On the western side of island, there was no boundless sea of ash. Instead, there was a slope. Much different from the slope on the opposing side. This one was of a less drastic but still considerably sharp angle.
It continued far into the distance. In fact, the whole island appeared to be standing on the edge of a colossal depression in the earth, one that stretched as far as the eye could see. With its edges slightly curved, it resembled a giant crater left behind by an unimaginable impact.
Yoru had read its description once and even convinced himself that he understood what it looked like.
He was proven woefully wrong.
The sheer enormity of the pit robbed him of speech. Its diameter must have spanned hundreds of kilometres at the very least. The vastness of it left him feeling hollow and insignificant.
How could anyone not feel insignificant standing before something so absurdly immense?
Pushing those thoughts aside, he glanced towards Sunny and Nephis.
Both of them stood perfectly still near the edge of the slope, their eyes fixed on the colossal crater below.
Shock was plainly visible on Sunny's face.
As for Nephis…
Seeing even a trace of helplessness in her expression was somehow far more unsettling.
Yoru knew this wasn't the end but the feeling of defeat was almost overwhelming.
***
"We can fly over it."
Yoru spoke abruptly, offering the suggestion as though the solution were obvious.
Sunny immediately shook his head.
"That's suicide."
He gestured toward the endless expanse of black water far below.
"There'd be nowhere to hide out there. No ruins, no coral, no terrain. Nothing."
His expression darkened.
"And outrunning nightmare creatures in open air isn't happening either. During the day we'd have to deal with those bird atrocities, and besides you, none of us can actually fight properly while flying."
Then he looked directly at Yoru.
"And at night we'd have the dark sea to worry about. Remember that shark bastard on the stone colossus? I'm willing to bet everything living in that water is just as fast and just as horrifying."
Yoru grit his teeth.
Annoyingly enough, Sunny was right.
The likelihood of surviving a flight over the Dark Sea was low. At least one death would be guaranteed in that trip, if not four.
"But how could this be? I've seen that we had reached the castle! There must be a way!" Cassie asked in a trembling voice.
Out of all of them, she seemed to be taking the revelation the hardest.
And honestly, Yoru couldn't blame her.
For months, the castle had been their only real hope of survival. Now, seeing an impossible abyss standing between them and salvation was enough to break anyone's spirit.
After a few moments of tense silence, Nephis finally spoke.
"We will try to come up with something tomorrow. Worst… worst-case scenario, we'll have to go around the whole thing."
Yoru lifted his head up at this.
"We don't have time to wait around. This tree is literally going to enslave us."
Sunny groaned and rubbed his face.
"And we still can't blindly run into a death trap without planning a route first."
"We can fly."
"Fly to our deaths, maybe."
Yoru's jaw tightened.
He was growing quite frustrated with his allies refusal to leave the island and his patience could only tolerate so much.
"Alright fine! We won't fly over the crater. But then I won't have any rejections to my request because it's for your own good."
All of them had turned to face him now.
Yoru nodded decisively.
"Everyone dismiss their armour."
...
Cassie suddenly turned bright red and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I-I will do no such thing!"
Nephis stared at Yoru with such cold hostility that the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Without saying a word, she subtly covered herself as well.
Even Sunny instinctively stepped backwards slightly.
Yoru frowned.
"Since when was I the group pervert?"
"Since you told us to get naked, you fiend!" Sunny cried in outrage.
Yoru chuckled.
"That's incredibly rich coming from you. Anyways I asked because I'm a genie and this involves wish granting you degenerates."
He shook his head in frustration and continued:
"You can go behind the tree and dismiss it. One at a time."
All three of the scared children gave him wary looks, before Cassie spoke up.
"Doesn't only one of us need to do it?"
She was right. But that wasn't as fun so he ignored her.
"Hurry up already!"
Yoru had them dismiss their amour so they felt vulnerable. Then he had them wish for mental defences and wear their armours again.
So currently, all four of them were given some form of mental protection. Though Yoru wasn't sure how efficient it would prove against a foe as great as a terror.
Some time later, they had made their temporary camp on the far side of the island and hid behind the trunk of the great tree to avoid any Spire Messengers.
Only when they were sure that nothing would be able to notice them from above did they finally allow the exhaustion to prevail and went to sleep.
