Shadow Slaves
Chapter 14: The Son of the Shadow

Sunny had no choice but to use one last desperate gamble.

He had no chance against the enemy in a direct confrontation, at least not without advantage. Bloodbane poison was supposed to be his hidden card, but it turned out to be almost useless. Being able to see in the dark also doesn't help much: somehow, Heroes can look around them even without light.

Sunny did not know if he was using his sense of hearing or his magical abilitiesit was not important now that they had left the cave and stood under the moonlit sky.

Now he only had one advantage left. The fact that he knew that tyrant was blind, and the Hero was not. Acting on that knowledge, however, is easier said than done.

But what else could he do?

That's why he's trying to keep quiet and ring the silver bell. If the description did not lie, the ringing could be heard from miles away. Surely, that tyrant would also hear it.

Now Sunny just stay quiet, buy time and hope the monster comes. As he did so, the Hero's confusion slowly turned into anger.

“Tell me now or you'll regret it.”

His voice was quite threatening, but still, the young slave did not reply. He just shivered in the cold and tried not to groan despite the throbbing pain in his chest.

“Why didn't you answer?”

But Sunny did not dare to answer. He held his breath and watched, horrified, as a familiar colossal figure appeared behind the Hero. His lungs were burning, and his heart was racing. It was beating so hard that he was even afraid that the blind tyrant would hear it.

But, of course, it could not be louder than the voice of Hero, who was still speaking, turning himself into the only source of noise on this mountain.

At the last second, a hint of understanding appeared in the young soldier's eyes. He started to turn around, his sword raised at lightning speed.

But it's too late.

A huge hand emerged from the darkness and caught it into the clutches of iron. The bone claw scratched the armor, pulling it apart. The Mountain King dragged the Hero backwards, not paying much attention to the sword biting his wrist. Thick saliva flowed from his open jaw.

Petrified in fear, Sunny slowly turned her back on them and took a few steps on the winding old road. Then he darted away, running as fast as he could.

Behind him, desperate screams tore through the silent night. Then a hungry roar followed. It seemed like the Hero would not lose without a fight, even if his fate was already determined.

But Sunny doesn't care. He fled, climbing higher and higher.

“I'm sorry, Hero,” he thought. “I did say that I would watch you die. But, as you know, I'm a liar. So go and die by yourself.”.

***

A desolate dark mountain stood tall against the raging wind.

Jagged and haughty, it dwarfed the other mountain peaks, cutting through the night sky with its sharp edges. The shining moon bathes its slopes in ghostly light.

Under that light, a young man with pale skin and black hair reached the top of the mountain. However, his appearance did not match the grandeur of the scene: wounded and staggered, he looked pitiful and weak.

The young man looked like a walking corpse.

His rough tunic and robe were torn and covered in blood. His sunken eyes were cloudy and lifeless. His body was bruised, beaten and cut. There were bloody foam spots on his lips.

He leaned over, hugging the left side of his chest. Each step caused him to groan, his gasping breath barely escaping through gritted teeth.

Sunny's whole body is sick. But most importantly, he was cold.

So, it's very cold.

He just wanted to lie in the snow and fall asleep.

But instead, he kept walking. Because he believed that Nightmare would end once he reached its peak.

Stepped over. Stepped over. Another move.

Finally, he succeeded.

At the highest point of the mountain, a vast expanse of flat rock was covered in snow. In the center, illuminated by moonlight, stood a magnificent temple. Its colossal columns and walls are cut from black marble, with exquisite reliefs adorning the stygian pediment and wide decorations. Beautiful and admirable, it looked like the palace of the god of darkness.

At least once. Now, the temple was left with rubble: cracks and cracks littered the black rocks, part of the roof had collapsed, letting ice and snow in. That tall gate was broken, as if it was shattered into pieces by a gigantic hand.

Still, Sunny was satisfied.

“Finding you,” he said in a hoarse voice.

