Shadow Slave: Gleaming Stars

[Cassie's POV]

Within the scope of my vision, I observed the unfolding scene.

The brutal tides of the Black Sea slammed heavily onto the walls of a massive cliff, breaking off small chunks of rock with every wave. 

The sound of giant abominations tearing through their prey and the predatory roar of the abyssal waters blanketed the landscape in an oppressive atmosphere.

It was a grim painting of the landscape that we traversed, a reminder of the terrifying stakes and harrowing danger associated with the dream realm, but I remained utterly unfazed. 

Unfortunately, it was par for the course, considerably more pleasant compared to the sights I had had the misfortune of viewing. 

I sighed mentally.

Anyway, I turned my attention to what I assumed was the focal point of this vision.

Or rather, who...

Sitting on the tall cliffs overlooking the waters, an androgynous figure stared rather tiredly at the unfriendly inky depths. 

I gawked at their appearance.

Despite their worn expression and the dark circles that marred their features, they shone with this inextinguishable radiance, a light that shone fiercely in the dark hopeless tapestry of the dream realm.

A high nose bridge, full lips, lush eyebrows, long eyelashes, a soft yet defined jawline, and purple jewel-like eyes. 

Their hair color was quite similar to my own, shoulder-length, silky, pale blonde hair tied up with an interesting thread-like band. 

They stood at a pretty modest height, still probably taller than Sunny, but definitely shorter than Neph.

Clad in a sharp yet elegant platinum plate armor, they gave off this otherworldly feeling, yet they felt oddly familiar...

I mentally grit my teeth.

Out of all the senses that the spell had chosen to take away, of course it HAD to be sight.

I've been robbed...

Suppressing the urge to start cursing out the spell, I refocused my attention on the figure.

They stood up, two orbs of glittering amethyst peering out at the vast ocean,

And to my absolute shock and bewilderment,

They proceeded to walk off the cliff, diving into the inky waters in a picture-perfect pencil dive, a bored look plastered on their face. 

Huh?

Confusion flooded my mind.

Did I just witness someone commit suicide...?

I thought I had grown used to odd, cryptic visions, but this was certainly a bit jarring. 

It was so absurdly straightforward and random that I had trouble accepting it. 

I stared blankly at the watery abyss for a moment longer, expecting the vision to end just as abruptly as it had started, but:

1 second

10 seconds 

A full minute later, the scene had yet to fade.

And then suddenly:

BWOOOSH

A small geyser of black water shot up into the air, a ring of force disturbing the waves as a regal purple light shone through the darkness.

BWOOSH

Another small geyser sprayed water everywhere, that same purple glow shimmering beneath the turbulent sea. 

BWOOOOSHH

And again...

Confusion flooded my mind.

I was genuinely perplexed.

What was going on???

For a few minutes, explosion after explosion ripped apart the tides, pillars of water firing into the air like fireworks.

There didn't seem to be any method to the madness; the orientation of the explosions seemed completely random. 

Eventually, though, the blasts stopped, the Black Sea settling slightly.

My eyes narrowed as I made out a tiny blonde head breaking the surface of the water.

Considerably soggier than when I had first spotted them, the figure from earlier floated to the surface, their face wearier and their armor a bit damaged. 

But before I could study them any further-

Tink

The scene began to crack, shattering like glass, shards flying around the dark emptiness of my blinded world.

Then, the broken shards of my vision began to reassemble themselves, slowly piecing together and forming a brand-new scene.

I blinked as I readjusted to the change in scenery.

This time, while you could still faintly hear the rushing of water, the Black Sea was nowhere in sight.

It was a bit brighter outside, small streaks of white sunlight streaking across the gray sky.

Now, a large gray landmass stretched out before me, a small hill visible in the distance. 

I listened for a moment.

The familiar soft sounds of someone's footsteps rang softly in the air, the sound of something large being dragged across the ground resounding not far behind. 

Scanning around for the source of the sound, I locked eyes with a familiar-looking figure.

Looking significantly more haggard than before, the otherworldly beauty walked carefully, slowly dragging the large corpses of three nightmare creatures with a long, sturdy chain made of what looked like bone. 

I began to scan their body, taking note of some of the more noticeable changes. 

Their armor was dented and scratched, lacking a few of the armored plates that had originally composed its elegant form, a testament to the brutal ordeal that this person had seemingly voluntarily braved.

