Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

Eirwen, seated in his luxury saloon, tapped his index finger against his knee impatiently. He couldn't wait to be back, maybe now, at last, he could steal some time to sit in his garden and read in peace. Unfortunately, the only thing he could read thought, were the two monstrous books filled with nonsense that Leviathan gave him.

'Second day as a Dreamer, and so much has already happened,' he smirked smugly to himself. 'Of course, I'm special after all.'

In just two days, he had killed five Awakened, slaughtered a horde of imps, and witnessed a battle between Saints and two Great Tyrants.

Recalling the horrifying yet majestic fight he couldn't help but feel a surge of thrill coursing through him. The way the Saints battled only intensified his excitement, making him even more eager to reach their level.

He was especially fascinated by Merlin and his god-like powers. Anora also caught his attention -not for the obvious reasons- but because there was something about her abilities that he couldn't quite grasp.

On the surface, it seemed like she controlled fire, much like the old man, but there was something more, something deeper. He noticed that she never actually produced flames herself. Instead, she drew from existing heat and fire, bending the element to her will.

The other Saints' powers seemed more or less straightforward. Puppeteer controlled his Puppets and the silky threads; Gale was fast and could thus increase his own mass to some extent; Masker could simply create fire and control it. The stone giant Saint, however, Eirwen never quite figured out what his abilities were. But he was already dead, so it didn't really matter.

'If only I could devour the corpses of that Great Tyrant and Rumble,' Eirwen thought grimly.

Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside and focused on what happened after the battle, replaying every detail in his mind, analyzing if there was anything he had overlooked. Something that could be useful to know.

After the fight ended, Eirwen, Seraphiel, and Andromeda quickly made their way out of the cave, climbing up a narrow crack in the wall that led back to the slums. Seraphiel could fly one of them up the cavern, but in the end, they decided to stick together instead of letting someone on their own down there. Even if it was only for a short period of time, you could never know what monstrosity would lunge at you from the shadows.

On their way up Eirwen was agitated to say the least, his body was practically shaking from excitement. He couldn't wait to reach their level. To reach Transcendency… and maybe even surpass it.

'With Leviathan, that isn't impossible,' he thought with a wide grin painted on his handsome face.

While making their way through the filthy slums, Eirwen and Seraphiel exchanged a few words about the fight. He didn't manage to learn much from the Dreamer, but from what little he did, it was clear that both Seraphiel and his brother were freakishly strong. 'Not as strong as me though,' Eirwen reassured himself with a chuckle. 

He had learned that Raijin's Aspect had something to do with electricity, while Seraphiel manipulated gravity, or space? The white-haired boy wasn't sure himself.

Once they were back in the villa -the two corpses of the soldiers he'd killed in front of it somehow gone-, Leviathan also came back from his strange slumber. "If I extended any influence this close to that Fissure, the two of us would be in immense trouble," He explained within his Soul Sea.

When Eirwen tried to press for more answers as always, Leviathan remained silent, his gaze completely expressionless and fixed on the sky.

"Answering me would help both of us, you genius," Eirwen spat, his tone clear with frustration. But before he could say anything more, Leviathan forced him out of his own Soul Sea again, cutting off their conversation.

"Stop the tapping," a voice Eirwen was still getting used to interrupted his thoughts. It was Raijin, sitting next to his brother and facing Eirwen and Andromeda. The two brothers were also heading to his mansion, something Eirwen didn't particularly care about. After all, they had more rooms than he could count anyway.

What annoyed him though, was the boy's attitude, completely different from Seraphiel's. Where Seraphiel was calm and didn't speak much, Raijin was like an annoying gremlin with a foul tongue.

"You're in my car; in case you didn't notice. Driving to my mansion," Eirwen said, his face twitching for a brief moment, barely hiding his annoyance.

Apparently, these two boys were among the few Dreamers he was "fated" to meet.

'Only one missing. But I have a connection to him, so don't worry about it anymore, child. Just make sure to bond well with these three,' the countless voices echoed in his mind, drowning out his other senses for a moment.

