SHADOW SLAVE: CROWN OF HOLLOW SCORN

Valen woke up to darkness. It was still the middle of the night and the distant roar of waves crashing against the shore filled the silence.

Sunny and Nephis were already awake, doing whatever. Valen pushed himself up and walked toward the water. The cold night breeze brushed against his skin as he crouched by the shore. He still remembered yesterday—the feeling of despair, the suffocating fear. It clenched his heart again, threatening to crawl up his throat.

Gritting his teeth, he shoved his hands into the dark sea, splashing it onto his face, rubbing the exhaustion and lingering memories away.

"Do you know the legend of Odysseus?"

Valen's fingers curled as he looked up, overhearing Nephis's voice. She was speaking to Sunny, and he listened silently.

He knew about Odysseus.

"Odysseus was a hero in an ancient war. In the legends, some humans back then had powers akin to the Awakened. Achilles with an Aspect of an indestructible body, Diomedes who was so ferocious even the God of War was wary of him, Ajax who was as strong as a giant. Odysseus was not the strongest, and not the bravest. However, he was the most cunning."

Nephis's voice was calm, almost thoughtful.

"In the end, Odysseus's cunning ended the war, and he prepared to sail home. However, the gods cursed him to endlessly wander the seas, never to return. Over the years, he survived one horror after another and lost all of his companions. Then, shipwrecked, he found himself on an island where the beautiful fairy, Calypso, lived."

Changing Star's ethereal, strangely wistful voice resounded in the darkness, creating an enthralling atmosphere.

"Calypso fell in love with Odysseus and invited him to her palace. For many years, they lived together in harmony. The island was like a paradise, filled with all kinds of wonders, delicacies and delights. As long as loving Calypso was by his side, Odysseus was even immortal. But… the longer he stayed, the more time he spent sitting on the shore, looking at the sea with bleak eyes."

She smiled faintly.

"In the end, Odysseus built a makeshift boat and abandoned the island, leaving all its delights, the beautiful fairy, and even his immortality behind. So, my question is… why did he leave?"

Sunny blinked.

'What?'

What kind of mind game was this? He even considered that Nephis was mocking him, but she seemed genuinely interested in the answer.

After a moment of thought, he answered, albeit without much conviction.

"Maybe it was because he was far away from home?"

A fleeting smile appeared on Nephis's face.

"Far away… from home. Hm. Alright."

With that, she turned away and lowered her head, becoming like a statue again. The conversation was over.

But Valen remained still, gazing at the water.

That was true. But Odysseus was not the perfect hero she had described. He had slaughtered cities, plundering them on his way home, murdered the suitors in his halls with merciless precision.

Even though he received a happy ending—unlike most Greek heroes—his tale was one of hubris.

Pride.

His pride had been the cause of all his misfortunes. It was the reason he got cursed by the gods.

"Odysseus was the first human to break the will of gods."

***

By morning, the sun was rising, and the sea was still retreating. Sunny and Nephis were the first to wake, already tending to a small fire, preparing a simple breakfast.

Valen woke up to the smell of roasting meat. The disgusting, metallic, chewy flesh they ate daily now smelled almost heavenly.

Pushing himself up, he walked over and sat by the fire, peeling off his still-damp clothes. The warmth of the flames clashed against the cold wind as he leaned closer, exposing his body to the heat.

Immediately, three pairs of eyes locked onto him.

Valen scowled.

"Stop staring at me before I rip your eyes out of their sockets, dickheads."

He had just wanted to say,

'What'

But the crown thought otherwise.

No one answered.

Valen's body wasn't overly muscular. He wasn't bulky like a brute, but he was far from weak—his muscles were lean, trained for efficiency rather than just mass. His frame carried an odd balance between sharpness and strength. Perfect for a fighter like him.

"Anyway," Nephis restarted the conversation, ignoring the moment, "with what you told us about scavengers crowding to the west, the logical step would be to start moving east as soon as we can. Of course, north and south are also acceptable, but that won't put as much space between us and the enemy."

Sunny nodded, agreeing.

"What did he say about-"

At that moment, Cassie sat up straight. Her eyes were wide open, her face a little pale. She looked tense—no, excited.

Nephis frowned.

"Cassie? What's the matter?"

