No Return (Shadow Slave Fan-Fic)

Back then, it took him a couple of seconds to realize what she was talking about.

"The spire from your vision? The one with seven seals?"

Cassie nodded.

"Yes. In my dream, it seemed to be as tall as a mountain. I could even see it from the walls of the human castle, looming in the distance like a crimson spear piercing the skies. When the sun sets, the Spire's vast shadow falls over the castle and stretches east, as far as you can see."

She was silent for a moment, then added:

"The feeling I got when looking at the Crimson Spire was very similar to what you had described, only much more intense."

Levi remembered the vision Cassie had told them about. Hungry shadows devouring a dying angel...

He glanced at Sunny and Nephis...

'The future doesn't seem so bright..'

He didn't know if the others had caught up to that.. But he had a feeling Sunny had , after all.. He was cunning..

"Is it crimson because it's made out of the same stuff as the labyrinth?"

The crimson "coral" surrounding them was not, in fact, coral. It's just what they called it based on some resemblance, for the sake of simplicity. The actual nature of the strange material remained a mystery.

Cassie hesitated.

"Maybe it's the other way around. Maybe the labyrinth is made from the same stuff as the Spire."

"Get ready , Sunny."

 Levi's voice took Sunny out of his reverie. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, he focused on the task at hand.

They were getting close to the Bone Ridge.

This name came to their minds as soon as they had first laid their eyes on this towering landmark. It was visible from quite a distance, sharply contrasted against the crimson coral and the grey sky in all its ivory splendor.

The Bone Ridge was, in fact, made of bone. The skeletal remains of a colossal sea monster lay on an enormous mound of chaotically growing coral, with its arching spine protruding especially high above the ground. It was impossible to say what the terrifying creature had looked like while it was still alive, but one thing was certain - it was gargantuan even by the standards of the dark sea.

This wasn't the first giant skeleton they saw during their journey. In fact, the labyrinth was littered with remains of dead leviathans, their massive bones forming natural arches and palaces throughout it. They were easy to spot because the coral formations were especially tall and dense in their vicinity, as though trying to bury any sign of whiteness in the sea of crimson.

With the evening approaching, the next task was crucial. They had to scale the dead leviathan and make sure that no other creature had decided to take shelter in its remains.

If something did, they had no choice but to try and kill it, since there was no time to retreat to their previous safe haven.

The last step was often the riskiest.

Coming to the base of the coral mound, the group moved around it, searching for a convenient path up. Eventually, they arrived in front of the creature's cracked, misshapen skull. With its lower jaw missing or buried under the mud, the upper formed a vast, cavernous cave.

Inside the spine, the bone surface under their feet was as wide as a road. Actually, it looked a lot like a highway running through a long tunnel, with stark beams of light falling through the gaps between the massive vertebrae. The tunnel was inclined upward, most of its length hidden behind the bend of the ceiling.

When the Echo entered the spine, its chitin legs produced a loud, echoing clatter.

Nephis grimaced.

"Any movement?"

Sunny checked with the shadow and shook his head.

Changing Star looked forward and slightly lowered her chin.

"Let's proceed."

Despite the fact that the shadow had not noticed any danger, they still summoned their swords before moving forward. It was not their first time being ambushed at the edge of safety.

Luckily, their precautions turned out to be unnecessary. Nothing was hiding inside the gargantuan remains, so they were able to reach the highest point of the spine without having to cut their way through an unknown number of monsters.

By the time they got to safety, the sun was already setting. The dark sea was returning, filling the inside of the sea monster's spine with the echoing sound of rushing water. Sunny and Levi took the saddlebags off the Echo and dismissed it, making their camp instantly feel much roomier.

All five of them were in desperate need of a bath. Leaving the girls alone to give them an opportunity to wash themselves, the boys walked some distance away and sat down, letting their tired body rest.

Levi looked at Sunny with a smirk.

"Where is your shadow Sunny?"

Sunny looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Here. Are you getting blind too?" 

Levi rolled his eyes.

"Don't get so defensive.."

"How long do you think until we can wrestle scavengers..?"

Levi looked at him like he had said the most outrageous thing..

"Why would you want to wrestle a scavenger..?"

"Cant you just answer?"

"I don't think you can do that while being a sleeper. Wait until you are an awakened.. then you can.. uh.. wrestle them.."

Sunny chuckled at his answer.

Soon, it was their turn to wash. Taking the Bottle of Endless Water from refreshed, rosy Cassie, they walked back to their secluded spot. 

Being an Awakened was not the cleanest of professions.

While they were washing up, Nephis and Shashi used the remaining time before nightfall to make a fire and cook some meat. These days, they even had salt to season it. At first, the idea of using the sea salt left behind by the dark sea did not seem very appealing, but after a while, they grew accustomed to it.

Salt made every meal they had much tastier.

They ate in silence, too hungry and tired to talk. Soon, it was time to sleep. Taking turns as always. Unfortunately Levi couldn't sleep this time around since he was not tired. He had to act like he was asleep as always , not wanting to make them suspicious.