Shadow Slave- Back in time.

Ch 8

Sunny found himself blind and drowning. However, he was prepared and swiftly surfaced. He looked around, expecting to see the headless neck of the statue a short distance away.

"Damn." It was much farther than it should've been.

Instinctively, Sunny connected with his shadow. He saw the shark-like creature that had nearly killed him and colossal tentacles reaching for it.

The creature slightly altered its escape route. You see, creatures of such power can perceive most gazes, and they tend to look back. Sunny cursed and swam toward the platform.

The tentacle rising from the black waters came down at the shark, but it couldn't catch it as the creature had changed its path. Instead, it struck the shark's side, leaving it half-dead but still moving forward.

Sunny tried to swim to the statue, but the tip of the tentacle slammed next to him, creating a wave that sent him flying.

He landed hard on the body of the dying creature. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and he felt a crack reverberate through his chest. The creature's scales pierced his armor, leaving deep cuts on his back as he slid toward the water. His sword manifested just in time, and he managed to stab it into a deep wound inflicted by the tentacle's hooks, using his shadow to enhance both his body and the Memory.

The abomination tried to shake him off, but it was too weak. Sunny gritted his teeth, holding tightly to his weapon, ignoring the pain in his muscles and back. The beast kept moving forward, but it wasn't swimming; it was simply being pushed by inertia. After a while, the monster gave one final spasm and then became still.

[You have slain a Corrupted Devil, Seabed Cleaner.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

"So this is how Gunlaug did it, huh?" He shook his head. "No Memory for me, of course."

Still, it was a win. He had obtained 32 shadow fragments relatively easily.

That is, if he survived the night: he was injured and on a corpse, which would likely attract other creatures.

He carefully surveyed his surroundings. In the distance, close enough that there was a small chance of reaching it, was a small coral formation. He felt strangely drawn to it, as though something familiar was there. He couldn't see it, only sense it deep in his gut. After a few moments, it clicked: Could it be... Nephis?

"Hey, Neph."

"Hmm?"

"Do you feel my presence?"

"Now that you mention it, I feel like there's something in the sea..."

He wondered. If they could mentally talk and sense each other's presence, what else could they do?

"That's probably me."

"What? Why are you in the Dark Sea?"

"I ran into a minor inconvenience. I'm coming. Don't kill me."

"Okay. Cassie is here too."

She paused for a moment.

"You... killed a Corrupted Devil."

"Yeah."

"Are you hurt?"

"Yep. Don't worry about it. You can't heal it."

Worry seeped through their bond.

"Why?"

"Light attracts monsters."