Their lips had a slight tinge of blue, and their hands and body were trembling slightly, an indication of how frigid the waters of the Black Sea had been.

And yet, despite their rather poor condition, a small, sad yet contented smile was etched onto their features, their jewel-like eyes gleaming softly in the light of daybreak.

A strange sense of pity wormed its way into the depths of my conscious as I continued to follow this person on their trek to their destination.

It was a slow and painful walk for them, and a rather tragic viewing experience for me. 

Then suddenly:

Thud

They dropped the chain, letting it fall heavily on the ground.

Exasperation flooded their expression as they slowly turned to face the dreary gray sky.

Following their gaze, I turned, locking onto the distant silhouette of an ominous-looking creature. 

I had no clue what it was, but its form was getting closer and closer. 

"This shitty bird brain dollar store griffin seriously can't take a fucking hint!"

A melodious yet unmistakably masculine voice echoed quietly in genuine frustration.

Surprised, I whipped around, just in time to witness the man pull at his hair while throwing what looked like a mini temper tantrum. 

"@!(&(*&#@!, RAGHHHHHHHH!!!"

I could only stare incredulously at the man as he rolled across the ground, kicking his feet and beating his fists on the floor like a spoiled child at a toy store.

SCREEEEEEEEEEE

The flying abomination was closing in fast, homing in on the man like a missile.

Though it was still relatively far, I was able to see its profane form relatively clearly now.

It was huge, bigger than the three nightmare creatures the man was lugging back combined.

The gargantuan creature looked like the twisted crossbreed between a lion and a raven, its body pale as a corpse, a black feathered avian head placed atop its alien form.

Massive muscles rippled beneath the surface of the terrifying beast, twisting and twitching as if each fiber had a mind of its own.

It had four powerful legs, each one tipped with razor-sharp talons, but as I looked a bit closer, I noticed four wriggling stumps protruding messily from its broad chest.

Concluding his shocking outburst, the man jumped to his feet, a long, guard-less blade forming in his right hand, while his other was pointing a certain finger in the direction of the horrifying abomination.

"IT'S BEEN 5 DAYS, YOU ABSOLUTE PARASITE! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE BEFORE I EUTHANIZE YOU AND EVERYONE IN YOUR DESPICABLE, MUTATED FAMILY TREE!!!!!"

A flurry of white sparks consumed the man's figure as a brand-new set of imposing black scale armor snaked across his flawless form, replacing the battle-damaged plate armor.

The man continued to hurl a stream of profanities at the incredibly pissed off nightmare creature.

Screeching horribly, the avian freak descended upon the swordsman, beak opened wide as row after row of sharp serrated teeth gleamed menacingly in the early morning light. 

Despite its rather large stature, the creature moved incredibly fast, so fast that I had a hard time tracking it with my eyes. 

I watched in horrified silence, expecting the man to be shredded to pieces by its powerful beak, but right before the abomination's jaws could slam shut, the man seemingly vanished. 

I blinked in confusion.

In the next moment, clad in a brilliant haze of glittering purple, the man reappeared just above the creature's head.

His waist, shoulders, and left arm seemed to move in slow motion, the absolute perfection of his form obvious to even me.

Encased in a gauntlet the same shade as the midnight sky, his glowing fist slammed dreadfully into the creature's crown. 

BOOOOM

The ensuing contact produced a sound reminiscent of two freight trains slamming into one another, and yet, the beast was utterly unharmed. 

Using its two dreadful wings, it swiped at the airborne swordsman, black metallic feathers cleaving the air apart.

And yet, the man managed to redirect the blow with his sword midair, using the momentum he absorbed from the creature's attack to launch an absolutely devastating counterattack.

Well, it looked devastating at least. 

The sword shattered pitifully as it made contact with the creature's seemingly indestructible wing.

Just as quickly as it had broken, the man had called forth yet another blade, a simple, gleaming red great sword appearing within his outstretched hands, just in time to fend off a blow from one of the creature's mighty appendages. 

Parrying the blow and landing on the ground, the man weaved through a flurry of the abominations' terrifying attacks with a supernatural elegance, moving outside the creature's immediate range. 

I could tell that the man was at a disadvantage.

He was cold, tired, and injured, not to mention, it seemed like he didn't have a way to injure the abhorrent creature.

