In the depths of the night, Sunny was finally done with the arduous task of clearing the floor of the ruined library. Tiredly standing in the center of the circular hall, he found himself in the middle of a vast mural.
The mosaic had endured the passage of time in an almost pristine condition. Most of it was preserved perfectly, with only a few small sections destroyed by corrosion or the ill will of the creature that inhabited the Crimson Spire.
By now, Sunny was certain that it was the Terror of the Forgotten Shore that had obliterated any depictions of the seven heroes' faces. He didn't know how it was possible, but felt that the same furious force that had decapitated the ancient statues was responsible for the damage done to the engravings in the ancient mine and to this mural.
It was as though the Terror wanted to erase any sign of the founders of the Starlight Legion from history. Their names were forgotten, every person that had known of their stories turned into dust, and even the stones that bore their image were desecrated and shattered.
How great the resentment that the evil creature harbored toward them must have been, for it to go to such lengths in its mad desire to obliterate their legacy?
With a sigh, Sunny turned slightly and walked to the edge of the mural. He was searching for the start of it story.
Depicted on the mural was not one image, but a long series of them, spiraling from the edges of the mosaic to its center like a long scroll. On them, the history of the land consumed by darkness was shown, ending with the coming of a new dawn.
Sunny already knew what events had brought the curse of all-consuming darkness to the Forgotten Shore and how the ancient inhabitants of this land fought against all odds to resist it.
Now, he was going to learn the final mystery — the reason for their eventual downfall.
Finding the first image, he studied it and lingered for a bit. Then, he walked on, watching the history unfurl itself beneath his feet.
As the curse subdued the world under the veil of everlasting darkness and terrible creatures started to attack the human settlements, one after another, mighty champions began to appear to battle them. But no matter how strong, brave, and valiant those champions were, none of them was able to resist for long.
Especially not when their own allies started turning into monsters. It was impossible to face the terrifying foes hiding in the darkness when no one was there to cover your back — or even worse, if those you trusted the most to do so were the ones delivering a deadly blow instead.
But still, humanity persisted. Months passed, then years. And eventually, a new generation grew up in this horrible world.
"Born in the all-consuming darkness, seven valiant heroes gave an oath to return the light to the cursed land." Sunny whispered.
The people who would later create the Starlight Legion were indeed born in the darkness. They never even saw the light that they would swear to bring back. All they knew of it were the tales their elders had told them, tales of a time when people never turned into nightmares, and the beautiful stars shone even in the darkest of nights.
This new generation grew up surrounded by nothing but darkness and horror, and was forged by it into a far more fearsome force than their parents had ever been. Hard times created hard people, and their time was as unforgiving and harrowing as one could imagine. Beyond so, even.
And so, the people it created adapted to match this dark reality.
Eventually, seven of them rose above the rest, each leading their faction in the constant battle against the encroaching doom.
Sunny stopped and studied the image that showed all seven of them… even if their faces were damaged beyond recognition.
There was a knight in an intricate plate armor forged of white metal, with a stalwart blade grasped firmly in his hands.
A graceful priestess in a light flowing robe, her delicate hands shining with gentle light.
A mighty hunter in an archaic cuirass leaning on a beautiful bronze spear.
A masterful builder holding a mason's hammer in his calloused hands.
A regal lord with a humble crown resting on his head, a single gem decorating its simple design.
A subtle and merciless slayer with a ghostly stiletto hidden cunningly behind her back.
And a stranger from a misty land who wore a stonelike armor and never showed his face, with a heavy round shield resting at his feet.
Sunny looked at the seven heroes, thinking.
"Knight, Hunter, Lord, Stranger, Slayer, Builder, and Priestess. Midnight Shard, Zenith Shard, Dawn Shard, Dusk Shard, Moonlight Shard. And the other two… Sunlight Shard and Starlight Shard?"
The fate of the last two Shard Memories remained unknown to him. Nephis must have known something, though. Otherwise, she would not have ventured into the dangerous expedition to the Hollow Mountains to seak out the Crown of Dawn.
Although the history of the Forgotten Shore was presented in more detail here, it did not give him any revelations yet. Thoughtful, Sunny turned away from the image of the seven heroes and continued on.
At some point in history, the heroes came together, created the Starlight Legion, and united the surviving remnants of humanity under its banner. It was also then when they gave their defiant oath.
'They must have been mad…'
Weren't striving to achieve something impossible the definition of madness? Sunny frowned, knowing full well that, in this case, the seven heroes actually managed to fulfill their crazy ambition.
It was all a little too close to home. He also knew someone who liked to set impossible goals and had an infuriating track record of proving them possible.
But how did it all end? Yes, the heroes achieved their dream. But the Forgotten Shore still turned into a desolate hell.
What happened to their light?
Looking at the next images of the mosaic, Sunny got a feeling that he was about to find out.
Chapter 282: Sacrifice
As Sunny walked in circles, drawing near to the center of the mosaic, he saw the depiction of various deeds that the Starlight Legion had achieved.
The warriors led by the seven heroes were truly a fearsome force. Forged and tempered by the relentless malice of their dark world and the unassailable will of their leaders, they drowned the Forgotten Shore in the blood of the cursed creatures.
Even though many of them had turned into monsters themselves — especially those who had allowed themselves to falter in their conviction — the rest continued on, unbroken.
Sunny couldn't tell how powerful exactly the members of the legion were, but from some clues of their battles, he guessed that they were at approximately the same level as the Awakened of his own world, at least at the beginning. With time, however, it seemed as though the warriors of the cursed land had grown much stronger.
If most of the creatures they were fighting were of the Corrupted rank, then that would put the Legion far above the humans back in the real world. Sunny wasn't sure if the seven heroes and their soldiers were carriers of the Nightmare Spell, though, and if the same hierarchy of power could be applied to them.
Eventually, the surviving humans migrated to the shore of the colossal impact crater and built an impregnable wall around their new city. This endeavor alone was so arduous and ambitious that he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Sunny slowed his steps.
On the images in front of him, the construction of the Crimson Spire… no, it wasn't crimson yet back then… had begun. The cyclopean tower was built west of the city, reaching high into the sky like an axis of the world.
Like a stairwell that was designed to allow humans to touch the heavens.
This was what he was truly interested in. Sunny wanted to know what happened in the Spire, how the artificial sun was created, and how the darkness that consumed this land was turned into a transient black sea.
What he saw next made him falter, and then close his eyes with an expression of deep, exhausted resentment.
In the second to last image, the seven heroes were depicted standing apart in the seven spots of the Forgotten Shore. In front of each of them, a crowd of thousands of people kneeled, waiting.
