Shadow Slave: Monochrome

Although he hadn't been taken back to his cell yet, he could already tell that he was now the last one. Yet for whatever reason, the King had come here early, and he knew of his existence.

Thinking about it now, what would the King do to him? Why were the Night Children even brought here? What was the point of all this? And then there was the Kings strange question.

"If I kill you, will this dream end?"

It shouldn't've been possible, but the King knew that this whole word was a fake. A dream taking place in the minds of Nero and Epsilon. And the fact that he knew how to end it too was all the more daunting.

If Nero had indeed died, would the Nightmare end? Do both Nero and Epsilon need to complete it? If one of them dies, does the other fail? How did the King Of The Dark even gain awareness in the first place..

Even before that, he said something strange as well. He blamed all of this on someone named Weaver.

'He said I stank of him.. was that meant to be an insult? Who even is he?'

He wished he could go deeper into it, but he was too distraught to think straight.

And then, the doors to the room of Dark Waters opened once again. But this time, it wasn't the King Of Darkness, but Sir Rodenaus. Unlike the days before, he seemed incredibly distraught.

"Come boy, we depart immediately."

Nero rushed over to him, still shivering. He quickly put on the white cloth, but then Rodenaus unexpectedly handed him a spear.

"I'm not sure what may happen on the way, so keep yourself armed."

This was the first time Nero had gotten his hands on a proper weapon. He did have some experience with a pocket knife, but with an actual sword or a spear like this? He was a total novice.

Unfortunately though, it wasn't even a memory.

"I'd teach you, but we don't have enough time. It has been enchanted with a magical property though, so it is suitable for slaying creatures of the corruption."

Rodenaus grabbed one of the torches burning with white flames, and took Nero with him through the rest of the tunnel where they then entered the black marble and gold hallway. The King Of Darknesses presence still hung here, but Nero stayed strong.

He seemed to be on one of the lower floors.

'Epsilon!'

He had to send the signal to him somehow. Originally, he was supposed to push his tray down the massive pit, which would inevitably reach all the way down to the lowest floor and alert Epsilon.. but that was if they went to the pit. With the way Rodenaus was rushing him, asking for a detour seemed to be impossible.

So how would he contact him instead? There had to be another way, the nightmare spell never made anything impossible...

'Hang on a second..'

[Bond] Attribute Description: "All beings are connected, whether it be by love, or by fate. However, as you two were born as a pair, your bond is thicker than most."

This attribute was proof of their otherworldly connection, so surely there must be something he could do with it?

The glowing white string shot out of his body, and rushed as it urgently connected with Epsilon who was down below. There had to be something he could do with it, something that he had yet to find.

Nero concentrated on the string..

'Telepathy!'

...

It did not work.

'Should I just run back? I honestly should.'

But before he even had a chance, Rodenaus then said out of nowhere.

"Night Child... are you aware The King Of The Dark's desires? The reason why he built this place."

Nero replied,

"No?"

"A long time ago, during a time where even humans did not exist, the gods slayed a creature of profane origins. Not like the ones of corruption, but one that came from beyond nothing. It's blood seeped into the ground, and cultivated into the darkness that stalks these caverns, however you Night Children, are born from it."

Nero had a faint idea of what he was talking about. His aspect, [Dark Disciple], described him as a human that was molded by the darkness, and so he had a unique constitution that can survive and thrive in it.

"Don't misunderstand, your still partly human. You even had a mother... but... Oh god, listening to the words of a demon was a mistake."

Rodenaus seemed heavily disgusted with himself.

"There used to be women amongst the Sun knights, and even others that the King Of The Dark brought here himself. He promised us shelter from the war, but in return, he asked us to do one thing."

Nero didn't like where this was going.

"To have children. With consent of course. We were all safe, and so a civilization began to grow here. However, once the children were born, there was something terribly wrong with them. Some had no souls, some didn't even cry, and others... others simply weren't human at all.

I didn't understand why he did this to us at first, but soon, I began to see it. The King Of The Dark... that demon wanted power akin to the gods, he wanted the power to create life. He believed that the darkness was the answer, and so he looked for ways to harness its power.

You Night Children, are the result of that work. He believed that one of you had the potential that he was looking for. A creature born from darkness, but at the same time a human with the potential for ascension. He wished to learn how the darkness alters the life born in it, so that he may be able to create it from scratch. You who has both of the traits he seeks, are what he's looking for. You are the key, that will allow him to create life from darkness. Which is why I must not allow him to have you no matter what. He must pay for what he did to us, he cannot be allowed get away with using our lives as if they were nothing but building material for his sick experiments."

Rodenaus suddenly paused, and turned around to face Nero. The knight loomed over him, with a wild glint in his eyes. His gauntleted hands clamping onto the boy's shoulders with an unsettling grip that was way too firm. His breath, ragged and uneven, his pupils dilated, his expression a feverish mix of exhilaration and desperation.

"Son. Please don't run. Or I may have to kill you."

**

Nero couldn't believe it. The vessel whose body he took was the son of sir Rodenaus. Did the Nightmare spell do this on purpose? Otherwise this truly would've been impossible. Rodenaus would've just killed him in the beginning if he wasn't in this boys body.

But then more questions began to surface. What happened to his mother then? He was clearly making it out as if they weren't alive anymore, but how did they die? In fact, what war were they running from? It must've been a truly terrible one if these caves were the only place they could hide.

Nero turned back to [Bond], and stared at the string in his chest. He pondered for a moment, before snapping.

'No way.'

He extended out a hand, and grabbed onto it as if it were tangible. And to his surprise, he was able to feel the string.

It felt cold, silky and awfully fragile, but Nero couldn't afford to be gentle, and so he yanked on it with all his might.