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Volume 5: Dread Night
Sin of Solace
[This blade is a whisper of Ariel, the Demon of Dread, who turned a beautiful monster into a queen and gave her a sinister gift of forbidden knowledge.]
— Memory Description of Sin of Solace, Chapter 869 Sin of Solace |
Graceless Dusk
[Sybils were the heralds of the gods and conduits of divine grace. Many mysteries were known to them, and so were many truths. There was one being, though, who knew much more — the graceless caitiff, Demon of Dread. He knew every truth there was because he knew everyone's fear- even that of the gods.
And so, seeking salvation from the end, the sybils abandoned the mortal realm and guided their people on a long and arduous journey. They led them far away, across the lands consumed by war... To the Tomb of Ariel. There, they found solace, safety, and shelter. In time, the voices of the gods grew silent one after another, leaving behind only a vast and dreadful silence. That was how the sybils embraced the Estuary, and that was how they fell.] — Memory Description of Shroud of Graceless Dusk, Chapter 1022 The Fall of Falcon Scott (40) |
The Tomb of Ariel seems to have existed for a very long time prior to then. It wasn't said how the daemon died or if the pyramid could possibly be his tomb, and who would build him an opulent grave.[2]
Also, the Stifled Scream described an estuary as the location where a terrible secret had been kept. There is also no apparent connection to what the great river that allegedly flowed back in time had to do with this.[2]
[...a great river was contained within it, flowing endlessly from the future into the past. When doom came, many entered to seek shelter from it, and many had come to seek the truth. That was because the Great River existed outside time, and so, it was said that a dreadful secret was hidden at its estuary. Few of those capable dared to approach it, and none of those who had returned.][3]
Volume 6: All the Devils Are Here
Mirror of Truth
According to the rune description of [Mirror of Truth], the Tomb of Ariel is not the burial place of Ariel, the Demon of Dread. Instead, it is the tomb he built. The description mentioned Ariel's construction of a black pyramid to hide ugly truths from existence or those truths that he could not bear to know. Conquering the pyramid would reveal these secrets.[4]
[Weaver was known as the master of lies, while Ariel was known as the keeper of truths. The two were not close and rarely met, which was why Ariel was surprised to find Weaver staring at his pyramid one day.
"Isn't it beautiful, this tomb of mine? Have you come to admire it?" Ariel said.
After a moment of silence, Weaver responded.
"I have not known that you've built a tomb, nor have I ever seen it. How would I know to admire it? I just happened to be here by chance. Now that I've seen it, my heart is untouched. I feel nothing."
Then, Weaver asked.
"But you seem to feel too much, Demon of Dread. Your face is unsightly. You are smiling, but there are tears streaming from your eyes. Why?"
Ariel laughed, "I'm not sure."
He laughed and cried as he looked at the tomb, saying, "I built it to bury the truth. Truth is the most hideous thing in the world, Weaver, and knowing it is a cruel torment. I mean to bury the truths that I cannot endure at the heart of this tomb, and be free of them forever."
Weaver remained silent.
After a while, Weaver spoke.
"It seems to me that you already did. And you already are."
With that, the Demon of Fate turned and walked away without looking back.
Walking away, Weaver whispered.
"...You wanted to be free of the truth, so you didn't deserve it."]
The Shroud of Graceless Dusk described how the sybils found salvation and solace within the Tomb of Ariel, but were ultimately destroyed, with Dusk being the last.[5]
The [Hideous Truth] enchantment of the Sin of Solace aimed to grant revelations to those who succumbed to madness. Ariel had referred to revelations of truth as the most hideous thing in the world and the source of cruel torment. He had committed a sin by seeking solace in forgetting the truth.[5]
He retrieved memories of truth from his head and hid them in his tomb. Sunny suspected he received help from an easily forgotten sibling. He believed there were three daemons connected to the black pyramid: the Demon of Dread, the Demon of Fate, and the mysterious Demon of Oblivion. Sunny's theory about the last one was unsubstantiated, possibly due to dreaming about something he could not remember.[5]
Volume 7: The Tomb of Ariel
Falling Ash
[Ariel built a beautiful palace of jade for the queen, and there, she held her court. A great bridge of stone led to the Jade Palace, covered in snow and ash. Soon, the news of the queen's beauty and wisdom spread across the realms, and many guests came to witness her grace. Not all of them survived the snow, and even fewer survived the ash. Still, more and more came.]
— Rune description of Falling Ash, Chapter 1246 Research Partners |
Dark Shaper
The tale of Ariel's battle with an Unholy Titan provides the origin of Goliath, the Minor Shard of the Stone Titan, and the Nightmare Desert.[7]
Following the end of the battle, the Demon of Dread created a mystical river out of the titan's blood and built a pyramid out of its stone flesh. The pyramid stood where the ocean had once been. A great river was contained within the black pyramid flowing endlessly from the future into the past.[7]
[When the unholy titan took a step, everyone cowered in fear. Only Ariel, the Demon of Dread, remained standing - he did not feel fear, for he was fear itself. Taking a step forward, he challenged the unholy titan, and the two battled under the azure sky. Their battle was fierce, their battle was fearsome. Their battle was a hint of the doom that would come.