Among those people were the warriors of the legion and the civilians from the city, men and women, old and young.
Each of the heroes held a weapon in their hands.
'Of course. Of course, this is what happened. What else would it be?'
A feeling of dark, bitter disappointment grasped his heart. Sunny didn't even know why he felt this way. It was not like he knew anything about the seven heroes, really. But at some point, maybe because he needed to believe that there was a tiny glimmer of light in the vast and endless night, he had begun thinking of them as a symbol of the best humanity could be.
...What a foolish thought.
He of all people should have known better.
"Curse you all."
In the last image, one that took the center of the mosaic, seven tall hills made of dead bodies surrounded the Spire. Tens of thousands of people had been slaughtered, their blood flowing like rivers toward the dark tower. On top of each hill stood one of the valiant heroes, their hands stained red to the shoulder.
As the last sacrifice, the slaughterers turned their weapons on themselves, thrusting them into their hearts.
…And somewhere out there, he knew, a tiny black seed floated in a pool of blood.
Sunny grimaced in disgust.
'This was your dream? This is how you decided to bring back the light? You sick wretches…'
As the rivers of blood flowed to the Spire, seven streams of glowing crimson light moved above them and entered it from seven directions. These streams represented the soul essence of numerous humans who had been sacrificed to create the artificial sun.
But theirs wasn't the most terrible fate.
In the center of the Spire, a lone human figure was drawn, convulsing in harrowing agony as the raging storm of soul energy entered her body. The conflux of all that power, the sacrificial vessel meant to be its conduit. The anchor of the sun.
Sunny recognized that figure, too. To him, the features of her face were painfully familiar.
It was the same face as that of the nameless goddess whose statue stood in the ruined cathedral.
The crimson light entered her body and shot from her screaming mouth and eyes upward, pure and white. It rose to the height of the Spire, where a new sun was being born.
Frightened by its light, the darkness retreated underground, where it was locked behind seven seals that were left behind by the heroes as their last deed.
The rest was easy to deduce.
After the heroes perished to create the artificial sun, everything was fine for a while. But then, maybe after a few decades, or even hundreds of years, the light of the sun began to dim.
So the people of the Dark City had to make a new sacrifice. Perhaps, the second time, only seven people had been killed to renew the power of the Spire.
But then it happened again, and that time, seven was not enough. So they sacrificed fourteen. And when it happened again, they sacrificed a few dozen.
And eventually, hundreds of people were being slaughtered every year to keep the sun burning. Because of the simple fact that the seven heroes and their people… all of them had terribly mighty souls. But their descendants, who didn't have to grow up in utter darkness and fight terrible monsters to live through the day, did not.
And at some point in this vicious cycle, the Vessel that had been imprisoned in the Spire and served as the anchor for the bloodthirsty sun was corrupted. Whatever kind of conscience it had left had been completely shattered.
The nameless goddess of the Dark City became the Crimson Terror of the Forgotten Shore.
All that pain, all that rage, all that blood exploded from the Spire and infected the very land itself, growing into an endless labyrinth of the strange crimson coral. The seven seals came undone, releasing that darkness that had been imprisoned underground for hundreds of years.
This was what Cassie had seen in the vision.
The darkness and the fury of the newborn Terror fell on the humans of the Dark City like a tide and wiped them all out, erasing even the memory of them from the face of the world.
…This was how the Forgotten Shore was born.
Chapter 283: Final Piece of the Puzzle
'So this is how it is.'
Sunny stared at the last image of the mosaic, a dark and resentful expression frozen on his face.
Depicted in the center of the mural, a sun fueled by blood shone on the mountains formed by dead bodies. Tens of thousands of people had been slaughtered to create it, and thousands more must have been butchered later on to keep it burning in the indifferent sky.
The first sacrifices had died willingly, lured into submission by their fanatical rulers. What about those who came after? Somehow, Sunny doubted it.
And for what? How did it all end?
The seven seals had been broken, and the ancient civilization had been obliterated.
But the sun created and nurtured by it was not destroyed… just corrupted. It still rose in the morning and fell beyond the horizon after the dusk, illuminating the desolate hell of its own creation.
As long as its vessel, the Terror of the Crimson Spire, existed at the center of the Labyrinth, it would continue to shine in the cold grey skies. And as long as it did, the darkness that had escaped its underground prison and turned into the cursed sea was going to continue coming and going, scared of its light.
'Great. The two deserve each other…'
He didn't know why the all-consuming darkness had become a literal sea of impenetrably black water, but had a guess or two. Either hundreds of years spent locked away behind the seals had affected it that way, or the artificial sun had.
The Terror had been changed by the curse, so why couldn't the curse be changed by the Terror in return?
'Why wasn't that sun extinguished, though?'
There was no one alive on the Forgotten Shore to make sacrifices to the Spire anymore, but Sunny suspected that there was a reason for why the crimson coral seemed to grow either out of or toward bones. If he was right, the whole Labyrinth was a giant maw with which the Terror absorbed the soul essence of every creature that bled on the coral before it died.
It was all a part of its body.
Sunny shivered, realizing that both the Labyrinth and the dark sea were, in fact, colossal living creatures. It was just that the scale of them was so boundless that they seemed like forces of nature.
Compared to the eternal struggle of the two titanic beings, the struggle of a handful of tiny humans was nothing short of insignificant.
…Or was it?
Suddenly, he frowned.
What about Nephis and her plan? How did the Shard Memories come into all of this?
At first, a dark thought entered his mind. He imagined that Changing Star was preparing a mass sacrifice of her own, a hecatomb to appease the Crimson Terror. The number of the Sleepers being sent to the Forgotten Shore each year was too eerily similar to the number of sacrifices made to the Crimson Spire by the inhabitants of the Dark City to be a simple coincidence.
But he quickly dismissed that thought. After all, the sacrifices were meant to renew the power of the Blood Sun, and that was not Neph's goal. If anything, she meant to destroy it once and for all to gain entry to the Gateway hidden in the Spire.
So… what did it all mean?
Sunny scowled, remembering every piece of information about the seven heroes and their cursed land he knew. And most importantly, those that came directly from the Spell.
After a while, he muttered:
"...Time has erased their names and their faces, but the memory of the defiant oath still remains."
This was the second part of the description that the Spell had given the Starlight Legion Armor.
His eyes widened.
All this time, he thought that this sentence simply meant that the legacy of the seven heroes lived on even after their deaths. But now, he suddenly realized that the truth might have been far more straightforward.