Gathering his final strength, the young slave slowly limped towards the ruined temple. His mind was confused and confused.

‘See this, Hero?’ he thought, for a moment forget that the Hero is dead. ‘I succeeded. You are strong and cruel, and I am weak and shy. But now you're a corpse, and I'm still alive. Isn't that funny?’

He stumbled and groaned, feeling the end of his broken rib cut deeper into his lungs. Blood dripped from his mouth. Dead or not, Hero makes it good with that one strike.

‘Actually no. What do you know about being cruel? poor fool. In the world I come from, people have thousands of years to turn cruelty into art. And as someone who accepts all those atrocities, don't you think I'll know more about being cruel than you ever could?’

‘To be honest, you never had a chance .. wait. What do I think?’

A moment later, he had forgotten. There is only pain, a dark temple, and a strong desire to sleep.

‘Do not be fooled. It's just hypothermia. If you fall asleep, you will die.’

Finally, Sunny arrived at the black temple steps. He began to climb it, not not noticing the thousands of bones scattered about. These bones used to belong to humans and monsters. All of them were killed by unseen guards who were still wandering around the temple.

As Sunny climbed the stairs, one of the shapeless guards approached her. It was ready to extinguish the faint burning spark of life on the chest of that polluter, but then stopped, sensing a faint scent that was strangely familiar coming from his soul. Scents divinity. Sad and lonely, the guard stepped aside, letting Sunny through.

Unaware, he entered the temple.

Sunny found herself in a magnificent hall. A cascade of moonlight fell through a hole in the partially collapsed roof. The deep shadow surrounded this circle of silver light, not daring to touch it. The floor is covered with snow and ice.

At the far end of the hall, a large altar was cut from a piece of black marble. It was the only thing inside the temple that was not touched by snow. Forgetting why he came here, Sunny headed towards the altar.

He just wants to sleep.

The altar was dry, clean, and bed-wide. Sunny climbed up and lay down.

Looks like he's gonna die.

He's fine with that.

Sunny tried to close his eyes, but was stopped by a sudden sound coming from the direction of the temple entrance. He turned to look, not even a little curious. What he saw would give him goosebumps if he was not so cold, tired and indifferent.

Mountain King stood there, looking at him with his five blind eyes. He was still big, scary and rebellious. The worm-like shape still moved frantically under his skin. It sniffed the air, salivating.

Then he opened his jaw and moved forward, slowly approaching the altar.

‘What an ugly bastard,’ thought Sunny and suddenly clutched his chest, convulsing from an agonizing cough.

Bloody foam flew from his mouth and fell on the altar. However, the black marble immediately absorbed it.

A second later, it was still as pure as before.

The tyrant was just about to reach Sunny. It was already stretching its hand to grab it.

‘I think this is the end,’ he thought, resigned to his fate.

But in the last second, suddenly, the sound of a Mantra resounded in the dark temple.

[You have offered yourself as a sacrifice to the gods.]

[The gods are dead, and cannot hear you.]

[You have a sign of divinity.]

[You are a slave to the temple.]

[The Shadow God awoke in his eternal sleep.]

[He sent blessings from the grave.]

[Child of Shadows, thank you!]

Under Sunny's astonished gaze, the shadows that filled the large hall suddenly moved, as if coming alive. Dark tentacles surged forward, snaring the Mountain King's arms and legs. The mighty tyrant struggled, trying to break free.

But how could it resist the power of gods?

The shadow dragged the Mountain King backwards, pulling in a different direction. The tyrant opened his jaw, and an angry howl escaped him.

In the next instant, his body broke apart, torn apart.

Blood, offal, and severed limbs fell to the floor in a deep red burst. Just like that, that monstrous creature is dead.

Sunny blinked.

Once again, he was alone in the ruins of the temple. The hall was dark and silent.

And then the mantra whispered:

[You have killed an awakened tyrant, Mountain King.]

[Wake, Sunless! Your nightmare is over.]

[Prepare for assessment]