As it turned out, the cohort had endured the fury of the heavens for almost an entire day. Before the storm had appeared, the night had still been far away, and now, it was already a new morning.
The colossus was steadily marching south, completely unshaken by his terrifying battle with the abyssal leviathan. Sunny was growing more and more certain that the ancient statue, while brought to a semblance of life by some unknown power, was not truly sentient.
The headless giant was more like an Echo than a living thing, but then even Echoes seemed to possess some remnants of a personality — at least his poor Scavenger had one. Quiet Dancer often behaved like a prudish and cantankerous young woman, too… no matter how strange it was to describe a flying rapier in that way.
Not to mention Shadows, who were much more alive than Sunny felt comfortable admitting.
Compared to all of them, the colossus seemed rather… lifeless.
Just what kind of a being was he?
Sprawled on the ground, Sunny glanced sideways and observed the Stone Saint, who was standing indifferently at the edge of the platform. He wondered what this living statue thought of her strange colossal sibling. Was she in awe of him or didn't care one way or another?
It was hard to tell. But then again, he was not in the mood to think too much right now.
Sunny was truly exhausted and hurting all over. Everyone was, really.
Despite the incredible achievement of surviving the onslaught of two entire tribes of Nightmare Creatures, the storm, and an encounter with an actual horror of the depths — or rather, because of it — the members of the cohort looked truly pathetic.
Each of them was either laying on the stone surface of the swaying platform or sitting with a lost look on their face. They were all wounded, tired, and wet.
Even Kai had lost his usual luster, and that alone screamed of how rough this recent hardship had been on them. Even when compared to the usual ruthless reality of the Forgotten Shore.
…Well, no matter. They had survived. More than that, if Sunny wasn't wrong, the stone giant had already brought them more than a thousand kilometers to the south. And by the evening, that number was going to double.
A quick way to travel across the Labyrinth, indeed. In two days, they were going to traverse ten times more ground than Sunny, Nephis and Cassie had managed in two months of their bloody journey to the Dark City. And they had only achieved that much thanks to the desperate decision to travel by boat.
Not bad, even if they had to endure a few hours of pure torture and a couple of near-death moments.
…Plus, the speed wasn't the only benefit that riding atop the ancient colossus had brought them.
With a subtly satisfied expression, Sunny listened to his body and smiled. Even without summoning the runes, he knew that he was once again at the same level as he had been before creating the Shadow Saint, and even above it.
But there was no harm in looking, right?
As the shimmering runes appeared in the air in front of him, Sunny found the familiar cluster… and blinked.
Shadow Fragments: [494/1000].
'This is… this is… what?'
Although he knew that the battle against giant locusts and ghastly flowers brought him a bountiful harvest of fragments, he was still astonished to see just how many he had gained. In the short span of time after Cassie had warned them about the coming storm and before the wall of darkness appeared on the horizon, Sunny managed to reap more than one hundred of them.
One hundred and thirty-two, to be exact.
'Incredible!'
Most came from the Blood Flowers. In a direct confrontation, Sunny would have never been able to kill that many, but yesterday, all he had to do was cause their hosts to plummet to the ground and let gravity do the rest. Between those sent to their deaths by the Prowling Thorn and those he had cut down with the Midnight Shard, about two dozen abominations had died by his hand.
…And another one by his blood, but Sunny didn't want to even think about that experience, ever again.
Each of the ghastly flowers was an awakened monster, bringing him four fragments per kill. With the addition af a dozen or so locusts slain by the Stone Saint, Sunny ended up with this mind-boggling windfall.
Not only did he return to his peak form, but he was now stronger by just shy of a hundred shadow fragments.
'All in a day's work…'
Still stunned, Sunny couldn't help but shake his head. If this continued, he was going to come close to fully saturating his Shadow Core by the end of this expedition.
…Which was one of the reasons he had joined it in the first place, but before today, his ambitious plans had been just a conjecture.
Now, they were becoming reality.
By accumulating a thousand fragments and saturating his core, Sunny was also going to learn yet another secret of his divine Aspect. What exactly was going to happen once the runes showed "Shadow Fragments: [1000/1000]"?
He was now almost halfway to finding out.
But even that wasn't all.
Looking at another cluster of runes, Sunny read:
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Prowling Thorn], [Endless Spring]...
And right after that, two new sets glimmered in the air:
...[Blood Blossom], [Dark Wing.]
'Two new Memories. Jackpot!'
The only thing that slightly ruined his exhilaration was the fact that, recently, Sunny was having trouble finding Memories that were actually useful to him. Of course, the Stone Saint had a ferocious appetite and could consume anything that he wasn't going to incorporate into his arsenal.
But simply feeding his spoils to the Shadow, while rewarding in its own way, was not as pleasant as acquiring a new powerful tool.
With a sense of cautious anticipation, Sunny concentrated on the new Memories.
'Well… let's take a look. Maybe it's something useful after all.'
Chapter 242: New Toys
Sunny decided to take a look at the Dark Wing first.
'Let's see what my Shadow brought me.'
He looked at the glimmering runes.
Memory: [Dark Wing].
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Tier: I.
Memory Type: Garment.
Memory Description: [This cloak is as light as a dragonfly's wing… and as durable.]
Sunny stared at the description, his eyes twitching.
'Cloak? Another damn cloak?! And what does the Spell mean, as durable as a bug's wing? Those aren't durable at all!'
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down and read at the runes again.
'Well… maybe it has an incredible enchantment.'
Memory Enchantments: [Glide].
Enchantment Description: [Allows one to levitate slightly above the ground and slowly move in any direction, or glide down softly from any height.]
Sunny frowned slightly, thinking about whether that Memory could be useful. Then, he dove into the Soul Sea and summoned the sphere of light containing the Dark Wing to take a look at its spellweave.
The descriptions provided by the Spell were not always very informative. It was better to study the thing himself.
At first glance, the ability to fly was nothing short of incredible. Amazing, even! Sunny had heard that there were Memories that gave their owners literal wings, but never expected to encounter one before becoming an Awakened, or even a Master. However, their usefulness differed from case to case.
There were questions of height, speed, and control. No Memory could have given someone the ability to fly as fast and as unrestrained as Kai could. But some came close…
However, as far as these Memories went, Dark Wing turned out to be of the lowest standard. It seemed that it only allowed a person to levitate or hover a couple of meters above ground and move with a very, very modest speed.