And yet, aside from his ragged breathing and tired look, he seemed to be unnervingly at ease. 

Something was off. 

Sighing tiredly, the man dismissed the greatsword in his hands, a lusterless black blade taking its place.

Upon setting its eyes upon the blade, the creature's beady eyes gleamed in recognition, a foul screech bursting from its throat. 

It rushed the man, its limbs flying towards him in a whirlwind of movement.

He remained untouched, carefully playing around the creature's range, occasionally deflecting or redirecting one of the creature's blows. 

Together, the swordsman and the abomination created a malestrom of wings, beaks, blades, and talons, their figures blurring from pure motion.

Honestly...

I was lost.

I could barely follow the fight anymore, the pure visual information flowing into my head proving to be overwhelming to process.

CLANG

After deflecting another devastating blow, the man's form disappeared in a haze of regal purple, reappearing a dozen meters away from the creature.

His breathing was erratic, his face covered in a sheen of glistening sweat. 

There was no mistaking his genuine exhaustion.

For the third time since the battle had started, doubt crept into my mind, the idea of the man losing to the foul abomination becoming increasingly plausible.

And yet, I was once again proven wrong.

In an absolutely baffling display, the man closed his eyes and began to sing in an unknown language, his voice coming out surprisingly smoothly in spite of the exhausting battle.

As he sang, a burning platinum light began to shine radiantly off of his form, each syllable seemingly empowering his figure. 

For the first time since the battle started, the beast became wary, backing off as the shining light grew more intense. 

A glorious ballad filled the air, the powerful emotion and intention contained within the lyrics clear to me despite the language barrier. 

Gleaming twin stars began to orbit him, each one burning with incandescent light. 

The abomination looked just about ready to leave, its wings unfurled and its appendages bent powerfully in a take-off position. 

Light coalesced around the man's black blade, a mix of regal purple and platinum densely coating the lusterless blade in unimaginable power.

The horrible nightmare creature pushed off the ground, beating its wings powerfully as it began its escape.

But before it could escape, the man shot upward like a comet, rapidly closing the distance between him and the abomination. 

Unfortunately, flight wasn't a trait possessed by humanity.

The man and the terrifying creature met for a fraction of a second in the air, the swordsman swinging his blade in an absolutely perfect arc, but...

He missed, completely.

The abhorrent avian, with a powerful beat of its wings, shot just outside of the sword's range, an unfortunate outcome. 

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK"

Roaring in frustration, the man descended rapidly, plummeting to the ground, completely spent. 

FWOOM

He collided with the ground, forming a small crater and kicking up a cloud of dirt. 

Lying on his back, the man's face went completely blank, all the frustration and bitterness contained within his expression melting away as he shut his eyes. 

Breathing in deeply, a long, drawn-out, exasperated sigh escaped his battered form.

Pushing himself out of the crater, he winced, his left leg battered from the battle and the subsequent fall, enough to warrant a noticeable limp.

Limping carefully, he shot a look at the pile of nightmare creature corpses he had dragged here, then shot a glance at his leg before shaking his head tiredly.

The lusterless blade in his hands and the imposing scale armor he wore disappeared in a flurry of white sparks, a silky brown robe reassuming its place on his frame. 

As he began to hobble towards the pile of nightmare creatures, the familiar rhythm of his steps struck me like a bolt of lightning. 

Cogs turned in my head as the last piece of the puzzle found its place, forming an enlightening conclusion.

The strong ocean scent

The injury and subsequent limp

The lack of sleep and the constant exhaustion

I shuddered involuntarily as I stared wide-eyed at the transcendently beautiful swordsman in my vision.

...

Oh.

Audun...?

My imaginary brow began to furrow as I started to reflect on the events of this new vision.

Wait...

Does that mean?

My thoughts accelerated, mind whirring in a storm of activity as another puzzle piece was slotted into a far more complex and complicated structure.

Platinum...

Stars...

OH.

Tink

I think...

SHATTER

I figured it out.

In the ruins of my vision scape, the beginnings of a plan began forming. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Audun's POV]

It's been about 9 days since I met Sunny, Nephis, and Cassia.

The three of them had truly grown on me, each of their rather unique personalities filling the lonely abyss in my heart with a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time. 

They were a breath of fresh air, a splash of color in my mundane life, yet at the same time, they brought me a constant sense of gnawing anxiety.

