Shadow Slave FanFic [Missing Piece]

The Sin of Solace truly had nothing but pain and suffering in stock for them.

He was determined to shatter every single piece of hope they might have had left after their crushing interrogation today. By now, the night had drowned NQSC in deep shadows, and nothing but frustration and suffering could come from talking to the hateful Wraith.

And they knew that.

But they were also curious. Sunny's new true name was not particularly important for the upcoming fight against the Mad Prince, but it could provide some insight into solving his other issues, like his memory loss and his broken mind.

That alone was driving Nephis and the others to make the decision to keep listening to whatever the Sin of Solace would tell them.

'He is useful… to a degree.'

Is what everyone thought at that moment. No information the Sin of Solace could provide was entirely without spite and the intention to drive them mad, but as long as it was truthful, it was useful.

So far, Kai had not been alarmed whenever the Sin of Solace opened his mouth. At least he hoped that his flaw would work on the Wraith.

"So, are you all ready to hear what the slave's new true name is all about? I'm sure you all are desperate to find out. Be glad that I will just outright tell you because that is knowledge humans like you would normally need years to really figure out. For a Wraith like me, it's rather easy."

The tone he held for the entirety of their conversation had been nothing but mocking, bored, or outright hateful.

But now the Sin of Solace was nothing but delightful and even seemed happy to talk to them. Not because he had grown fond of them all, but because he knew that Sunny's true name was special in every way. What it promised would crush their built-up hope to dust.

To the point where their minds would look like Sunny's runes, like a Warhammer had been swung at them.

"Yes, we are, and now tell us what you know. We are tired of you and your mind-twisting demeanor. Go on and tell us already so you can piss off to wherever you were summoned from."

Jet spat at the Wraith. She too was slowly losing her patience, but for the sake of keeping the others in check, she could not allow herself to succumb to his disgusting theatrics.

"His new true name is [Broken Abyss], like some of you might already know. The first part is rather easy to explain. He is broken, but in that case, 'broken' means stained with corruption. He might have ripped his core out, but the corruption is still spreading from the core of the Mad Prince, so the longer he lives, the corruption will slowly take over Sunless. The symptoms of that are already showing, and in a couple of months, he will fully fall into that pit, and something far more harrowing than the Mad Prince will rise out of it. I can't tell you what it will be, but instead of just mad, he will become a true creature of doom."

"A true creature of doom?"

Some of them uttered under their breaths. No one has ever heard of something like that. The only correlation they could make was the famous historical event known as the Doom War, a war that had been fought between gods and demons.

"What do you mean by that? What are those creatures? Nightmare creatures, perhaps?"

"No, you stupid, fat bitch. Creatures of doom are creatures that had been created by the demons to help kill the gods. They are full of corruption, which fills them with rage, but they are far more than just nightmare creatures. From what I know, they are both profane and divine at the same time, like the disgusting Nephilim that should have never existed."

Nephis suddenly held her breath.

'Another species that is both divine and profane? Surely they must be unbelievably powerful if they were created to kill gods. Do Nephilim have a similar origin?'

Is all she could think of at that moment. She and the others had not dismissed the fact that if the Mad Prince lived on, Sunny would face a fate far more cruel than death.

But they were sure in their ability to kill that mad thing and therefore cure Sunny from his disease. At least that's what they believed.

"But you know what's funny? It might also be the case that the corruption that lingers in his soul is already too much and feeds on his suffering and hate for the world. Who knows? My guess is that it's already too late. There is not much you can do."

His mad laughter was cut out of their minds, which were in turmoil right now. The implication of this hit them hard. It meant that even if they managed to kill the Mad Prince, Sunny would not be saved. They would need to find a way to cure him from corruption. Of course, they all knew the one and only known way to do so, but none of them was willing to go down that path, even if they had the strength to do so physically.

"OH, you can't imagine how much I love that look on your faces. It's beautiful seeing you all fall deeper into despair, knowing that you can't change anything. But let me give you the meaning of the second part so you will finally accept your fates. The word 'abyss' in this case is tied to what he will become when corruption fully takes him over. He will not just become the Mad Prince, but furthermore a creature that will destroy the two realms and become an abyss that swallows all light until there will be nothing but darkness. When that happens, the cage that holds the prisoner will finally break, and a new era will descend upon the realms."

The Sin of Solace assaulted their ears with his mockingly mad laughter again. They knew that there was nothing they could do to change the situation now, and that alone brought him more joy in his long life than he ever felt.

"You are wrong. We will save him. My flames can burn away the corruption, so that's exactly what we are going to do. If that's what it takes to help him, we will try our best."