Sunny could achieve pretty much everything that such an ability provided with the help of the Prowling Thorn and its invisible string — and do it better, too. Of course, he couldn't fight while using the kunai to swing around on the string. In that regard, this new Memory was better.
However, after imagining himself fighting while using the Dark Wing to hover above ground or even worse glide in the sky, Sunny shuddered.
The beautiful transparent cloak indeed looked like a pair of dragonfly's wings. It was extremely thin a brittle. The slightest strike would rip it apart, causing the wielder to plummet down. So, unless Sunny wanted to die, using this Memory in a battle was out of the question.
In short, it had little utility value compared to the Prowling Thorn and couldn't be used for aerial fights.
Sunny glanced at the Stone Saint.
'Should I feed it to her?'
But after thinking about it for a couple more seconds, he shook his head.
No, despite all its flaws, the Dark Wing was still a real boon. The ability to glide alone was priceless. With it, he did not need to be afraid of falling down from deadly heights.
Like from the height of an ancient walking colossus, for example.
'...I'm keeping it.'
The thing would only give his Shadow one fragment, anyway.
Looking up, Sunny noticed a transparent cloak that looked like a pair of dragonfly wings suddenly appear on Cassie's shoulders. The sunlight refracted through it, making the wings glimmer slightly with all the colors of the rainbow.
With an expression of wonder on her face, the blind girl made the wings move. A moment later, they disappeared into a blur, and Cassie suddenly hovered a few centimeters above the ground. She giggled.
…So, the Quiet Dancer had earned her the same Memory his Shadow had earned him. This was good. While the weak levitation ability was mostly useless to Sunny, to the blind girl, it would be of tremendous help. The terrain of the Forgotten Shore was often uneven and treacherous, so being able to float above it was a true gift for someone who could not see.
Sunny smiled softly and looked away.
'It's nice that she still knows how to laugh.'
A moment later, his expression darkened. Closing his eyes, Sunny sighed heavily and turned his attention to the second Memory he had gotten.
'Don't think about it.'
Memory: [Blood Blossom.]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Tier: II.
Memory Type: Charm.
Sunny's heart skipped a bit. Charms were a rare type of Memories that took the form of a small accessory — most often an amulet or a talisman. Unlike weapons, armor and tools, they obviously had no practical value. However, charms made up for it by possessing unique and powerful enchantments.
Among the elite Awakened, these were the Memories everyone hunted for the most.
…And now he got one!
'Please be good, please be good…'
Memory Description: [No matter how much blood was spilled, her hunger only grew.]
Sunny blinked.
'...Creepy.'
Memory Enchantments: [Flower of Evil.]
Enchantment Description: [This beautiful charm imbues all Memories and Echoes of its wielder…]
As Sunny read the description, the runes suddenly changed right before his eyes. After a moment, a new one appeared between them:
[This beautiful charm imbues all Memories, Echoes, and Shadows of its wielder with an unquenching thirst for blood. They receive an overall enhancement when used against a bleeding foe, and grow more powerful the more their prey bleeds.]
Not even paying attention to the way the Spell changed the runes on the fly, Sunny froze.
'Aura… it's an aura enchantment.'
Aura enchantments were an extremely rare thing. Unlike the usual enchantments, they affected not only the wielder, but everything that fit their target criteria in a certain radius.
…No need to mention how precious such things were. And Sunny didn't just get an aura charm, but also one that provided a comprehensive augmentation to the power of all — all! — his Memories, Echoes and Shadows, as long as his enemy bled.
And the more they bled, the stronger that augmentation would grow.
"Beautiful…"
Sunny was so stunned that he accidentally whispered that word out loud.
A moment later, he suddenly shuddered and quickly glanced around to make sure that Effie wasn't anywhere near him when he had said it.
To his relief, the huntress was on the opposite side of the platform, working on the map of the Forgotten Shore.
Sunny exhaled and furtively wiped the sweat off his forehead.
'Phew. That was close!"
Then, a wide grin slowly appeared on his face. With a satisfied sigh, he rested his head on the stone and thought:
'Sorry, Saint. Today, you shall remain hungry…'
Chapter 243: Fangs of a Dragon
By the middle of their second day of traveling through the Labyrinth atop the ancient colossus, an ominous dark line appeared on the horizon. With every minute, it slowly grew closer. Pretty soon, Sunny was able to tell that they were headed toward a vast mountain chain.
The mountains seemed to serve as a border between the Forgotten Shore and the rest of the Dream Realm. They were tall and jagged, piercing the skies like the fangs of a giant dragon. Their distant peaks were covered in pristine white snow and wrapped in a veil of mist that streamed into the ravines and onto the ridges below.
This was the place where the first lord of the Castle had disappeared all those years ago, as well as the goal of their own perilous journey.
As the stone giant came closer to the mountains, Sunny finally understood just how tall, magnificent, and imposing they were. Even the colossus himself looked like a tiny ant in front of these towering peaks. It was hard not to feel small and insignificant in their oppressive shadow.
Slowly, the terrain of the Labyrinth began to rise. The mounds of coral grew smaller, the distance between them increased, until finally there were as much black soil and stone outcroppings visible beneath as there were islands of vivid crimson. Finally, the blades of coral became scarce.
It was as though the Labyrinth was reluctant to approach the foothills of the misty mountains... or simply unable to.
As the gargantuan statue approached the border of the crimson forest, its steps slowed. The colossus seemed to be struggling to move any further. His body was slightly bent, as if he was fighting against strong wind or some invisible force that was relentlessly pulling him back into the Labyrinth.
Even his prodigious might was not enough to defeat the pull of the ancient curse.
Finally, the stone giant staggered and stopped.
This was the moment they were waiting for.
Caster, Effie and Nephis were already climbing down, while Sunny, Cassie and Kai stood at the edge of the circular platform.
Looking down, Sunny sighed and glanced at the charming archer.
"If this doesn't work, you're going to catch me, right?"
Kai raised his elegant eyebrows, then smile at him dazzlingly.
"Why, of course. It would be my pleasure!"
Sunny's eye twitched. Shaking his head, he summoned the Dark Wing and turned away. Immediately, a cloak in the shape of two transparent wings appeared on his back.
If there was one thing calming Sunny down, it was that his shadow was already on the ground. He had sent it down in advance to scout out the landing zone and make sure that nothing was waiting for the members of the cohort below.
The Stone Saint was now standing there, looking like a tiny black dot from the height of the ancient statue's neck.
'No sense in prolonging this.'
