[A/N: I have no excuse on why I didn't upload yesterday so I am going to distract Ya'll by telling you that 2 more reviews and we will be one of the few actually rated shadow slave fan fics! (Idk. I think 10 is the minimum amount of reviews needed to be rated right?) Just saying.. (I am so shameless.) Anyway! Happy reading!]
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"That's all our abilities and memories, Asher. Now it's about time you explain yours," Sunny said, surprisingly calm. Asher nodded in understanding. Of course, he knew more about their aspects than themselves, but he had to play his part.
Asher smiled as he began, "I don't really have affinities to anything in particular. I can, however, think twice as fast as a regular human and learn stuff twice as fast as well."
Sunny's jaw practically hit the floor, 'That's fucking cheating!' he screamed in his mind.
"That makes sense on how he learnt my sword style so fast," Nephis said aloud while nodding in understanding.
Sunny whipped his head towards Nephis, incredulous, "You taught him as well?"
Nephis nodded as he looked at Sunny with a confused expression. "Why else do you think he comes to my room every night?" Sunny's look turned pink as he said in a low voice, "I thought you both did… stuff… together…" Nephis grimaced as Asher turned crimson due to his flaw, his eyes darting to Nephis' outfit again.
"You pervert," Nephis said to Sunny with disgust. That's when Cassie spoke up, her face tinged with pink. "Actually, everyone in the Academy thought the same as Sunny…"
Nephis blinked a few times, then turned to Asher, her cheeks ablaze. "Don't you dare have any 'thoughts' unless you want to die." Her threat snapped Asher out of his reverie as he cleared his throat, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Ahem! Anyways, moving on," he paused, his cheeks still pink
"I also have high resistance to soul attacks while my eyes allow me to see the weak points of Nightmare creatures. And that's about it." Nephis and Sunny exchanged astonished glances before turning to Cassie for confirmation.
This was precisely why Asher actually told most of his attributes honestly, albeit, downplaying them considerably. The damn seer is always a prick. What Cassie said next, made Asher purse his lips in frustration.
"I-I can't see Asher's attributes," Cassie said as she gulped her saliva.
Asher's expression turned unreadable as he gazed at the ground, deep in thought. He had anticipated this possibility when Cassie first, attempted to "read" his attributes. There are only two plausible explanations,' he reasoned silently.
'One, Cassie's ability enables her to peer directly into my soul to perceive attributes, categorising it as a soul attack. This could suggest that Soul Veil is responsible, acting as a firewall that permits only the spell to enter my soul while keeping other intruders out. But then there is also my affinity with anomalies which somehow blocks Cassie from viewing my soul. It's sounds like complete bullshit and completely logical at the same time.' Nephis and Sunny also had unreadable expressions on their faces.
"Go on," Nephis urged, her gaze fixed on Asher.
"Uh... Right. My ability allows me to manipulate the weight of my body. I can also selectively alter the weight of specific body parts while maintaining the overall weight of my body. Additionally, I can adjust the weight of my echoes and memories, though my limit currently is two items at a time."
Nephis gave him a look of acknowledgement as she understood the reason behind Asher's Echo's abnormal speed. "I see, you made his entire Echo's body light except its legs so that it can move faster."
Asher snapped his finger as he gave Nephis a playful wink. "Bingo!" he exclaimed, while internally adding, 'And I also gave it a little gravitational push from behind, because those monsters were sprinting like they were late for a demon convention.'
Nephis couldn't help but grimace at Asher's wink, but before she could say anything, Sunny let out a shriek of surprise. "Hold on a second! Then what were those tentacles coming out of your back? I thought that was your aspect!"
Asher grinned mischievously, relishing Sunny's bewilderment. "Ah, Sunny-boy, what if I told you it's just one of the perks of this snazzy armor I snagged from offing an awakened devil?"
Sunny's and Cassie's eyes widened in astonishment, while Nephis remained unfazed. After all, she had taken down an awakened terror herself. A mere devil was child's play in comparison.
Sunny, on the other hand, eyed Asher with pure envy. 'What the FUCK?' he thought, seething. 'I kill an awakened tyrant, and all I get is a shroud that shields me from fucking mind attacks! This guy basically gets extra limbs for taking down something a tier lower than mine!'
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After Sunny's brief stint of envy-induced mourning, the cohort continued to delve into Cassie's nightmares and visions. Asher stood there, arms crossed, nodding along as he listened. Yet, his mind was elsewhere, lost in a maze of thoughts. With a thoughtful expression, he gazed at the ground again, seemingly lost in his own world.
