As Sunny sat on the cold stones, wiping blood off his face and wincing from pain, the whole castle shook slightly, and dust fell from the ceiling of the wide corridor. Looking up, he frowned slightly, then turned to Harus and indifferently cut a strip of cloth from the hunchback's garments.
The corpse didn't mind.
Tying the cloth around his head to stop the blood from streaming into his eyes, Sunny sighed and summoned the runes.
Shadow Fragments: [956/1000].
"Such an injustice…"
His battle with Harus was one of the toughest he had experienced on the Forgotten Shore, but all he got from it was one measly shadow fragment. This was one of the lamentable quirks of the Shadow Slave Aspect — it didn't differentiate between humans and Nightmare Creatures at all. From its point of view, Harus was nothing but a dormant beast.
…Or maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
"Killing humans is a really unlucrative business," Sunny said with regret and glanced in the direction of the throne room, where the terrible battle still raged on.
Several hundred humans driven insane by fury and bloodlust could create a lot of destruction in a very short amount of time. Several hundred powerful Sleepers, each in possession of an Aspect Ability, were so much worse. Add the Echoes in the mix, and Sunny shuddered to imagine what was going on back in the great hall right now.
The number of lives being extinguished every second up there must have been immense. The members of the Host, the followers of Changing Star, and everyone unlucky enough to exist on the Forgotten Shore today were dying by the score. Blood was flowing like a river in the halls of the Bright Castle… just like Cassie had predicted all those months ago.
Just like Sunny had feared it would.
What was Nephis thinking?
Her ambition had never been to become the ruler of the Dark City. Wrestling the control over the ancient castle from Gunlaug had always been just a means to an end. Her true goal had always been in the Crimson Spire.
…Where the Terror of the Forgotten Shore dwelt.
From that point of view, this massacre was such a waste. Of potential soldiers, of countless Memories, of every other potential resource she was going to need to reach the Gateway.
But then, was it really?
After all, the rest of humanity was not bound by the strangeness of the divine Aspect Sunny possessed. When one Awakened killed another, they received a vast portion of the soul essence their enemy had accumulated. A lot of it simply disappeared, but what remained was more than enough.
The Crimson Spire was not a place one could conquer with cannon fodder. So really, Nephis did not need a thousand weak humans. What she really needed was a few hundred powerful, battle-tested fighters.
What was happening in the Bright Castle right now was not a waste.
It was consolidation.
Sunny sighed and rose to his feet, summoning the Midnight Shard from the darkness of his soul.
It was time to rejoin the battle.
***
In the end, almost two hundred people perished on that day. Despite all that death, the battle ended in a bitter draw.
And the main reason for this were only three people: Nephis, Tessai, and Gemma.
No matter how powerful and skilled the rest of the Sleepers participating in the battle were, no one stood a chance in a fight against either one of these three. Not even Caster, who by then many had believed to be one of the strongest fighters in all of Dark City due to his incredible skill, powerful Aspect, and noble background.
When the proud Legacy clashed against the leader of the Hunters, his enchanted jian quickly found its way into Gemma's heart. However, to everyone's horror, the tall man did not even blink after receiving the mortal wound. And just a few short moments later, it magically closed, not leaving even a scar behind.
No matter how many times Caster had cut or pierced the body of the fearsome Hunter, Gemma's flesh simply restored itself. It was as though the proud Legacy was cutting water.
Gemma's Aspect Ability made him nearly immortal, while his incredible skill, cunning, and might made him a herald of death.
Tessai was equally as formidable. His powerful Aspect Ability was tied to cold and ice. It allowed him to both make his skin hard as stone and debilitate his enemies, turning their movements slow and stiff. What was worse, it countered Neph's flames to a large degree.
Eventually, when the death toll became too large, all three gave their followers a command to retreat.
By the end of the day, the new Lord of the Bright Castle was still not decided. The castle itself became divided between three warring factions, led by the three contenders to the throne.
The largest and strongest faction, one with the most fighters and most Memories to arm them, was formed by the alliance between Tessai and the leader of Handmaidens, Seishan. Together, the Guards and the Handmaidens became a force that the other two factions could not challenge openly. They held the northern and western parts of the Castle, where most of the strategic and easily defendable areas of it were situated.
The second faction was led by Gemma and Kido, the chief Artisan. While the two of them had fewer fighters than both other factions, each of these fighters was worth a dozen. They were the Hunters, the most experienced and formidable Sleepers in all of the Dark City. Although the territory this faction held was not large, it was of utmost importance, since they controlled the only reliable source of food and water in the Bright Castle.