Gritting his teeth, Sunny commanded the Dark Wing to raise him above ground… and stepped into emptiness.
For a moment, he was consumed by primal fear. But then Sunny felt that instead of plummeting down to shatter on the rocks, his body was smoothly gliding through the air.
He was still losing altitude, but at a safe and pleasant pace. Two transparent wings had turned into a blur behind his back.
Actually, this feeling was… exhilarating.
Trying to keep a wide smile from appearing on his face, Sunny reminded himself how brittle his wings were and tried to control the direction of his descent.
All it took was a slight shift of his posture and a mental command to the Dark Wing. Soon, Sunny was gliding down in a wide spiral, enjoying the feeling of wind whistling in his ears.
'It's a shame that others can't experience this.'
Initially, he was planning to take Effie on the ride of her life. With Kai and Cassie carrying the other two members of the cohort, reaching the ground would have been really easy. However, after a little bit of experimentation, they had found out that Memories left behind by the terrible locusts couldn't carry too much weight.
Even supporting Sunny himself was already close to the Dark Wing's limit.
So he got to enjoy this pleasant feeling of weightlessness all by himself.
After a few minutes of smooth gliding, Sunny softly landed near the Stone Saint and looked up. Kai and Cassie were right behind him, and slightly above, already reaching the knees of the colossus, were the other three members of the cohort.
'...This Memory might be better than I gave it credit for. Still not usable in a battle, but very handy nevertheless.'
Soon, they were all reunited in the shadow of the ancient statue.
A few moments later, the colossus trembled. Slowly, it turned around and took a giant step. The ground trembled as his feet landed on it.
The six humans stood silently, watching the ancient statue walk away. It was heading east, moving parallel to the impregnable wall of the draconian mountains. Sunny suspected that the stone giant had walked all around the Forgotten Shore thousands of times, and now was at the start — or the end — of another loop.
The Stone Saint was watching the headless giant walk away, too. Sunny glanced at her, wondering once again if his Shadow felt something toward this enormous creature.
He got a strange sensation that she did.
However, it wasn't awe as Sunny had suspected. If anything, the hint of emotion hiding deep in the ruby eyes of the Stone Saint was that of… disdain.
'...Curious.'
Back at the ruined cathedral, Sunny had noticed that the Black Knight's armor bore a visible resemblance to that of his taciturn Shadow. However, it didn't seem as though both came from the same source. It was more like the armor of the Fallen Devil was derived from that of the living statues.
Almost as if someone had tried to replicate their armaments, but only managed to create a lesser facsimile.
Was the stone giant the same? A failed attempt at repeating the same miraculous act of creation that had put a spark of true life into the Stone Saint and her brethren?
There was no way to know. But still, Suny couldn't help but wonder…
Soon, the ground stopped trembling and the figure of the mechanically marching colossus disappeared into the grey fog. A few moments later, Nephis sighed at turned around to face the mountains.
It was time to find a place to spend the night.
Tomorrow morning, they were going to start their search for the lost expedition.
Chapter 244: Death Zone
This high into the foothills of the mountains, they didn't have to look long for a suitable shelter. In fact, they could have simply camped in the open.
The dark sea couldn't get to them anymore.
As the night descended and enveloped the world in the familiar veil of absolute darkness, Sunny volunteered to be the first one to stand watch. Gazing down the sloping surface of the rocky ground, he watched as the black water slowly rose from the distant crimson forest of the Labyrinth.
It crawled up the steep slope of the foothills, straining to devour as much of them as it could, but then stopped hundreds of meters away from the place where the cohort had made their camp and swayed gently, unable to move any further.
Just like the headless colossus had not been able to.
Looking at the powerless waves, Sunny finally allowed himself to believe that they were now outside of the Forgotten Shore.
Or, more precisely, at the very edge of it. In any case, the cursed sea was no longer a threat to them.
'How strange.'
Sunny had grown accustomed to living in the constant fear of this transient abyss. Even in the Dark City, he was constantly aware of its oppressive presence. No one was free of the frightening thoughts about what would happen if the seemingly unassailable wall of the city finally gave in and fell, opening the way to the flood of darkness.
But now, they were safe from it.
…For now.
With a sigh, Sunny summoned the Blood Blossom. An intricate pendant in the shape of a beautiful red flower soon appeared, hanging on a black thread around his neck. He admired it for a few short moments, and then hid the charm under his armor.
It was better to be safe than sorry. Relaxing now was not the brightest of ideas.
Yes, the dangers of the dark sea were now behind them. But he was ready to bet that actually escaping the clutches of the Forgotten Shore was not going to be that easy.
And who said that the place beyond this desolate hell was any better? With his luck, it was only going to be worse.
Consumed in thought, Sunny stared at the dark sea and waited.
***
In the morning, the members of the cohort prepared to start the search. But before they could get to it, Nephis suddenly stopped them and peered at the towering peaks that loomed above in a veil of mist.
There was a dark expression on her face.
After a while, Changing Star suddenly kneeled and picked up a large rock. Straining her muscles, she crushed it in her fist and then looked at the shards with an inquisitive look.
Finally, she threw the shattered pieces away and sighed.
A few seconds later, Nephis spoke in a heavy tone:
"...I know where we are."
What was that supposed to mean?
Echoing his thought, Effie scoffed.
"We all know where we are, princess. The southern edge of the Forgotten Shore, about two thousand kilometers away from the Dark City. No?"
Nephis shook her head and stood up.
"I mean I know where we are in the Dream Realm."
Everyone froze.
"What… what did you just say?"
The members of the cohort stared at her with their eyes opened wide. The words Changing Star had said hit them like a bolt of lightning.
She pointed at the draconian peaks and said, her voice even:
"We are north of the Hollow Mountains. I am sure of it."
'Hollow… mountains?'
The name rang a bell, but Sunny couldn't quite put his finger on where exactly he had heard it. Glancing at the other members of the cohort, he noticed that everyone shared the same expression — except for Caster, who seemed to know something. His face grew pale.
Nephis lingered for a few moments, and then explained:
"Human sphere of influence in the Dream Realms is not very large, but it has been slowly expanding for the last thirty years. There are three great Citadels, the most prosperous of which, Bastion, is ruled by the noble scions of the Valor clan. And numerous lesser ones."
Then, she grimaced.
"For a time, the allies and vassals of Clan Valor used to conquer one lesser Citadel after another, expanding human territory far into the north. But then their expansion in that direction stalled. Because they encountered Hollow Mountains."