The key to understanding the secret of the Shard Memories was right in front of him this whole time. In fact, it came from the first Memory he had ever gotten on the Forgotten Shore.
The Azure Blade.
"On this forgotten shore, only steel remembers," he whispered, a sudden understanding dawning on him like a revelation.
The memory of the defiant oath remained… and only steel remembered. Sunny rubbed his face.
"I am such a fool."
Everything he needed to learn the truth had been at his disposal from the very start of it all. The heroes were long gone, but their terrible oath was still here, preserved in cold steel.
It was not the memory of it that remained… but the Memory.
The Shards were that Memory.
"Of course. It all makes so much sense now…"
But then, what was their purpose and why was Nephis so motivated to find each one?
That was easy to guess, too. Cassie had basically told him, all those months ago.
"...In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads were guarding seven locks."
In its fury, the Terror of the Crimson Spire had beheaded the statues of its creators and brought their heads as trophies to guard the entrance to its lair… where Cassie had seen them, as well as seven mysterious locks.
What did a lock need?
A key. All locks required a key to either open them or shut them closed.
Sunny slowly exhaled.
The seven seals that kept the all-consuming darkness locked underground came undone, but they weren't destroyed. If one had all the keys, it was still possible to seal the cursed sea once again. That was what the seven heroes had left behind.
…And with the cursed darkness locked away, the Spire would lose its most deadly line of defense.
Finally, everything became clear.
Sunny remained motionless for a long time, looking at the bloody images beneath his feet. After a while, he sighed and turned away.
There was a bitter taste in his mouth.
"...Sick. I am sick of this place. So sick of all of this."
Cassie's vision showed her fire and rivers of blood?
Good.
It could all burn to the ground.
He didn't care anymore.
Chapter 284: Nothing Serious
In the cold light of dawn, Sunny approached the spot where the other members of the cohort and he agreed to meet. The shadow had already located their camp in the ruin of an ancient building and was currently watching them, hidden in the darkness.
The five youths were busy preparing for the last stretch of the way to the Bright Castle. They were calm and collected, not at all like people who were about to face the horrifying wrath of the Bright Lord.
What kind of horror had they not faced already?
Climbing over the rubble, Sunny let Nephis and the rest know of his approach and jumped down.
Landing just a few meters away from the group, he straightened his back and gave them an indifferent look.
"Hey."
They greeted him in a reserved manner. A palpable tension permeated the air, making everyone reluctant to speak too much. Only Effie was seemingly unaffected by this dark mood.
Leaning on a stone wall, the huntress was enthusiastically gnawing on a juicy bone. Her white teeth were effortlessly crushing it into tiny pieces, which were then chewed and swallowed along with the marrow. Noticing Sunny, she smiled.
"Hey, doofus."
He gave her a nod and wanted to turn away, but then noticed a slight frown that appeared on Effie's face. Looking at him with a bit of uncertainty, she asked:
"Uh… you alright?"
Sunny was silent for a few moments, then smiled. Finally, he said in an even tone:
"I'm perfect."
Leaving the doubtful huntress behind, he walked past Caster and approached Nephis.
The Changing Star was standing with her back to the group, looking up at the silhouette of the Bright Castle that loomed in the distance. Hearing his steps, she turned around.
The gentle light of dawn reflected in her eyes, making them appear to shine.
"...You've made it, Sunny. I am glad."
He shrugged.
"Why? You didn't expect me to show up?"
She was silent for a while, and then looked away. A lock of silver hair fell on her eyes. Nephis tucked it behind her ear and sighed.
"Could I not? It's not like I know the future."
After that, she smiled.
'...Amusing.'
In the eleven months they had spent on the Forgotten Shore, this was only the second time Sunny heard Changing Star tell a joke, and the first time it was actually funny.
If a little macabre. But what was the harm in indulging in a bit of dark humor, at this point?
Sunny did not return the smile, however. Glancing in the direction of the Bright Castle, he asked:
"So, what's the plan?"
Nephis shrugged.
"This time there is no plan. We have confirmed that Gunlaug is still pretending to be looking for Effie to bring her to justice for killing the missing Guards. Once we enter the outer settlement, the members of the Host will come for her. Then, I will most likely be forced to challenge him. We'll… see after that."
Sunny looked at her with a dark expression.
'Pretty much exactly what I expected.'
He didn't hesitate to ask:
"Can you really break his armor? Even with the Dawn Shard, your sword is barely equal to an Ascended Memory. And that thing is a true Transcended Echo."
She lingered for a while before answering. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm and even:
"I don't have to break the armor. I just have to break the man."
Sunny shook his head with a humorless smile.
"Good luck achieving one without the other."
He paused for a moment, and then said without a hint of levity in his voice:
"Anyway. You owe me a conversation."
Changing Star glanced at him, then nodded.
"Alright. But not here."
With that, she gave the others a sign to wait and walked away. Sunny followed.
His shadow stayed, making sure that no one was going to try and eavesdrop on them. It was staring directly at Caster, following his every move with intense attention.
As they walking, Sunny suddenly said:
"By the way, I have something to tell to you, too."
Nephis glanced at him and slightly raised an eyebrow.
"Yes? What is it?"
Sunny was silent for a bit. Then, he smiled.
"Oh, it's nothing serious. Do you remember a guy called Harper?"
She frowned, then shook her head.
"Should I? Who is he?"
Sunny shrugged. His expression remained neutral.
"Just a guy that I killed. He was one of Gunlaug's spies."
Neph looked at him for a few moments, then asked with indifferent confusion:
"What about him?"
A slight shadow ran over Sunny's face. However, his smile remained exactly the same.
"...No, nothing. Just wondered if you knew him."
When they walked far enough and were concealed from the eyes of the cohort by several tall walls, Changing Star stopped and turned to face him. Looking at Sunny, she said:
"It is good that we can speak privately. Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor."
He blinked.
'Well, that is unexpected.'
"What is it?"
She hesitated for a few moments.
"After my fight with Gunalug is over, if… when I win, I might not be in the best shape. Even if I am, there will be a flood of soul essence pouring into my body. It will incapacitate me for a bit."
The changes that happened to the body after a small portion of soul essence was consumed were subtle, but in large quantities, it could be disorienting, sometimes even debilitating for a short while.
Sometimes, experiencing these changes and getting used to them took a little time.
Sunny tilted his head.
'A flood of soul essence? What does it matter if her core is either full to the brim or at least almost saturated?'
He frowned, trying to guess what he wanted from him.
"So what do you need me to do? Keep Harus busy while you recover?"
