The Centurion stood before them with an unreadable emotion in its eyes.
It didn't have the usual maddened frenzy of Nightmare Creatures, nor the dull, lifeless stare of a mindless Echo. There was something... aware in its gaze. Something watching.
Sunny and Nephis held their weapons ready.
Sunny's hand twitched, fingers tightening on his blade. He was ready to dismiss the Echo the moment it made a move. Whatever that cursed symbol was, he could only hope it hadn't corrupted the Echo enough to wreak havoc in his soul sea.
Seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
The Echo remained completely still, as if frozen in time. A statue carved from chitin and bone.
Slowly, Sunny lowered his weapon.
"...Raise your scythes."
The Echo complied.
"Turn around."
It obeyed, turning with the same eerie fluidity.
"Attack that coral."
The Echo bolted forward and slashed at the nearest coral protrusion. Its scythes struck the structure in quick succession. The coral shuddered under the blows, but didn't collapse. Still, the Echo continued its assault.
"...Stop."
The Echo halted mid-swing.
Sunny exhaled and shook his head.
"Seems like it's working fine," he said, glancing at Nephis. She didn't lower her sword immediately. Suspicion flickered across her face, then faded as she dismissed her blade.
"Read its runes."
Sunny nodded. He summoned the familiar runes before him:
Echo: Carapace Centurion
Echo Rank: Awakened
Echo Class: Monster
Echo Description: [A cursed commander of the fallen legion. The Carapace Centurion is a talented warrior, able to quickly master and adjust to different techniques and strategies.]
Sunny gritted his teeth.
"It's the same..."
Whatever that damned symbol was, it didn't show up in the description. But the rune data was limited. The Echo's full attributes and abilities would remain hidden unless he obtained Blood Weave again.
And without that...
A shadow crossed his face.
'Should I destroy it?'
The Centurion Echo was a massive asset. Possibly their only chance to fight the Carapace Demon in Ashen Barrow without drawing out the monstrosity from the ocean depths.
But keeping an unknown variable that close? Something possibly infected by... whatever that symbol was? It didn't sit right. But letting the ocean's horrors rise? That was worse.
He took a breath and glanced at Nephis.
"This isn't a call I want to make alone. What do you think?"
Nephis was silent for a moment, her eyes distant. Then she asked quietly, "Can you dismiss it?"
Sunny nodded.
In a burst of white light, the Echo vanished—and reappeared a heartbeat later, standing before them like nothing had changed.
"There doesn't seem to be a problem," he muttered.
Nephis exhaled slowly.
"Then let's keep it."
Sunny clicked his tongue.
Would it really be alright?
Questions boiled in his mind—about the nature of the symbol, the Echo, and most of all, about her. What had really delayed Nephis from reaching him?
As he opened his mouth to ask, a shrill screech tore through the air.
SHRIEEEEK!
The Echo erupted into motion, scythes raised. It charged forward with terrifying speed, faster than Sunny had ever seen it move. There was something feral in its motion—more fluid, more purposeful.
He clenched his fist, ready to dismiss it on instinct.
But then, the Echo veered. It took a sharp turn. Its steps were fluid. Swift. Calculated.
It surged toward a nearby coral outcrop, taking a stance Sunny knew all too well. Morgan's battle stance.
Only now... it was more refined. Sharper. Eerily precise.
'But where is it going?'
Was it running wild?
Before the thought finished forming—
CRREEEEAAAAK!
A jagged shriek rang out from behind the coral.
A scavenger emerged from the shadows, its eyes gleaming with madness. The moment it locked eyes with the rushing Echo, hunger surged through it.
It raised a pincer to strike—
And then the world split open.
The Echo's scythe sliced clean through the scavenger's head, shearing it at a perfect diagonal. For a heartbeat, the creature remained still—then its upper half slipped away with grotesque grace.
A breath later, the abomination raised its second blade and brought it crashing down in a vicious arc, bisecting the Scavenger's twitching corpse in a single, brutal stroke.
Before the remains had even touched the ground, the Echo moved. In one fluid, almost elegant motion, it swept its scythes downward and pulled a glowing soul shard from the corpse's ruined chest. It held the shard delicately between the tips of its blades.
Then, it turned.
Its jagged mouth opened wider than usual.
Creee.
The strange sound slipped out from its throat as it rushed toward the stunned pair. It stopped just before Sunny, bent slightly, and gently placed the soul shard at his feet.
Then it stood still, assuming its usual stance.
Sunny stared at the shard. Then at the Echo.
"...I didn't order it to do that."
Nephis said nothing at first. Her expression twisted slightly in disbelief. Then she glanced at the Echo and asked in a quiet voice, "What was the last command you gave it?"
