The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

"An old way to Awaken?" This time Rain looked for her stool. She really needed to sit down. 

"Yes. How do you think the people of the Dream Realm Awakened?" The stranger looked at her incredulously. "They didn't have the Spell." 

"Oh, I..." Rain hadn't thought about it. "I don't know." 

"They Awakened naturally, free of Nightmares and without any outside magic." The dark deity raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to challenge his claim. 

Of course, she could not. What did she know compared to someone who claimed to have lived thousands of years? 

Rain's eyes sparkled. 

"Awakening without a Nightmare...that sounds like a dream come true! It would solve all my problems. I could get stronger, and I wouldn't put myself in any danger, which would make my parents happy too." 

The shadow man's shoulders bobbed up and down in amusement. "There you go being funny again. Of course, there will be a significant amount of danger. Possibly more than if you go into a Nightmare." 

The girl's eyes opened wide. "Are you serious?" 

"I already told you I never lie. Is something wrong with your hearing?" The man raised his eyebrows at her. 

"What? No! I am just having trouble wrapping my head around this." 

It was like the stranger expected immediate comprehension. Did he think she was slow for taking her time to understand? That irked her a little. 

"I don't want to jump from one dangerous situation to another just because someone popping out of my shadow has come to me with an offer." 

Wasn't this how horror films began?

But the more she talked to the mysterious deity, the less she feared him. As crazy as the situation was, she wanted to hear what he had to say. 

The man in black seemed mildly offended. "You should be flattered. I don't make offers like this every day." 

Rain leaned forward in her seat. "What precisely are you offering?" 

She immediately scooted back as the shadows moved and coalesced into a familiar form. 

'A chair!' 

Sitting down on the shadow throne, the stranger's face turned solemn. "I am offering you the chance to Awaken naturally under my guidance. I would be your teacher in the shadows. You couldn't tell anyone about me though. That part is non-negotiable. That is my one condition for training you."

Rain tapped her chin. "So, you would just lurk—uh, I mean—reside in my shadow, training me when no one else is around?"

The sharp look of the man softened slightly. "That is about the size of it, yes."

The teen didn't hate the idea of such a powerful private tutor. She would be a fool not to at least consider his words. "How long would this training take?"

"Years at least. Maybe longer, if it happens at all." The stranger shrugged, sending the girl across from him for another mental loop.

Rain could conceivably hide this secret for a time, but years?! That would be a challenge!

But there was a bigger problem.

"D-did you say 'if'?"

Tilting his head the stranger frowned. "What? There are no guarantees in life. The success or failure will depend on you. I can only do so much. If you Awaken, that victory will be yours."

What he said made sense to Rain. The choices and effort would be hers to make, so the end result would be because of her hard work or lack of it.

With a guide like the powerful being before her, maybe she really could do the impossible:

Be the first naturally Awakened human from her world.

Who wouldn't jump at that chance?

Yet it wasn't a decision that could be taken lightly either. 

Surely there was some angle or additional drawback she wasn't seeing. Once Rain did, her perception might change. But she didn't want to anger the dark deity with her doubts.

He seemed pretty sure, but could she rely so heavily on someone who she had only started talking to a couple of minutes before?

'This is just too weird.' Maybe her initial reaction was right and she really had hit her head too hard back in the arena. If that was the case, then this was all some bizarre dream.

Rain covertly pinched herself. Then she wished she hadn't done it so hard.

 'That hurts!'

She wasn't dreaming. This…weirdness was really happening.

The man across from her stared at her expectantly. She shouldn't keep him waiting any longer than she already had, yet she couldn't in good conscience easily agree to something that even the stranger said was dangerous.

"How long do I have to think about it?" Rain asked after the extended pause. 

"I haven't approached anyone else with this offer, but that doesn't mean I won't. Take the time you need...but not too much. Don't make this teacher grow impatient."

The stranger's patience already seemed to be wearing thin, yet Rain still had one big question on her mind. 

"Of all the people in two worlds, why pick me?" 

Had she accidentally called him into existence by speaking to her shadow? Or was there something more to his appearance than just blind luck?

The dark deity smiled. There was something very warm and familiar about that smile. It made her head feel muddled for a moment, making her almost miss his answer. 

"I picked you because...you are special. I think if anyone can do this, it's you." 

"Why?" Rain persisted. 

"Why else? You'll have a powerful, charming teacher to guide you along the way." The man leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs casually. 

'So much for getting a straight answer.' 

"How will I let you know when I have made my choice? Will you be residing in my shadow until then?" Rain glanced at her form dancing in the firelight. 

How long had the man been hiding there? Maybe if she got to know him better, he would tell her. 

"All you need to do is talk to your shadow and I will answer, yes." The dark deity nodded. "I look forward to hearing your response." 

"Uh, yeah. I'll get back to you soon." Rain rubbed the back of her neck. 

"What is it?" Furrowing his brow, the man looked deeply concerned. 

"All this excitement has caught up with me. I need to use the facilities. You won't, uh, follow me in there in my shadow, will you?" Rain shifted uncomfortably. 

"No!" The stranger spat, disgusted. "I would never impose on a woman's privacy like that. I'll wait here in the shadows until you return." 

Rain's shoulders relaxed as she stood. "Then I'll be back. The public restrooms aren't that far." 

After donning her coat, she hurried out the back door, causing a swirl of wintry mix to fly into the room. It shut just as quickly as it opened, but not before stoking the fire into a tizzy. 

The light and shadows danced around the room. 

The man looked at them and sighed, "That went better than I thought." 

He went to dissolve into the shadows, but the moment he did a voice called out.

"Oh no you don't!"

A strange muttering of words followed.

Then the world went white.