'Oh… right. I think I heard that from teacher Julius. The northern border of the human territory is a wild place.'
Sunny frowned.
"Are these… Hollow Mountains very dangerous?"
Changing Star gritted her teeth.
"As dangerous as it gets. Actually, beyond that. The mountain chain stretches for thousands of kilometers, forming a whole region of its own. It is marked as a death zone. Even Saints don't come back from there alive."
Sunny shivered. Death zones were regions of the Dream Realm populated by Nightmare Creatures of the three highest ranks — Great, Cursed, and Unholy.
Since no human had survived the Fourth Nightmare yet, facing even the weakest of them was a death sentence to anyone below the Saint rank, and even Saints had only a slight chance of prevailing against a Great creature… let alone a Cursed one.
Somehow, Sunny managed to become one of the few people alive to slay a Great Devil. But he had only survived that encounter by pure luck — if not for his weird trait of possessing a Shadow Core instead of a Soul Core, the unborn spawn of the Vile Thieving Bird would have stolen his life force and killed him on the spot.
…And if Nephis was right, the Hollow Mountains were populated by many creatures of that caliber and higher.
Sunny sighed.
"So what you're telling us is that this place is even worse than the Forgotten Shore?"
Without having to say anything, Nephis simply nodded.
He smiled.
"Figures."
He had been right after all. Escaping the Forgotten Shore was simply impossible.
The only way out lay in the cursed Crimson Spire, and that…
That was where they were headed, whether he wanted to or not.
With a dark expression on his face, Sunny stared at the jagged peaks of the Hollow Mountains and said:
"So… we are going there?"
Nephis lingered for a few moments, and then answered calmly:
"Let's hope not. We only need to get as far as the First Lord had gotten. That… that should be close to where we are right now."
Sunny looked at her and nodded.
"In that case, let's not waste any time. The sooner we return into the Labyrinth, the better."
'Gee. I never thought I would be impatient to return to that damned hellhole. You just never know what the future holds, huh?'
Chapter 245: Theatre of Giants
Armed with the understanding of just how dangerous the beautiful mountains towering above them were, the cohort set out deeper into the foothills. Because they didn't know much about the area and what type of creatures populated it, they decided to stay together.
While it would have been much easier to send Kai to take a look around from above, no one wanted to take this risk. As the result, the six humans moved in a tight group, much like they had on the narrow streets of the Dark City and in the Labyrinth.
…However, the landscape around them was vastly different. There were no growths of crimson coral covering the ground, just grass and outcroppings of grey rock. It almost felt like they were back on Earth.
Strangely, that made Sunny feel uncomfortable. Looking around, he could see far in every direction, with no walls of coral or ancient, ruined buildings obscuring his view. That made it harder for the Nightmare Creatures to ambush the cohort, but also impossible for the cohort to hide from anything that could have been watching.
'That is true, but… where are all the monsters?'
Indeed, no matter how hard Sunny looked, he couldn't see any movement whatsoever. It was as if the entire area was completely dead. They were surrounded by complete silence, which was broken only when a member of the cohort made a sound.
The picturesque scenery could have been peaceful, but felt eerie instead. Even Sunny's shadow seemed uncharacteristically listless.
Full of unease, they continued to move forward.
The plan was very simple. Because of Cassie's vision, they knew that the First Lord and his companions had traveled to the mountains the same way that they did, or at least followed the same route. That meant that both cohorts entered the foothills at approximately the same spot.
The other thing Cassie had told them was that they were searching for a vast pit in the stone. It was hard to miss something like that, so all they had to do was to move deeper into the foothills and look around.
The ground beneath their feet gently sloped upward. As time passed, it grew more and more rocky, and the incline became rather steep. Soon, they were surrounded by tall boulders and had to walk on bare stone.
At some point, Sunny looked back and was surprised to realize how high above the labyrinth they had climbed. By now, it was far away and below them, looking like a vast crimson sea.
A strange sensation settled in his heart. With a bit of introspection, Sunny realized that it was something he had lost a long time ago.
The feeling of being connected to the rest of humanity.
Even though all of them understood that crossing the Hollow Mountains was an impossible task, simply knowing where they were in relation to the rest of the Awakened made all the difference.
They might have been just as stranded as they had been before… but at least they weren't lost anymore.
'What a nice, but useless thought.'
With a sigh, he turned around and hurried to catch up with the rest of the cohort.
The sun was still high in the sky when they found the pit Cassie had described. It was situated in a valley just at the point where the foothills turned into proper mountains, and turned out to be something different from what everyone had imagined.
Disturbingly, throughout the whole day, they had not met a single living thing. In any other circumstances, Sunny would have been glad because of this strange lack of Nightmare Creatures, but now it was just making him nervous.
Standing at the edge of it, he looked down with a feeling of awe.
Cut into the flesh of the mountains, a vast quarry lay below them. Despite its incredible scale, it was clearly made by humans. A road clinging to the slope of the circular pit led to the bottom of it, wide enough for ten carriages to ride side by side.
At the far end of the quarry, the grey slope of the mountain was cut and hollowed, creating something that resembled either colossal steps or seats of an amphitheater built for giants. Here and there, massive blocks of stone stood, as though ready to be transported back to the ancient city.
Sunny studied the monolithic blocks of grey stone, then the size of the deep quarry. Something connected in his mind.
'So… so this is where the materials for the mighty wall of the Dark City had come from.'
He was certain of it. To think that the ancient inhabitants of the Forgotten Shore had transported all that stone from this far away… the thought of it was nothing short of humbling.
Effie, meanwhile, was staring at something with a tense look on her face. Suddenly. she pointed to the center of the deep quarry and said:
"Over there, look."
Following her gaze, Sunny strained his eyes. For a couple of moments, he couldn't understand what the huntress was talking about, but then his heart skipped a bit.
At the bottom of the quarry, there was a giant Nightmare Creature.
The abomination was enormous, easily twice the size of the Carapace Demon… who had already been as tall as a house. It looked like a strange insect, somewhat resembling a weird mix of a rhinoceros beetle and a praying mantis, with a smooth carapace, massive horn, and deadly blades attached to the joints of its limbs.
The whole creature seemed to be made out of stone and was the same color as the floor of the quarry. In fact, if not for Effie's warning, Sunny might have not even noticed it.
…That flesh, however, was broken and shattered, lying in piles on the ground.
The giant stone demon was dead.
And from the looks of it, it died by a human hand.
Sunny turned to Nephis and hesitated for a moment.
