Shadow Slave Fanfic: Peaceful Dreams...well...kinda. [New]

Morgan felt a bit puzzled at first, but her confusion faded as she grasped what Nephis was discussing. The Path of Ascension can be pursued in two ways: with the Spell and without it. Morgan was aware that there was more to it than just the Spell, as some individuals in the Sword Domain had recently learned this during their 2nd and 3rd Nightmares and reported back to the Higher Ups in Bastion. They were instructed to keep quiet, but Morgan managed to obtain this information due to her status.

"I see. I've heard about this from others who gained this knowledge in their Nightmares over the past couple of years. I assume that's where you learned about Ascending without the Spell too, right?"

Nephis nodded, a subtle smile on her face.

"Yes, I learned this in my 3rd Nightmare, along with everyone else in this room with me."

Morgan scanned the room and noticed everyone was looking at her with serious expressions, except for Cassie, who was grinning widely while being held by Mordy.

'I'm going to be an aunt; that feels so... old.'

Morgan smiled at the thought of visiting her brother and Cassie to meet her little nephew or niece in a quiet, peaceful home. She turned back to Nephis and said, "That's good to know. The Sovereigns won't be able to control that method of Ascension, and they'll definitely be surprised if other Supremes start appearing out of nowhere."

Sunny scoffed with a smile. "Oh, they will be. Nephis is currently the closest to achieving that goal. Honestly, I'm still a step behind since I haven't fully grasped the essence of my Domain yet. I have a theory, but it's still vague, and I need to test it first."

Morgan nodded and inquired, "How long do you think it will take you to reach Supremacy?"

Nephis sighed and shook her head. "I have no idea. It could be in the next few months or take over a year. I can sense my Domain forming, but I don't know when it will be complete or what Catalyst I still need to truly manifest it into the world."

"That sounds promising. On another note, how do you plan to take down the Sovereigns? I mean, my father and Ki Song will definitely clash at some point, so I assume you want to wait until one of them is dead before finishing off the other?"

Sunny chuckled and nodded. "That's the plan for now. As for the third one, we don't have a strategy yet; we don't even know where he is. Not in the Night Garden, it seems."

Mordy raised a hand and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "That's right; he's not in his Great Citadel. I've rarely encountered him during my time in the Night Garden. I believe he's somewhere in the Waking World, but I have no idea where. All I know is that he always wore something to cover his entire body, especially his face. Besides his deep, sinister voice, he hasn't revealed much."

Morgan leaned back in her chair and sighed. "That's not much to go on, but I feel like once Ki Song and our father are gone, the third one will eventually show himself. It's just a matter of time."

Cassie chimed in with a smile. "Now, let's switch topics. Our abilities are all quite different. Some of us have combat-oriented abilities like Morgan and Jet, while others, like me, Mordy, and Kai, focus more on support and scouting. Nephis can self-heal and heal others while using her flames for destruction. Then there's Effie, who is a powerhouse and can boost others just by being present on the battlefield. I can't quite categorize Sunny and Rick, as their abilities are very versatile and applicable in various scenarios. Rain is still a sleeper for now, so we don't know what abilities she will have in the future."

Nephis chuckled and looked around the room as she spoke. "I suggest we have a more in-depth discussion about our abilities. It will help us understand each other better and aid us in future battles. Of course, sparring matches would be ideal, but let's just talk for now. We can do something like this tomorrow, if everyone agrees."

Everyone nodded. The conversation about their abilities was serious but enjoyable, taking hours to explain their aspects and applications. However, when the topic of flaws arose, the mood shifted.

Kai raised his hand and said, "I think most of our flaws are already known, but it wouldn't hurt to discuss them. It builds trust. Mine is that I can tell when someone is lying. It may sound useful, but trust me, you don't want to know how often people hide their true, ugly selves behind a mask of lies."

Sunny couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I was pretty annoyed when you told me your flaw. Mine is simple too: 'You can't lie.' That's my flaw, as most of you know. It means I'm compelled to answer every question directed at me truthfully."

Morgan, who was unaware of Sunny's flaw until now, was surprised. She gasped in disbelief. "That's why you acted so strangely in the restaurant and at the gate! Haha, it makes sense now. When I asked you if you had any dirty thoughts about Nephis, you couldn't help but answer truthfully. But it's clear you've mastered your flaw since your answer wasn't so direct, yet still truthful. Truly a fitting flaw for such a treacherous man. I guess it's my turn now. My flaw is that I lack control over my aspect. Anyone who touches me risks being cut, and those cuts can be deadly."

