Shadow Slave : Light Devouring Shadow

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Somewhere in NQSC, in a large school filled with hundreds of students, every phone began buzzing with the same urgent alert.

The students paled in fear as they checked the notification and realized that a Gate had opened dangerously close to the school.

To make matters worse, government agents would take at least 15 minutes to arrive—far too long for the students to escape in time.

Knowing there wasn't enough time, the school administration quickly gathered all the students into the gymnasium.

The students were seated in the center of the gym, surrounded by Awakened guards.

Given that this was a prestigious school attended by the children of important figures, it was heavily guarded and equipped with numerous defenses.

Amid the chaos, a young girl with black hair and black eyes sat among the terrified students.

Rain, like the others, was paralyzed with fear. Just moments ago, she had been in class, diligently taking notes and listening to her teacher. Now, she found herself in the gymnasium, facing a life-threatening situation.

It didn't take long before the defenses were breached. A crashing sound echoed through the gym as the walls trembled.

Beasts began pouring in through the gaping hole in the wall.

Rain watched in horror as countless creatures surged forward, tearing through the Awakened guards with terrifying ease.

Suddenly, the beasts turned their attention to the defenseless children. One of them locked its gaze on Rain, its next target.

In the next moment, it lunged at her, jaws wide open, moments away from closing around her throat.

Rain felt paralyzed, her body refusing to move despite her desperate desire to flee.

Was this how she was going to die? No... it couldn't be!

But it was.

Suddenly, a spark of a strange, dark emotion ignited in Rain's heart.

'Die? No... not like this... I refuse!'

She was holding a sword, wasn't she? Even if that thing was going to devour her, Rain was determined to die fighting, just as she had been taught. She would remain human, not a cowering animal fit only to be prey for stronger beasts.

She owed that much to her parents, at least.

Knowing full well that her dull training sword wouldn't stop a Nightmare Creature, Rain stubbornly raised it. Though her mind was panicked and her thoughts scattered, her body remembered the countless hours of practice.

Not that it would do her any good.

The hound was already so close that she could see every horrifying detail of its hideous snout and frothing maw. There was no escape.

'Unfair! This is unfair...'

This childish thought flashed through her mind, as it undoubtedly had for countless others just before their deaths.

Then, the hound's jaws closed around Rain. Her sword shattered into countless pieces, not even scratching the beast's mouth.

Rain's life flashed before her eyes like a video tape playing in reverse. She saw her daily life, her happy moments with her family, her childhood, and most vividly, the memory of a woman who looked strikingly similar to her.

The woman looked at her with a warm smile and said:

"I'll name you...."

"Rain"

Crack!

With that, the beast's jaws clamped shut, severing Rain's body. Her lifeless form crumpled to the ground, her upper body gone.

Rain was dead.

On that day, many children and civilians lost their lives. It was reported that over 5,000 people had died.

[Author: *sigh* Why did I even write this? It pains me as much as it pains you.]

***

Many months later...

Somewhere far away, in the depths of an endless and inescapable nightmare, a blinding disc of an incandescent sun bathed the dunes of a vast desert in a flood of scorching heat.

The desert sands were flawlessly white, and the azure sky above was deep and boundless, like an ancient ocean, with not a single cloud blemishing its silken expanse.

Battered by the heat, a lone figure trudged across the sand.

Sunny, clad in the [Mantle of the Underworld], wandered aimlessly.

After obtaining the Soul Serpent, Sunny had slowly repaired the broken armor—a blessing that had likely saved his life. Without its durability, he wouldn't have survived this long.

Thankfully, water wasn't an issue. With the Endless Spring, he never had to worry about thirst, and he always had Nightmare Creatures to hunt for food.

Overall, while the journey was deadly, Sunny's only real threats were the Nightmare Creatures. He didn't have to worry about the weather, food, or water.

But at times, Sunny questioned whether it was worth it to keep struggling and surviving. Yet, he had two goals that kept him going. He couldn't die until he accomplished them.

First, he was determined to get his revenge, no matter what. The thought of those who had betrayed him living comfortably while he fought for his life fueled his hatred and madness. Until he kills them both, he couldn't die.

Second, he was concerned about his sister. She was likely still alive, preparing and training for her first trial. He couldn't leave this life until he was sure she was safe and sound—unaware that his sister had long died, and that no one he considered family remained alive.

Far ahead, a tree with scarlet leaves stood in the distance, its branches adorned with what appeared to be pale fruit.

As Sunny drew closer, he realized the shapes weren't fruit at all. Instead, tens of thousands of skulls hung from the branches, fastened with glistening threads of black silk.

A spring of water formed a clear pool in the shadow of the great tree, and on its bank stood a figure clad in strange, rusted armor, its back turned to Sunny.

'A... human?'

No... the figure was too tall to be human.

Of course, it wasn't human. It was a Fallen Beast. Luckily, Sunny was already a Demon with a half-saturated core.

He also had Saint and Serpent by his side. Over the past months, Sunny had gained a deeper understanding of how to achieve the second step of his Shadow Dance.

In his free time, he trained with Saint, who was skilled in various swordsmanship styles and could wield different weapons. This training had allowed Sunny to reach the second step of his legacy.

He had been excited at the prospect of gaining the Shadow God's lineage, but the Weaver's Blood had devoured it instead. Though he hated it, the Weaver's Blood had made his body stronger and more resistant to bleeding.

After killing the Fallen Beast, Sunny lay beside the pool of water. Night was approaching, and he allowed himself a moment of rest. But then, a voice echoed through the air.

"My, oh my, what's a little divine shadow doing here?"

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[Author's note]

Sigh

I know I said that I'll release two chapters in Valentine's. But the thing is, i was busy with a damn test :( but thankfully, I was able to perform well. Anyway, I promise to make a chapter tomorrow or even in a couple of hours. Who knows :]