Shadow Slave novel Chapter 2440

Chapter 2440 Knowledge of Passion

Invoking the Name of Passion was far more difficult than any other Nephis had ever invoked.

Perhaps it was because, unlike the other Names, the source of this one was Nephis herself.

Her own longing, her own desire, her own yearning, her own passion… she had to know them, to burn with them, to admit them starkly without pretense or falsehood. Then, she had to infuse them into the Name, and channel that Name with her soul.

Shaping the world in accordance with the melody of her heart, and forcing the two to resonate with each other.

The act itself was an immensely difficult one… after all, what human was completely honest with themselves? Completely honest about themselves? Who wasn't scared of bearing themselves and laying the truth of who they were out in the open for the world to see?

For them themselves to see?

The first step was difficult, but the second one was arduous. Invoking the Name of Passion meant drawing it out of herself, and channeling it put more strain on Neph's soul and willpower than she had ever felt before while Shaping.

But she endured.

She endured the cruelly honest moment of self-reflection, with all her selfishness and weakness put on display, and she endured the strain of channeling the Name of Passion too.

She invoked it.

She finally succeeded!

And when she did…

It was as if blinders had been removed from her eyes.

Nephis heard the Spell whispering into her ear, but she did not have to listen to its loathsome voice to know that she had mastered another branch of her Aspect Legacy, the Memory of Light.

She had mastered the Knowledge of Passion.

Just as it had happened with the Knowledge of Fire and the Knowledge of Destruction, she could enjoy the fruit of her labor — a torrent of information poured into her mind, as if a seal had been broken, completing and complementing what she had already intuitively understood.

An underlying understanding of a multitude of matters, an instinctual grasp of subtle secrets and intricate techniques, a collection of Names related to passion and desire…

It was as if she had spent a lifetime striving to explore and fathom something in theory while simultaneously applying that wealth of knowledge in practice — and was now receiving the fruits of this lived experience without the memories themselves.

But that was not important at the moment. Nephis could assess and consolidate the boon of mastering another branch of her Aspect Legacy later… right now, she was still reeling from having invoked the Name of Passion.

Channeling that Name was like adding fuel to her already scathing desire. Ignited by the invocation of Passion, it flared with even greater intensity, emboldened and empowered by her sorcery.

Her desire, in turn, augmented and emboldened her Will, making it so much more potent.

It was like a comprehensive enhancement of her fiery spirit… a cheat-like, self-fulfilling prophecy. It was like something that she had always been meant to possess, but was denied until now. The cornerstone of her entire Aspect, or maybe a missing piece that had been preventing her from making the next step.

Nephis suddenly felt incredibly alive.

Even the terrible agony of her Flaw seemed less torturous, for a moment. The pain was the same… but the suffering it brought her felt not as meaningless, and therefore more bearable.

Doubtless, uncompromising, burning with passion…

Her Will blossomed with unreserved heat, and that was enough to break the stalemate between her authority and that of the Cursed Demon.

The world, which had been torn in two, was finally restored to being whole again.

The frigid hell of Abjuration's creation was vanquished, and the incandescent inferno of purifying flames was actualized, settling to take its lawful place in reality.

And so…

Just like Nephis had promised...

Abjuration burned.

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