Rain raised her hand and said, "Then it's similar to my flaw, I guess. When my emotions get out of control, I lose control over my aspect too. Most of the time, that results in a storm, and small sparks of lightning start shooting out from my body."

Morgan thought for a moment before realizing something. She pointed at Rain with an accusatory tone. "It's you, then! You're the reason for all those storms this past week. What are you doing that causes all those outbursts? They've even started happening at night, making it hard to sleep."

Rain glanced at Rick, her face turning slightly red. She turned back to Morgan with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, but we can't help it."

Morgan was initially confused. She noticed Rick's troubled look and Rain's finger pointing at him. Suddenly, everything clicked in her mind, and she let out a long, defeated sigh. A small smile crept onto her face as she spoke. "So let me get this straight: the reason for your outbursts is... sex? But why has it only been during the day and recently at night too?"

Rick coughed awkwardly and replied, "The reason for that is my flaw. Since it's getting late, you'll understand what I mean soon enough."

Morgan sighed and turned her gaze to Jet, smiling as she asked, "What about you, Soulreaper?"

Jet chuckled and shrugged. "I'm dead. Or do you mean something other than my flaw?"

Nephis couldn't help but chuckle as she noticed Morgan's longing flames becoming a bit more intense. Morgan shot her an annoyed glance before turning back to Jet. "You look pretty alive to me, so please explain further."

Jet smiled and said, "Sure, my body is dead, but as long as I have essence, I won't truly die. However, due to my messed-up core, I constantly lose essence, which means I need to kill something or replenish my essence through other means every now and then, or I start turning into a lifeless corpse."

Sunny suddenly recalled their time in Antarctica after the fall of Falcon Scott. He laughed heartily but remained silent.

Jet didn't remember him being there, but he recounted the details vividly, so she knew what Sunny was thinking and couldn't help but smile. Effie chuckled and raised her hand.

"My flaw is similar to Jet's; my body has much higher caloric needs, for instance. If I don't eat something for more than an hour, my body starts consuming itself, and that process continues until I die. So far, it's not much different from anyone else, but the speed at which it happens is absolutely daunting. I wouldn't last more than a week without food, depending on my body's reserves."

Morgan nodded in agreement and smiled at her before turning to Nephis. "I guess your flaw doesn't need much explanation, right?"

Nephis shrugged and replied in a calm voice, "No, because my flaw is that I have to suffer when I use my flames. There's not much to unpack there; it just hurts like hell."

Morgan smiled and turned to Cassie and Mordy. "I don't think we need to discuss you two much."

Cassie laughed and said, "Yeah, pointing out the obvious isn't really necessary. Being blind is tough most of the time, but as long as there are people around that I have marked, I'm never truly blind. And when Sunny gets his Fate back, I'll be able to see into the near future again."

Sunny laughed heartily but stopped when he noticed Morgan's confused expression. He smiled and said, "Looks like we have some explaining to do here."

Morgan glanced at Sunny and nodded. He took a deep breath and summoned the Weaver's Mask. A quick look at Morgan confirmed his expectations—there were no shadows linking her to Sunny.

'That makes sense; we weren't exactly close. I always kept my distance, and rightly so.'

He dismissed the Mask and breathed heavily for a while, chuckling as he said, "It's not getting any better; I really hate this feeling."

He calmed down when Nephis moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. Sunny sighed deeply, smiling as he spoke.

"You're the only one here who's known me longer than you realize, but you can't hold onto anything related to me because I'm Fateless. You lost all your memories of me, and you can't recover them since Fate is blocking them. I technically don't exist in the eyes of Fate and the world's fabric. That's why every Seer in both worlds has either lost their ability to see the future or had it severely compromised."

Morgan looked taken aback, shaking her head in confusion. "But how can the others do it? You must have known them longer than they can remember too, right?"

"Yes, that's true. They can because of invisible strings of shadows connecting them to me. The connections with Neph, Cass, and Rain formed naturally, while the ones with Effie, Kai, and Jet were created by me using a memory that could stop time in a small area. Mordy and Rick are unaffected since they didn't know me before, so I can share everything about my life with them, regardless of when it happened."