"What do you think? Those are sword cuts, aren't they?"
Changing Star was silent for a bit, and then said in a dark tone:
"It's hard to tell. We'll need to get closer to take a proper look."
Chapter 246: lrrefutable Proof
Ready for the worst, the cohort summoned their weapons and slowly moved down the wide road that lead to the bottom of the quarry. From reaching the foothills of the Hollow Mountains till now, they had not met a single Nightmare Creature... but that was not a reason to lower their guard.
Walking on the ancient path, all of them couldn't help but steal glances at the corpse of the giant stone demon, as though expecting it to come back to life and attack them at any moment.
If living on the Forgotten Shore had taught him anything, it was to always expect the worst.
Some time later, Effie spoke:
"See those deep fractures on the floor of the quarry? I think that this thing had burrowed from below. So watch your step."
Remembering his encounter with the Rolling Stone, Sunny looked down with a sour expression. That clumsy creature was more funny than dangerous, but only because its teeth were vastly outclassed by the Puppeteer's Shroud. If something with more bite were to ambush them from below, who knew what was going to happen?
With a simple thought, Sunny summoned the Stone Saint and ordered her to keep close. The taciturn monster stared at the tall peaks of the Hollow Mountains for a few moments, as though subtly affected by the sight of them. Then, she lowered her head and silently followed his command.
After tense and exhausting half an hour of descending into the deep pit, the cohort finally got close to the remains of the giant stone insect. Cautiously stopping a few dozen meters away from it, they hesitated, not sure how to proceed.
Finally, Nephis sighed and walked forward, approaching the shattered body of the dead demon. If that was what it had been… or was.
As their leader came close enough to the carcass to touch it with her hand, all of them held their breaths.
A few seconds went by, then a few more. Nothing jumped at Changing Star from below the stones. The giant creature had not moved, nor had it shown any signs of coming back to life. The demon just lay there, its body shattered and broken, terrifying even in death.
And it indeed was truly, really dead.
Glancing at the indifferent Saint, Sunny let out a sigh of relief.
Even though he was prepared for a tough battle, he hoped that this time, they would be able to avoid it. The members of the cohort had yet to fully recover from the harrowing journey atop the walking colossus, so they weren't in the best of shapes.
Well, at least Sunny was not, partially because he had refused Neph's offer to vanquish his wounds with her purifying flame. They were healing fast thanks to the Blood Weave and the five hundred shadow fragment… almost… that he had accumulated, but his body was yet to fully recover.
Turning her head, Nephis looked at them and said:
"Come closer."
Encouraged by her words, the members of the cohort finally put their caution to rest and walked over to the dead creature.
Of course, they were still prepared to instantly react in case something unexpected happened.
The six of them spent a few minutes studying the remains to determine whether the terrible creature was killed by a human or something of its own kind.
Sunny glanced at the tall mountains and spent a few seconds watching as the white mist rolled down from their peaks, flowing down the jagged slopes like a waterfall made of clouds.
'...How beautiful.'
With a sigh, he turned away from the wall of mist that was still some distance away from the valley where the quarry was situated and concentrated on the corpse of the stone demon.
Whatever had killed it was not something Sunny would wish to meet in a battle. The flesh of the creature was, indeed, made of stone. That had not stopped the fearsome attackers, however. The carapace of the giant granite abomination was shattered in many places, and melted in others.
…But mostly, it was cut and pierced.
Apart from a few enormous wounds, there were numerous smaller ones, many of them looking as though they could have come from a sword, an axe, or a spear. And yet, he wasn't sure. Sunny was not really an expert in such things.
However, he was an expert in all things having to do with greed and avarice.
Instead of focusing on the nature of the damage done to the giant abomination, Sunny walked around and found its abdomen, which was damaged especially severely. With a reluctant sigh, he climbed atop the stone corpse… and then inside of it.
The other members of the cohort stared at him with expressions ranging from surprise to revulsion.
A couple of minutes later, Sunny climbed out of the dead demon and shook off stone dust from his armor and hair. Then, he glanced at his companions and frowned.
"What?"
Kai stared at him with a complicated expression, and then asked:
"Sunny? Ah, do you want to tell us something?"
Sunny gave him a nod and grinned.
"I do, actually. This thing was indeed killed by a human."
The charming archer raised an eyebrow and asked in a dubious tone:
"Really? How do you know?"
Sunny jumped down and shrugged.
"The Soul Shards are missing."
A few moments later, an expression of understanding appeared on Kai's face.
Indeed, most Nightmare Creatures had no use for the soul shards. Just like humans, who directly absorbed soul essence after killing one of their own kind, they fed from the kill itself as opposed to the act of retrieving and crushing the remnants of broken soul cores.
…If they weren't bizarre terrors like the Soul Devourer, of course. But the chances of encountering another one of those here were rather low.
It was reasonable to assume that the soul shards were removed by humans.
His discovery was solid enough proof of the fact that it was indeed the First Lord's cohort that had battled and slain the terrifying creature.
They had really found the signs of the lost expedition.
But there was another proof for this conclusion, this one irrefutable.
Nephis, who had wandered away from the remains of the demon at some point, suddenly called them over.
The members of the cohort glanced at each other, then slowly approached her, trying to understand what was it that she had found.
Changing Star was standing near one of the piles of rocks that were littering the ground around the body of the dead creature, looking at it with a solemn expression. Most of them came from its shattered carapace, while some were created because the floor of the quarry was broken apart and churned during the ferocious battle.
Why was Nephis so interested in that one in particular?
Looking closer, Sunny suddenly realized that this pile of rocks was different from all others. It was lower, roughly oval in shape, its contour too perfect to be the result of a pure coincidence.
It seemed as though each rock was painstakingly placed here by a human hand, perhaps in hopes to make the pile as orderly and sturdy as possible.
Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down Sunny's spine. He finally realized what he was looking at.
This was not really a pile of rocks.
It was a grave.
Chapter 247: The Mist
Standing around the cairn, the members of the cohort looked at it with somber expressions — except for Cassie, who turned away and faced the mountainside, as though trying to hide her emotions.
Now that they knew what they were looking at, their mood suddenly became forlorn and solemn. People stranded on the Forgotten Shore were well acquainted with death and tragedy, but finding this lonely grave so far away from any place where another human could find it, lost under the alien grey sky of the Dream Realm, was still a poignant revelation.
None of them had ever met the Dreamers of the first cohort, but after living in the shadow of their legendary achievements and hearing stories of their deeds for so long, it felt as though this grave belonged to one of their own.
