Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

The boy's head was crushed into a mush in Eirwen's hand, his fingers on the other hand still wrapped around the collar of the lifeless body as he knelt on the ground.

Sumoo's eyes widened, his lips trembling in shock. He muttered something under his breath, but Eirwen couldn't make out the words. His mind was too focused on trying to understand what had just happened.

Why was the spell telling him to devour the boy's flesh to gain more? And why did any of this happen at all? Eirwen knew Leviathan wasn't anyone good -he couldn't be- but why had he played with his mind like that? Not that it mattered now.

Before he could continue his thoughts, the ground trembled as a massive figure charged toward him, moving like a rhino barreling through trees.

If Eirwen wasn't so out of his mind, he might have noticed the gasps and whispers from the bystanders. The people around him were shocked, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. They hadn't expected him to kill the boy so brutally.

In the Undercity, death and murder weren't anything new. People were used to it, in fact. But what made this different was that it was Sumoo's brother Eirwen had just killed, and he did it without hesitation or regret. At least that's how it looked for them. Well, Eirwen would have killed the boy either way.

On top of that, ever since Merlin had usurped control of the Undercity, there were rules -unwritten- but rules nonetheless. Merlin's influence wasn't yet deep enough to enforce direct, punishable laws, but his presence had shifted the balance in this place terribly.

One of the rules was that anyone who killed their brother or sister without a significant reason could be punished by anyone who deemed themselves qualified. The executioner could then seek Merlin's protection, ensuring there would be no attempts at revenge.

"You bastard!" Sumoo screamed, his feet digging into the ground with each stomp, his rage was behind his every movement.

Eirwen finally looked up, his eyes were wide and emotionless. He pulled the corpse up in front of him and used it as a shield to block the kick Sumoo was about to throw.

The giant's watery eyes widened as his leg tore through his brother's corpse with ease. The speed of his lunge was too fast for him to stop, and he couldn't retract his attack in time.

Clang

As his giant boot tore through his brother's torso, it flew out the other side and struck a silver mirror that appeared in front of Eirwen. Unlike in the illusion, Andromeda was quite competent in reality. Or was the illusion real too? He didn't have the time to think about that now.

Andromeda, meanwhile, was doing her best not to throw up from the gruesome scene unfolding before her. Watching Gale dismember Eirwen countless times yesterday had helped her a lot to get used to such scenes and this amount of blood.

Sumoo's chubby face twisted with a mix of anger, sadness, and desperation, forming an ugly frown. He watched in horror as his foot ripped through what remained of his dead brother, sending pieces of flesh and gallons of blood flying.

Even after all of this, it still wasn't enough. The kick that flew through was effortlessly absorbed by the Aegis Mirror, doing no damage to Eirwen at all.

His boot bounced off, and he lost his balance, stumbling into the dirt and crashing onto the remains of the corpse, ensuring there was nothing left to retrieve.

Sumoo's eyes remained wide in disbelief as he struggled to rise from the filthy mess of his own brother's remains, only to slip and fall again. Eirwen was already standing beside him, a cold and calculating pressure in his stance and gaze. Light shimmered around his forearms as he summoned his Gauntlets.

The people's whispers intensified, and more and more gasps could be heard.

"Y-You monster…" Sumoo sobbed, his voice breaking as he slowly sat up. His face was smeared with dirt, blood, and tears. The remains of his little brother were scattered across his neck and torso.

He desperately tried to scrape off anything he could from himself and held it in both of his hands, now full-on crying and mumbling something.

Eirwen rolled his eyes and let a bone blade slide out of his Gauntlet. Andromeda rushed to his side, grabbing his wrist just as he raised it.

"What are you doing?" he arched a brow and looked back at her with an intense gaze.

Andromeda could suddenly see the gold in his eyes flicker and shift from golden to crimson, then white, then black, constantly changing. There was something different about his face too. For a brief moment, his sharp features seemed to deepen before returning to normal. His ears sharpened and elongated for a split second before also returning to normal.

Her eyes widened, and she instinctively stepped back, letting her Aegis Mirror float protectively around them. There was clear confusion painted across her face, but she didn't ask any questions.

