Published at 20th of October 2026 8:55 am

Chapter 3220 Darker Hues

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It didn't take Snuggle long to slay the Great Beast. The hideous creature drifted in the current, its blood spilling into the depths of the river and spreading across its surface like virulent blight — not only was it a fatal poison, but also highly corrosive, forcing Shadow to reinforce their boat with his Will.

The transient soul, meanwhile, returned and hid itself inside the little doll once again — that way, she did not need to continue expending her essence. The doll stirred and threw an accusing glare at Shadow.

"What is this?! Why am I in a puddle again?!"

Shadow coughed awkwardly.

“Well. You see. There was a wave..."

As he defended himself, the gondola continued rushing downriver.

The tributary they were braving eventually merged with one of the great rivers of the Underworld. The great river was far more hazardous, so Snuggle had to work harder to keep them safe. On more than one occasion, she received grievous wounds — luckily, since she could mend her own soul, her life was not in danger.

Nevertheless, Shadow had to involve himself in the battles soon enough.

He still held himself back from killing their foes. Instead, Shadow restrained them, while Snuggle delivered lethal blows. After a while, her enchanted weapons proved too weak to harm the ghastly dwellers of the Underworld, so he crafted her a suit of armor and a set of weapons out of shadows. Even then, she couldn't kill some of their enemies, merely managing to drive them away.

Snuggle could wield the weapons Shadow had forged for her. However, she could not waste time on donning the suit of armor every time there was a threat — so, Shadow enchanted both the weapons and the armor to function in a similar fashion to her original arsenal.

It was surprisingly easy. Shadow might not have remembered or cared to remember all of his past lives, but his hands did. Just like the day he had mended the little doll and sewn her a dress, a needle that glowed with ethereal golden light appeared in his hand, while the other wove strings of inky-black essence with elegant ease.

Shadow was mildly surprised by his skill. Snuggle, meanwhile, was too giddy about her new armaments to pay his sorcery much attention.

More time passed. They traveled across the Underworld, getting closer and closer to their goal.

Until, finally, they reached it.

As Shadow guided the gondola to shore and dismissed it, both he and Snuggle looked ahead. Nothing but darkness surrounded them, with only a small circle of light keeping it at bay. Neither could see what lay ahead, but they could hear a distant, penetrating hum.

Shadow knew that it was the sound of the great waterfall that fell into the Abyss.

He also knew that in front of them was a colossal cavern with mountain-like stalagmites rising from the white mist that swirled above the rushing water, and similarly titanic stalactites hanging from the distant ceiling.

The Stone Saints did not exist yet, so their radiant city had not been built in this cavern. And judging by the lack of lights in the distance, Nether's stronghold was not hovering at the edge of the Abyss, either. So, the Demon of Destiny had not established his laboratory here yet, after all.

Shadow vaguely remembered an Unholy horror that was chained by true darkness in the depths of the Abyss... or rather, would be chained there in the distant future. At the moment, the Abyss was free of its profane presence — he was quite confident that it was, at least.

That was because that horror festered from the remains of a nephilim that had fallen in the last battle of the final war, leading the Demon Legion to breach the Abyss and besiege Death. That apocalyptic battle had not arrived yet, so the nephilim was still alive, residing somewhere else in the Underworld.

All Shadow had to be wary of was the true darkness.

He inhaled deeply, then looked at Snuggle.

"It will be faster to move if both of us can fly. I think you should assume your Transcendent form now."

Snuggle, who was standing on his shoulder, looked at him nervously and then jumped into his pocket. As the little doll stumped there, the radiant soul emerged, illuminating the darkness.

Soon enough, the winged radiance was standing by his side, the pristine white feathers of her wings contrasting sharply against her intricate black armor.

Her expression was tense, and it seemed that, for once, she was in no mood for carefree banter.

"So... we're close?"

Shadow lingered for a moment, then nodded.

“Very close. Follow me."

With that, he summoned a pair of raven-black wings and soared into the air. They traveled forward cautiously, moving from one stalagmite to the other.

And as they did...

Shadow's thoughts turned more and more somber.

This journey of theirs had been... pleasant. He had allowed himself to drift in the current, following his companions passively.

He did not bother to think about too many things, least of all those of them that were important.

Asa result, he had enjoyed his time in the mortal realms. The world was vast and full of beauty. He was curious about great many things and had explored them with interest. He had tasted human food and grew familiar with human customs. Most of all, he had enjoyed the company of his two fellow travelers, Snuggle and Noctis.

But he had only been able to enjoy all those things because their journey had a time limit.

Now, the journey was coming to an end. And so, Shadow couldn't close his eyes to the truth he had been irresponsibly ignoring for so long anymore.

As they drew closer to the terrifying drop from the middle to the lower stratum of the Underworld, where the edge of the Abyss lay, the hum of the great waterfall grew louder. He could already smell the water vapor in the air... at the same time, the darkness around them somehow started to feel deeper, colder, more impenetrable. The soft radiance emanating from Snuggle's winged figure did not change, but the circle of light created by it grew narrower. Her expression was tense now, as well, her face slowly turning paler.

Shadow's expression, meanwhile, was solemn.

What was he really doing?

Snuggle was under the impression that they were traveling to the Shadow Realm to help him let go of an old regret... and perhaps find a way to embrace life, as well. Shadow wasn't really sure, but he knew that she wanted to help him, somehow — granted, her impression of what his needs were differed from his own.

Still, she saw the world in brighter hues. To her, it always seemed that the rays of sunshine were just beyond the horizon.

And knowing that, he had been deceiving her all along.

In truth, Shadow’s goal was far darker. Yes, he wanted to live up to Tatal's impression of him and set the shadows contained within his soul free. But what he truly wanted to find in the Realm of Death... was Shadow God.

Shadow wanted that nebulous god, who was supposedly his creator, to explain the mystery of his existence. To tell him why it couldn't end.

..But that was a lie, as well.

He was going to the Shadow Realm to find Death.

What Shadow truly wanted was for Shadow God to grant him peace.

‘Ah, peace...’

Wasn't it a wonderful thought, to find peace at long last?

It was.

But...

Where did it leave Snuggle?

Flying ahead of her, Shadow could not help but grit his teeth slightly.

What would happen if the two of them faced Shadow God, and she heard her friend's request?

What would happen if Shadow God refused to grant it?

...What would happen if Shadow God agreed?

Shadow felt a heavy burden settle on his heart.

No, that burden had been there for a long time. But he did not know if it was the worst of what he could be forced to endure, because on the other side of these questions were a few others, which were just as heavy — if not more.

What would happen to Snuggle if she did not follow Shadow into the Realm of Death?

In this nightmarish world, she could only endure because she had hope. Hope burned in her heart, shining brighter than the divine radiance of her wondrous soul. But just like the hope of the Demon of Desire, hers was destined to be shattered and crushed.

It was just that Hope's fall still loomed in the dark, tempestuous future.

The hope that kept Snuggle going, on the contrary, had already been shattered in the lightless expanse of the past.

She just did not know it yet.

So... wouldn't it be better for this radiant, transient soul to follow Shadow into the Realm of Death?

Death was far more merciful than hopelessness, after all.

And Shadow was a creature of Death.

As they approached the last of the towering stalagmites and rested briefly on its surface, high above the bottomless void of the Abyss, he looked at the radiant figure standing with her back to him and closed his eyes for a moment.

A heavy thought surfaced in his mind.

‘Was that what Hope meant?’

It seemed that even a forsaken creature like him had the privilege... or the curse... of having to make choices.

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