Because of how bleak and tense the reality of the Bright Castle was, it was easy to forget that in this cursed world, all of them were fellow humans. But in front of the quiet grave, the truth was stark and cutting: it was them alone against the endless tide of Nightmare Creatures, and every human life lost diminished them all.
Sunny sighed and noticed that there were words carved into one of the stones placed on top of the cairn. It took him a while to make sense of the inscription, because it wasn't written with the runes he had grown accustomed to. Instead, it was written in simple letters of the human language, which looked strange and alien in this forsaken land.
Cut into the stone by unknown means, a single sentence was left behind on the otherwise unmarked grave.
"Her nightmare is over"
With a heavy heart, Sunny silently repeated it several times. It was strange how much meaning could be expressed with so few words. They echoed in his mind and lingered there, leaving a deep and mournful mark.
'...Rest in peace, whoever you are. I... I hope that your dreams are sweet and serene now.'
With that, he turned away and gritted his teeth.
When would their own nightmares be over?
The other members of the cohort were slowly coming back from their sudden reverie. Kai sighed and looked at Changing Star, his face full of sadness.
"I guess… I guess this is what we've been looking for. The First Lord and his expedition definitely passed this way. But what now?"
Nephis threw a last glance at the grave and turned to face the charming archer.
"There should be an entrance to an old mine somewhere nearby. From what Cassie had seen, this is where they went."
Sunny frowned. Something in what she said made him uneasy. But why?
Turning his head, he looked at Cassie, who was still silently standing a few steps away from them, her head turned to the mountains. It seemed as though the blind girl was enjoying the sight of white mist that was flowing down the mountain slope, slowly approaching the valley.
She had been awfully quiet all this time.
With an ominous feeling suddenly gripping his heart, Sunny gestured to Nephis to draw her attention. Changing Star frowned, then followed his gaze and slightly changed in the face.
Walking over to her friend, she carefully placed her hand on the blind girl's shoulder. Instantly, Cassie flinched at turned around, her face pale.
"...Cassie? Did you see something?"
There was an expression of terror written on the blind girl's face. For a few moments, she just breathed heavily, as though trying to control herself. Finally, she spoke, her voice quiet but steady:
"The mist... we must get underground before the mist comes. If not, all of us will die!"
Nephis didn't waste any time questioning Cassie further. Turning around, she shouted:
"Sunny, Night! Find the entrance to the mine, quick!"
A moment later, Kai rose into the air and dashed toward the giant amphitheater on the opposite side of the quarry. Sunny did not hesitate, too: his shadow detached from his feet and glided away with startling speed.
Despite the urgency of the situation, he remained calm.
'So… I guess there is a reason why we haven't met a single living creature in this place, after all.'
Sunny had expected something like this to happen from the very moment they entered the foothills of the Hollow Mountains. Even before learning about how dangerous these peaks were, he had already known that no land that the crimson coral was incapable of growing on could be safe.
"Caster, Effie! Prepare to move as soon as the scouts find anything!"
Glancing at the white wall of mist that was already starting to seep into the valley, Nephis lingered for a moment, then summoned her sword. Behind her, Cassie rose slightly above the ground and unsheathed the Quiet Dancer, holding the elegant rapier in her left hand.
Two transparent wings turned into a blur behind her back.
Looking at them, Sunny sighed and walked over to stand near the Stone Saint. His mind was preoccupied with perceiving the world through the shadow. Then, he closed his eyes to concentrate on his other senses.
The shadow and Kai found the entrance to the mine almost simultaneously. A tall archway was cut right into the side of the mountain, with false columns carved into the rock around it. The mouth of the tunnel was dark and ominous.
There was a twisting path leading away from the mine into the quarry. Sunny couldn't see where it exited the maze of stone blocks, but was sure that Kai would see it from above.
Opening his eyes, he noticed that the wall of mist was now looming above them, mere seconds from falling down into the quarry, and said:
"Follow me!"
With that, he ran toward the general direction of where the mine was situated. The others ran behind him, exerting as much speed as they could manage — except for Caster, of course.
Halfway to the wall of the quarry, Kai landed near them and gestured to a barely visible opening between the stone steps.
"There! Hurry!"
They entered the hidden path and ran as fast as they could, soon approaching the wide tunnel.
At the very edge of darkness, Sunny stopped for a second and looked back at the swiftly approaching wall of mist.
As he gazed into the milky fog, a cold and heavy feeling of dread suddenly grasped his heart.
Not wasting any more time, he turned around and dove into the shadows.
A few moments later, the mist swirled around the entrance of the tunnel and devoured the rest of the world.
Chapter 248: Those Who Survived
Leaving the mouth of the tunnel and the swirling white mist behind, the cohort cautiously went further into the darkness. As they walked, they summoned the Memories that produced light to illuminate the way.
The tunnel leading into the mine was wide and spacious. Despite the ruthless flow of time, it had remained in perfect condition — just like the ancient wall that surrounded the Dark City. The floor was inclined and led down, deep into the belly of the mountain.
Sunny sighed, not happy with the idea that they had to travel further into this deadly region of the Dream Realm. Who knew what horrors lived in the darkness at the roots of the Hollow Mountains? The only thing that consoled him was that, with some luck, the cohort wouldn't have to go too far.
They just had to find the remains of the doomed expedition that had disappeared somewhere down below. He wasn't entirely comfortable hoping that those people had died sooner rather than later, but they were dead either way.
What Sunny cared about the most was for him and his companions to not follow suit.
Walking at the back of the party, he glanced at the five people in front of him.
How did Changing Star's cohort stacked against that of the First Lord? Were they weaker, stronger, or just about the same?
His brow furrowed.
Regarding Nephis herself, he doubted that the young man who had led a group of Sleepers to conquer the Bright Castle could have been more powerful or driven than her, at least not at the start. However, he had much more time to accumulate power and resources before venturing into the Hollow Mountains to find his death.
Fifteen years ago, when he had entered the Dream Realm and got stranded on the Forgotten Shore, things were much different from now. The Immortal Flame clan was yet to fall, for one. In fact, it was not long after Broken Sword, Neph's father, had become the first human to conquer the Third Nightmare and achieve the rank of Saint.
Would the world be different if the First Lord managed to find the way out and returned to reality? Yes, most likely. If the era of the Nightmare Spell had shown anything to humanity, it was that history was often changed by individuals, as opposed to events and invisible currents. The influence one extraordinary person could exert on history in a time of adversity was hard to deny.