Sunny furrowed his brow. He thought for a moment, then sighed.
"Exactly that. Hunt them down and bring their soul shards."
A heavy pause hung between them.
"...It remembered." His voice was low. "It understood what I wanted... and acted on its own."
This thing had processed the meaning behind his words. It made the decision on its own. It was following orders... but not as a mindless Echo.
This was something else.
Dangerous. Incredible.
A slow grin crept across Sunny's face, sharp and a little wild. Possibilities flashed through his mind. If it could understand, then maybe it could learn. Adapt. Analyze enemy patterns. Integrate various fighting styles. Synchronize attacks in real time.
It could become more than just an Echo.
Could he one day send it scouting alone? Use it to track, to hunt, to kill?
Maybe. But not yet.
He glanced toward the coral labyrinth, where Cassie was still waiting—alone and defenseless. For now, it was enough that the Echo obeyed. One last command for now.
"Protect us from corrupted abominations, but don't go chasing them unless I say so."
There was a beat of silence... then the Echo gave a short, firm nod.
Sunny blinked. A part of him was still waiting for something to go wrong. But nothing happened.
Just before he turned to speak again—
The Echo stirred.
It raised its scythes and turned toward a distant coral outcrop. Its stance shifted—low, tight, aggressive. A predator ready to pounce.
But it didn't move. Not yet.
Sunny followed its line of sight. From behind the coral, a strange creature rolled out. Round, covered in thorns, wobbling forward on stubby limbs. It looked... ridiculous. Harmless. Too weak to survive in the harrowing labyrinth. It probably snuck around like a rat, living on crumbs, stealing.
Sunny looked down at it shadow. Its head was turned towards the creature. Its arms shook, as if the thing reminded it of someone.
What miserable being could resemble such a creature?
The shadow shrugged.
And then, Sunny realized what it meant.
'Cheeky bastard.'
The thorned creature crept closer. As soon as it crossed a certain threshold, the Echo lurched forward.
It rushed with terrifying speed, barreling toward the creature like a living juggernaut. The throned creature rattled in alarm and fired a flurry of sharp projectiles from its body.
The Echo responded instantly.
Its scythes spun in a circular arc, deflecting the bulk of the thorns. The few that made it through clattered harmlessly off its hard chitin.
A moment later, a scythe cleaved the creature in half. Without hesitation, the Echo reached into the corpse and retrieved the soul shard.
A familiar voice echoed in Sunny's mind.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Thornling.]
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
[You have received a Memory.]
Sunny's heart skipped a beat.
His gaze flicked from the soul shard... to the Echo... to the shadow, which was now watching the dead Thornling's remains with strange intensity.
'What the hell is going on?'
Since when did his luck turn for the better?
Sunny immediately pulled up his runes and focused on the newly received Memory.
Memory: [Spineless Thorn]
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Type: Weapon
Description: [A useless thorn that is hollow inside.]
He stared at the description, a look of barely restrained disbelief creeping across his face.
'...Seriously?'
He looked like he was about to spit.
'What in the Spell is this worthless thing?'
His jaw tightened. He was one curse away from venting his frustration out loud—until he noticed Nephis watching him out of the corner of her eye. With a muttered sigh, he dismissed the runes.
Fine. Whatever. He'd feed this useless thing to Saint the moment he got her back.
They were approaching the large rock formation where Cassie had hidden. But before they could get close, the Echo stirred again.
Sunny's steps halted mid-stride.
'Is there another abomination nearby?'
He felt nothing through his shadows. No presence. No movement.
The abomination looked around with an almost impatient energy, blades flexing ever so slightly. It was searching. Like a hound that had caught a scent but couldn't quite place it.
He frowned.
'Could it sense something I couldn't?'
A sixth sense, maybe? If the Echo could detect nightmare creatures before they revealed themselves, that was an ability he absolutely wanted to keep.
Then, suddenly, it turned and lunged in a direction—toward the rock where Cassie was hiding.
Sunny's heart skipped a beat.
'Was there something lurking near her?'
The thought made his stomach churn. If they'd been even a few minutes later... would she have been attacked?
He gestured for Nephis. "Let's deal with this before it reaches Cassie."
She nodded, following the Echo's movement as it weaved between coral and stone. It paused again, scanning... and then, without hesitation, sprinted full speed toward the rock.
Sunny followed in a rush, eyes darting around, scanning every crevice.
'Where is it?'
There had to be something there. He'd told the Echo not to chase targets far. So whatever it sensed had to be close... too close.
But there was nothing. No shadow. No aura. No hidden enemy.
Only Cassie.
The thought struck him like a hammer.
'No. It couldn't be—'
Before he could complete the thought, a deafening crack echoed through the air.