The last faction belonged to Nephis alone. She controlled the southern part of the Castle, where its main gate was situated, as well as the outer settlement, to where many of the previous inhabitants of the ancient citadel had fled in hope of finding shelter.
However, they quickly realized that there was no more safety anywhere in the Dark City.
With Gunlaug gone, all order disappeared. No one went on hunts to bring back food, no one manned the walls to drive the Nightmare Creatures away, no one was there to stop the crime and violence that blossomed in darkness off anarchy.
And things weren't going to change until a new Lord usurped the white throne.
The bloody struggle for the crown had begun.
Chapter 302: Status Quo
In the next couple of weeks, the Bright Castle had become a strange place.
Inside its magnificent halls, barricades were built and three makeshift fortresses appeared, each faction holding a specific territory. Beyond these protected areas, there was no man's land. Going outside of a faction's stronghold was often tantamount to death.
No one knew what they would encounter there. Corpses littered the floor, with an occasional marauder hiding in the darkness. With no more law, tyrannical as it had been, many people gave in to their darkest impulses. But these wretches were the least of the dangers that now populated the Castle.
A much worse fate was to stumble onto a patrol or a war party of another faction. The Guards especially were quick to slaughter anyone they met, sometimes in gruesome and inventive ways. The Hunters and the followers of Changing Star were equally as ruthless, but at least not without reason or provocation.
But the most terrifying change was that now, humans weren't the only ones populating the ancient citadel anymore.
After Gunlaug's death, too many people were killed, and the rest were too busy with their little war to keep defending the Castle. And just like that, after so many years, the Nightmare Creatures had returned under its roof.
Some were killed by the representatives of the factions, but some managed to hide themselves and create nests somewhere in the depths of the stronghold. No one knew how many there were, but the terror kept people awake at night.
There were also a lot of rumors going around, one more frightening than the other. The most persistent of them told of a horrible creature called Blood Lord, which apparently stalked the corridors of the Bright Castle and killed humans, tearing their throats open with sharp fangs and consuming all of their blood. Some even thought that it was Gunalug himself, who returned from the grave to bring vengeance to his killers.
Sunny was doubtful of these rumors up until the moment when he had found a bloodless corpse of a young Guard on one of his patrols. For a moment, he felt fear creep into his heart. He knew what the Blood Flowers were, after all. But then he calmed himself down, remembering that the Bright Lord's body had been destroyed during the massacre that followed his death.
If the corpse of Gunlaug wasn't walking around drinking people's blood, though… then what was?
There were a lot of disturbing things happening in the Castle these days.
Apart from the frequent but minor skirmishes between the factions, people kept dying in all manner of morbid ways. He didn't even want to think about it. There was no safe place anywhere now, except for maybe the three strongholds.
The outer settlement had been completely abandoned. At first, Nephis had tried to create a safe haven there for those who did not wish to participate in the war, but she was quickly taught a bloody lesson by her enemies — spreading her forces too thin was simply an invitation for an attack. After that, all of her followers, willing or unwilling, had relocated to the southern part of the Castle and joined the ranks of her fighting force.
And yet, even two weeks later, nothing had changed. The three factions continued their bloody struggle, unable to break the status quo.
Soon, something had to change.
***
One evening, Sunny was sitting on a crate in one of the halls of Changing Star's stronghold. In his hand was a bowl with a measly ration, which he nevertheless was eating with a lot of enthusiasm.
A few meters away from him, a couple of Neph's followers were doing the same while having a conversation. Out of boredom, he listened to their voices as he ate.
"Have you heard? They found another dead Guard near the throne room. The Blood Lord got him."
"Good riddance. That thing really creeps me out, though."
"Yeah. Scary. But… do you know what I'm really afraid of?"
The slum dweller looked at his partner, who had been paying a tribute to live in the castle just a few weeks ago, and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Harus. That creepy bastard. Where is he now? Damn, if I were able to dream, I sure I would be having nightmares about that butcher every night."
"...Wait. You didn't hear?"
"What?"
"He's dead."
The tributary opened his eyes wide, while Sunny turned away and tried to suppress a smile.
"No way!"
"Yeah. They found his body after the big battle in a hidden passage behind the throne. Someone had… had beaten him to death. With bare fists. That's what I heard."
For a few seconds, there was silence. Then, one of them said:
"What kind of human could kill that monster? With bare hands?"
The slum dweller shivered.
"That's the thing. No one knows. All of the powerhouses were accounted for. You saw it yourself, they were all fighting in the throne room."
"...Crap. Now I am even more scared. Harus was dreadful enough, but to think that there's a person in this Castle who is powerful enough to kill him so easily… while remaining completely unnoticed and unknown, for all this time… damn, that's terrifying."
