Shadow Slave: The Ascencion

Aware that she would be of little help now that her essence reserves were nearly depleted, Sara shifted her gaze toward Sunny.

He held a dagger in his hand, a thin and almost invisible thread trailing from its base. His eyes were fixed on the creature, clearly focused on some kind of plan.

The colossus's constant movement made them both sway slightly, while the dark, sinister surroundings heightened the tension of the moment. Even so, Sunny seemed completely unfazed, his posture calm despite the looming threat.

"Sunless," Sara whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. The black sea's waters roared incessantly, and she figured speaking softly wouldn't be too much of a risk.

However, she instantly noticed Sunny's body tense. He adopted a defensive stance, alert, his gaze locking onto the creature. Following his line of sight, Sara saw two pairs of antennae moving in their direction, as if they had detected her voice.

A chill ran down her spine as the creature slowly turned its attention toward them.

Sunny glanced at her, his dark eyes reflecting a mix of calculation and frustration. Before he could say anything, Sara quickly shook her head, making it clear she couldn't fight in her current state.

He studied her for a moment, assessing, before lowering his gaze. After a few seconds, he summoned what looked like a simple rock and handed it to her.

Sara took the stone, her expression puzzled, searching his face for an explanation.

Without a word, Sunny began gesturing with his hands, awkwardly trying to convey his plan. He mimicked the colossus's steps, raising and lowering his fingers to count an estimated rhythm. Then he pointed to a spot and made a throwing motion, indicating she should toss the stone at the right moment.

Though confused, Sara nodded her understanding.

Sunny turned back to the creature, his dagger ready, as his shadow twisted almost imperceptibly around his feet. He prepared to face the abomination parasitizing the giant colossus. His small, dark figure stood in stark contrast to the parasite.

In the next moment, Sara watched as Sunny's shadow rose and coiled around him before he leapt into the cold abyss, straight toward the creature.

As he fell, Sara was stunned to see Sunny summon another memory in his left hand and, without hesitation, cut his own arm, letting blood coat the blade of his weapon.

With a swift motion, he hurled his dagger at the colossus's chest, where it lodged like a hook. The invisible thread tightened as Sunny continued to fall, using the momentum to direct his blue sword toward what appeared to be the monster's eye socket.

The strike was precise, causing the creature to react with a violent spasm. Numerous tentacles shot out from its translucent body, aiming for Sunny, who yanked the thread hard and, using the momentum, swung himself away mid-air.

The enraged monster turned its antennae toward him, emitting a guttural screech as new tentacles emerged from its form. Sunny, swinging with his dagger, evaded one appendage, but another struck his blue sword, flinging him farther with brutal force.

The pain on his face was evident, but Sunny didn't stop. He landed on the massive hammer the giant statue wielded, using its swinging motion to dodge the attacks closely trailing him. Each strike from the colossus made the hammer sway dangerously, forcing him to run, jump, and use his memory to stay safe.

Frustrated, the creature began to shift its massive body, intent on crushing the small human who had dared to attack it.

From above, Sara watched in fascination as Sunny battled the beast—a fallen creature far more powerful than any member of the cohort. And yet, he was handling it skillfully, outsmarting the overwhelming gap in power.

'This clever boy,' she thought, noticing how Sunny focused on a thicker tentacle that seemed to stabilize the creature's body.

'You never planned to kill it, did you?'

Sara extended her hand, preparing to intervene.

'Would Grey have tried to kill it instead of simply driving it away?'

Without waiting for an answer, she stepped forward and leapt, descending swiftly toward the largest tentacle.

'Probably.'

She struck the tentacle with force, managing to separate it from the chest of the giant statue. Her weapon, only level four, didn't cause significant damage, but the impact was enough to destabilize the creature.

At that moment, Sunny saw the monster's body wobble, falling helplessly toward the black sea, its tentacles flailing in a desperate attempt to grab the pesky human that had hurt it.

Then he noticed Sara. Her attack had left her without support, and now she was plummeting rapidly, weakened by the lack of essence in her soul core.

'Damn it.'

With a quick move, Sunny swung on his dagger and managed to reach her just in time. Sara clung to him, avoiding the fall, but the sudden pull made Sunny's arm creak under the weight.

"Crazy girl!" he shouted, struggling to swing toward the hammer and find a way back to the statue's peak.