Morgan leaned back in her chair, sighing. "So we can't replicate this for me unless we have a memory that can stop time?"

Sunny nodded. "Exactly, but honestly, there's not much to work with. We didn't share many moments in the past. I've never been fond of the legacy clans, so I was always cautious around them. You can imagine I wasn't eager to interact with those people."

Morgan smiled and replied, "That makes sense, but what if I told you I have a memory that can stop time?"

"Does it have a radius where I could interact with you?"

"It does; it creates a small 2-meter radius around me that stops time. The catch is it only lasts about 10 seconds, but it can be used multiple times. So far, it's been used four times, leaving one use left."

Sunny clapped his hands. "Well, it's your choice. I can work fast in 10 seconds since I have nimble fingers."

Morgan's jaw dropped, and so did everyone else's. Soon, Effie burst into laughter. "Phrasing, Sunny! You really need to work on that."

Sunny looked confused for a moment before facepalming. "Damn it, I meant weaving the string from shadow essence, of course. Why is everyone so dirty-minded?"

Nephis sighed and giggled, muttering to herself, "Oh, but you're right; I should know better."

Rick, the only one who understood Nephis, quickly turned away to inspect the walls and furniture. 'This cabinet looks nice. Sometimes I should just stop using the Beast senses.'

Morgan coughed awkwardly and stood up. "Let's do it. I really want my memories back. Now that you mentioned it, I realize some parts are missing, and I guess those are the ones involving you."

Sunny shook his head. "You won't get them all back; you'll only be able to hold onto the memories Cassie can give you. I'll pass on every memory I have of our interactions to her, and she can transfer them to you. The good news is I have a pretty good memory, so everything is clear."

Morgan smiled and nodded. "That's fine. I just feel like there's a missing piece in my mind, and it's a bit unsettling."

"I think others can relate to that."

Sunny stood and walked over to Morgan, who summoned her memory—a sand spiral trapped in a sapphire-blue jar. It clearly connected to the memory Jet had received earlier. Sunny frowned. "That looks like it's connected to Jet's memory. Where did you get it?"

Morgan's smile faded slightly as she looked at the jar. "It's from my mother. She gave it to me as a gift a few years ago. She said this was the last thing she could do for me, and even though her time is limited, she wanted me to have it to help me through tough times."

Sunny smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure your mother is a wonderful woman. I hope her time isn't as limited as she thinks."

"I hope so too. Let's get this done; I want those gaps in my memory filled."

Sunny chuckled and summoned the Weaver's Mask. Suddenly, Effie laughed again. "This is my favorite part. So, Sunny, what did you think of Morgan back in Antarctica?"

Sunny manifested a few shadow hands and tossed Effie through the door before answering. "I loved her so much; I would have fucked her senseless back then."

Silence fell over the room. It was hard to tell who was most shocked, but Morgan, Rain, and Nephis had particularly intense expressions for different reasons. Before anyone could respond, Sunny nodded at Morgan, who activated the enchantment. Sunny quickly manifested a string of shadow essence, connecting himself to Morgan as often as he could in the limited time. Ten seconds felt like a blink when focused on such a task. Soon, the enchantment broke, and the memory transformed into white ethereal sparks. Sunny dismissed the Weaver's Mask and sat down, breathing heavily and holding his head to ease the pain. After a moment, he calmed down and stood again. Effie returned to the room, looking a bit dazed from Sunny's throw. She sat down and sighed.

"What did he say?"

Sunny and Nephis shot Effie a fierce look, making her tremble slightly. Sunny approached Effie with an angry tone. "You know, Effie, Condemnation might be a bit lonely tonight. We should bring you to him for some company."

As Sunny finished, he shadow-stepped behind her and pulled her into the shadows.

Morgan turned to Nephis, confused. "Why did he say that? Not that I'm complaining, but I thought he despised me back then."

Nephis, still annoyed with Effie, replied, "The mask he wore reverses his flaw. So think of the exact opposite of what he said as the true answer."

Morgan realized what Sunny meant and sighed, mumbling, "I… I understand, but I can't say I'm not a little disappointed."

The room was silent enough for everyone to hear her words more clearly than she intended.

Nephis walked over to Morgan, leaning close to whisper something that no one else could hear, except for Rick, who flinched at her words. Rain, noticing Rick's reaction, leaned in cautiously. "What did she tell her?"

Rick, looking pale after the exchange, shook his head in disbelief. "Trust me on this; you don't want to know. I'm serious."