She shook her head, then looked away.
A light sigh escaped from Changing Star's lips.
"No. I want you to make sure that Caster is nowhere near me when that happens."
Here it was. The truth was about to come out.
Sunny stared at Nephis, his expression cold and dark. After a few moments of tense silence, he asked:
"Why? What's the deal with you and Caster?"
She looked at him, her striking grey eyes calm and deep.
Then, she said:
"It's very simple, really. Caster has been sent here to kill me."
Chapter 285: Kill Order
Sunny remained silent for a few moments. Finally, it became clear that Nephis wasn't going to continue. Feeling a slight sense of exasperation, he asked:
"Why would Caster want to kill you?"
Despite the calm appearance, there was a tempest raging in his mind. The revelation of Caster's true intention had shaken Sunny. Yes, he disliked the proud Legacy, and yes, their dynamic with Changing Star had always been a bit strange, but he never expected to hear something like this.
In his mind, Caster was more of an opportunist with distasteful ambitions, most likely having to do with the purity of his clan's bloodline, than a cold-blooded killer.
In what world did him wishing to kill Nephis made any sense? He was her number one fan. The only logical explanation Sunny could find was that the proud scion had been secretly working for Gunlaug all along. But then, that theory also didn't hold when subjected to a close inspection — the Bright Lord was determined to kill Changing Star with his own two hands and in front of hundreds of people.
What would he need Caster for?
Nephis lingered for a bit, then shrugged.
"People have been trying to kill me for as long as I can remember. Have you forgotten?"
Sunny slowly shook his head.
"No… no, I did not. But what does that have to do with Caster?"
She smiled.
"They were not going to stop just because I came of age, survived my First Nightmare, and was sent into the Dream Realm. If anything, that would have been the perfect opportunity to finally make me disappear forever. Sleepers enter this cursed world alone, away from the protections of society and whatever allies they might have in the real one. Do you see?"
He gave her a nod, his expression growing dark.
Indeed, no one was as vulnerable as young Sleepers entering the Dream Realm for the first time.
Nephis sighed and looked away.
"In any case, when I enrolled into the Academy, I knew that someone among our classmates had to have received orders to make sure that I never return from the Dream Realm. I just didn't know who it was."
Suddenly, she glanced at him. The corner of her lips curled upward.
"...Actually, for a long time, I thought that it was you."
Sunny blinked and stared at her in disbelief.
"What? Me? Are you cr… actually, never mind. What exactly about me made you think that I'm an agent of some secret Legacy cabal? Do I look like a Legacy to you?
Nephis calmly looked him in the eye.
"Honestly? Not any Legacy that I know. But there were too many things about you that didn't make sense."
He frowned.
"Do tell."
She slowly raised her hand, then began counting on her fingers.
"Let's see… you claimed to be an orphan from the outskirts, but somehow managed to survive both the First Nightmare and the arrival on the Forgotten Shore. You didn't consume any soul shards, but kept growing more powerful. You said that you had never held a sword in your hand, but absorbed my lessons with astonishing speed. And finally, every other word you said was a lie, especially when it came to your origins, your past, your strength, and your Aspect."
Running out of fingers on one hand, she made a fist and pointed to it:
"Need I continue?"
Sunny cleared his throat.
"Uh, no… well, when you put it like this…"
She smiled and shook her hand, then lowered it.
"But after some time, I realized that my suspicions about you were wrong. If you were really tasked with killing me, you could have just left me on the Ashen Barrow. Back then, I was as good as dead. But you didn't. In fact, you risked a lot to take both Cassie and me with you."
The smile slowly disappeared from her face.
"So when we reached the Bright Castle and Caster immediately appeared, insinuating his way into my inner circle, I knew pretty much instantly that it was him."
Sunny frowned.
"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Don't get me wrong, I'm the last person in this world who would want to defend that pompous bastard, but there were hundreds of Sleepers in our crop, and out of those, only seven were sent to the Forgotten Shore. And only four lived long enough to see the Castle. What are the chances that the person with orders to make you vanish was among them? Isn't it a bit too big of a coincidence?"
Changing Star slowly shook her head.
"Who said it was a coincidence? People often tend to forget that the Spell has a mind of its own. It sees all and hears all. And it really loves to play with fate. If there was someone among those hundreds of people tasked with killing me, the chances of me having a fateful encounter with them in the Dream Realm would be all but guaranteed. That is how the Spell always does things."
Sunny had to agree. The Spell, indeed, loved to play with fate.
His whole damn life was proof of that.
Meanwhile, Nephis continued:
"Of course, despite my suspicions, I wasn't sure at first. But the more I observed Caster, the more convinced I became that I was right. He did everything in his power to get close to me, and then tried his hardest to subtly isolate me from everyone I could have trusted. He spent his time studying my every move, while keeping his secrets close to his chest. It's him. I've been sure of it for a long time."
Sunny tilted his head, trying to digest this new information. After a while, he asked:
"If Caster wanted to kill you, why hasn't he made a move to kill you yet?"
She lingered for a bit, then smiled slightly.
"Because among all of the humans on the Forgotten Shore, he knows what the scions of the Immortal Flame clan are capable of the best. Isn't it ironic? He respects my ability too much to be careless… maybe even fears it. And he can't allow himself to fail. His honor won't allow it. So, Caster won't attack until he is absolutely sure that I won't be able to resist. He'll make his move when I have no chance to escape."
Sunny scratched the back of his head.
"Let me rephrase that. If Caster wants to kill you, why is he still alive? Why didn't you kill him already?"
He was sure that if Nephis wanted to, the proud Legacy would have been dead a long time ago,
Changing Star hesitated, and then said in an even tone:
"Because I need him for what is to come. It doesn't matter that he intends to betray me. Traitor or not, he is of use."
Chapter 286: Blessings of the Fire
Some time later, the six of the left the secluded ruin and made their way toward the Bright Castle. The Dark City was silent and bleak, its streets devoid of life and movement. Even the Nightmare Creatures seemed to remain hidden in the lairs today, as though the feeling the tension that hung in the air like a harbinger of a disastrous change.
A lonely star was about to ignite in the sky above the cursed city.
Nephis was the first one to walk under the marble arch and step on the road that led to the outer settlement. Her face was calm and motionless, any hint of emotion hidden behind her usual mask of indifference. It was as though she was returning home in triumph, not marching to her own execution.
There was a slightly distant look in her eyes.
Sunny abandoned his usual position at the back of the group and was now walking side by side with her. Maybe it was just a whim, but he felt unwilling to follow in her footsteps as he had always done before, from the first day they met.