Sumoo, meanwhile, scooped up what was left of his brother and held the mangled remains close to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably into the bloodied mess and completely ignoring Eirwen.

"Or this is what's going to happen," Eirwen finished, thrusting the bone blade down into Sumoo's nape.

The blade cut effortlessly through thick skin and muscle, severing the man's spine and driving deep into his neck. His sobs turned into bloodied gurgles as he lost his life alongside his brother. Eirwen could already feel the rush of Essence flood through him. This was the second Awakened he had killed.

[You have slain an Awakened human]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[You have obtained some of the Soul's possessions]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

'Leviathan...' he thought with growing malice as he retracted the bone blade and dismissed his Gauntlets. Ignoring the stares from the bystanders, he looked down at the lifeless corpse. 'What does that mean? Devour what?'

For a moment, Leviathan was silent. Then, countless voices echoed in his mind, overwhelming his senses, causing his vision to blur and his hearing to distort. "Eat it, and it shall become one with us."

'I am not eating no damn corpse?!'

No response came.

Eirwen groaned, pushing his hair back from his forehead. There was blood on his face and trousers, but overall, he was relatively clean. He was thankful that he wasn't all messed up like in that illusion.

Straightening up he scanned the crowd, his eyes narrowing. "What are you all staring at?!" he barked.

No one answered or stepped up, only turning away and returning to their affairs. The show ended so there wasn't anything left for them to observe.

Andromeda recalled her Aegis Mirror, making sure no one was planning to attack them. She then covered her nose with the napkin again, her eyes focused on Eirwen. She had already stopped questioning the way his face shifted. It was still the same him, so she didn't care. Andromeda knew that he was special anyway.

"We didn't get the Memory, what a shame," Eirwen said, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he noticed Andromeda covering her nose. Without waiting, he turned on his heel and started walking down the street. Andromeda quickly fell into step beside him.

'Check your Memories' countless, different voices echoed in his mind.

He stopped, confusing Andromeda for a moment.

'What?' Eirwen thought, his brows furrowing as he focused on summoning his Runes.

Memories: [Whistle of Dread], [Bone Gauntlets], …

Those were the only two Memories he remembered receiving, but then he noticed additional Runes.

Memories: [Whistle of Dread], [Bone Gauntlets], [Shadow Mantle], [Ashneedle], [Latchclaw], [Dwarf's hand], [Bulwark Harness], [Autumn Cuff]

His eyes widened as he read the many Memories he now possessed.

'So when I kill other Spell Infected, I receive some of their Memories?' Eirwen wondered, a wide grin spread across his face, his sharp canines visible to everyone. For a brief moment, he considered hunting down some Dreamers to test this theory, to see what he could gain. But the thought quickly passed. Causing too much chaos would only bring more problems than it was worth.

Extending his hand towards Andromeda, he grabbed her wrist and concentrated on transferring the [Autumn Cuff] Memory.

After a quick inspection of the Memories, Eirwen found out that most were either useless or too weak to be of any real value. However, one item could've been of use, the [Dwarf's hand]. It was a heavy Awakened hammer of the first tier, capable of creating weak seismic shockwaves with each strike. It could be useful in certain situations, but nothing too extraordinary. It also didn't fit his fighting style.

The [Autumn Cuff] meanwhile, was a teal cufflink that allowed its wearer to absorb and filter air. Somehow, it transported the clean, purified air directly to the nose, letting the wearer breathe fresh air.

The girl's eyes went slightly wide at the sudden touch, but she felt a strange connection form as the Nightmare Spell whispered to her.

"How did you get that?" she asked quietly with a confused face.

Eirwen didn't answer and grinned instead.

---

As the two of them walked down the wide road, Eirwen couldn't help but notice how different this place was from anything he had ever seen. The buildings were clearly aged, their walls cracked and worn, and the stalls that lined the streets were cobbled together from cheap wood. Yet, the people here seemed to be happy. They smiled, laughed, and carried on with their lives as though the junkies sprawled in the alleys and the corpses lying beneath their feet didn't exist. Eirwen didn't understand how they could ignore the dirt and garbage and live here.

For now, the Middle Zone looked more like a town from some adventure novel, but from what he knew, the true black market was in the heart of this Zone.