A sharp jolt shot through Valen's skull.

He clenched his teeth, a grimace twisting his face as his body locked up.

The Crown tightened.

A pulse of pain, deep and suffocating, burned through his mind. His vision darkened for a split second, his breath shuddering as the weight of it bore down on him. His fingernails dug into his palm.

He exhaled slowly through his nose, suppressing the frustration that threatened to boil over. 

"Fucking bitch" Valen seethed "Can't you see I was talking?"

The blind girl awkwardly turned toward them, smiling.

"A… a vision! I had a vision!"

Nephis tensed, already stretching her hand slightly, as though prepared to summon her sword.

"Are we in danger?"

Cassie energetically shook her head.

"No, it's not that! People… I saw a castle full of people!"

She lifted a finger and pointed.

"I don't know how far it is, but I'm sure that it's in that direction!"

Sunny and Nephis exchanged looks, uncertainty flickering between them.

Cassie's smile faltered.

"What's wrong?"

Sunny sighed.

"Nothing. It's just… that direction is the one we wanted to avoid."

After a moment, he added,

"That's where I came from yesterday. There are a lot of scavengers down there."

Cassie's face fell.

"Oh."

'What is there in the west?' Valen asked.

(my balls.)

After a bit of careful explanation, they were finally on the same page.

"Tell us more about the castle," Nephis prompted.

Cassie's excitement returned. She nodded seriously.

"I dreamt of a vast, ruined city built of weathered stone. It was surrounded by tall, impregnable walls. Various monsters were wandering its narrow streets. In the center of the city, there was a hill, and on that hill stood a magnificent castle."

She smiled.

"But there were no monsters in the castle! Instead, it was full of people. I think… no, I'm sure they were Awakened. Some were guarding the walls, some were going about their lives without a care in the world. There was food, safety, and laughter!"

"Did you see anything else?"

Cassie frowned, trying to remember. Then, her face cleared.

"Yes! I saw Sunny leading me through the gates of the castle! That means we will make it!"

Cassie beamed, her excitement visible.

Sunny shifted uncomfortably. Something about the certainty in her voice unsettled him.

Valen, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes.

'What happened to him and Nephis then?'

Cassie hadn't mentioned them.

Valen's gaze swept across the group, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, he simply stared at Cassie, at Nephis, at Sunny.

Then, a strange thought surfaced in his mind.

Should I even stay with them?

***

The castle was west.

Sunny sighed.

That was where the scavengers were.

Valen had the same thought, watching them with a strange look. He didn't say anything, but something about his expression unsettled Sunny.

And then, as they prepared for the journey, Sunny made an unexpected realization.

It had nothing to do with the castle.

It had everything to do with Nephis.

For the longest time, Sunny had seen her as this distant, confident, almost mythical figure. An ice-cold warrior, an untouchable Changing Star. But now… he wasn't so sure.

The way she spoke, the way she interacted—it wasn't confidence. It wasn't even coldness.

She was just… awkward.

Painfully, unbelievably awkward.

It was like she had no idea how to talk to people. She spoke in a way that made her sound detached, but now that he was paying attention, he could see the hesitation in her pauses. She often stumbled mid-sentence or used the wrong intonation, making questions sound like statements and vice versa. It was no wonder she spoke so little.

It wasn't because she was being mysterious.

It was because she sucked at talking.

'What the hell?' Sunny thought, trying not to let his jaw hang open. 'That's not in line with how a protagonist should be!'

But as much as this new realization baffled him, another thought lingered at the back of his mind.

Valen.

Valen was quiet, snarky, and always seemed disinterested in everything. But that wasn't what stood out.

It was his skill.

He had seen it firsthand. Valen was more skilled than any of them—not all at once, but one-on-one, none of them could probably match him. And that mind numbing ability of his… it made everything worse.

Even in his sleep, it was still there.

The real question was—

How?

Sunny and Valen were both from the outskirts. He knew what it was like to grow up there. People didn't become this skilled. They didn't move like that.

And yet, Valen didn't look like an outskirt rat at all.

Not in his body or skills,

He was something else.

And that was starting to bother Sunny more than he wanted to admit.

***

Author here guys,

Chapter speed will probably get slower as I am going to resume training and my holidays are ending soon.