As they ascended the tall hill, Changing Star suddenly asked:
"Sunny, do you remember your First Nightmare well?"
Her voice sounded relaxed and idle.
He cast a sideways glance at her and hesitated for a few moments. Then, he answered in an even tone:
"Like it was yesterday."
She smiled slightly.
"Was it hard?"
Slowly, a grin appeared on his face.
"Hard? No, not hard. Impossible. It was a ghastly, despicable, and torturous ordeal. Truly the stuff of nightmares. Calling it hard would be an injustice."
With a dismissive shrug, Sunny drove the memories of the black mountain away and asked:
"...What about yours?"
Nephis looked away, remembering. After a while, she said:
"Mine wasn't that bad, actually."
He stared at her in disbelief.
"What, you only had to kill a measly thousand Unholy Titans with your bare hands, or something like that? Knowing you, "not that bad" means that it was nothing short of a true horror show."
She slowly shook her head.
"...No. I mean it. I didn't have to fight anyone, really. Up until the very end."
Sunny blinked.
"Wait, seriously?"
A strangely sad smile appeared on her lips.
"In my First Nightmare, I was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper. My family lived in a beautiful tower on the shore of a beautiful sea. Every morning, the warm sun rose from beyond the horizon, bathing the endless expanse of azure waves in beautiful light. The winds were gentle and the world was kind. It was me, my parents, and my younger siblings. We lived together in harmony, humbly but needing for nothing."
He frowned.
"And then what? A sea serpent destroyed the lighthouse? Some rotten horror rose from the depths?"
Changing Star's eyes became distant. A few moments passed before she spoke again:
"No. Nothing happened. That was the point of it, I think. My Nightmare... it was actually a paradise. It was everything I dreamed about when I was a little kid. Only much more wondrous and human than I could have ever imagined."
Sunny looked at her in utter shock. As he watched, the hint of sorrow disappeared from Neph's face, replaced by a subtly harsh expression.
"But that was what made it so hard to overcome. Impossible, even. Just like you said. Because all I had to do to conquer the Nightmare... all I had to do was to walk away and leave it all behind. Knowing that I could just stay there, in that paradise. Forever."
He hesitated for a while, then asked cautiously:
"So what did you do?"
A heavy sigh escaped from Neph's lips. Her eyes grew dim.
"...I searched for a way out of the Nightmare for a long time. But no matter how hard I looked, there wasn't any. Day after day, night after night… as time went by, it became harder and harder to force myself to continue searching. I grew accustomed to that bliss, that warm and beautiful life. And eventually, a day came when I thought that, maybe, I should stop. Maybe I can just stay."
She tilted her head slightly and said, her tantalizing voice reaching the deepest, darkest parts of his heart:
"...That was the day I went to the top of the lighthouse. You see, Sunny. You have to light yourself on fire... to rip the blessings of the fire. That was what my grandmother used to say. So that was what I did. I doused myself in oil, and set myself aflame."
The white flames suddenly licked her hands, and she stared at them, her face slowly turning pale, her eyes reflecting the terrible agony she felt. As her ivory skin continuously boiled, darkened, and then healed to become pristine again, she said simply:
"...And I burned."
Suddenly, the flames disappeared, and she made a fist. Her voice grew a little strained.
"And after a long, long time, when all of it was over... I found myself in a dark cave, nestled in a slimy cocoon of black silk. All around me, thousand upon thousands of people were sleeping in similar cocoons with their eyes open, with happy smiles on their empty faces. And above us… was a creature so revolting and abhorrent that I can't bring myself to describe it to this day. It was feeding on our dreams."
She grew quiet for a bit, and then added:
"That creature was convulsing in pain, as though it shared in the agony I felt, too. Somehow, I managed to break free of the cocoon. And kill it before it fully regained its senses."
She glanced at him and smiled. However, there was no warmth in that smile.
"...That was how I conquered my First Nightmare."
Sunny looked her in the eyes for a long time, silent. Then, he slowly turned away.
"...Just as I said, the stuff of nightmares. I guess we call them that for a reason."
Changing Star laughed.
"I guess. But really, fighting that Terror wasn't the hardest part. Waking up trapped in a repulsive cocoon wasn't the hardest part. Even... even burning alive wasn't the hardest part."
She grew silent for a few moments and then said, looking at the white road beneath their feet.
"The hardest part was walking up the steps to the top of the lighthouse. Not because of what waited for me in the future, but because of what I was leaving in the past."
...Soon, the familiar shapes of the outer settlement appeared in their sight.
They had finally returned to the Bright Castle.
Chapter 287: Lonely Star
The outer settlement had changed from the time Sunny saw it last.
At the point where the white road widened into the vast platform that the settlement stood upon, a tall stone barricade was built, with watchful sentries observing the approach to the crest of the hill. Each of them was wielding a Memory weapon and a sturdy armor, their faces full of dark determination.
The makeshift watchtower constructed on the roof of Neph's lodge loomed above them, with several archers ready to rain arrows on any Nightmare Creature that wandered close.
The slum itself was much the same, but the people populating it seemed different. Many of them were bruised and bandaged, but their eyes shone with the subtle light of hope that wasn't there or as strong before. That hope was contrasted against the suffocating feeling of tension that hung in the air. From time to time, someone would glance toward the castle and frown, a dark expression appearing on their face.
There was another detail that surprised Sunny. On the sleeves of many slum dwellers, a piece of pure white cloth was tied, as if announcing their allegiance to some god or goddess.
There had been none of that when he left this place a few months ago.
There were also graffiti drawn on the walls of the most derelict hovels, some of them depicting a shining star, some the image of a beautiful bronze spear.
'...What is that all about?'
The white armbands and the star were, obviously, meant to represent Nephis. But when had Effie suddenly become an apostle?
Glancing at the voracious huntress, he raised an eyebrow.
"Anything you want to tell me?"
She scratched the back of her head, then shrugged.
"I've become a bit of a folk hero, apparently."
Sunny shook his head and didn't press the issue.
'Whatever...'
When the sentries saw who was approaching, their faces first became shocked, and then lighted up with intense jubilation.
"Lady Nephis! It's Changing Star!"
"Lady Nephis has returned!"
"She is alive!"
The hum of voices spread through the entire settlement in an instant. If Gunlaug had not known that they were back in the Dark City, he would have learned of it now.
…But he knew, of course. He knew it long before the people of the slum ever laid their eyes on their supposed savior.
Sunny looked past the outer settlement, at the mighty walls of the Bright Castle.
How long before its Lord throws them a welcome party?
