Shadow Slave: Monochrome

Epsilon was sitting in his prison, with both excitement and weakness stirring in his heart. Despite this nightmare being relatively a breeze thus far, being forced to sit around and wait took its own toll on him.

Yes, seeing his brother and all was good, but there was someone else he so desperately wanted to see too.

"Emma.."

The last time the two had met, he pretended that everything would be fine. She was the only other person in his ring of relationships that knew both him and Nero were in their first Nightmares.

But it was even more worrisome for him, as he left her in danger. They had stolen from the Red Sons, and one of their members had seen her face. She couldn't risk going around in public anymore, and without the two of them, stealing must've become very hard too.

"If I survive this, I'll be strong enough to protect her... I can't afford to die here."

There were people depending on them, so he had to survive.

And then suddenly, he felt his heart grow tight. He clutched his chest, as a searing, unbearable pain tore through him, raw and merciless like invisible claws wrenching his heart straight from his ribcage. His breath hitched, shallow and ragged, each gasp a struggle against the crushing weight pressing down on him.

Then in a moment, it disappeared. Epsilon wondered what the heck just happened to him.

He ran out of his room, and began to look around with panic. Something was wrong, something was very very wrong. He looked up into the dark sky, which only had a single gleaming light at the very top and then at opened gates.

"Nero?"

He was 100% sure of it. That pain he just felt was because of him. He didn't know how, but what he was concerned about, was the why.

'Was it an accident?'

Then precisely two moments later, a terrible pressure rushed in. Someone incredibly powerful was approaching him, and it wasn't hard to realize who it was.

"The King Of The Dark! Why is he here so early???"

The situation seemed bleak. Rodenaus was already fleeing with Nero, and right now, The King Of The Dark was coming to the lowest floor for Epsilon. Although he himself did not know that the King was aware he was in a dream, if he smelt the traces of Weaver on him too, he was sure to do something drastic.

But this was the situation that the twins had planned for. Although it had come a little early, it was time for Epsilon to act.

He began to move towards the gates, towards where The King Of The dark should emerge. Gradually it started to grow harder as he felt a terrible fear premate his body. His legs grew shaky like twigs, his breathe now incoherent and poor, his vision going stark and blurry.

It was too difficult.

Epsilon collapsed to the floor, extending a hand out before trying to drag himself forwards. His body, scratching against the odd symbols and circles engraved on the floor. As he did, they began to glow with a dim white light.

'Just a bit more....'

His nightmare wasn't over though, as he began to hear footsteps. Although very distant, it inspired both panic and chaos in his heart. The King Of The Dark was close, and the pressure was only growing more daunting and inconceivable. Epsilons vision was slowly fading away, and he felt himself passing out.

"I'm sorry..."

But even that was becoming a chore, as [Judgment] forced him awake. Before it was silent, a passive observer in Epsilon's desperate attempts to live, but it was only when he started to give up, only then did it act.

[Judgment] was an attribute that lined up with Epsilon's desires. If he wanted to succeed, it would show him the optimal path, and if he wanted someone else to do better, it would show him how to support them. And right now, it was telling him,

"If you give up, he dies too."

That was all that it took.

Epsilon crawled forward, his small, frail body trembling with exhaustion. His fingertips, raw and torn, left smears of crimson against the cold stone floor. Each movement sent a fresh jolt of pain through his arms, but he clenched his teeth and dragged himself forward.

His breath came in ragged gasps, mixing with the faint echoes of his struggle in the dimly lit room. The surface, although smooth, bit into his palms, the jagged edges tearing deeper into his skin, but still, he moved—inch by agonizing inch—driven by something stronger than the pain.

And before he knew it, he had crossed the boundary. The footsteps of the dark King stopped right in front of him too.

Epsilon didn't have the strength to look up, but if he did, he'd regret it painfully.

"Why?"

The Dark King could've acted. He could've stopped Epsilon from leaving at anytime. It was well within his power, but seeing Nero made him curious. This one too had the stench of Weaver, so he wanted to see how he had changed as well.

Epsilon was quiet, and slow to answer. But once he did, he passed out completely.

"I don't.. want to be a burden."

The lights of the runes engraved on the floor then dimmed, and all was quiet. But then a small tremor erupted, which quickly grew into a monstrous earthquake that was felt throughout all of the caverns.

The ground shook, as it split apart allowing for a white light to seep out through the seams.

The white marble pillar in the centre then began to rise slowly, as cracks formed around it until it shattered into a thousand pieces. The 4 winged white griffin which peacefully slept atop felt a shudder, forcing it to wake early and fly. The chain around its leg broke along with the rest of the pillar, setting it free.

It flew away up into the darkness.

There were three big opponents in this Nightmare. The King Of The Dark, Sir Rodenaus, and the creature who was sealed below. For Nero to escape, Sir Rodenaus's help was crucial in avoiding The King, but Epsilon would be left behind. If he left, the creature would break free and kill them all before they had a chance.

So how would one solve this dilemma? It was simple really. There was one other person in this Nightmare who could stand up to the creature, and that was The King. If that thing was still hostile towards him, then the two should inevitably fight. The brothers didn't need him to win, just to hold him back long enough for Epsilon to escape.

But it seems that wouldn't happen now.