Shadow Slave

Sunny knew how to write, of course. That said, he certainly did not have a lot of experience writing by hand, let alone had a signature — simply because people at large, and especially those in the outskirts, almost never used paper and pens to relay information. Why would they, if everything was usually stored digitally?

However, he was in a better position than most. Out there in the Dream Realm, many long-abandoned traditions had found a new life, so Sunny managed to scribble down his name on the piece of synthetic paper with at least some semblance of finesse.

Handing it back to Master Naeve of Night, he smiled awkwardly.

"Here. I… hope your daughter likes it."

The scion of the great clan received the piece of paper with gratitude and hid it in the pocket of his coat.

"Thank you very much. I am away a lot, so this will go a long way. Next time I see her, she will probably already be six… and terribly peeved that I've been gone for so long. Coming back with a present is bound to help!"

He looked at Sunny with genuine mirth. Then, a knowing spark gleamed in his strange indigo eyes.

Naeve gestured at the ocean and asked:

"You are not too comfortable on water, are you?"

Sunny lingered for a moment, then scoffed.

"You must have seen the movie yourself. Is it really a surprise that I have a complicated relationship with the sea?"

The handsome Master smiled.

"Oh, yes. I haven't thought about that, sorry. Still… at least you are familiar with it. Most people just don't understand."

He did not have to say what exactly it was that people failed to understand. For a moment, the two men shared a strange feeling of closeness. Both had known the unfathomable dread of the depths, which was a rare thing these days.

Sunny sighed, then studied the massive silhouettes of the iron ships for a few moments, and asked:

"So… what are our chances of making it to Antarctica alive?"

Naeve laughed.

"Well… I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. Sure, anything can happen. But this convoy is as safe as we can make it."

He pointed to the especially fearsome dreadnought that moved in front of the fleet.

"There is a Saint of the House of Night aboard the flagship. There are several Nightwalkers such as I spread around the other ships. There are also at least one cohort of experienced Awakened warriors of my clan on each vessel. We know what we are doing, so… very few things can threaten the fleet. It will reach Antarctica, have no doubt."

The scion of the great clan lingered for a moment, then added in a more somber tone:

"We will have to make the journey many times, bringing the refugees away and returning with reinforcements for the government army. Each of the four fleets was made to be nearly indestructible. Still… that doesn't mean that our passengers can relax. Keep your wits about you, Master Sunless, and do remember the rules formulated in the safety manual. We put them there for a reason."

Sunny looked at the handsome man and smiled.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I have already memorized the whole thing, more or less. I may be lacking in many regards, but being unreasonably paranoid is not one of them."

Naeve smiled.

"That is a truly remarkable trait to have. I wish more people were that unreasonable..."

***

Sunny chatted with the Nightwalker for a few more minutes before taking his leave. Master Naeve had turned out to be unexpectedly friendly and pleasant to be around. He was not at all like the arrogant representatives of the other great Legacy clans.

By the end of their talk, Sunny felt a lot better about his current circumstances. He had also grown a bit fascinated with the House of Night.

The third great clan had always been a mystery to him. Nightwalkers did not enjoy the patronage of a Sovereign, but wielded an irreplaceable power. That unique advantage had carved a place for them at the very top of human hierarchy.

But what was that advantage, exactly?

After meeting a scion of the great clan Night in person, Sunny all but confirmed his suspicion. The feeling Naeve gave him was somewhat similar to what he had experienced twice before — one time in the shrine at the fourth level of the Ebony Tower, the other time in the great hall of the Night Temple.

Both were dedicated to Storm God — the deity of depths, oceans, darkness, stars, travel, guidance, and disaster. The aspects of the Goddess of the Black Skies were all eerily related to the role the House of Night played in human society, and Sunny did not think that it was a coincidence.

His previous guess seemed to have been correct. It was all but certain now that the founder of the great clan, an enigmatic Awakened of the First Generation known as Nightwalker, had inherited the lineage of Storm God and somehow shared its power with the rest of the House of Night.

'So, then… all six divine lineages are accounted for?'

House of Night had inherited the lineage of Storm God.

Immortal Flame had inherited the lineage of Sun God.

Valor had inherited the lineage of War God.

Song had most likely inherited the lineage of Beast God — that was clear from what he knew about Seishan, the adopted daughter of Ki Song.

Sunny had been meant to inherit the lineage of Shadow God, but it was devoured by Blood Weave.

That only left the most elusive of the six divinities, Heart God… and the most elusive of the Sovereigns, Asterion?

Of course, Sunny could be wrong. Ki Song might have been the heir of Heart God, instead, while Asterion might have been the heir of Beast God, or lacked a lineage entirely.

But what were the chances?

'That is all great. But what the hell does it all mean?'

What were divine lineages, exactly? Did they have any purpose except for bestowing their wielders with additional power? Were they just chance remnants of ancient bloodlines, or something that had been left behind for a reason?

More importantly, now that one of the six divine bloodlines had been hijacked by the forbidden lineage of a meddling daemon… how would that affect things?

Sunny had no idea.

Shaking his head, he descended into the metal depths of the giant battleship and reunited with his shadows, which had been exploring the vessel all that time.

'One way or another, I will find out later. Right now, however… I should really go and take a look at the Rhino.'

Sunny hastened his steps and scowled.

'After all the contribution points I sank into it, the damned thing better be good…'