…Soon, the cohort was surrounded by a crowd of exhilarated people. Everyone wanted to see that Saint Nephis was alive and well with their own eyes. The other members were bathing in attention, too. Especially Effie.
"Effie!"
"Huntress Athena!"
"Welcome home, Effie! Show them!"
The huntress grinned in bewilderment and kept quiet.
In the crowd, there were a few faces that did not share in everyone's joy. They were the leaders of the outer settlement's hunting parties. The gazes they threw at Nephis were grim and full of meaning. She gave them a nod, letting the experienced hunters know that she understood the message they were trying to relay.
Then, Changing Star faced the inhabitants of the slum and took the bag that Effie handed her. Slowly unclasping it, she spoke, her calm voice effortlessly making the crowd grow silent.
"I am not good with words, so… please accept my gratitude, Dreamers of the Dark City. The past few months have been harsh on me and the members of my cohort, but they must have been equally as harsh on you. However, we have persevered. You here in these cursed ruins, and we out there in the ghastly depths of the Labyrinth. But all of it was not in vain."
With that, she took something from the bag and tossed it to the ground. Suddenly, a deathly silence settled over the crowd. Everyone was staring at the object laying on the stones, expressions of fear clearly written on many faces.
It was a terrifying, jagged black talon, which was as sharp and long as a sword.
And then, another one fell near it, and another, and another.
Eventually, thirty-eight of these dark blades lay in a pile in front of Nephis — thirty from the six front limbs of the Spire Messenger, and eight from the two hind ones.
Closing the bag, Nephis put it on her shoulder and said, her tone dark and piercing:
"Out there in the Labyrinth, we have fought and slew one of the cursed Messengers of the Crimson Spire. I bring you its claws as a gift, to become your weapons."
Stunned whispers ran through the crowd. The Messengers were both a symbol of terror and a symbol of hope to the people of the Dark City — terror because of their horrifying power and appetite, as well as their connection to the dreaded Spire, and hope because of the legends that once, a long time ago, a group of powerful Sleepers had managed to kill one.
And now, the legend came alive right in front of their eyes.
Nephis lingered for a moment, and then sighed, a somber note appearing in her voice.
"Many years ago, we, those who were sent to the Forgotten Shore, weren't yet imprisoned by fear. Enthralled by the sin of those cowards who had forgotten that they are, first and forever, humans. Back then, there were people among us willing to risk their lives to conquer this hell. Escape it. The First Lord and his companions were the greatest of them. And now…"
Brilliant sparks of light suddenly appeared around her head like a sacred halo. Changing Star's eyes shined with pure white radiance, and, as the Crown of Dawn weaved itself from light and fell upon her head, she spoke.
She didn't rise or even strain her voice, but the impact of her words only grew because of it.
"...I have brought his legacy back to the Dark City. This is the crown of the First Lord. We have retrieved it from a place of eternal darkness where he had fallen in battle. He died trying to find a way out of this cursed land for all of us to follow."
She paused for a moment and then said, her face illuminated by the brilliant white flames that burned in her furious eyes.
On her forehead, the single gem decorating the Dawn Shard shone with that brilliance, too.
Almost like a third eye.
"And with it, we will finish what he started!"
Chapter 288: Progress Report
Some time later, they entered the stone lodge and found themselves in the middle of another, smaller crowd. Around thirty or forty people gathered in the main hall of Changing Star's dwelling, making it look even smaller than it had before.
However, these were not just any Sleepers from the slum. Most of them were experienced fighters from the outer settlement few hunting parties, as well as people who Nephis had recruited into her faction during her time in the Dark City.
Back when Sunny had been a part of the group, they were weak and hopeless young men and women who were barely surviving in the cruel reality of the Forgotten Shore. Now, things changed. Neph's little helpers were armed with makeshift weapons and wearing armors fashioned from a wide variety of scavenged materials, while some were even in possession of Memories. They also held themselves very differently from before.
Honestly, the difference between them and the hunters was not that big now. If Sunny didn't know which were which, he might have mistaken one for the other.
Changing Star walked through the crowd and approached the window that opened on the bleak view of the cursed ruins. She looked at it for a short moment, and then turned around, a dark expression on her face.
"...Tell me."
The leaders of the hunting parties glanced at each other. One of them, a stocky young man with long messy hair and three ugly scars running all the way from his forehead to his chin, spoke with a bit of uncertainty:
"Welcome back, Lady Nephis. It is good that you are alive and well."
She gave him a nod. The hunter paused, then continued, his voice somber:
"We, uh… have followed your orders and advice for these past months. The militia you created has been reinforced and organized to protect the settlement from the attacking monsters. With the Memories you and your cohort hunted for us in the ruins, the casualties were low both among the watchmen and among the civilians. Compared to before, I mean."
Changing Star remained silent and just stared at him. The young man sighed.
"About the other thing… it went almost exactly how you told us it would. Members of the Host came into the settlement shortly after your departure, demanding that Effie surrendered herself to be judged for the disappearance of those Guards. When we told them that she was gone, they got violent. Several people were injured, but no one died."
Effie scoffed. The hunted gave her a complicated look and scratched his cheek.
"After that, they would come again every week or so, hurt a few people and break things, always with the same demand. But we kept our cool and just… well. Took it. Like you told us to do. That seemed to only make them angrier, but they had no real reason to escalate things. In the end, they just settled for making our lives difficult and pushing people around."
The tall huntress shook her head.
"What's with the people foaming at their mouths to greet me? What's that really about?"
The young man looked down in embarrassment and cleared his throat.
"Uh, that… well, you see, the more the Castle proclaimed that you have to answer for the murder of those Guards, the more people in the settlement became, how do I say this… appreciative of you?"
Effie looked at him with a perplexed expression.
"Because I am beingly unjustly accused?"
He smiled sheepishly.
"Ah, no. Actually, the opposite. They really appreciate the fact that you had… allegedly… killed half a dozen Guards. In fact, their only regret is that you didn't kill more. There are tales about how exactly you dealt with them, too, one more colorful than the other. The most popular one is that, uh… the Guards wanted to rob you of your, eh, honor, so that's why you had to teach the Castle folks a lesson."
The tall huntress blinked.
"My… honor? Since when do I have honor?"
The young man grinned.
"Hey, don't look at me. I did not come up with this one, alright? Blame Park, it was his idea."
Effie looked darkly at another hunter, who just shrugged.
"Lady Nephis told us to do our best to make people in the settlement root for you. It worked, did it not?"
The unruly huntress rubbed her face with an exasperated expression.
