Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

"Of course I do," Seraphiel replied and stood up, following Eirwen and Andromeda to the door.

Eirwen's grin widened, and with a sharp inhale, he summoned a Memory he'd claimed from killing Bastard Sword. The familiar feeling pressed against his Soul as the Armour the Awakened had worn during their fight began to materialize around him.

Piece by piece steel plates manifested around his body, shimmering into existence out of thin air and cladding him into a lightweight armour until its form was complete and wrapped around his body.

He'd gained plenty of Memories from Bastard Sword and his teammates, though he hadn't had the chance to properly inspect them yet. That would have to wait for later. He figured most of them would likely be useless to him anyway, but it wouldn't hurt to look them over when he got the time -after all, it wasn't like he had any better use for them at the moment.

Andromeda raised a brow, wondering when he had managed to receive it. But then, recalling how he had mysteriously received the air-filtering Memory after killing that one boy, she quickly put two and two together. It didn't bother her in the slightest. Why would it?

The armor fit him perfectly, each plate snapping into place as though it had always belonged to him. "I don't think it looked like that?" he muttered, his eyes scanning the metallic sheen. The Memory had definitely altered it, not just resizing it to fit his frame, but reshaping its design entirely. It now carried an uncanny air, its contours sharper and more sinister. Almost… evil?

[Steel Shroud] -the name displayed clearly by the Spell- still had its iron-silver colour and light weight, but its appearance had been subtly yet distinctly altered. Sharp edges now adorned the armor, most notably on the elbows and knees. They weren't excessively large, but they were unmistakable and hard to ignore.

As Eirwen stepped to the door and swung it open, two guards stationed outside immediately snapped to attention. Their heads turned sharply, boots grinding against the floor as they spun on their heels. Their gazes swept over the trio, lingering a moment too long on Eirwen's armour. One guard's brow twitched in confusion, while the other's lips pressed into a thin, wary line.

Those were the same guards Eirwen had seen when he descended into the Middle Zone, their figures still as imposing as ever. Clad in modern uniforms, they stood with the kind of readiness that came from years of routine and experience. Their massive rifles, built for intimidating any human mob, were held casually in their gloved hands. The armour they wore offered impressive protection against most human weapons, but for Eirwen there was no difference between their armour and air.

"Merlin said we aren't allowed to let you out. Please return to the villa," the guard on the left muffled through his mask.

Eirwen didn't bother responding. He simply stepped forward. The guards immediately raised their rifles, blocking his path. The tension in the air thickened. They weren't backing down.

Without a second thought, the now-armored Eirwen whipped his arm in a sharp arc. Dark, metallic liquid seeped from his skin, coating the thin iron gauntlets that looked more like soft leather gloves. It quickly hardened against his fingertips, transforming into sharp, glistening claws.

In one fluid motion, the claws sliced through the two guards' throats nearly simultaneously, their muffled gurgles cut short as they crumpled to the ground. The metallic scent of blood filled the air as the guards' bodies fell in silence, their rifles clattering onto the floor. 'This weapon is rather good,' Eirwen acknowledged.

"You can thank Puppeteer," he spat as the Spell whispered into his ear, announcing two kills.

[You have slain a Dormant human]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

[You have slain a Dormant human]

[You have consumed a Soul]

[Devour the Flesh for more]

"Was that necessary?" Seraphiel asked, stepping over the corpses as Andromeda followed him, doing the same. Eirwen flicked his wrist dramatically, the blood splattering off his long, dark nails, before he wiped them clean.

He spat once more and motioned Seraphiel to lead the way, "More than,"

Seraphiel didn't press further, merely nodding before stepping ahead. "Let's move, fast," he said, his tone sharp. Without another word, he leaned forward and exploded into a full sprint, leaving both Andromeda and Eirwen momentarily stunned. The sudden burst of speed caught them off guard.

Andromeda stood frozen for a moment, watching as her friend and master grinned widely before blurring forward, keeping pace with Seraphiel. She was left speechless and caught off guard.

She silently thanked herself for wearing trousers instead of a dress or skirt like she usually preferred.

As she sprinted after the two Dreamers, she quickly realized the speed at which they were moving was beyond what she was used to. Her legs felt a little awkward, but she soon figured out that all she needed was to take bigger steps and push herself off the ground with more force. Before long, she found herself practically skipping, her legs extending faster with each leap.

Both Eirwen and Seraphiel were moving too fast for her to catch up directly, so she had to settle for running behind them.

Seraphiel moved with remarkable speed for a Dreamer, as if his stamina was limitless. They had been sprinting for several minutes now, and Andromeda could feel the strain, her breathing heavy and her legs aching. Sweat poured down her face, clinging to her skin and making her long hair stick to her forehead. That was annoying her beyond belief. She wasn't used to pushing herself this hard or using this much strength.

"What even is that Fissure thing?" Eirwen asked, his armour rattling with each powerful stride, the sound barely audible over the pounding of his feet and huffed breaths.

"It's a tear in reality," Seraphiel replied with a nonchalant expression as he kept on with his explosive sprint. "A much more potent and unstoppable Nightmare Gate or maybe a portal to a different dimension, I don't know."

'A tear in reality? How can he say that so casually?' Eirwen thought with a twitch of his brow.

He took a sharp corner, nearly crashing into a wall, his breath quickening as the adrenaline coursed through him. They had been mostly descending, but not in the same direction as before. No, this time, they were veering left, down into a path that led them somewhere dark.

