In the land devoid of warmth, a gargantuan tower rose, piercing the clouds and standing tall, giving hope to all who looked up at it.
Below, you could see thousands of humans gathered around the tower, and seven mighty champions that promised to bring light to the world that was denied it.
One of the heroes, a Lord, raised his sword high in the air, which spelled the beginning of the hell. Thousands of people were sacrificed, rivers of blood flowing like a tidal wave, consuming everything and bathing the tower in it.
The obsidian tower turned crimson, its entrance like the maw of an abominable beast, its outer layer like hardened skin, and inner walls like bones. The long, seemingly endless stairs were like intestines and the end of the tower like a merciless spear that tasted blood.
In the center of the colossal tower was a young woman in white robes, her hands clasped as she prayed, begging for divine interference, for the loving grace of her Goddess.
But her prayers were left unanswered. Instead, the soul, blood, flesh, bone, mind, spirit and shadow of every sacrificed human began flowing into the insidious maw of the tower, consumed by a hunger that could never be satiated.
And the young woman, a pitiful priestess burning with purity, bore witness to the desperation of the forgotten shore.
And she answered it by becoming the cruel sun of the lightless world.
Amon watched history replay itself with his own eyes, his expression cool and composed.
Then time froze and started moving backwards. Slowly, the gargantuan tower was dismantled, and then only people beginning the building with the lead of the Builder could be seen, and then even that disappeared, leaving behind an abandoned land.
Amon observed, feeling a familiar sensation, as if he were intimately connected with not just time, but the history as well, and the space where everything was occurring.
The Starlight Legion was created, battling against the hideous beasts of the darkness. Countless people died, and many more followed.
The entire history of the forgotten shore was nothing but bloodshed and war.
Then Amon frowned, noticing something he felt he hadn't seen for eons. It was the sun, white and pure, bathing the land in its warm glow.
People were happy and content. There was a bit of conflict, but it was nothing compared to the peace they would fight for in the future.
Time continued moving, a river of fate guided by the one who stood above all, until something changed.
From the coruscating firmament in the cloudless skies, a luminous being descended like a star, her incandescent form glowing with soft, shimmering light as she fell, and a cataclysmic explosion shook the foundation of the realm. A pillar of white fire erupted from the earth, reaching the heavens and blooming like a beautiful flower.
Amon's blood ran cold, his expression tightening in uneasiness as he felt sharp pain assaulting his mind upon witnessing the fall of the deity.
And then, her death.
Her blood covered the creation, and everything was consumed by an all-encompassing ocean of darkness.
...
"Is dinner ready?" Amon snapped out of his thoughts, confusion flashing in his eyes as he heard the elderly voice.
Calming his beating heart, he composed himself, inhaling and exhaling, entering a meditative-like state and used cogitation.
Using decryption, he quickly analysed his surroundings, as well as investigated where he was, who he was and what he was doing.
He occupied the body of a brown-haired man with ordinary features in this nightmare. He had black eyes, pale, death-like skin with a bleak presence, as if life had lost all meaning.
He was a mundane human, with nothing special about him, serving this elder.
The old man lacked a few teeth, his head almost empty, leaving only a few strands of gray hair styled neatly. He was wearing dark robes and his spine was hunched as he sat, his hollow eyes staring at him patiently, with a disturbing smile.
Amon held his breath, his already pale face losing even more colour as decryption activated, and he witnessed nothing but darkness in the man's soul.
Nightmare creature... he thought grimly, but he couldn't show that he was aware of the elder's identity.
Smiling faintly, he looked down, seeing a plate with roasted meat on it and nodded. "Of course, enjoy, my lord."
After putting the wooden plate on the table, he turned around and left, his fingers shaking as sweat started pouring from his forehead, his heart beating wildly, as if struggling to escape from his chest.
Calm down... Let's think. I'm in some kind of castle and serving this old man who's also corrupted. I can't destroy the illusion yet or he'll be able to tell that I know who he is. I need to understand my position now and gather more information. Decryption wasn't enough because I practically know nothing about what's happening. I need some lead.
He nodded to himself, leaving the magnificent hall behind.
He used decryption to traverse the castle, going directly to his chambers. The door creaked open, the sound eerie, making his body tense as he stepped inside.
His room was as bleak as his appearance. There was only a bed, table and wardrobe. Like everywhere, there was nothing but darkness.
Hmm... That means the Nephilim is already killed. Now where am I in time? Before the dark city was built? Maybe the formation of the Starlight Legion or the era of the seven heroes when the tower is already built. Amon gulped, checking the room, until he found a diary.
His mouth slowly curled up into a relieved smile, brushing dust from it and taking a seat.