BOOM.
A thunderous crack split the rock as the Echo burst through it like a living battering ram. One of its scythes raised high, and it came crashing down. Straight toward Cassie.
"STOP!"
The scream ripped out of Sunny's throat.
A blade halted mid-swing, its deadly tip hovering a breath away from Cassie's throat. A single drop of blood rolled down her pale skin.
She didn't scream. Didn't move. She was frozen, paralyzed in place. And then she collapsed. Her body trembled. Her breathing became shallow and erratic.
Nephis was already there. She dropped to her knees beside Cassie, healing the thin cut across her throat and shielding her with her body. Her eyes burned as she turned toward the Echo, weapon raised in warning.
Sunny's throat choked. He bit his lip until he tasted blood.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted at the abomination. "Does she look like a corrupted abomination to you?!"
The Echo slowly retracted its scythe.
Then, strangely... it turned to look at Sunny.
Its head tilted. It hesitated. And then it made a motion—almost like a gesture. One scythe swept faintly toward Cassie... before the creature returned to its motionless stance.
Sunny stared at it, his mind racing.
What the hell was he supposed to do with this thing now?
His hands clenched into fists. Without a word, he dismissed the Echo. Then, slowly, he knelt beside Cassie.
She was still frozen, trembling slightly, her wide, pale eyes staring into nothing. Her breathing was shallow. Fragile.
Sunny felt his stomach twist.
"...I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Are you alright?"
She didn't answer.
The silence between them stretched long and heavy. And with every second it lasted, Sunny felt that silence crawl deeper into his gut like a sickness. Heavy. Hollow.
Like a thorn lodged in his chest.
She could have died. Because of him.
If the Echo hadn't obeyed that last command... if it hadn't stopped, just a fraction of a second before striking—there would've been nothing he could do.
There had been no time to intervene. No time to dismiss the Echo. Just a single moment, a single mistake—and she would have been gone.
A shiver ran down his spine.
Was it the symbol?
That strange, cursed mark burned into the Echo's face—had it infected more than its body? The Echo was something he couldn't fully predict anymore.
Sunny looked at Nephis.
She stared back at him. Her face was blank—calm, composed... and utterly unreadable. Her silver eyes were almost distant.
Was she angry? Suspicious? Or simply trying to make sense of what had just happened?
Did she blame him?
For the first time in what felt like forever... Sunny couldn't read her.
Finally, he sighed.
"...I'll destroy the Echo."
At those words, a flicker passed through Nephis's face. A whisper of tension eased from her jaw—maybe relief. Maybe regret. But she didn't stop him.
And maybe she was right not to.
The Echo appeared a few steps away, silent and still. Its scythes rested at its sides. Its chitinous frame didn't twitch.
Sunny summoned the Azure blade. His shadow wrapped around his sword.
As he stepped forward, the Echo moved. Just barely.
Its lips curled into a strange, subtle shape—too human for comfort. Not a snarl, not rage... but something like sadness.
It knew. It understood. And yet... it didn't move.
It didn't raise its scythes. Didn't retreat. Didn't resist. It simply lowered its head, as if resigned to its fate.
Sunny hesitated.
His fingers curled tighter around the sword. A heavy feeling settled in his gut as he raised the weapon above his head.
'Is this the right thing to do?'
The Echo had been... invaluable. It had protected them. Fought beside them. It had just made a mistake.
But if it had mistaken Cassie once... it could do it again. And it could do the same for others.
Effie. Kai. His other comrades.
...Rain.
The image of the Echo driving its scythe through one of their backs made him flinch. His knuckles whitened. His heart pounded.
He looked at it one last time. A hollow pain bloomed in his chest.
"...I'll remember you," he whispered. "Always."
Just as he was about to strike—
"Stop."
The voice cut through the air like a blade.
Sunny turned sharply.
Cassie stood there, pale and still, her hand held gently by Nephis. Her face was calm now—clear, focused. The fear that had once gripped her had vanished, leaving behind something sharp and certain.
"...It wasn't his fault," she said quietly.
Sunny blinked. "...What?"
Cassie's voice was steady. "I know why it mistook me for a nightmare creature."
Nephis turned toward her, eyes narrowing in confusion.
Sunny stared. "What are you talking about?"
Cassie took a deep breath. The faint tremor in her fingers stilled.
"I'll tell you about the creature that attacked me in my vision," she said. "I think it left a mark on my soul."
AN: Do share your thoughts in the comments.
The quota this time is to react with 67 black hearts on this fic's thread in the shadow slave official discord (currently 57). This is the last quota I'll be setting for a while. When you complete this, yall will get a new chapter every 2 days, so do it asap :)