Shadow Slave
chapter-281-30041322

In the depths of the night, Sunny was finally done with the arduous task of clearing the floor of the ruined library. Tiredly standing in the center of the circular hall, he found himself in the middle of a vast mural.

The mosaic had endured the passage of time in an almost pristine condition. Most of it was preserved perfectly, with only a few small sections destroyed by corrosion or the ill will of the creature that inhabited the Crimson Spire.

By now, Sunny was certain that it was the Terror of the Forgotten Shore that had obliterated any depictions of the seven heroes' faces. He didn't know how it was possible, but felt that the same furious force that had decapitated the ancient statues was responsible for the damage done to the engravings in the ancient mine and to this mural.

It was as though the Terror wanted to erase any sign of the founders of the Starlight Legion from history. Their names were forgotten, every person that had known of their stories turned into dust, and even the stones that bore their image were desecrated and shattered.

How great the resentment that the evil creature harbored toward them must have been, for it to go to such lengths in its mad desire to obliterate their legacy?

With a sigh, Sunny turned slightly and walked to the edge of the mural. He was searching for the start of it story.

Depicted on the mural was not one image, but a long series of them, spiraling from the edges of the mosaic to its center like a long scroll. On them, the history of the land consumed by darkness was shown, ending with the coming of a new dawn.

Sunny already knew what events had brought the curse of all-consuming darkness to the Forgotten Shore and how the ancient inhabitants of this land fought against all odds to resist it.

Now, he was going to learn the final mystery — the reason for their eventual downfall.

Finding the first image, he studied it and lingered for a bit. Then, he walked on, watching the history unfurl itself beneath his feet.

As the curse subdued the world under the veil of everlasting darkness and terrible creatures started to attack the human settlements, one after another, mighty champions began to appear to battle them. But no matter how strong, brave, and valiant those champions were, none of them was able to resist for long.

Especially not when their own allies started turning into monsters. It was impossible to face the terrifying foes hiding in the darkness when no one was there to cover your back — or even worse, if those you trusted the most to do so were the ones delivering a deadly blow instead.

But still, humanity persisted. Months passed, then years. And eventually, a new generation grew up in this horrible world.

"Born in the all-consuming darkness, seven valiant heroes gave an oath to return the light to the cursed land." Sunny whispered.

The people who would later create the Starlight Legion were indeed born in the darkness. They never even saw the light that they would swear to bring back. All they knew of it were the tales their elders had told them, tales of a time when people never turned into nightmares, and the beautiful stars shone even in the darkest of nights.

This new generation grew up surrounded by nothing but darkness and horror, and was forged by it into a far more fearsome force than their parents had ever been. Hard times created hard people, and their time was as unforgiving and harrowing as one could imagine. Beyond so, even.

And so, the people it created adapted to match this dark reality.

Eventually, seven of them rose above the rest, each leading their faction in the constant battle against the encroaching doom.

Sunny stopped and studied the image that showed all seven of them… even if their faces were damaged beyond recognition.

There was a knight in an intricate plate armor forged of white metal, with a stalwart blade grasped firmly in his hands.

A graceful priestess in a light flowing robe, her delicate hands shining with gentle light.

A mighty hunter in an archaic cuirass leaning on a beautiful bronze spear.

A masterful builder holding a mason's hammer in his calloused hands.

A regal lord with a humble crown resting on his head, a single gem decorating its simple design.

A subtle and merciless slayer with a ghostly stiletto hidden cunningly behind her back.

And a stranger from a misty land who wore a stonelike armor and never showed his face, with a heavy round shield resting at his feet.

Sunny looked at the seven heroes, thinking.

"Knight, Hunter, Lord, Stranger, Slayer, Builder, and Priestess. Midnight Shard, Zenith Shard, Dawn Shard, Dusk Shard, Moonlight Shard. And the other two… Sunlight Shard and Starlight Shard?"

The fate of the last two Shard Memories remained unknown to him. Nephis must have known something, though. Otherwise, she would not have ventured into the dangerous expedition to the Hollow Mountains to seak out the Crown of Dawn.

Although the history of the Forgotten Shore was presented in more detail here, it did not give him any revelations yet. Thoughtful, Sunny turned away from the image of the seven heroes and continued on.

At some point in history, the heroes came together, created the Starlight Legion, and united the surviving remnants of humanity under its banner. It was also then when they gave their defiant oath.

'They must have been mad…'

Weren't striving to achieve something impossible the definition of madness? Sunny frowned, knowing full well that, in this case, the seven heroes actually managed to fulfill their crazy ambition.

It was all a little too close to home. He also knew someone who liked to set impossible goals and had an infuriating track record of proving them possible.

But how did it all end? Yes, the heroes achieved their dream. But the Forgotten Shore still turned into a desolate hell.

What happened to their light?

Looking at the next images of the mosaic, Sunny got a feeling that he was about to find out.