The slum dweller gave him a nod and turned to Sunny:
"Hey… Sunny, right? You're Lady Nephis's scout? Who do you think could kill Harus?"
Sunny thought for a moment and then said honestly:
"Well… apart from yours truly, who is a true terror on the battlefield and possibly one of the deadliest Sleepers to ever exist in the world… uh… I think Cassie could."
The young man stared at him with disapproval and then shook his head.
"Not cool, man. Boasting is fine, I guess, but mocking Lady Cassia was really low of you."
Sunny blinked. When did he mock Cassie? Considering the Aspect Ability that Harus had possessed, she was really the next best person to fight the hunchback after Sunny himself. She was already blind and adapted to fighting in that state as best as she could. With the help of her Echoes, Cassie stood a good chance of surviving that battle.
With an apologetic smile, he shrugged and said:
"Sorry, I just chose my words badly. In any case, I'm off."
With that, he jumped off the crate and headed toward the barricade that served as the border of the faction's stronghold.
The slum dweller raised his eyebrows.
"Where are you going? The night is approaching!"
Sunny grinned.
"Hunting for a big one. Ah, don't worry. I lived in the Dark City for three months, remember? Nothing is going to happen to me today…"
Chapter 303: Helpful Shadow
The slum dweller pressed his finger against his lips and hissed in exasperation:
"Take that back! Are you crazy?"
Sunny blinked.
"What? No. Well, I was crazy for a while. But now I am not."
The young man looked at him with doubt and shook his head:
"Still, don't jinx yourself. Do you at least have a Memory to keep you safe?"
The question of arming themselves was a big problem for Neph's followers. More than half of them didn't have a Memory armor or a weapon, having to make do with mundane armaments fashioned out of anything that was at hand. It was one of the reasons why fighting against the Guards and the Hunters was so hard for them.
The other guy, the one who used to pay tribute, sighed and call out to his friend:
"Have you lost your mind? You are talking to a member of Lady Nephis's personal cohort. Of course he has Memories."
With that, both of them looked down on their own makeshift swords.
These two were among those who wielded Black Claws, blades made out of the talons of the Spire Messenger Sunny and the rest had killed. Their bases were wrapped with leather, allowing a person to use the long curved talon as a weapon.
Considering that these talons came from a Fallen Monster, as far as weapons went, they were some of the best. Wielding them efficiently was not an easy task, though.
The slum dweller grimaced.
"Right. Damn! I am proud to wield one of the Black Claws, don't get me wrong. But if each of us had a proper set of Memories… those bastards wouldn't be picking us off one by one anymore, that's for sure."
Sunny looked at him with a complicated expression. Then, he smiled.
"A good Memory can change a lot, that's true."
As soon as he turned around, the smile disappeared from his face.
'...It's not going to save your lives, though. All of you are just walking corpses.'
With that, he left the two Sleepers behind, climbed over the barricade, and left.
Nevertheless, they were right. The lack of Memories was a big problem.
…Sunny walked through the shadows, moving deeper and deeper into the belly of the ancient citadel. The Bright Castle was enormous in size and had countless twisting corridors. Some were comparatively easy to navigate, while some followed no apparent logic. There were tall towers connected by aerial bridges and deep dungeons full of darkness and danger.
There were humans with murder in their hearts prowling these corridors, as well as much more terrifying things. Disturbing sounds sometimes echoed through the stone halls, making Sunny stop and frown.
A couple of times, he decided to hide to avoid being noticed by the patrols of the Guards or the Hunters. Following in their wake, he stumbled on a few fresh bodies and regretted not killing those bastards when he had the chance.
Half an hour later, Sunny was somewhere under the main keep of the Castle, moving through a dark corridor with careful steps. It was then then that he heard the sounds of a struggle coming from beyond the next turn.
'...Ugh, what a bother.'
Hesitating for a bit, he made the turn and witnessed a scene that was typical in the ancient citadel these days.
One human was trying to kill another.
In this case, it was a burly Guard that seemed vaguely familiar. The large man was pressing someone small and skinny to the wall, strangling them with gauntleted hands. A broken oil lantern was burning on the floor, making the shadows of the two struggling people seem large and menacing.
The Guard's face had four deep scratches on it, which were oozing blood. It was contorted in an expression of rage and dark delight. The face of his victim, meanwhile, was slowly turning blue.
It was a petite young woman with dark hair and brown eyes, which were currently full of pain and despair.
Just a few moments before she lost consciousness, though, a hand appeared from the darkness and slid a strange transparent dagger across the Guard's throat. Hot blood shot into the air, and he fell to the ground with a horrified, gurgling sound.