Raijin ignored his remark, his gaze fixed on the tinted window as he watched the towering trees pass by, likely trying to block out thoughts of his uncle.

It had been Masker's idea to send his two boys with Eirwen and Gale. He knew that as long as they were under the protection of the rich man, they'd be mostly safe.

Eirwen's father was well-connected, not just with the Government, but also with the two great clans. The Guild knew better than to try anything funny against Eirwen's family. No matter how strong they were, they were no match for the power of the great clans or the Government.

Once the two returned as Awakened, Masker planned to rush them down the path of ascension, turning them into deadly Saints. But even then -as Merlin had said- it probably wouldn't be enough to fully protect them from the secret and strange organization.

Eirwen stopped dwelling on such matters for the time being and leaned back in his seat with a sigh. He was now clad in spare clothes he had borrowed from Anora, black trousers paired with a black turtleneck -which was tight and rather uncomfortable. She was practically as tall as him, even an inch taller when in her high-heeled boots, so her clothes fit him. More or less.

Crossing his arms and closing his eyes he tried to take a short nap, his mind was too exhausted even with his Flaw constantly keeping his brain fresh.

---

Back in the mansion.

Gale dragged himself into one of the countless meeting rooms after a while, wincing with every step. He finally collapsed onto a cushioned, dark brown sofa pressed against the farthest wall. The room was spacious and elegant, dominated by shades of brown and beige, with the faint scent of polished wood and smoke lingering in the air.

Eirwen, Andromeda, Raijin, and Seraphiel found spots to sit wherever they could, while Gale claimed the entire long couch for himself, sprawling out in exhaustion. With a flick of his fingers he turned the fireplace on, the wood immediately setting aflame through the mansion's systems.

"Alright, kids, teacher's tired, so let's make this quick," Gale groaned, his voice just as loud as ever.

Eirwen immediately spoke up after his teacher, with clear impatience in his voice, "Whatever, just give me my new Memories."

Andromeda, fresh from the shower and dressed in new clothes, sat next to Eirwen, leaning into him slightly. If she didn't take that shower as soon as they arrived, she would probably die from being too dirty. If that was even possible.

Seraphiel meanwhile stayed silent, not speaking unless spoken to. Thankfully his brother followed his gesture and also kept his mouth shut.

Eirwen already started to dislike him.

Gale groaned, rolling weakly onto his back with a wince. "Have some patience. I'll do it once I'm feeling better," he said dismissively. Before Eirwen could argue, Gale cut him off again.

"Anyway, Seraphiel and Raijin will be joining you two now," Gale continued, waving his hand dismissively, "Unfortunately, Merlin owes Masker one, so now we've got to babysit these two pieces of shit."

After gently rubbing his aching ribs, Gale continued with his loud voice, "I told Eirwen's father that having you two here would help with his training, so of course, he immediately agreed. God bless the man... and his money."

He quickly added, glaring at the short-haired boy sitting innocently next to his brother, "And Raijin, if you pull any stupid shit, I will lock you in a cell with an Awakened Beast."

Eirwen chuckled, crossing his arms as he waited for Gale to finally finish speaking. If he wasn't going to get his Memories now, at least he could head up for a shower.

Plus, there were still the two thick books waiting for him in his room.

"Alright, get out of here now," Gale waved them off after finishing his explanation to the two brothers. Giving the room a vocal signal to dim the lights he quickly added, "Tomorrow morning, I want all four of you in the underground facility. 6 AM sharp."

The four Dreamers completely ignored Gale who was trying to sound intimidating and made their way out of the meeting room, leaving him behind to his rest.

"Andromeda, show these two where they'll be staying," Eirwen called over his shoulder as he walked toward his own room. "Just give them a random room, but make sure it's not too far from the facility. Also, show them everything else, I guess."

Eirwen couldn't care less, but he also knew better than to openly act like an ass toward the two Dreamers who would be accompanying him to the Dream Realm. Making enemies out of them would be idiotic, to say the least.

"Two more months, and my journey will finally begin," Eirwen thought excitedly, a teal and violet spark flickering in the depths of his golden eyes.

---

End of Volume 1