***
In the morning, the mood between the four of them was pretty somber. No one seemed to want to talk or do anything, aimlessly staring at the ground or the rustling leaves of the great tree.
It didn't help whatsoever that Yoru had woken up with a headache.
Finally, Nephis broke the silence. Standing up, she looked up with grim resolution and said:
"I'm going to climb to the top of the tree and take a look around. Maybe I'll notice something that we missed from up high."
Yoru gazed up at the monumental tree.
The Ashen Barrow itself was already much taller than the giant knight's statue and every other shelter they had seen, and the tree almost dwarfed it in size. Climbing all the way up would take a lot of time and effort.
But maybe she would really be able to notice something from that incredible height.
Sunny scratched the back of his head and said:
"Alright. But be careful. Keep an eye on the sky. If you notice those winged abominations again, come back down."
Yoru nodded as well and added:
"Yeah, be careful and- No! You'll stay down here on the ground and stay away from those fruits!"
Nephis frowned
.
"Im not scaling the tree for its fruits. We don't have many options so a vantage point might allude to something we've been missing."
"Oh."
Yoru instantly felt stupid.
He had spoken with so much force that it almost sounded like an order, yet Nephis had only been trying to help.
After an awkward pause, he quietly muttered:
"Then… just be careful."
Changing Star gave him a nod and headed for the tree. Without turning her head, she calmly said a farewell:
"Take care of Cassie while I'm gone. It shouldn't be more than a few hours."
Yoru's headache had somehow only gotten worse in those few moments so the best response he could offer was a groan.
As Nephis disappeared into the onyx branches above, he leaned back against the smooth bark and shut his eyes, trying to block out the light.
Unfortunately, the darkness behind his eyelids did little to ease the headache clawing through his skull.
Not long afterward, Sunny rose to his feet.
Yoru cracked one eye open and weakly lifted an arm.
"Wait… Sunny."
Sunny turned around.
"What?"
Yoru frowned in concentration. For several seconds, he completely forgot what he wanted to say.
"Uh…"
His headache throbbed painfully.
"...Right. Did you dream anything?"
Sunny titled his head slightly and scoffed.
"A dream? In the dream realm? That headache must be really bad to make you ask something like that. Im not a seer."
"Is that so...?"
For some reason, Yoru found the answer strangely disappointing. Though he couldn't really explain why.
After a few moments of silence, he suddenly added:
"Well… anyway. The answer is five."
Sunny rolled his eyes and walked off, muttering something about "nonsense."
Perhaps whatever Yoru was talking about was nonsense. Hell if he knew. His headache was getting worse and worse by the minute so he couldn't afford to give the topic anymore attention.
The pale sunlight filtering through the branches only worsened the migraine, so he closed his eyes again.
And this time-
Sleep took him almost instantly.
When he opened them next, Nephis Cassie and Sunny all sat around him...
Eating.
They were eating the fruits of the great tree.
Bright crimson juice stained their lips and trickled down their fingers, giving the horrifying impression that they were feasting on fresh flesh instead of fruit.
The wet squelching sounds echoed softly beneath the branches and sweet fragrance filled the air.
Sunny grinned at him, his teeth stained red and the juice flowing down his chin, leaking from the corners of his mouth.
"Look who decided to wake up."
He pointed at the half eaten fruit in his hands.
"Want some? Nephis brought one each for all of us."
The sight of his friends calmly chewing those scarlet fruits filled him with indescribable discomfort.
He felt sick.
"I... I thought we agreed not to eat the fruits."
Nephis blinked, a confused expression appearing on her face.
"Did we? ...Why?"
Yoru stared at her, muddled. He felt lost and confused, as if something was terribly amiss.
He could feel a slight tugging sensation on his very being. It needed comfort, to be adored and...cherished.
When he focused on the sensation just a bit more, he could feel the essence behind it. It was telling him to go, or more specifically - to get Sunny away from here.
After focusing on the sensation more he replied:
"Because we need to... leave?"
He looked directly at Sunny.
"No- he needs to leave."
But he still didn't know why? Why Sunny specifically?
The scout raised his brow and took another bite.
"Me? Sorry but I won't be going anywhere, anytime soon."