Opening the diary, he started reading but then he froze, hearing a rattling sound and soft breath at his ear, making him still in horror as an innocent, childish voice whispered in his ear.
"It's my turn to hide~"
Amon's head snapped back, his eyes widening but...
There was nothing. He swallowed hard, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Ba-thump! Ba-thump!
He felt a chilling sensation enveloping him as he stood up, checking his room all over again to see if there was anything or anyone he missed.
After finding nothing, he let out a tense breath, sitting once again and glanced at the diary.
[I'm so lucky to serve the Derian Family. They're all so warm and welcoming. Elder Hakrain is a bit disturbing, but he's actually so gentle, it's just his appearance that's a bit intimidating. Lady Ikrial feels like she's my mother. While their sons, Kraius and Tiraks are quite mischievous, even though they're older than me. But they're actually really good people, just a little playful for their ages.]
Hmm... What now? Amon bit his nail, his eyes sharpening in focus as he read the runes that were used as alphabet back in the forgotten shore.
That doesn't make sense... That Hakrain looked like he was in his eighties. Besides, he's a corrupted creature. Did he replace the real Hakrain? If so, that would be understandable.
He thought, resting his chin on his fist. Something about that lady irks me. There's something fishy here or my spirituality wouldn't react this way. And there are the boys. They seem too perfect as well from how this body described them.
Then he furrowed his brow, looking down thoughtfully. Wait a second... There's only the elder, lady, two boys and this body in this castle? Didn't this idiot find a problem with that? How can one person manage an entire castle? Besides... If the only ones here are them and I... Who does that childish girl's voice belong to?
There are too many unknowns. I need to find more clues. He grimaced, looking at the window. But do I really need to? I can just escape and leave the mysteries and everyone here behind. There's no need to resolve anything. I don't even care. It's not like I'm on a quest to figure out every mystery.
Nodding to himself, he stood up, walking to the window and took a deep breath, openi... Huh?
His eyes widened, pushing the window but it refused to open. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he summoned his ghostly stiletto, trying to pierce the glass but again... Nothing happened.
Amon felt chills crawl down his spine as he took a step back with a tight look. I can't leave... What the hell...
"Game's not over yet, hi-hi-hi~"
Amon turned around abruptly, his dagger raised and slashed... Nothing again? Now this is irritating... Where's that voice coming from?
He thought, but deep down, he was afraid. Amon could operate with maximum efficiency when he had support and information like in his first nightmare and the forgotten shore. He was confident of doing the impossible if he was aware of his situation, but right now, he was completely lost, with no knowledge and worse, he needed to hurry to regroup with his cohort, then find his child and Luna.
Anxiety was eating him from inside.
Shaking his head, he exhaled softly to continue reading the diary, but the only thing he found was:
"Play the game and find the next page~"
Amon watched the words blankly for some time, his expression slowly darkening in displeasure. It's the same girl... For some reason, she wants to play hide and seek with me. What is happening? What's the connection between this family and the girl? I don't understand.
He gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. Inhale, exhale... Remain cold and analytical, let's just think about this. First, I found myself in the body of this young man. He's serving this family. There are four: one elder, one woman and two young men in this family. I've only met the elder whose soul is filled with corruption. I have yet to meet the other three. I can't escape from the castle. There must be some kind of ability at play, most likely a conditional one. The diary is lost, so I need to find the pages and lastly... There's some kind of ghost in this castle. The ghost of a little girl.
Standing up, he rubbed his eyes, feeling that the tension was refusing to leave him.
Then he stilled, remaining motionless as he heard a door creak, slowly opening, a rotten stench saturating the room as candlelight flickered, turning weak.
Amon felt cold fingers of dread curling around his heart, his eyes wide open as his teeth started chattering from the unnatural chill, a sense of terror washing over his heart.
W-what the hell?
"Say~ thank you~ mother is checking up on you to see if you're fine~ Hi-hi-hi~"
Amon blinked as he heard the whisper. Soft, childish giggles swiftly faded away, as if afraid of 'mother' noticing that she wasn't in bed.
Calming his mind, he smiled cheerfully, as if nothing was wrong. The moment he calmed down, he felt the rotting smell disappearing slowly. As if his fear was exciting her, and the moment he entered in a state of clarity, where his heart was serene, she grew bored.
"Thank you!"
The door closed softly, leaving him alone as he let out the breath he was holding inside all this time, his body drenched in cold sweat as he looked down, his expression tense.
Immediately, he locked the door, checked everything once again and lay on the bed. With decryption, he figured out that if he went outside when it was time to sleep, something terrible would happen.
This... is really a nightmare.