"But... I didn't kill them, though?"
The hunter looked at her with no humor in his eyes.
"Who cares?"
Effie opened her mouth to say something, but Nephis interrupted her:
"Time is short. Don't waste it on useless chatter."
Then, she turned to the hunter with scars on his face and asked:
"What about my last instruction?"
He frowned, then took out a small wooden box from a leather pouch tied to his belt. The young man held the little box like it was the most terrible Nightmare Creature. Handling it with extreme caution, he approached Nephis and handed it to her.
There were drops of sweat on his forehead.
"This... is what the person from the castle brought. I don't know what they used to make Hide create that thing, but the result was exactly as you wished, at least according to the note they left."
He hesitated.
"The box and the note simply appeared on my pillow one day. I almost died of a heart attack when I read what that thing is supposed to be."
Sunny stared at the box with interest. Hide was one of Gunlaug's lieutenants, a young woman in charge of the Artisans. Her Aspect Ability allowed her to manipulate certain qualities of plants, which was of tremendous use here on the Forgotten Shore, where the food was scarce and monotonous.
But what could Nephis want from her that was so important? And why was the hunter so scared of the little box?
Carefully taking it, Changing Star looked at the box for a few moments, and then handed it to Caster.
"You know what to do."
With a short nod, Caster walked toward the door and disappeared.
Nephis, meanwhile, turned to the hunters and said in a steady tone:
"You did well. Thank you, all."
As wide smiles appeared on their faces, she took Effie's bottomless bag and opened it once again. Turning the bag upside down, Changing Star said:
"This is… not a reward, nor is it a gift. This is just something that all of you deserve, and going to need very soon."
A moment later, a river of glimmering crystals flowed from the bag, scattering on the table's surface. There were hundreds and hundreds of them, each shining with subtle, alluring light. Soon, the crystal spilled over the edges of the table and fell to the floor.
A few moments later, more than a thousand soul shards appeared before the stunned people who were gathered in the room. The bottomless bag finally ran empty.
Sunny stared at the tall pile of shining crystals and sighed. Back before all of this had started, he had a pile like that of his own... only much, much smaller. His pride and joy.
It was all gone now, sadly.
'What a sight. And I thought I was rich…'
Chapter 289: Start of the Play
Back in the Labyrinth, Sunny wasn't the only one who had killed countless Nightmare Creatures. In fact, due to his primary role as a scout, the three main fighters of the cohort had killed many more.
He knew for a fact that at least two of them — Effie and Caster — had fully saturated their soul cores long before their return journey was finished. Absorbing any more shards would have been useless for them. At some point, Nephis had begun to abstain from consuming her share of the spoils, too.
Added with the shards that Sunny traded for the unwanted Memories that the members of the cohort had accumulated, a truly incredible amount of the alluring crystals had been placed into Effie's leather bag.
He had often wondered what Nephis would use them for, and now, he had his answer.
The people gathered in the main hall of the hunting lodge — her most trusted subordinates — stared at the tall pile of soul shards in utter shock. Here in the Dark City, this was an inconceivable wealth. One shard was enough to buy a person a week of food, comfort, and safety behind the tall walls of the Bright Castle.
Too many had died because they lacked these things. So, in a sense, the mountain of crystals in front of them was tantamount to a thousand human lives.
The scarred hunter slowly tore his eyes away from the glittering shards and looked at Changing Star, his face pale and his voice suddenly raspy:
"What… what is this, Lady Nephis?"
She remained silent for a few moments, and then said in her even, reserved, strangely affecting voice:
"This is for you. To nourish yourselves, and grow stronger. You are going to need every bit of strength for what awaits us in the days to come."
The young man watched her, a dangerous flame slowly igniting in his eyes. A flame of resolve, adoration…
Almost worship.
Hidden in a shadowy corner, Sunny smiled with dark apprehension.
Back at the start of it all, he had told Nephis that Gunlaug could not be defeated because he controlled every facet of life here in the Dark City: food, safety, hope and fear... even power itself.
Then, he had watched as she gave the people of the outer settlement free food, placed them under the protection of her sword, and ignited the embers of the long-forgotten hope in their hearts. All that remained was power.
And now, she had brought them power as well.
No wonder they were ready to worship her. In their eyes, Changing Star was a noble savior.
…No one knew that their messiah was a counterfeit one.
Glancing at the stunned people, Effie sighed and took her bag from Neph's hands. Looking inside the empty Memory with a bit of a sad expression, she said:
"What are you waiting for? Gunlaug's men are probably already arming themselves to come here and break your thick skulls. Share the shards among yourselves and absorb them, dimwits!"
The Sleepers did not make her say it twice.
***
Not long after the last shard had been absorbed, one of the watchers ran into the room, breathing heavily
"Coming! They are coming!"
There was a hint of unrestrained fear in her voice.
Sunny flexed his shoulders and stretched.
'The show is about to start.'
The people gathered in the room glanced at each other, their faces full of tension. Only Nephis remained indifferent, watching out of the window at the dead city that sprawled below her like a desolate, lonesome graveyard.
"Stay calm, everyone."
Her voice settled them down. The hunter with scars on his face turned to Changing Star, a deep frown on his face. After hesitating for a few moments, he said:
"But… but… they are coming to take Effie! We can't allow that to happen. I'm done watching good people be taken into the damn Castle and never return. If they want to make an example out of her, like they did with Jubei… over my dead body!"
The hum of angry voices rose in the hall, accompanied by heated glares.
"Exactly!"
"They will pay for Jubei's death!"
"Your dead body? Why not their dead bodies?!"
Nephis lingered for a moment, then turned to them. A slight smile appeared on her face.
"...Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to Effie. You have my word."
That seemed to calm them down a little. It seemed as though they were willing to believe anything she said, regardless of how impossible her promises were. Was that the definition of blind faith?
Before anyone could answer, however, a crashing sound came from the direction of the entrance to the stone lodge. It seemed as though someone had just smashed through the door.
The was a short scream, which quickly grew silent. Something fell on the floor.
Then, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, drawing closer to the hall where all the people had gathered. A few moments later, its door was shattered, too, exploding into a shower of splinters along with the bits of stone that surrounded it.
A giant of a man walked into the hall, his mere presence making the entire space look tiny. Compared to him, even Effie seemed to be of average height. There was a morose expression on his face and a dark glint in his cold, cruel eyes.
The giant did not wear any armor, allowing his monumental muscles to strain the fabric of a sleeveless silk shirt.
It appeared that Tessai, the fearsome leader of the Castle Guard, had decided to welcome the cohort back to the Dark City himself. Neph's followers paled, their fiery indignation replaced by fear.
