Shadow Slave

The city was dead and quiet as they walked toward the distant wall. The streets were empty, with not a soul around. An eerie silence suffused the world, as if they had taken a wrong turn somewhere and somehow ended up in hell... if hell did exist, then Effie imagined it looking similar to this.

She had seen all kinds of horrors in her life, and the blackened ruins — collapsed buildings, bodies scattered in the dust, the smell of rot and ash permeating the air — were nothing new to her. The devastation itself was not hell... the knowledge of all the human pain, despair, and broken dreams that lay hidden under the rubble was.

Effie was glad that Morgan and Seishan had chosen to accompany her on this dreary walk. Otherwise, it would have felt too lonesome.

As they approached the city gate, however, the situation changed.

She had ordered most of her soldiers to pull back, but somehow, a grand welcome was waiting for her. Countless soldiers — all gaunt and battered — had assembled to see their commander off, forming two human walls on both sides of the road.

They did not cheer, and neither did they say anything. However, as Effie approached, she could see everything they wished to say in their eyes.

The soldiers saluted her silently as she walked past, their reserved expressions betraying a storm of turbulent emotions. Sorrow, reverence, pain, courage — she could see all of it, and more.

But most of all, what she saw was strength. These people were all wounded, hungry, exhausted, sick, and losing hope. But none of them had broken — none of them was entertaining the thought of giving up.

So, she thought she'd give them a good show.

Straightening her spine, Effie met the gazes of her soldiers and smiled. It was a confident, easy smile — one that betrayed no hint of fear or hesitation. The same smile they had seen countless times.

If the young prince of the dying city had been honest when he said that they would remember her, Effie wanted them to remember her like this.

It was a strange wish, considering that all of them were mere phantoms conjured by the Spell, and would be gone once the Nightmare was over.

What meaning was there in being remembered by forgotten phantoms? Finally, they reached the gates of the city. There, a lone figure was waiting for them, standing in the middle of the road — barring their way.

It was Kai, of course.

Morgan and Seishan slowed down, allowing Effie to approach him alone.

As she did, she whistled quietly.

‘Uh-oh. Kai is not happy...’

Indeed, it was as clear as day. The others had tried to hide their emotions, but he did not bother to — his face was dark and somber... desperate, even. There were black circles under his eyes, and his gaze was scathing.

Bruised eyes, sunken cheeks, chapped lips...

‘Goodness.'

Kai had really let himself go. The world had to be ending.

“Effie...”

Stopping in front of him, Effie smiled.

“Why the long face?"

He stared at her for a moment, then frowned.

“There has to be another way. You don't have to... you must not. We can come up with another plan. Please, reconsider."

Effie studied him silently for a short while, then chuckled.

“You know me, buddy. I am not a very considerate person. It took me a lot of effort to consider this one plan... now, you expect me to reconsider the whole thing? Gods have mercy, I cannot."

He refused to be placated by her lighthearted tone, looking at her with dark intensity.

Effie sighed.

“It's a good plan, Kai... it's the only way. You know it. Each of us just needs to do their part. My part is a bit flashy, but it's not the most difficult. In fact, I might be getting off easier than the rest of you."

Kai gritted his teeth.

"He'll kill you!"

Effie remained silent for a moment, then shook her head and laughed.

"He might. But he won't kill me immediately — and that's good enough. So, step aside."

Kai glared at her for a while longer, then looked down.

Eventually, he moved to the side, allowing her to pass.

Effie lingered for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder and walked past him. Now, only the gates loomed above her.

She hesitated a little, then took a deep breath.

“Hey, Kai. Can you do me a favor?"

He did not answer, prompting Effie to turn and glance at him.

“Once I am out there... don't look."

She did not say anything else, and he did not respond, either.

In the end, however, Kai nodded slowly. Effie smiled and nodded, as well.

"I have an image to maintain, that's all. Well, you used to be an idol, so you should understand."

With that, everything that needed to be said had been said. Effie looked ahead once more and raised her voice:

"Open the gate!"

The towering main gate of the city, which had stayed shut since the beginning of the siege, refusing to be breached or broken, finally groaned and moved.

Opening that enormous gate was a complicated affair, since the Mason had constructed it himself. It weighed too much to be pushed by people or Awakened — even Ascended and Saints would struggle to force it open. So, a complex mechanism was involved, operated by a team of engineers. Now, that mechanism had been activated, pushing two titanic slabs of mystical stone apart.

The sun was already rising by then, chasing away the night — a new day had arrived, bringing with it a promise of a brighter tomorrow.

Or a darker one, maybe.

Effie was not sure which, but she knew that tomorrow would be entirely different from all the days before.

Once the gate was open wide enough for a person to pass through, she inhaled deeply and stepped forward.

Behind her, countless soldiers struck their fists against their armor, solemnly shouting her name. The sound of their voices rose to the sky like a deafening roar, making the heavens quake.

Effie smiled faintly.

‘Damn it.'

She was a little touched.

The irony of the situation, though, was that she was playing the role of the War Maiden in this Nightmare, so they weren't even shouting her real name.

‘Those fools...’

Passing through the gate, Effie entered the vast, terrifying killing field that stretched from the wall of the city to the horizon. If the city only resembled hell, then this was its true face. Corpses piled like mountains here, with fat crows waddling between broken weapons and remains of towering siege engines. The ground had turned into black sludge, soaked with blood and ash. The stench was unbearable, pillars of smoke rising into the pale sky.

She walked forward without looking back. Out there, on the horizon, a dark line contoured the world. That line was the vast, seemingly endless camp of the Steel Horde — at night, the fires its soldiers made looked like a boundless sea.

That was where Effie was headed...

Today, after a long and bitter siege, she was going to admit defeat and surrender the city to the King of Kings.