The unholy titan possessed an indestructible stone body and was invulnerable to all harm. As they fought, the land was shattered and the sky split apart. The Demon of Dread received many harrowing wounds, but the terrible titan remained wholly unscathed. Its stone body became incandescent from the heat, shining brighter than the fiery sun.
That was when the Demon of Dread whispered something to his enemy, and then cast the titan into the depths of the ocean.
When the incandescent titan plunged into the cool water, the ocean turned into searing vapor and was scattered by the winds. The stone flesh of the titan instantly cooled, causing a tiny crack to appear on its heart - that tiny spot was the only part of the creature that had not been tempered, and was also its only flaw.
As Ariel watched coldly, the titan bellowed in agony. After one heartbeat, cracks appeared on its indestructible body. After two heartbeats, blood flowed from its wounds like a river. After three heartbeats, its body started to crumble into numerous shards.
And on the seventh heartbeat, its heart shattered, turning into dust.
That was how the unholy stone titan was destroyed.
Following the end of the battle, the Demon of Dread created a mystical river out of the titan's blood, and built a pyramid out of its stone flesh. The pyramid stood where the ocean had once been, and...]
Hidden Truth
- Main articles: Hidden Truth and Truth and Lie
[Here is the truth I leave behind
That reveals the lie of the gods The Forgotten One slumbers In the Void Eternal, everchanging Dreaming of escape The gods, who were flawless Learned shame And were flawless no more I am a child of their transgression And thus, their Flaw] — Message left behind by Ariel, the Demon of Dread |
Ariel's Secret
Ariel had shared with Weaver that he had buried hideous truths he did not wish to remember. The description of the Mirror of Truth contained Weaver's strange words:[8]
| “ | I have not known that you've built a tomb, nor have I ever seen it. How would I know to admire it? I just happened to be here by chance. Now that I've seen it, my heart is untouched. I feel nothing. You wanted to be free of the truth, so you didn't deserve it. |
” |
― Weaver to Ariel, | ||
Volume 10: Dark Lord's Dreadful Travelogue
Truth or Death
As the world neared its end, an endless white plain stretched beneath a shattered sky, littered with the broken corpses of lesser gods. Rivers of molten gold ichor flowed across fractured ice into an imprisoned ocean. Above, tendrils of nothingness seeped through the fissured sky, devouring the firmament. At the heart of the devastation knelt a colossal figure—a giant deity—clutching his shattered head. His radiant golden eyes were feverish, and viscous grey matter seeped through his massive fingers. His once-beautiful ivory armor was torn, and his spear, still crackling with the echoes of annihilating lightning, lay forgotten on the ice. The deity, whose spirit was as vast as a world, whispered in dread, "I... I am..." before falling silent.[9]
Suddenly composed, he lowered his hands, allowing his broken skull to come undone, and addressed a nebulous figure who appeared before him—Weaver, Firstborn of the Forgotten God, cloaked in a tattered mantle and wearing a fearsome mask. Weaver's voice, like a thousand hopeless prayers, questioned why his brother hid within such a hideous corpse. The giant, now speaking with a voice not his own, revealed himself as the Demon of Dread, taunting Weaver for facing him without fear and questioning his appearance. Weaver, calm and mysterious, responded that since he knew no fear, he questioned what truth he could possess and proposed a game—a game of death. The winner would be owed a truth; if Weaver lost, he would allow himself to be destroyed.[9]
As the dying god shuddered and collapsed, the ice swallowed his body, and a final whisper accepted the challenge. The desolate battlefield faded into nothingness, replaced by a familiar dark room. There, Weaver sat before an exquisite jade board, the darkness pressing in around him. A voice from the shadows asked what truth Weaver sought. Weaver, the Demon of Fate, replied with a thousand-voiced whisper that made the darkness tremble. Raising a porcelain hand, he picked up a white jade figure and revealed the truth he desired: "Do you know how fate can be broken, brother?... That is the truth that I seek."[9]
After experiencing a powerful vision, Sunny reflected on what he had witnessed. The strange exchange between the two daemons—Weaver and Ariel—revealed that they had been playing for truths in a game called Death Game. Sunny, fascinated, recognized that while Ariel had always sought truths, his greatest mystery had been Weaver, who in turn seemed to be searching for a way to defy fate itself. This revelation struck Sunny deeply, reinforcing his long-held suspicion that the Nightmare Spell was designed to train its wielders to bend or break fate. He had always believed that the Spell's appraisals were tied to how far one deviated from their destined path—but now, he had confirmation. Though the vision had only revealed that Weaver sought to change fate, not why or whether he had succeeded, it was a truth of immeasurable value.[10]
References
- ↑ Chapter 869 Sin of Solace
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 1022 The Fall of Falcon Scott (40)
- ↑ Chapter 923 Secret of the Estuary
- ↑ Chapter 1122 Mirror of Truth
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chapter 1123 Solace of Oblivion
- ↑ Chapter 1246 Research Partners
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 1247 Fear Itself
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chapter 1579 Forgotten
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Chapter 2321 Truth or Death
- ↑ Chapter 2322 Beast Sacrifice
Sources & history
Ariel/History · Shadow Slave Wiki
Source revision 43764
Adapted from Fandom. CC-BY-SA
Retrieved 2026-11-04 · Article version 1