Only now did Eirwen understand the scale of this underground place. It was truly gigantic, a bit too gigantic to be natural though.

There was a cement jungle right on top of the Undercity, yet beneath their feet, this place stretched on without any visible signs of structural support. There were no massive steel beams or reinforcing pillars to keep the place from collapsing under its own weight. That didn't help Eirwen with his confusion whatsoever.

As they descended further, leaving the villas behind, they began to move quickly down the hill into the slums. The air grew heavier, and the surroundings dirtier, as they ventured deeper into the underbelly of this place.

Andromeda furrowed her eyebrows, clearly irritated by the strong, unpleasant smell that was in the air. She summoned her cufflink Memory to shield herself from the smell that was about to assault her senses. But her irritation quickly faded when Eirwen, without a second thought, picked her up into his arms and jumped down several meters.

"Didn't anyone try to close that Fissure? I'm sure there are capable people who could challenge it!" Eirwen roared as they plummeted for a couple meters, the wind whipping past them. When they finally hit solid ground again, a cloud of dust exploded into the air, momentarily obscuring their surroundings.

Andromeda was in his arms, knowing that with her Flaw, such a fall would have shattered her legs into pieces. Eirwen set her down, barely acknowledging it, and she quickly brushed the dust off herself, her face flushed red as she tried to hide the embarrassment.

Beneath their feet lay nothing but dirt, stone, and scattered garbage. Behind them was the towering hill they just descended, which could almost be classified as a mountain at this point.

Seraphiel shook his head and walked forward calmly, his breath slightly uneven. "It's not possible to fully close it, only partially and for a short period of time. Uncle said its nature is different from a normal Nightmare Gate."

Andromeda wiped her sweaty forehead with her silk napkin, panting and huffing, before following closely behind Eirwen. She was ready to summon her Aegis Mirror at any given moment.

"Why does the Government or any of the major Legacy Clans not know about it?" Eirwen asked, eyeing their guide. He was fairly certain they didn't know, simply because he himself wasn't aware of it. Eirwen kept up with most of the hidden truths surrounding both worlds, thanks to his father's influence and field of work.

His father, as strict as he was, never withheld any secret from his son -at least that's what Eirwen thought with full confidence.

Seraphiel didn't slow down, moving steadily across the ruined wasteland. The remnants of broken dirt or brick huts surrounded them. 'How in the hell did they even end up here?' Eirwen cursed, frustration bubbling up inside him. The entire place felt wrong and uncanny. which made him slightly uneasy.

"There is a certain organization that knows about it, yet they aren't really doing much so it shouldn't be that big of a threat. But again, I don't know," the white-haired angel explained, his steps careful as he avoided the piles of garbage, just like Eirwen and Andromeda.

"What organization?" Eirwen asked, his curiosity overshadowing his slight uneasiness and frustration.

Seraphiel only shrugged.

'This Fissure should lead somewhere into the Underworld,' the voices suddenly manifested in his head, a hint of nervousness in them. Eirwen couldn't help but wonder whether they were influencing each other's emotions again since it was hard to imagine Leviathan nervous.

He raised his brow and thought, 'Huh?'

The voices echoed once more, overwhelming his senses for a brief moment, 'This whole place is dangerous. I'm not sure if my current powers will be enough to protect you, child,' they warned.

'What's so bad about it? People live here in the slums after all,' Eirwen countered, still unable to fully understand why Leviathan was so cautious.

The voices grew louder in his mind, their tone rising, 'It's dangerous for you, child, that is all you have to know. If the Fissure sucks you in, you will be transported to an unknown place in the Underworld. That's something we cannot afford!'

Eirwen rolled his eyes silently and gave Leviathan a mental nod, signalling that he will be careful.

"We are close," Seraphiel stopped abruptly, his eyes narrowing at the sight ahead.

In front of him, a massive ravine opened akin to a dragons massive maw, stretching further down into an abyss. Eirwen, still caught off guard, took a cautious step forward, peering over the edge. With his enhanced vision he could discern the ground beneath and the way magma flowed in the cracks in it.

'How the hell did I not notice it before?' he thought to himself, his gaze shifting from the ravine's jagged edges to the depths below.

The air down there felt suffocating and dangerous.

"This goddamn place should be called Undercontinent at this point," Eirwen cursed disbelief. He stepped closer to the ravine's edge, trying to wrap his mind around just how massive this place truly was.

The deeper he thought about it, the more his brain felt like it was slowly melting. After doing some simple calculations he came to a realization that the scale made simply no damn sense.

"Do we have to go down there…" Andromeda mumbled, her voice barely audible. Both Seraphiel and Eirwen turned to look at her, noticing her visibly pale face and wide eyes. She was slowly backing away from the edge.

Eirwen glanced at Seraphiel, silently asking the same question. The white-haired boy, however, only met his gaze with an unreadable expression and gave a small nod.

"Can't do," he said, pointing at her. "I don't think she would survive that even if I carried her."

That only scared the girl even further, her eyes flicking between the dangerous ravine and Eirwen.

Seraphiel walked up to her and stretched out his hand for her to grab, "I can fly you do-"

Rumble!

Suddenly, a titanic rumble reverberated through the ground, and a sharp, screeching shriek echoed up from deep below. Eirwen's eyes widened in alarm, his instincts kicking in immediately.

"Andromeda!" he roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. He lunged toward her just as the ground trembled violently beneath their feet. Before anyone could react, the earth cracked open with a deafening sound.

The ground broke off beneath their feet, sending dust and debris flying as the edge of the ravine crumbled away.