Shadow Slave FanFic - Hopeful Life

As I read the runes over and over again, my mind raced with questions.

'What the hell is this? How did he know this was here? Why give it to me? Is this part of his plan?'

Focusing on the memory, I reviewed the description:

Memory Description: [Weaver believed that knowledge was the origin of power and so always hid behind numerous lies, wearing them as a mantle. No one knew Weaver's thoughts, Weaver's face, and Weaver's heart. Even the gods could not see what hid behind the mask.]

'Weaver? That's the same name from Blood Weave,' I noted as I tried my best to understand what was happening. It seemed I had not only inherited a part of Weaver's lineage but also his mask.

And what a mask this was. If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was the only divine memory in existence. But Pleiades had said that he also held a divine memory in his arsenal.

Only he knew what he truly carried in his soul arsenal. He could have multiple divine memories. It wouldn't be too surprising—he already had two supreme memories and maybe even more.

That didn't matter right now. What mattered was that I had just gained an actual divine memory.

And not just any divine memory, but one that would not only hide my identity but also reverse my flaw.

The second one, however… that, I had no idea about.

(Hey… what kind of gift is this?) I sent over hesitantly.

The reply came moments later, tinged with humor, [What? Not satisfied?]

Almost physically flinching, I immediately answered, (No, no, of course I'm satisfied. Delighted, actually. But why exactly did you give it to me?)

He didn't respond for a bit, but eventually, he did.

[Well, I already have a way to conceal myself, and I also don't have a flaw, so I'm fine with giving it to you.]

Recalling how he had managed to conceal his attributes from Cassie, I nodded. (Right, but what about the second enchantment?)

[Well, I don't know which one that is, but I'm guessing you're thinking about the one that's distorted.]

Confirming this, Pleiades continued:

[Well, that one lets you peer into the tapestry of fate, but that's way too much for a regular human to handle. So if I were you, I wouldn't use it—unless you're all but completely out of essence.]

Thinking for a bit, I shuddered. (I'm guessing I'd go insane just from peering into it.)

[Yeah, great, right?] His humorous tone eased the tension I felt when thinking about using the memory. With a sigh, I looked over the runes once more and frowned.

The description of the [Simple Trick] was a little confusing. If it reversed my flaw, would that mean I'd only be able to lie?

(What about the one that reverses my flaw? Will it make me only able to lie?)

[It would. It's in the description of the enchantment, right?]

From the corner of my eye, I saw Regis looking at me with confusion. "Isn't it self-explanatory? It says that it reverses your flaw, right?"

Feeling a small smile tug at the corner of my mouth, I ignored his comment.

'With this, I could finally lie, but that would mean I couldn't tell the truth, probably. That could prove troublesome. Also, wearing a mask like this out in the open would draw way too much attention.'

The thought of transferring the enchantment to another memory crossed my mind, but transferring enchantments from a divine memory would likely be impossible or incredibly difficult.

As I was stuck in thought, I noticed writing on the ground. Unlike the circles on the floor and the refined words written on them, these letters seemed rushed and crudely drawn into the ground.

Looking over them, I frowned.

'Hail Weaver, Demon of Fate, Firstborn of the -unknown-'

The writing on the ground seemed to be a prayer… to Weaver!

Why would someone write a prayer to Weaver? He was clearly not a god but a demon… or a daemon. That was the same name for the flaws of the gods that Pleiades had mentioned.

Could it be, then, that Weaver was one of Pleiades' family members as well? And he was the firstborn, making him the oldest.

'The -unknown-? This was the second time this appeared. So the one that made stone saint was the youngest, and Weaver was the oldest.'

(Hey, so what is the -unknown-?) I asked, and Pleiades took a bit longer to respond.

[The Unknown is a species of primordial beings that existed before even the gods. A very long time ago, the daemons and the gods united and sealed them away in the Void.]

Thinking for a bit, I crouched down and grazed my fingers across the words.

(Aren't the daemons the flaws of the gods? So why does it say that they're children of the Unknown?)

[The flaws were turned into living beings by the Unknown. The reason they did that, I don't know.]

Nodding along, I turned my head to the side as I heard the sound of steps. Regis had begun to make his way out of the chamber.

"Are we done with this? You got your antique, so let's go. I'm craving some affection from Effie." his voice echoed as he stood just outside the door, looking at me.

Standing up, I took one last glance at the chamber and followed him out. There were still a lot of questions I wanted to ask, but I knew this was a sore subject for Pleiades.

****************

Walking around the camp, I took in my surroundings and noticed how much it had grown. There were now at least fifty more people present, and multiple camps had been set up all around the area.

Some of the sleepers sat around a fire, chatting away, while some of the artisans were taking down dry strips of meat and storing them in baskets made out of ashen wood.

As I looked around, I spotted Effie's shack and made my way toward it.

Watching my step, I carefully avoided stumbling over the assortment of things scattered on the ground—folds of cloth, chairs, and other pieces of furniture just lying around.

[So unorganized] I noted. Finally, I found a path that wasn't riddled with obstacles.

From the link, I heard Sunny's voice.

(I'd imagine they have a lot more work to do. Now that we're about to leave, Nephis won't be here to oversee everything.)

[Is that any reason to be so untidy?]

(Would you have time to organize everything when you're managing so many people?)

'>>You could make an ability for it.<<'

'[Stop preaching that. I'm not going to make an ability unless it's absolutely necessary.]'

'>>So Promised Victory was just for shits and giggles?<<'

'[It was for gambling—no, it was for making sure I win at gambling]' I replied and then sent over to Sunny:

[I'd be more than capable of taking care of it. I'd just get multiple trustworthy people to handle the minor inconveniences.]

Approaching the reception desk, I saw the same girl from before. When she spotted me, her eyes immediately widened in recognition, and she gave me a pleasant smile.

"Ah, Mister Sunless! I apologize for not recognizing you last week." She bowed, and I smiled back.

"No worries, it was just a mistake. Anyway, are they in a meeting?"

She straightened up and stepped aside to point toward the door. "Yes, you're actually the last one."

Nodding at her, I made my way inside the shack. As I entered, I was greeted by a flurry of noise.

Looking around, I took in a much larger group than I had expected.

In the room, Nephis and Caster stood side by side, poring over a map. In the back, Kai and Cassie were talking to each other about something.

Then I saw Effie, sitting in a large chair that perfectly fit her frame.

But the strangest sight was the ten others sitting around the table. They were either talking amongst themselves or examining each other's memories.

'What the… What the hell is this?'

Next Chapter: Fate' Response