Rain nodded, accepting his answer. Soon, Effie and Sunny returned, with Effie looking like she'd just fallen off a cliff, which was probably accurate. Sunny gave her a dark, twisted smile while patting her shoulder, his voice low and sinister. "I hope we understand each other now, Effie. You're my dear friend, and I enjoy having you around, but there are limits to my patience. I hope that was made clear."

Effie nodded obediently. "Crystal clear."

Sunny nodded and shadow-stepped to Nephis, sitting beside her. He cleared his throat and said evenly, "Good."

Cassie stood up. "I think we can start the memory transfer now."

Sunny and Morgan nodded. Cassie removed her blindfold and approached Sunny. The memory transfer was quick since Sunny was skilled at it. Soon, she walked over to Morgan and asked, "Morgan, while we're at it, would you agree to a mental connection with me? That way, I could communicate with you telepathically and use your senses, but only when you agree, of course."

Morgan smiled. "Sure, I'm excited for all those memories, so let's do it quickly."

Cassie chuckled and leaned down to Morgan. "Just look into my eyes."

When Morgan followed Cassie's instructions, Cassie activated the Mental connection and began transferring all the memories Sunny had shared with her. It took some time, but after about 15 minutes, the transfer was complete. Morgan sighed deeply and rested her head on the table. Cassie gently placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly.

"You'll feel better soon; it's not too much, so the backlash will be minimal."

Morgan groaned and sat up straight, her voice sounding a bit dazed as she said, "Wow, you were even there during the battle against Song right before we got sucked into the desert. You helped Nephis take down Dire Fang. And on top of that, you're Mongrel. You fought me as an Awakened and almost won under my conditions. You're pretty intimidating, you know?"

Sunny chuckled and sighed. "Yeah, I know. You kind of stole my heart that day. That bow you gave me has served me well over the years, so thank you for that."

Morgan laughed and glanced at Nephis, smirking as she added, "He's really loyal, I can tell. He didn't even glance at my ass once."

Sunny scoffed confidently. "Of course not. I was too busy managing my flaw to say anything that might get me in trouble. The kind of trouble that would have forced me to kill you. We could have avoided a lot of issues if you had told us sooner that you wanted your father dead."

Morgan sighed. "At that time, I was still trying to win my father's favor. It took me a while to realize he had no good side left."

Rick raised his hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but my flaw is getting stronger by the second, so I should step outside for a moment."

Sunny sighed, a bit irritated. "How many times do we have to tell you it's fine? We've seen much worse than your body. Just get it over with; Morgan would have seen it eventually."

Rick sighed and nodded. He stood up and moved to a corner. After closing his eyes, his body began to transform, and the whole process was completed in just a few seconds. Fortunately, the ceiling was high enough for him to sit without causing any damage. Rain stood up and walked over to him; they had developed a routine by now. Rick sat cross-legged, and Rain settled in his lap. In a more private setting, things might have been different, but that would have to wait. Morgan watched in awe, her jaw slightly dropped.

"That's your flaw? You turn into... this demonic figure?"

Rick nodded, a crooked smile on his face as his deep, dark voice replied, "Yes, but before you jump to conclusions, this body used to come with a beast that took over. I was pushed to the back of my mind and could only watch as the beast went on a bloodthirsty rampage. It took a long time to seal it away."

Morgan chuckled confidently. "For some reason, I want to see that. Can you let it loose? We can go to the backyard."

Rick laughed. "No, trust me, ask Sunny how that went. Fortunately, we were in the Dreamscape."

Morgan turned to Sunny, who simply shrugged. "I had the same idea as you. But believe me, I wouldn't be sitting here today if I had encountered the beast outside the Dreamscape in my real body."

Morgan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You lost the fight?"

Sunny scoffed. "There wasn't a fight. As soon as he unleashed the beast, my body started shaking because it recognized me as prey. When I thought about fleeing, my body moved a few millimeters involuntarily, and that triggered the beast's instincts. In that moment, it vanished without a sound, and my vision went black. I died without even realizing it."

Morgan looked back at Rick, who was gently stroking Rain's back with one of his tails. She smiled awkwardly and said, "On second thought, I think I'll pass. Please keep that beast sealed away."

Rick nodded and smiled before turning his attention back to Rain. "No problem. I'll never let that thing hurt anyone around me again."