A complicated myriad of emotions were constantly at war in my heart, the opposing emotions of happiness and fear duking it out whenever I set eyes on them. 

Man...

Why does everything have to be so complicated...

For a full 8 days, I had committed myself to hiding a mildly important secret from them, spending 8 sleepless nights slaughtering hordes upon hordes of nightmare creatures. 

Rationally speaking, it was incredibly stupid to keep up this pointless facade, but the mental barrier that had originally prevented me from telling the truth stood even stronger then it once did. 

At this point I wasn't sure if it was my flaw preventing me from spilling the beans, or a genuine fear of disappointing the three of them.

It was a little scary, that subtle uncertainty that followed all of my thoughts, the constant second guessing, my inability to really distinguish my real thoughts from those influenced by my "flaw".

But it was a problem that I was learning to navigate, slowly and meaningfully.

Though, there was a heavy emphasis on the "slowly".

I sighed quietly.

Currently it was night time, the inky depths of the Black Sea blanketing nearly the entirety of our surroundings. 

I had gotten so used to the salty sea smell and the faint fragrance of death and decay, that I had grown indifferent to them.

I briefly scanned my surroundings.

The others should be asleep right now, the walk today had been extra taxing on us all, especially for Sunny and Nephis.

They were completely spent after having to "defend" Cassia and I from some carapace scavengers that were in our way.

While it made me feel a bit guilty, killing every single abomination that we could possibly encounter on the way to the castle was just not feasible. 

There were thousands, if not tens of thousands of carapace scavengers and carapace centurions, and every so often, a Cursed Herald will pop by just to fuck with me. 

So I changed up my approach a little. 

Instead of trying to slaughter every abomination in sight, I started targeting creatures that Sunny and Nephis had absolutely no chance of defeating, while shearing down a majority of the monsters that might block our path. 

It made my job significantly easier while providing them with the opportunity for growth I had accidentally robbed them of when I originally cooked up my dogshit plan. 

I really need to think things through more in the future...

Anyway, Sunny and Nephis have had it pretty rough recently, dealing with at least a dozen abominations daily, so they more than earned the rest. 

And Cassia, was well, Cassia.

On top of her crippling disability, she seemed to be carrying an unimaginable burden, one that weighed heavily on her at all times. 

She was a pitiful girl, one who had not only been robbed of her sight, but also of ignorance.

What she's "seen" in those dreams of hers I would never know, but it didn't stop me from sympathizing with her pain.

Sunny twitched slightly in his sleep, pulling me from my thoughts. 

Right...

It's time. 

I looked around wearily and exhaled a small groan. 

It was pitch black outside, and I could hear the distant cries of some terrible monster prowling the Black Sea, meaning it was time for some good 'ol genocide.

Standing up, I walked to the center of our makeshift camp.

Clearing my throat quietly, I invoked the authority imbued within the Star of Vocalization, beginning my heartfelt lullaby.

The lyrics contained my ardent wish for their peaceful and meaningful rest, a luxury I hadn't afforded myself in over a week.

After a few minutes of soft singing, I finished it up, casting an extra layer of sleepiness on the 3 "sleepers" before me. 

Stretching a bit I yawned for a moment, quietly muttering to myself.

"That'll buy me like 7ish hours to finish up...."

Turning around, I began to walk unsteadily, an injury from a few days ago hindering my ability to use my left leg. 

"Should I have them fight a carapace centurion next...?"

I shrugged mentally.

I took another shaky step towards the Black Sea.

"Where are you going."

My body froze instinctively.

'What...?'

I slowly turned.

In the dark I could make out a pair of sapphire blue eyes staring aimlessly in my direction.

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(A/N: I hope you guys liked the chapter!

I'm actually a little proud of how it turned out, and pretty suprised I managed to write coherently for a full 3.3k words.

It actually took me a while to figure out what my intoxicated self was cooking in the previous chapter and how I was supposed to continue from there, especially since I had completely forgotten about the time line I had written up while hammered and had inadvertently gone completely off the rails.

Though I don't think it really matters, since the last chapter was just some inconsequential set up for stuff in this one ykyk

Anyway, drop a comment to let me know yg are still reading my stuff and possibly write up a review of how I've been doing so far if you got some time!

Ty for the continued support!)