Shadow Slave

Chapter 2295  Secret Lessons

Sadly, everything good had to come to an end.

After enjoying a fun and exciting morning out with Tamar and Telle, Rain bid them farewell. Tamar was on leave today, so she returned to the manor her family was renting in Bastion. Telle, meanwhile, had an appointment with the head of a merchant group that wanted to establish a trade caravan to the Chained Isles. Rain herself changed out of her cute dress into the Puppeteer's Shroud. The dress, the pretty shoes, and the earrings went into the Bag of Withholding — a thermos full of steaming coffee came out instead, and she let out a deep sigh of satisfaction after taking a sip, her back leaning against a wall in a secluded alley. A few moments later, her brother stepped out of the shadows and gave her a strange look. Rain raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He lingered for a bit, then shook his head. "No, it's nothing. Just… good job!"

That only made her more confused. "With what?"

He grinned. "Slapping that buffoon, of course! Ah, you really made your big brother proud… I guess it's true what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..."

Rain blinked a couple of times. Did her brother know that bizarre guy, Tristan? Well, in hindsight, that was only to be expected. The world of Legacies was quite small, after all, and the Aegis Rose clan was prominent. Telle seemed to be familiar with at least one of the two young Masters, too. It was a bit concerning, though, to hear that she was starting to behave like Sunny.

That would be a disaster! Only Sunny could pull off being Sunny. Clearing her throat, she offered him her hand and smiled. "In any case, I am ready to go."

He pulled her into the shadows, and a moment later, they were on the Ivory Island. The emerald grass moved softly in the warm wind, and the sun was shining on the glistening surface of a small lake. The beautiful white pagoda rose into the sky behind them, embraced by the white bones of a dragon that coiled around it. No matter how many times Rain visited the tranquil island, she could not help but feel a sense of awe. She could not help feeling out of place here, either, as if she was a mortal who had accidentally found her way into heaven.

Rain looked around carefully. "We're outside?"

Her business on the Ivory Island was of a clandestine kind. So, her brother would usually bring her directly into the tower in order to avoid prying eyes. He nodded. "We had visitors earlier, but they have already departed. So, you can relax."

They headed toward the Tower of Hope at a comfortable pace. Before too long, Rain looked up and asked suddenly:

"By the way, I've always been curious… what is that dead dragon doing here?"

At first, she had simply assumed that everything on the Ivory Island was mysterious and mystical. But as she grew more familiar with the place, the sun-bleached bones of the great beast started to look out of place. Her brother glanced at the ancient remains and smiled. "Oh, him? His name was Sevras, the Ivory Lord. He was the ruler of a place called the Ivory City, a descendant of Sun God, and one of the seven immortal Saints who guarded the Demon of Hope. Well, before he went crazy and died."

Rain looked at her brother in surprise. "Really? Wait, how do you know all of this?"

He lingered for a moment. "Ah, well. Some people you know met him in their Second Nightmare. How do you think Nightingale got that fancy title of his, the Dragonslayer?"

Rain's eyes widened a little. "Saint Kai? He killed this giant dragon?"

Her brother chuckled. "Sure. Of course, he was not Saint Kai back then, merely Awakened Kai. That crazy fellow! He literally jumped into the dragon's maw to kill him. Nightingale… he might look like a softy, but let me tell you — that was not even the only dragon he has killed…"

He grew silent for a moment, then added in an incredulous tone:

"Now that I think about it, despite all that, he doesn't just look like a softie — he is a softie. A dragon-slaying softie. What a paradox."

Rain giggled and looked at her brother sideways. "Oh? Just out of curiosity, how many dragons did you kill?"

He frowned, remained silent for a while, and then confessed reluctantly:

"None. I did get into a fistfight with a dragon once, though…"

She groaned.

'Why did I even ask?'

Soon enough, they arrived in a spacious chamber on one of the higher floors of the Ivory Tower. Lady Nephis was waiting there, looking into the window. Hearing them enter, she looked around and smiled. "Rain."

Rain bowed respectfully, momentarily blinded by her breathtaking beauty. "Teacher."

Lady Nephis sighed. "I told you not to be so formal. Just call me big sister…"

Rain paled a little. "I—I wouldn't dare! How can I call you that, Teacher? You are a Sovereign!"

Her brother stared at her, mouth agape.

"Hey, hey… wait a second. I am a Sovereign, too! How come you have no problem calling me Big Brother? As well as all kinds of other, far less flattering things!"

Rain and Nephis both looked at silently. Right. Her brother was a Sovereign, too.

She scrunched her face for a moment. 'Well, it's his own fault! Who told him to act so… unsovereignly?'

Lady Nephis, Sunny, and Rain… the relationship between the three of them was a bit odd. Rain knew that her brother and the beautiful goddess of humanity were an item. To be honest, she was more than a little bit proud of him in that regard. Way to go, brother! Of all the astonishing deeds he had accomplished, charming the beautiful Changing Star — quite literally the most outstanding woman in the world — was perhaps the most outrageous.

At the same time, it also felt rewardingly fitting. Who else was good enough for her brother, after all? Nobody!

Meanwhile, Rain and Lady Nephis had shared a brief connection in the past, as well. Lady Nephis even seemed to remember her… she also knew that Rain was her partner's disciple. However, Sunny was keeping the fact that Rain was his sister a secret, for some reason. At least that was how it seemed… sometimes, it felt like Lady Nephis was aware that they were family, but sometimes, it felt like she was not.

Rain had tentatively tried to bring it up in the past, but to no avail. In any case, she could not bring herself to act informally around her stunning sister-in-law.

"Shall we begin the lesson?"

Luckily, Lady Nephis saved her from having to answer. Her brother sighed and left them, saying that he would come pick up Rain in a few hours. The lesson started.

Lady Nephis looked at Rain calmly. "Your channeling has become sufficiently stable now, Rain. You are progressing very fast… so, starting today, I will teach you Names that are far more dangerous than what we have learned so far. These Names can destroy a Shaper if the Shaper loses control of them, so you must never waver while invoking them…"

Rain listened, her eyes glistening with lively interest.