SHADOW SLAVE: CROWN OF HOLLOW SCORN

Cassie woke up to pitch-black night—

No. Wait. It wasn't night. Morning had already arrived, hadn't it? Or… had it?

A rustling sound broke the silence.

"Hey… Cassie?"

Her heart nearly stopped.

Valen.

She turned her head, blinking in surprise. Valen rarely spoke to her unless necessary, and when he did, his words were usually curt, distant—measured. But now, his voice was different. Soft. Almost gentle.

"Yeah?"

Valen sat beside her, staring into the abyss beyond the platform's edge. For a moment, he didn't say anything. Then—

"What will you do after we survive this?"

After. Not if.

Cassie hesitated, caught off guard. Valen spoke as though their survival was a certainty. His confidence was absolute, unshakable. Sometimes, she wished she had that kind of belief.

"I don't know…" she admitted. "Maybe join one of the four major clans?"

Valen's eyes flickered with interest. "Really? Which one?"

"The House of Night seem okay. Maybe Valor?"

His gaze sharpened slightly. "What about the Song Clan? "

Why was he asking this? Was he feeling sentimental? Cassie frowned. The Song Clan was definitely lower on her list, but ultimately, she would follow Nephis.

"I don't know," she said truthfully.

Valen chuckled. "Can't you see the future, though?"

She smiled at the joke. Stupid, but oddly charming.

"Go back to sleep," Valen murmured. "I'll keep watch a little longer."

Cassie closed her eyes, ready to drift back into rest. But instead of sleep, something else found her.

A vision.

And this time, it was worse than ever before.

She screamed.

***

Sunny was on his feet before fully waking up, Azure Blade already in his hand. His shadow hovered beside him, ready to either wrap around his sword or his body—whichever was needed first.

Nephis was nearby, longsword raised in a defensive stance. Valen had also drawn his blade, ready to strike.

'Where's Cassie?'

Fearing the worst—giant tentacles lunging from the darkness—he scanned their surroundings. The eastern horizon hinted at dawn, adding a shade of gray to the blackness. But there was no immediate threat.

Then, he saw her.

Cassie stood at the edge of the platform, arms outstretched, face contorted in horror. Her golden hair was disheveled, and she seemed utterly lost. Of course, there were no walls for her to find—only the void and the dark, churning waters below.

Before Sunny even realized it, he was running.

It wasn't smart—charging ahead when the threat was unknown. Nephis, in the darkness, might have mistaken his movement for an enemy's attack. But for once, he acted before thinking.

He caught Cassie just before she stepped off the platform and pulled her back, holding her tightly.

"I got her!" he shouted, ensuring no one would stab him in panic.

And then, in a quiet voice, he said to Cassie:

"I got you. It's alright. Everything is fine. Calm down…"

Cassie trembled in his grasp. Sunny looked around, trying to understand what had terrified her. But there was nothing.

Nephis listened to the sea, her expression guarded. After a moment, she asked, "Do you see anything?"

Sunny shook his head. "No."

He guided Cassie to the center of the platform while Nephis stood guard. Checking her over for injuries, he found nothing physically wrong.

"She's not hurt."

Valen knelt down to her level, shaking her a bit. He seemed a bit impatient. But he slowly stopped and asked her calmly.

"Cassie? What happened? What did you see?"

His calmness seemed to reach her. Her breathing slowed, but when she finally spoke, her voice was unsteady.

She pointed down. "Th-The head… I saw… oh gods."

Sunny frowned and looked at Nephis.

"A vision? The past?"

Nephis was quiet. "I don't know. It's never happened like this before."

"Maybe she saw the future?"

They took turns trying to comfort her, but Cassie remained silent, too shaken to explain further. After a while, Nephis sighed. "Let's leave her be for now. She might need time."

Valen, however, kept speaking to her in a hushed tone. "Cassie? Are you alright?" He rubbed her back, his concern uncharacteristically open.

Sunny blinked. Since when was Valen… nice?

***

As the sun rose and the tide receded, Valen finally gave Cassie some space.

Nephis was teaching Sunny at the platform's edge, but she made sure Cassie remained in her periphery.

Cassie sat hugging her knees, trembling now and then. Valen had tried to help, but she needed time.

Nephis demonstrated a downward slash. "Your sword is best used with both hands. One hand pushes—" she gestured near the guard, "—while the other pulls." The pommel hand lifted the handle slightly, giving the blade more speed.

Sunny's swings were mediocre at best. Valen almost smirked, watching his clumsy attempts—until Cassie spoke.

He was at her side immediately. "Are you alright?"

A few glances were cast their way at his tone. Valen didn't care. He gently rubbed her back, repeating the question. "Are you alright?"

Cassie hesitated, then slowly nodded.

"Can I have some water?" Sunny asked, breaking the tension.

Cassie turned to him, confused. Then her eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, sorry. Yes, of course."

She summoned her limitless water bottle, offering it to Sunny.

"You should drink first," Valen murmured.

All three stared at him. Since when was he so… caring?

***

After drinking, Cassie exhaled. "I… I don't know if it was a vision or a nightmare."

They exchanged doubtful glances. Dreams were rare in the Dream Realm.

"I don't really remember," she admitted. "Just fragments."

Sunny nodded. "Tell us what you do remember. We'll figure it out together."

Cassie hesitated, then took a breath.

"At first, I saw a… a boundless darkness locked behind seven seals. Something vast was churning in the darkness. I felt like if I directly saw it, I would lose my mind. As I watched, terrified, the seals broke one after another, until only one remained. And then that seal broke, too."

She shivered.

"After that… I don't know. It was as though my mind shattered into a thousand shards, each shard reflecting its own image. Most of them were dark and scary. Some I have already forgotten. The other…"

Cassie fell silent, remembering.

"I saw the human castle again. Only this time, it was at night. There was a lonely star burning in the black skies, and under its light, the castle was suddenly consumed by fire, with rivers of blood flowing down its halls. I saw a corpse in a golden armor sitting on a throne; woman with a bronze spear drowning in a tide of monsters; an archer trying to pierce the falling sky with his arrows."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And at the end… I saw a crimson spire. Seven severed heads guarded seven locks. At the top—a king with a shattered crown stood against a dying angel. But the angel fell—its light smothered, its body consumed by hungry shadows." When I saw the angel bleed, I suddenly felt as though… as though something so precious that it can't be described with words was taken from me."

She closed her eyes. "And I felt something… something precious beyond words… being taken from me."

Silence.

Valen's gaze lingered on her, unreadable. Then, too softly, he asked:

"The king?"

Cassie flinched. She didn't answer.

Or maybe… she couldn't.

Finally, Sunny sighed.

"Maybe it actually was just a nightmare. Your previous visions weren't like this, right?"

Cassie silently shook her head.

Sunny scratched the back of his head.

"Well… people don't usually dream in the Dream Realm, but you do. Perhaps seeing a random nightmare once in a while is a side effect of your ability."

The blind girl turned to him, a faint relief written on her face.

"You really think so?"

He hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"Why not? It's a possibility."

Inwardly, however, he felt uneasy.

'A dying angel being consumed by shadows… why does it sound so ominous? I should try and stay away from angels in the future? and who was the king?"

With that, they were finally ready to welcome a new day.