Another detail Eirwen noticed was that the deeper they ventured into the Middle Zone, the fewer stares they attracted. The crowds grew thicker, and the atmosphere became more chaotic as everyone shouted around.

At times, the crowd was so dense that Eirwen had to grab Andromeda's hand, pulling her through the masses. His tall stature gave him an advantage, allowing him to simply bulldoze through the crowds.

What also helped them was the fact that most of the people now knew that he wasn't someone weak, someone they can mess with, expecting an easy target.

The news of Sumoo's brutal and tragic death spread through the Middle Zone in moments. But that also meant someone would try to avenge him, or perhaps even come after Eirwen for breaking the "no unnecessary murder" rule.

He wasn't too worried though. If anything truly bad happened, Merlin would find out, and that meant Gale would too. Eirwen knew that Gale wouldn't let anything happen to him.

"Do you know where the fighting pits are old man?" Eirwen asked an old man who was standing in front of a Memory store. Or rather a Memory boutique.

Another strange thing Eirwen noticed was that there were no big stores, only large stalls or boutiques like this one. 'They are somewhere deeper into the Zone' he remembered. The true black market was there after all.

"The fighting pits?" the old, wrinkled man repeated, leaning on a small wooden chair just outside the entrance. He turned it around and sat down. "Just go further down the main road. It's under Eclipse. At least that's what my nephew said." His short, bony finger trembled as he pointed down the broad road.

From what it looked like, there was one main, broad road that led from the Elite Zone into the heart of the Middle Zone, where the biggest club, "Eclipse," was located.

The main road then branched off into other roads and alleys, leading to various less significant places in the Undercity.

"Thanks, gramps," Eirwen nodded and started to walk away, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the boutique's interior. A small section caught his attention, masks. They weren't Memories, just regular masks. There was a special reason why he needed one.

He turned once more and looked down at the old man, "Old man, you have any Memories that can hide my face?"

The old man's wrinkled face widened into a smile. "Why would someone with such a handsome and angelic face ever want to cover it?" Before Eirwen could respond, he waved his hand dismissively and pointed into the boutique. "We only have these regular masks. My nephews and I specialize in selling Utility Memories, after all.

Eirwen nodded and pushed the glass door open, walking in.

"I'll come in a second," the wrinkled old man called after Eirwen and Andromeda with a chuckle. "I trust you're not going to steal from an old man, are you?"

'Be wary of him,' ethereal and distant voices echoed in his mind after they entered the boutique.

Eirwen already knew there was something off about the old man, but he couldn't quite place it. Now, with Leviathan's confirmation, his suspicions grew stronger. Perhaps his unease stemmed from the fact that Leviathan himself was wary, and those emotions were merging with his own.

"Welcome," a soft and soothing voice came from behind the register. The sound of it sent a chill down Eirwen's spine, making him turn to look at the person who had just spoken.

It was a handsome -no, not just handsome- a breathtakingly beautiful, young and short, pale boy. His long, shimmering white hair cascaded just past his shoulders, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to gaze directly into Eirwen's soul. The two of them locked eyes, silently sizing each other up.

"I need a mask" Eirwen said as he regained his wits.

The glowing boy pointed towards the shelves with masks, not saying anything else. His face was expressionless and unreadable.

Eirwen nodded and stepped to the side, leaning down to examine what was placed on the shelves.

Various masks lined the shelves, each depicting different monsters or humans. Some were of dragons, their scales intricately detailed, while others resembled famous figures, like the now popular Lord of Shadows. His mask was rather demonic and dark.

But one particular mask immediately caught his attention. It was as if his gaze was drawn to it without his consent.

It was a breathtaking white porcelain mask. On it were depicted three overlapping faces. The face on the left had its eyes closed with an easy, thinking face as if it was receiving revelations from God. The one in the middle was a stern, almost angular face with glowing, fiery eyes and an expression of fury and wrath. The one in the right was a compassionate, open-eyed face with faintly smiling lips.

'How is this not a Memory?' he wondered, his fingers reaching out to pick up the mask and try it on. As soon as his long, bony fingers made contact with it, the mask instantly shattered, dissolving into a flurry of sparks.

[You have received a Memory!]