'What a monster,' Sunny thought indifferently, pondering on what the quickest way to kill the morose giant would be.
Behind Tessai, a group of Guards, each wearing a sturdy armor and wielding Memory weapons, could be seen. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the robust figure of the tall huntress, and then, hateful smiles appeared on their faces. The Guards seemed very happy to finally find the woman accused of murdering their own.
The giant only glanced at Effie and then turned to Nephis. His deep, low voice resounded in the stone hall, sending shivers running through the hearts of many Sleepers gathered there.
"Changing Star. So you're alive after all."
She met his gaze and endured it without flinching.
"You must be Tessai. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The giant lingered before answering. The corner of his mouth twitched and slowly curled upward. Finally, he said:
"Oh, no. The pleasure is all mine."
Then, he raised his mighty arm and pointed at Effie.
"Lord Gunlaug has invited this one to the Castle, to face punishment for her crimes. You should have trained your dogs better, Changing Star. See what happens when they go around biting people?"
He lowered his hand and flexed his shoulders, then looked at her with a dark expression.
"Now. I would advise you rats to step aside and let me take that she-wolf with me."
Nephis crossed her arms and stared at the giant, cold sparks igniting in the depths of her calm grey eyes. A few moments later, she said evenly:
"...Or what?"
Chapter 290: Judgement Day
Changing Star's words brought the room to dead silence. On both sides of it, people were slowly preparing themselves, dark resentment burning in their eyes. It felt as though the tension reached critical mass and was about to explode into a storm of violence.
Only three people remained calm and unaffected by the direness of the situation: Nephis herself, Sunny… and Tessai.
The giant bared his canines in a grin. His eyes, however, remained cold as ice.
"What a… revelation. And here I was, thinking that you are a great defender of justice. Were you not, Changing Star? Or is your sense of justice reserved only for the crimes of those who don't serve you?"
He sighed and added, his voice full of disappointment:
"That huntress of yours is accused of murder. Why are you trying to prevent me from bringing her to justice? I thought that you, of all people, would not get in the way of fairness."
Nephis frowned.
"Accused does not mean convicted. Why do you claim that she is guilty?"
Tessai stared at her and said, his low voice sending tremors through the stone hall:
"There is plenty of evidence. There are plenty of witnesses. So many people came forward to give a testimony! Her guilt is undeniable. How will you answer that, Changing Star?"
Sunny smiled slightly.
'How peculiar. So many people apparently saw Effie slaughter those fools. Did I imagine killing them or what? I was a bit crazy at the time, to be fair. Ha.'
Before Nephis could answer, Kai suddenly took a step forward and shouted:
"That is impossible! I…"
However, she made him stop with a stern look. The charming young man hesitated, then gritted his teeth and fell silent, glaring at Tessai with burning indignation.
Changing Star turned to the imposing giant and smiled.
"...Well, well. That changes everything, then. Please forgive me, if you can. I have been away from the Dark City for so long, and wasn't informed of these… developments. If this is the case, then by all means, take her away."
Effie grimaced and looked at her with an amused expression. Sunny did not take his eyes off of Tessai, however, his shadow stared at Nephis, too.
The smile suddenly disappeared from her face, replaced by boundless coldness.
"...However, I am coming with her. All of us are, in fact. We are awfully curious to see that evidence and hear those witnesses. And, most of all, we are all dying to see justice done and those guilty punished. Surely, Lord Gunlaug would not mind."
An expression of dissatisfaction appeared on Tessai's face. With a deep frown, he looked down on Neph from his oppressive height and said in a growling voice:
"Why do you think that you can come, wench?"
Changing Star was silent for a few moments, calmly looking at him. Then, her eyes suddenly shone with furious white light. In a voice that promised agony and death, she said with contempt:
"...Who's going to stop me?"
The giant stared at her with a complicated expression. It seemed as though he was being torn between pride… and fear.
It was all a mask, though. A masterful performance to hide his true emotions…
Triumph and jubilation.
He had come here with the excuse of bringing Effie to justice, but his true goal had always been Nephis. She was the one Gunlaug wanted to destroy. And now, she was bringing herself to him, like a lamb going to slaughter.
What Tessai did not know was that Changing Star was as far from a lamb as one could be.
'...More like a demon in sheep's clothing.'
Sunny glanced at the morose giant with something that resembled pity. Meanwhile, Tessai slowly shook his head and said, his voice full of false reluctance:
"...Fine. Do as you wish. Come with me to the Castle, if you want. Bring your rats with you. All of you will witness the brilliance of our Lord!"
***
All together, they exited the lodge. Tessai was walking in the front, holding the tall huntress by the shoulder. Her hands were tied behind her back with a flimsy rope — more of a symbolic gesture than a real restraint, considering Effie's strength. Nephis was keeping close, her face calm and indifferent.
The Guards and the members of Changing Star's faction were right behind them, throwing menacing looks at each other. Their faces were grim and full of resentful indignation. Sunny had hidden himself in the crowd, not wishing to draw any attention. Now, he was moving with it, feeling the restless agitation through the chaotic movement of the surrounding shadows.
As they moved toward the Castle, more and more slum dwellers surrounded them, their faces full of shock and anger.
"They got Effie!"
"Bastards! Let her go!"
"Lady Nephis! Do something!"
Glancing at the growing number of people who were gathering around them, she smiled reassuringly and said:
"Stay calm! Come with us if you want. Today, we'll see justice done!"
However, her appeal to remain calm had the opposite effect on the crowd. It ignited it instead, and soon, a clamor of shouts rose above the outer settlement:
"Justice! Justice!"
…However, at some point, the tone of it changed, an almost palpable sense of bloodlust finding its way into the people's voices. The word they were shouting was also replaced, and soon, the crowd was chanting something else. Calling not for justice, but for…
Judgment.
"Judgement! Judgment!"
Sunny observed the raging beast of the human crowd with a troubled frown. A cold, familiar emotion grasped his heart. He knew this sickening feeling all too well.
It was the same way he felt when facing frenzied Nightmare Creatures.
'Hell...'
As they drew close to the stairs leading to the entrance of the castle, almost a hundred people were following them. The Guards standing at the gates stared at the crowd with a bit of fear in their eyes.
…And at some point, Caster appeared out of nowhere and took position right behind Nephis. The proud Legacy looked pale and a bit disheveled, but it seemed that he had managed to complete the mysterious task given to him by Changing Star without receiving any wounds.
A few moments later, they entered the Bright Castle.