From everything that Sunny knew about the First Lord, a man like him could have done a lot to improve the position humanity was in. What a shame that he had perished in this godforsaken hell, the story of his incredible deeds known only to a handful of people as unfortunate as him.
But how many were there of such brilliant youths, killed before their time by the Nightmare Spell?
In the end, history was not written by the best, but by those who survived.
Glancing at the people walking in front of him, Sunny couldn't help but think:
'How many of us will survive?'
Each member of the cohort was incredibly strong. Just like Nephis was at least an equal to the First Lord, her companions were most likely equal to his.
Because of Effie's light-hearted and carefree demeanor, it was easy to forget how fearsome of a warrior she was. The huntress had not survived three years of stalking monsters on the cursed streets of the Dark City alone by accident. Hundreds upon hundreds of vicious Nightmare Creatures fell by her hand.
As much as Sunny hated to admit it, Caster was a true powerhouse among the Sleepers, too. His incredible Aspect Ability, outstanding skill, cold intelligence and the wide arsenal of inherited Memories made him a deadly threat to anyone foolish enough to become his enemy.
Kai was not as ferocious of a fighter as the core members of the cohort, but his ability to fly coupled with the mastery of the bow and the Ascended arrow that Sunny had sold him made him a real menace in a battle, too.
Cassie was not much of a fighter, but her gift was arguably more important than any combat Aspect Ability could ever be. Especially so on the Forgotten Shore, where inconceivable dangers lurked under each rock.
…And then there was Sunny himself.
Sunny was, perhaps, the deadliest of them all. If he wanted to, he could have killed every member of the cohort twice over.
With the exception of Nephis himself, of course.
If the two of them had to face each other in battle, he didn't count his chances too high.
…At least for now.
***
As they walked deeper into the mine, there were more tunnels forking away from the main one. The cohort turned a few times, choosing the path that led further down underground.
Soon, the walls surrounding them changed. More and more, they were decorated with the intricate stone carving that the inhabitants of the ancient city had loved so much.
At first, these carvings were strictly decorative and mostly senseless, shaped into beautiful patterns of lines and simple images. But then, slowly, something about them changed.
Sunny was, perhaps, the only one who paid attention to the carvings. Due to his passion for learning the history of this ancient civilization, he had spent a lot of time doing the same back in the Dark City, where there were a lot of similar things.
He was still planning to clear the floor of the ruined library of rubble and study the vast fresco that was hidden beneath — the project he had been working on before the events of these recent weeks had taken him away.
However, the condition of the carvings back in the ancient city was mostly terrible. The unknown disaster that had wiped out its inhabitants, the passage of time, and the Nightmare Creatures left most of them in ruins.
Here in the remote mine, however, the carvings were preserved in pristine condition.
When Sunny finally saw what was depicted on them, his breath became faster.
The answers to many questions that were tormenting him were right there, carved into these walls.
Chapter 249: Curse of Darkness
Depicted on the ancient engravings, a beautiful land was bathed in sunlight. Lush forests, glistening rivers, and fields of flowers surrounded human cities built of stone. From what Sunny could tell, this was the Forgotten Shore before the mysterious and terrifying curse had turned it into the desolate hell it was today.
In the next mural, the beautiful land rested under the sky that was full of stars. Suddenly, one of them fell to the ground, causing a wave of destruction to wash over the human cities. When people approached the center of the crater left behind by the falling star…
Sunny almost stumbled when he saw the next engraving. In it, a naked human figure was standing at the bottom of the crater, wreathed in light. The inhabitants of the stone cities were surrounding the radiant figure, dressed in archaic garments and armor.
The figure seemed beautiful and pure, as though untouched by the imperfections of the mundane world. What made Sunny lose his composure was not its beauty and not how eerily familiar the soft radiance emanated by its skin was, but...
Its face.
On it, three eyes were burning with pure, incandescent light. Two were just like that of a human, with the third one situated above the other ones, right in the middle of the creature's forehead.
…Just like that of the terrible skull that the walking colossus had shattered with his stone hammer in the middle of a raging storm.
'...What does it mean? What is this thing?'
To Sunny's dismay, the next engraving was heavily damaged. He couldn't discern anything of what was depicted on it.
However, the one after that was in almost perfect condition.
On it, the radiant figure was kneeling on the ground, its chest pierced by the spear of the tallest human among the inhabitants of the beautiful land. What flowed from the terrible wound, however, was not blood, but an endless flood of pure darkness.
'Why... why did they attack it? What happened?'
Left without an answer, Sunny walked forward and soon reached the next mural. He saw darkness devouring the humans gathered around the fatally wounded creature and spread. Soon, it devoured the crater left by the fallen star, too.
And then, it devoured the entire world.
"...The curse of all-consuming darkness," he whispered.
Finally, Sunny got a glimpse at the origin of the terrible disaster that had destroyed this land and turned it into a hellish nightmare. Although the details of it were still unclear, one of the mysteries he had been trying to solve now had an answer.
But the story told by the engravings was not yet over. Walking further into the ancient mine, Sunny learned of what had happened next.
As the darkness spread across the world, it reached the skies. The stars were either devoured by it or fell down, turning the sky into a terrible, lightless abyss.
The starless void.
The sun never rose above the cursed land again, leaving humans trembling in the cold. Soon, horrifying creatures came from the darkness to devour them. The best and the brightest of the ancient civilization took arms to defend their cities, and for a while, they were able to resist the tide of monsters.
…But then, humans themselves started to turn into abominable horrors.
At that point, Sunny felt a cold shiver running down his spine and couldn't help but tremble.
Not because he was affected by the tragic disaster that had befallen these ancient people.
But because it all seemed so terrifyingly familiar.
The details might not have been the same, but the end result was eerily similar to what was happening in the real world right now.
A curse that suddenly appeared and spread across the entire world. The horrible monsters that came from nowhere to attack settlements and devour humans. The champions who had taken charge of defending their kind from the abominable creatures. And the fact that some humans had begun turning into those creatures themselves.
Was it not the same as the Nightmare Spell spreading like a plague across the globe, the Nightmare Creatures coming through the Gates, the Awakened rising to fight against them, and the unfortunate soles who failed their First Nightmare transforming into monstrous abominations?
The only difference was that the story of the civilization of the Forgotten Shore was already over. Eventually, the curse had destroyed it. The people of his own world, however, were still trying to resist such fate.
