Shadow Slave

Chapter 2153  A Cleaner World

After the dinner with the Esteemed Temporary Governor, the dome did not seem orderly and neat to Jest anymore. Instead, it looked morbid and revolting. Back there in the opulent room, the amicable tyrant had eagerly explained his unhinged views to the members of Warden's team… rather, he had complained about his hardships to fellow Awakened, not even bothering to check if they shared his delusion.

As if it was a matter of course. What the Esteemed Temporary Governor believed… in short, it was that only Awakened were real people, and therefore deserved to be treated as such. With the descent of the Nightmare Spell, humanity was separated into two distinct groups — those who had been chosen by the Spell, and those whom it ignored. The first group was stronger, faster, and more resilient. Awakened possessed mystical powers, and were given deadly trials to prove their worth. Naturally, it was only to be expected that they would play a greater role in society going forward, and would earn greater privileges as a result. However, the damn maniac had taken it to a whole other level. He seemed to consider being chosen by the Spell as the will of Heaven, anointing the Awakened as true inheritors of Earth. Awakened were holy… and therefore, those not chosen by the Spell were wicked. They were mere beasts who walked through their lives asleep, unable of real emotions or rational thought, clumsily imitating human behavior. It was only right to treat them as cattle — or dispose of them if they outlived their use.

At least that was what the Governor believed. It was unclear if his soldiers shared in this demented belief or simply followed his whims because their abuse of the mundane population went unpunished under his rule. There was indeed order and safety… but it was not because people were united in the task of maintaining the dome. Instead, it was because people were treated as slaves, and anyone who failed to accomplish the tasks given to them by the Awakened were cruelly punished, or outright killed. Warden's expression was stiff as they walked to their accommodations. Eventually, he said:

"I… knew it was going to be bad. But I didn't think that it would get this bad, this fast."