Yoru was about to retort but before he could, he noticed a small object slowly drifting down from above, before gently landing in his lap.
He looked down and saw a red leaf.
'Damn!'
His eyes widened, and at that moment he had remembered Sunny's wish.
"We need to leave because- Ahh!"
A violent spike of pain tore through his skull. Yoru clutched his head with a pained gasp.
The group looked at him in concern and pity.
Cassie carefully extended her hands toward him, holding one of the scarlet fruits.
"Here Yoru, have some fruit. It might alleviate your headache."
He looked at Cassie through the pain and then at her hands which held the sweet succulent fruit.
Its ruby flesh glistened beneath the pale light. Sweet fragrance drifted towards him.
'No I can't... if I do then..."
The more he rejected the idea of eating the fruit, the more his migraine seemed to worsen.
He sighed and relaxed.
'Yeah, maybe this will help."
After thanking Cassie, he took the ripe red fruit in his hands and bit into its flesh.
Cool juice spread across his tongue with an almost intoxicating richness. The flesh was impossibly soft and refreshing, dissolving like nectar while warmth spread throughout his body.
It was easily the most delicious thing Yoru had ever tasted.
And more importantly, his headache had began to ease.
'Amazing!'
Without thinking, he took another bite.
And another.
[You have granted a Wish.]
'Pardon?'
Yoru froze just as he was about to take another bite and quickly checked his counter.
Wishes Granted: [39.5/1000]
He had really received a wish fragment from the fruit!
He knew the tree could grant soul essence and shadow fragments but he didn't think it would be able to grant wishes to.
Just what kind of tree was this?
Another pang of pain shot through his head at the thought, and he hastily took another bite.
Late in the evening, when the sun was already hidden behind the horizon and the dark sea had once again turned the Ashen Barrow into a lonely island, the three of them were preparing for the night.
They had moved their camp to rest between the roots of the great tree.
With no way to move further west, Nephis, Sunny and Cassie had decided to rest for a few days before making any decisions. Yoru himself was against the idea for some reason but didn't argue otherwise.
***
In the morning, Sunny was woken up by the gentle rustling of leaves. Opening his eyes, he saw rays of sunshine falling through the scarlet crown of the Soul Tree, painting the world in soft shades of pink. The sight was beautiful and tranquil. It felt as though none of the dangers and terrors of the Dream Realm could reach him here.
A soft breeze touched his skin, bringing with it coolness and the smell of fallen leaves.
For the first time in a long while, Sunny felt at peace.
'Is this what a vacation feels like?'
If so, their decision to have one was the best decision ever.
He sat up with a yawn and lazily looked around. Cassie and Nephis were already awake, Yoru lay amongst a blanket of leaves not too far from them. Seeing them put a smile on Sunny's face.
'Why the hell am I grinning?'
Shaking his head, Sunny put on a serious expression and said:
"Good morning."
The girls greeted him and Yoru groaned.
Then, Nephis slightly tilted her head and asked:
"Hey. Do you remember why we didn't leave anyone to keep watch last night?"
Sunny blinked. Indeed, why hadn't anyone guarded the camp?
"Uh. No. I guess we were too tired? Plus, it's so safe here. Why deprive ourselves of sleep?"
She frowned. Sunny expected Changing Star to berate them, but, unexpectedly, she just shrugged.
"...I guess."
'Huh. That's not like her. Am I not the only one in a great mood?'
To make Neph feel better, he pointed down and said:
"Don't worry. My shadow would have warned us if anything had happened."
She seemed to have forgotten about her question already, returning to whatever she had been doing before. All four of them were easily distracted these days. Sunny sighed.
"So… what are you guys going to do today?"
Cassie turned to him with a smile and answered in a teasing tone:
"Nothing! We're on vacation, remember? So we're just going to rest and relax."
'Sounds like a plan. Speaking about plans…'
At that moment, Cassie scowled and said with a comically strict expression:
"You too, Sunny! You are not allowed to plan, plot and scheme. Just sit back and enjoy the day. Alright?"
Sunny scratched the back of his head.
"Alright."
He felt as though he was forgetting something.
But what?
Looking at Nephis, Sunny hesitated and asked:
"Remind me, why did you climb the Soul Tree yesterday?"