'For some reason, I am not in any of Cassie's visions. Is it because I am an outsider? No. There were small changes in her vision.' Asher frowned as he continued to think. He was somehow affecting her visions. Not dramatically, but he was there. Then suddenly, something in his mind clicked.
'Butterfly effect… Did my presence affect the behaviour of Nephis and Sunny?? That seems to be the only logical explanation.'
"How troublesome," Asher finally sighed, his gaze drifting up to the night sky.
Simultaneously, Sunny sighed with disdain, adding, "Those two carapace monsters were heading west. My shadow followed them." The atmosphere grew heavy with silence. Everyone, except Asher, wore expressions of dread as the realization sank in that those monsters were heading in the same direction as they were. Of course, Asher felt the fear too, but for a different reason.
He didn't have complete knowledge of the future.
In all honesty, Asher only read until half of the 6th volume and he began stacking chapters after that since he had boarding school. 'If only I knew that I would be transported into this world…' He frowned.
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It was morning of the next day.
Nephis was deep in meditation, her aura serene and focused. Sunny engaged in conversation with Cassie, their voices blending into the tranquil atmosphere. Meanwhile, Asher found himself with nothing to occupy his time. He approached Nephis with a cheery tone, breaking the silence. "It's rare to see them both talking," he said as he observed Sunny and Cassie.
Nephis opened her eyes, exhaling a sigh. "You interrupted my meditation," she stated flatly.
Asher chuckled awkwardly. "My apologies?"
Nephis eyed him coldly. "Do you want something?"
"Nothing... in particular."
"Then please leave," Nephis responded, her tone firm.
Asher took a step back while wiping his imaginary tears. "Do you want me to go away that badly?"
Nephis' expression became unreadable. She turned away from him, her gaze fixed on the ground. "N-No…" She stuttered, "I-I simply p-prefer solitude."
"That's a lie," Asher remarked bluntly.
Nephis turned back towards him, confusion etched across her features. She was met with a man whose smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
As she stared into his clear turquoise eyes, she sensed an unusual sadness emanating from within.
Before she could respond, Asher sat down beside her, his gaze fixed on the crimson labyrinth before them. Nephis continued to study his eyes, trying to decipher the sorrow hidden within them. 'His lashes are as long as mine...' she noted absently.
Asher shifted his gaze to her. "No one truly prefers solitude in this world," he stated softly. Nephis narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. Asher averted his gaze from her and looked down to see a lonely, injured scavenger seeking refuge in the shadow of the statue.
"Few people were simply forced to go into solitude due to circumstances and simply refuse to come out." Nephis also followed Asher's gaze and stared at the scavenger, haggard and wounded, dug itself into a shallow hole, seeking safety from the harsh world outside.
"Why? Why don't they come out?" Nephis asked with bleak eyes.
"Because they are scared."
Nephis' pupils narrowed as Asher continued. "They are scared that if they come out, they will have to carry responsibilities. If they come out, they won't be able to escape reality again." Asher's eyes narrowed as he gave a wry smile while staring at the sunrise.
"If they come out, people may hurt them again…"
.
.
.
A period of silence ensued between them.
"I see…" Nephis finally said as she got up. Her lips curled up a bit as her gaze lingered on Asher.
'We really are similar…'
As Asher continued to stare into the bright sun, lost in thought, Nephis tried to find the right words to express her newfound understanding.
After a moment, Asher chuckled dryly, breaking the sombre atmosphere. "Why am I even talking about depressing things in the morning?" he remarked, pushing himself up from the ground.
Nephis approached him, her expression earnest despite her awkwardness. With a twitching thumbs-up and an uncertain smile, she spoke in a somewhat straight tone. "I-I will protect you," she stated, her words carrying a weight of sincerity.
Asher's eyes widened in surprise at her declaration. Suddenly, the image of his mother, Lilia, flashed before his eyes, stirring a mix of emotions within him. She looked at him with a somewhat awkward yet genuine smile.
He blinked, and Nephis stood before him once again. A single tear trickled down his porcelain skin, followed by more in quick succession. He cursed his flaw, feeling a wave of vulnerability wash over him.
"Why?" he blurted out, his voice tinged with emotion as he hastily wiped away his tears. It was unlike him to cry over something so seemingly trivial yet here he was.
Nephis turned her head towards Cassie's direction, her reply casual yet filled with underlying sincerity.
"Because I want to."