal too much about fate. And why do you need to know where I get my info? You already hold a pretty important secret—remember the one Cassie told you? So I suggest you don't say those three words, and I won't say anything about your secrets. Deal?" 

Taking a step back, she looked at me with furrowed brows and a frown. Turning to Cassie, the blind seer had her head turned to the ground, with clear guilt evident on her face. 

After eyeing Cassie, Nephis went back to her spot and took a seat. 

She thought for a moment, looked like she was about to say something but hesitated. Instead, she shook her head and looked at me, her expression glazed with the same conflicted emotion. 

"What's your aspect rank, then?" Rather than asking a question, it was like she was making a demand. 

"Ahhh, Curses, Sunny and I both have only supreme aspects." Doing a few eccentric hand gestures, I covered my face in embarrassment. 

Not believing me in the slightest, Nephis continued to look at me with the same hesitation. 

"Now let's talk about the plan. All of this can wait until after we reach the Dark City." The two of them agreed, and before we started, I told them to eat. 

Quickly downing the rations, they looked at me with expectations. 

[Sunny, listen to my plan and see if you can add to it.] 

He agreed, and I then started. "Basically, this demon is twice as big as a Centurion and twice as deadly. But this one has intelligence, which means it can be deceived." 

Pausing to see if they were following along, I continued. "Cassie will have a vision. In it, it will be revealed that half of the barrow was once set aflame. The demon then did battle with an abomination that emerged from the waters and was grievously wounded." 

Stopping to take a deep breath, I carried on.

"It won the battle and healed from all its injuries, except for one on its stomach. This is how we can actually damage it and inevitably kill it. But it is far too strong for two sleepers and one echo to take on." 

Pausing, I waited for any questions, and Cassie was the first. 

"Then how do you think you can kill it if it's too strong?" 

Smiling, I answered, "Remember how I said we wouldn't fight it? Well, we will—after my plan. I kept the flammable oil we received from the centipedes, and we're going to set it aflame. This will turn it into a beacon for all the monstrosities from the ocean, and once it's sufficiently damaged, we'll step in and deal the final blows."

After I finished, Nephis looked deep in thought before speaking up. "But how do you plan to set it aflame? We'll have to make a trap, and since it has intelligence, it will be harder than dealing with a mindless Nightmare Creature." 

Grinning like a fool, I looked over at Nephis like a proud father. "Oh my goodness, you're talking in longer sentences. You're making this old man proud." 

Turning away from me, she seemed somewhat embarrassed. "Shut up." 

Done with my teasing, I answered her, "Alright, alright, no need to be so prickly. Our way to set it aflame is quite simple, actually. We just need to reach the branches of the tree while distracting the demon with Sunny's echo, which will be protected by the chitin we gather from other Nightmare Creatures around this place." 

(So your plan is to sacrifice my echo for a chance to go up that tree?) 

Well, I did, but now that I think about it further, I'd rather have Sunny's echo turned into a shadow. That way, along with Saint, Sunny would have three shadows when he returns to the waking world. 

Plus, I do plan on teaching him how to weave after he inherits the Weaver's lineage. 

[Of course, I wouldn't sacrifice Krabs—never. I'll just let my raven swoop in and stop the demon from killing it and maybe deal damage along the battle.] 

(Are you sure that will work out? I know that raven is something else, but against a demon?) 

[Trust me, Sunny, I want Krabs to survive just as much as you do.] 

(Krabs? Is that what you're calling it?) 

[You dare object? I have decided to name it since you refused to do so, i'll also be naming every other echo you get, unless you yourself decide to name them.] 

Sunny sighed and let it go. Nephis thought for a moment and nodded, and so we agreed to proceed with my plan. Of course, before the actual attack, we had to prepare. 

I took out everything I had in my luggage. Inside were a few survival tools that could be useful later on, a couple of rations left, and the opened bags I had kept just for this. 

I made sure to put the flammable liquid inside the bags of rations and stored them within. There were six bags filled to the brim with that oil. 

After putting everything back into my memory, I kept the oil. 

Nephis and I discussed the best route leading to the tree, and Sunny and I scouted ahead. The route we chose led to a branch that extended further up and would give us the perfect opportunity to cover the demon in oil. 

Meanwhile, the route that the echo would take was on the complete other side of the barrow. With that, our plan was all but complete. 

After taking a rest, Cassie woke me and nephis up in the middle of the night and told both of us about her vision. This confirmed everything I had said, so the trust between me, nephis and cassie deepened further. 

Things were going exactly as planned, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Next Chapter: Slaying a Demon (1)