She glanced at him in confusion.
"Uh… I don't really remember. To get the fruits?"
Sunny smiled at the mention of the miraculous fruits and nodded.
'Yeah. That makes sense'
***
A few days passed by. Days they spent idling away, not concerned with anything in the world.
Their tired bodies and minds needed time to rest.
They slept until noon, ate the delightful fruits and sat around the fire, talking or simply soaking in the warmth. Sometimes, they would play games or engage in other forms of entertainment.
At first, he had expected that lazing around doing nothing would very quickly grow boring, but surprisingly, it did not. He felt perfectly fine simply laying on the ground and staring at the gently swaying branches of the Soul Tree, caught in a blissful reverie. In moments like these, he would lose track of time, often realising that entire hours had passed only when the sun was about to set.
The concept of time, in general, had become strangely hard to grasp. Sunny wasn't entirely sure how many days they had spent on the peaceful island. He was pretty sure that it was less than a week, but couldn't remember the exact amount.
In fact, memory in general had grown increasingly unreliable
.
Not being able to remember something had become a common occurrence. All three of them were turning increasingly absentminded and forgetful.
Sometimes, Sunny would catch himself straining to remember details of his previous life or notice the strangeness of their behavior. But a minute later, he would forget about these concerns, distracted by some innocuous thought or occurrence.
His memory was becoming hazier and hazier. The only clear things in it were how delicious and refreshing the magical fruits were, how pleasant it was to live under the shade of the Soul Tree, and how magnificent it was.
The Tree was beautiful, benevolent and generous. It protected them from the cursed blight of the crimson labyrinth, kept the monsters away and provided nourishment both for their bodies and for their soul cores. Sunny was becoming increasingly convinced that finding the majestic Soul Tree was a true blessing.
The thought of leaving its gifts behind and returning to the horror of the outside world seemed less and less attractive.
Why leave when they were perfectly happy here?
Well… at least two of them were.
Yoru, meanwhile, had grown increasingly lethargic.
The strange migraines tormenting him had only worsened over time, leaving him exhausted and irritable. Most days, he simply lay near the camp in silence with one arm covering his eyes.
Nephis had attempted to ease his pain with her flames several times, but due to the nature of her Flaw, that solution was neither practical nor sustainable.
The second problem was Nephis herself.
While she was as carefree and tranquil as Sunny and Cassie in the beginning, as time went by, she grew strangely despondent and gloomy. It seemed as though she had reverted back to her old, distant and unsociable self.
Instead of chatting or relaxing with them, Changing Star ended up spending most of her time sitting on the western edge of the island alone, staring into the distance with bleak eyes. Sunny had no idea what was wrong.
He was worried about her. Not even the frequent, insistent lapses of memory managed to overcome his concern about Neph.
When he approached her one evening she spoke about how there was something west, something important. But like the rest of them, she couldn't remember exactly what.
Sunny sighed.
If she didn't know, then he, of course, had no idea either. All he knew was that he wanted to make her feel better.
But how?
Sunny frowned, trying to think of a way. He felt that there was something very obvious that he was forgetting. Something that would instantly erase Neph's suffering...
Then suddenly, realization struck him.
Of course.
How could he possibly forget something so simple?
If Nephis was unhappy, then all he had to do was climb the Soul Tree and bring her one of its fruits. Not just any fruit, either - he would find the ripest and sweetest one possible.
By then, night had already fallen over the Ashen Barrow, so Sunny quietly left Nephis sitting near the western edge and returned toward the camp with a faint smile on his face.
He would climb the tree tonight and surprise her in the morning.
However, the moment he stepped into the clearing, that smile instantly disappeared.
Cassie was asleep near the fire, curled comfortably beneath her cloak with a peaceful smile resting on her face.
Standing above her was Yoru.
The boy looked utterly dreadful. His usually bright eyes seemed warped and unfocused, the gleam of the stars that swam in them looked distorted by pain and exhaustion. His expression was twisted with anguish, while both trembling hands gripped the Bloody Requiem tightly.
And the black spear was pointed directly above Cassie's heart.
A/N: It completely slipped my mind to give him a notification message when he gets stronger, so he has one now. I may go back and add this to the past chapters where I can.