But was it even possible to defeat fate? The inhabitants of the Forgotten Shore were proud and mighty. They were capable of building cities that stood for thousands of years and fighting against the most terrifying monsters on equal footing. And yet, in the end, they were utterly obliterated and wiped out. Their land had become a cursed desert.
Would the real world turn into a desolate hell like the Forgotten Shore too, one day?
With a dark expression on his face, Sunny turned away from the engraving he was staring at and walked away.
There were a few more left ahead, still.
On one of them, seven heroes came together from different parts of the dark land. Under their protection and guidance, people living in the darkness migrated from their half-destroyed cities and came to the shore of the vast crater. There, they built a new home for themselves, one surrounded by a mighty wall that no monster could scale or breach.
One of the heroes, a man depicted with a mason's hammer in his hand, was in charge of building the wall. Despite the fact that the part of the engraving depicting his face was damaged, it was unmistakably one of the seven founders of the Starlight Legion, the man whose statue had carried them across the Forgotten Shore.
In the second to last engraving, the mighty wall was finished, and the city was prospering amidst the darkness. The seven heroes stood at some distance from it, surrounding…
Sunny's eyes narrowed.
The seven heroes were surrounding an inconceivably tall tower. It loomed above them, connecting heaven and earth like the axis of the world. Despite its cyclopean height, the tower was still unfinished.
The Crimson Spire. Only it was not crimson yet, as there were no growths of cursed coral covering its walls.
On the last engraving, the tower was complete, and on top of it…
On top of it, a new sun was burning bright, bathing the land and the celebrating people in the light once again.
The darkness was gone.
Chapter 250: Defiant Oath
Sunny stared at the last engraving for a few moments, and then continued walking.
The revelations he had uncovered on the walls of the ancient mine gave him a lot to think about. The truth that he had been piecing together for a very long time was finally more complete than fragmented.
So, something had indeed fallen from the sky and put a start to the eventual destruction of this land. Sunny had suspected that this was the case for a while now, especially after witnessing the colossal impact crater that was situated between the Dark City and the Ashen Barrow.
At times, he had been almost ready to believe that it was really the result of the Vile Thieving Bird dropping the Weaver's eye "on the mortal realm below", as written in the description of the Lineage Memory he had consumed.
The Thieving Bird had gone mad after looking at the reflection of the -unknown- which was apparently forever frozen in the depths of Weaver's pupil. The madness and corruption that reigned over the Forgotten Shore were similar enough for him to draw a parallel.
However, now he knew that it had been an actual being that had fallen from the skies, wreathed in light and flame. A beautiful figure that emanated brilliant radiance and had three eyes on its terrible, perfect face.
Sunny didn't know what led the ancient humans to attack it, but they had killed the creature — perhaps managing such a feat only because it was already weakened by its fall from the heavens and the events that had sent it plummeting down.
But by doing so, they had unleashed the flood of darkness and caused the destruction of their land.
Sunny was under the impression that the annihilation of the ancient civilization had been instantaneous, but as it turned out, humans had continued to fight against the curse for a long time. Generations, even — that's why the founders of the Starlight Legion were described as being born in the all-consuming darkness.
He didn't know whether the monsters that came to feast on the human flesh had been contained within the body of the fallen being along with the ocean of darkness, or whether they were all humans corrupted by the curse — with those present at the moment of the creature's death becoming the most terrifying ones.
What he did know, however, was that the Starlight Legion had managed to push the monsters back and build an impregnable fortress for the humans under their protection. That fortress would later become the Dark City.
And then, the founders of the Legion had achieved something even more inconceivable. They had built the cyclopean Spire and somehow used it to…
To create an artificial star.
Yes, the sun shining above the Forgotten Shore was not real. It was, in fact, a human creation.
'...Speak about ambition.'
It was hard not to feel awe after learning that those seven madmen had actually managed to create a sun. They had made a defiant oath to return light to the cursed land and gone about it with terrifying resolve and sincerity.
The story depicted in the ancient engravings ended with a celebration. The forces of good had vanquished the curse of darkness and brought a new era of light and prosperity to the inhabitants of the ancient city.
…However, that was not where history ended.
Something happened between then and now that had caused the obliteration of the ancient civilization, the corruption of the Spire, and the appearance of the Crimson Labyrinth.
But what?
That was a mystery for another day. Perhaps he would be able to find the answer to it back at the Dark City.
What Sunny did note, however, was the difference between the dark reality shown in the engravings and the state the Forgotten Shore was now.
Yes, the ancient murals showed a world completely devoid of light, but it was different from the hell that Sunny and the other members of the cohort knew. The engravings did not show the curse of darkness as a literal sea.
With no sun and no sea, there was no cycle of tides that turned the Forgotten Shore into an ocean of black water every night.
The dark sea had appeared at the same time as the Labyrinth, then? Or at least as the result of the same event. Sunny was sure that the two were connected.
But he didn't know what significance that information hid.
...The other thing he had noted was that, while other members of the party were initially indifferent to the ancient engravings, at some that changed.
When they had been walking past the mural depicting the radiant being with three incandescent eyes, Nephis had stopped and looked at it for several long moments.
Then, she turned her head away, lingered for a second, and continued walking.
Sunny had not missed that detail. However, he couldn't even begin to guess what it meant.
***
Some time later, they entered a wide circular hall. In the center of it, a dark chasm opened into the depths of the mountains, leading so far down that Sunny couldn't even see its bottom.
It looked like the gates of the Underworld.
Thousand years ago, there were wooden ladders and platforms leading down the main shaft of the mine, as well as a system of ropes and pulleys to lower the miners and lift containers full of precious ores up. Of course, all of that had rotten and collapsed a long time ago.
With a sigh, Sunny glanced at Nephis and asked:
"We are climbing down, aren't we?"
Instead of answering, she simply summoned the golden rope and shrugged.
He shook his head.
"Wait. At least give me some time to scout ahead and see if anything is waiting for us at the bottom of this thing."
With that, he sent his shadow down the wall of the endless shaft. The shadow wasn't very ecstatic at the prospect of gliding down into the depths of the scarry well, though. Giving Sunny a resentful glare, it sighed and dove down with visible reluctance.
A few minutes later, the shadow reached as far down as the range of Shadow Control allowed. It was still not at the bottom of the mine, but at least there were no primordial horrors in its sight.
Sunny summoned the Dark Wing and gave the members of the cohort a nod.
"We can proceed. Be ready, though. Who knows what might happen?"