Nephis and many others were at their breaking point now. They didn't know that the situation was so hopeless, but giving up was not an option, so they had no other choice but to try their best, like they always did.

"But you know there is a way to save your world. You just need to kill Sunless. If you do so, the Mad Prince will die too. After all, the soul core he took over is still connected to the soul of Sunless. If the main body dies, the rest will follow, no matter how corrupted. Because death is the only cure there is. You can try your pitiful flames, but you will do nothing but kill him. If that was your plan all along for breaking that bond, I must applaud because you get what you want, bitch."

The look on their faces was one that showed nothing but defeat. They knew what it would take to save the world now, and none of them had the will to do it.

'How can we kill him? He's a friend and family to us. There must be another way.'

Cassie's mind was already working in overdrive to come up with a solution. But the knowledge about corruption and how to cure it was rare. Even the gods had no other choice but to create death in order to deal with it. The daemons also had no way of curing it, as it seemed, since Weaver had to cut off an arm in order to save himself from being consumed by it.

But for now, they could do nothing but follow their plan. Utterly defeated would be the best way to describe the mood in the room right now, except for one spiteful wraith who was still having the time of his life.

Nephis shot him a stare full of fury and was about to dismiss the memory when suddenly the Sin of Solace stood up and walked over to her.

He had one more message for her and her alone. Not because he didn't want everyone else to hear it, but knowing that Nephis was just about to dismiss him, he had to make sure she wouldn't for the single purpose of dividing her and Cassie even further.

So he had to pique her interest, and with his appearance and the way he approached her, he had managed to do so.

Bending down, he got close to her ear and whispered his last attempt to make her jump at Cassie's throat. Everyone watched the scene with nervousness written all over their faces.

"Send him back, NOW!"

Jet shouted across the room. A second later, the silver clock disappeared, and with it, the Sin of Solace. What was left, though, was a deeply disturbed Nephis, who was sure to have a talk with Cassie after this was all done.

'If what he told me is true, I will have to cut her out of my life before I might kill her.'

She knew that his last attempt to divide them was perhaps a lie, but she wasn't sure of it after all the things she had found out about her best friend today.

Just the thought of helping Sunny first and then getting her answer held her back from shouting the question he left her with at her. But it was enough, so she kept herself from doing so.

"What…did he tell you?"

Cassie asked hesitantly. She knew that it could not have been anything good. Nephis was furious, and that was even apparent to her. Even though she could not see it, she knew that Nephis was one step away from dragging her into a room.

Along with Kai, for the sake of getting a truthful answer, but Cassie could not possibly know that.

Whatever it was he had told Nephis, Cassie knew that she was in trouble. Nephis looked at her for some time before facing the others with a frustrated sigh.

Cassie was left without an answer.

Now that every piece of information had been gathered, it was time to decide on a place to fight the Mad Prince and who would join it.

"So, we know that this fight will be a fierce one. No one that is not a saint will be able to join it. So much is clear. I suggest everyone who doesn't fit this condition leaves the room, along with anyone who doesn't want to be part of this operation."

Jet's voice was clear and commanding, leaving no room to argue. They all knew that she was right and that the ones who would be left needed peace to discuss the next part without any disturbances.

So, in the end, everyone who wasn't a saint had left. They all wished the remaining nine the best of luck, of course, and offered to aid with anything else.

"I won't force you, Saint of Night and the White Feather Clan. You can go too if you want; we won't say a word to anyone if you choose to do so."

All four of them looked at Jet with a smile. They had no doubt that their lives were in danger, but the decision to help Sunny was set in stone, so none of the four even moved a muscle.

"Soulreaper, we are both here not because our clan has told us to do so, but instead because we want to be. Nothing will change that. If anything, we are even more sure to assist in the upcoming battle now that we know that much more is at stake. The world needs us, and Sunny didn't back down when it tried to crush him, so we won't either."

Naeve's words brought a rare sight to Jet's face. She smiled at them with thankfulness, something that not many people ever got, and brought a slight blush to Bloodwave's face.

"My husband and I share the same opinion. We will forever be in the debt of Sunny and will do everything in our power to assist in the mission to help him. Not just because the world is in danger, but because he has done more than enough for every single one of us. Now it's time to help him instead."

Tyris usually carried an even expression on her face. Her tone usually promised the same emotionless state, but deep inside her, she felt a love for Sunny that was not the same as the one for her husband. But more like a mother who is proud of what her child has become and will do everything to protect it.

Everyone acknowledged her decision, and together they figured out a plan that would increase their chances of taking down the threat known as the Mad Prince.