Sara looked at him with a mix of relief and cheekiness before responding sarcastically:

"You're welcome for saving you from the tentacle, shorty."

Sunny blinked, incredulous.

'Did she just call me short!?'

For a moment, he considered letting her go and letting the monster take her, imagining how he'd explain it as her being "swept away by the creature." But he quickly dismissed the idea. His flaw—his damned inability to lie—wouldn't let him.

With a resigned grimace, he carried on, dragging Sara along toward the top.

...

Already at the top of the statue and with no immediate danger lurking around, Sara moved toward the center of the platform, leaving Sunny to handle explaining the situation to the rest.

She lay down near the blind seer and the charming archer, letting her consciousness drift away until the next day.

When she woke up, the sun's rays were lighting up the horizon. She noticed Sunny also seemed to have fallen asleep. The others were busy building some sort of fence around the statue's neck.

'Are they fortifying this thing? And where did they get those giant metal plates?'

A moment later, she spotted Eddie, the huntress, pulling another steel plate out of a small sack she carried.

'So, it's spatial storage… How envious.'

Feeling her mouth dry, she summoned her water bowl and took a big gulp before standing up and approaching Sunny, who was lying on his back, sound asleep.

Sara stood there for a while, mentally updating her impression of him.

'This guy… He's really crazy to have thrown himself into a fight against that thing.'

His face wasn't particularly attractive compared to other Awakened, much less to Kai, the charming archer across the platform. But it had its own charm, and she liked that.

'A brave boy, that's good.'

"What are you doing?"

A woman's voice sounded behind her.

Sara turned and saw the radiant figure of Nephis, who was looking at her with an impassive expression.

With a mix of sarcasm and feigned confusion, Sara shifted her gaze toward Effie, who stood behind Nephis with an amused expression.

'Oh!'

With a flash of understanding, Sara realized what was happening. She turned her attention back to Sunny and, feigning confusion, replied:

"Nothing? I was just looking at Sunless's sleeping face. Isn't it cute?"

Nephis stayed silent for a moment before speaking with indifference:

"That's fine. I just came to leave this for Sunny."

She crouched down, placed a plate of food beside the sleeping boy, and then left without another word.

'So boring,' Sara thought, watching Nephis walk away.

Then she looked at the plate of food with slight annoyance.

'No breakfast for me, pale girl?'

With a sigh, she moved away from Sunny and went to grab some of the food Nephis had left in the center of the platform, near a campfire.

A few hours later, Sara was sitting on the edge of the platform, contemplating the vast crimson labyrinth that stretched before her eyes.

From that height, she could see the immensity of the Forgotten Coast and how dangerous its lands were. Here and there, colossal white bone carcasses of abominable creatures stood out, along with the ruins of giant cities and towering peaks of coral rising above the terrain.

The stone giant advanced calmly, crushing large areas of crimson coral with each step, indifferent to the destruction it left in its wake.

'What a terrifyingly beautiful view.'

Behind her, she heard someone get up and start chewing something. She didn't turn around; she already knew who it was.

Soon after, Sunny approached and sat several meters away from her, observing the labyrinth from the edge of the platform.

Sara glanced at him with a tone of mock indignation and remarked:

"That's very disrespectful, Sunless. Don't you think you should sit a little closer?"

Sunny gave her a strange look, sighed, and replied:

"Well, I'm from the outskirts, so I wouldn't know what respect is."

Sara thought for a moment before grabbing something beside her and tossing it near Sunless.

He looked at her, confused, before his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the ordinary rock lying beside him.

"Thanks."

Sunny said nothing more before storing the ordinary rock, averting his gaze, and continuing to contemplate the labyrinth. Sara didn't bother him again, and the two fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

To the side, the scion of the Han Li clan, Caster, marked points on a map spread out over the stone platform, engrossed in his work.

---

Note: Well, I think I will implement this power stone system to release a chapter immediately.

But if the limit isn't reached within three days, I'll release a chapter anyway. However, I'd really appreciate it if you could support the fic and fill the counter, which I'll be updating with each power stone received since this chapter's release.

Power Stones: [54/50]

With nothing more to say, goodbye.

NOTE 2: We're already over 50, too fast... it's 1:30 in the morning, I'm sorry but I'll upload the cap tomorrow morning LOL