The young woman staggered and drew in a hoarse breath, rubbing her bruised neck. A few moments later, she looked up and cautiously studied her savior.
It was a very pale, slender young man with a youthful face and dark, strangely magnetic eyes. Currently, he was wiping his dagger on the sleeve of his armor and staring at the dying Guard with an indifferent expression.
In fact, he was disturbingly nonchalant, not at all like someone who had just killed another human being. There was neither disgust and fear nor delight and triumph on his face, just… nothing at all.
It was the face of a cold-blooded killer.
Turning to her, the young man smiled:
"Uh… you're Aiko, right?"
Sunny looked the young woman over, making sure that she wasn't seriously wounded. He knew her a bit from his days in the Castle. Back then, she had been one of the few people who were able to pay tribute without worrying about making enough shards to do so the next week.
She owned the only gambling den in the Dark City, which automatically made her establishment popular among the members of the Host. But it was also the reason why many of them harbored resentment toward the tiny girl.
Aiko cautiously nodded. Usually, there were mischievous sparks in her eyes, but right now, there was nothing but subdued fear. Sunny dismissed the Moonlight Shard and said in a friendly tone:
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sunny."
The young woman stared at him for a bit, and then said:
"You're one of Changing Star's men, right?"
He grimaced.
"I'm no one's man. I'm completely my own. But yes, currently, Nephis is my… employer, I guess."
Aiko hesitated and said in a polite and pleasant voice:
"I see… well, Sunny. Thank you for saving my skin. I'll be going then."
Sunny grinned.
"Oh, I'm sorry… did I say that you can go? I think not. In fact, I must insist that you stay."
Aiko glanced at the corpse of the Guard, then back at the pale young man. Did she imagine it or were there slight hints of madness in his eyes now?
"Ah, why didn't you say so! If you want me to stay, then I will definitely stay. It will be my pleasure, really. But, uh, Sunny… why exactly did you want me to stay?"
He scratched the back of his head and answered after a bit of a pause:
"Oh, I'm glad that you asked. You see, I am trying to hunt down a big one. And I thought that you would be able to help…"
Chapter 304: Hunting for a Big One
Sunny stared at Aiko, secretly delighted that he didn't have to look up for a change. The young woman's eyes darted into the depths of the corridor, clearly evaluating how good her chances of running away were.
...They weren't.
In the end, she sighed and turned to Sunny with a deep frown. For some reason, such a serious expression looked a bit comical on her petite face.
"Sunny, was it? Listen, buddy… uh… boss. I am really thankful to you for helping me out, but honestly, do I look like a hunter? How am I supposed to help you hunt? Maybe go ask one of your strong manly friends…"
Then, her eyes widened.
"You're not planning on using me as bait, are you?"
Sunny chuckled.
"No, no. Nothing like that. It's just that for this particular hunt, you are the only one who can help. By the way, I didn't just stumble on you by chance. I was watching you for a long time, actually."
She paled a little.
"Ah, I see. Well… to each their own, I guess. But still, I am no warrior. I really think that I won't be able to help you out this time, sadly…"
Sunny shook his head.
"Relax, Aiko. You see, the big one I'm hunting… is a friend of yours. Big, fat bastard named Stev. He's the one I'm after. And I know for a fact that you know where he is hiding. Because you're the one hiding him. So…"
An expression of utter surprise appeared on Aiko's face. With sincere confusion, she asked:
"Wait, what? Stev? The Memory Market guy? Why the Spell would I know where he is?!"
She blinked a couple of times, then said in a hesitant tone:
"Are you sure you're not confusing me with someone, Sunny?"
He sighed and lingered for a few moments, then rolled his eyes.
"Alright. I don't really want to waste time here, so we'll do it the quick way. Look there."
He pointed to his shadow. Aiko lowered her eyes, which then widened when the shadow suddenly turned its head and waved to her.
"What the…"
Sunny crossed his arms and said:
"This here is my shadow. It's an invaluable helper. Among other things, it can walk around on its own and report back to me the things it saw. Guess what it saw yesterday?"
Aiko paled, staring at the shadow with wide eyes.
The shadow stared back at her, full of disdain.
"So… let's not pretend that you don't know where Stev is. Just take me to him."
The young woman glanced at him and gritted her teeth. Then, she asked with dark resolve in her eyes:
"What do you want from him?"
Sunny raised his eyebrows.
"What do I want? That guy is walking around with a hundred Memories in his soul core. Guess."
Aiko clenched her tiny fists.
"He's my friend. I'm not going to…"
Sunny waved her hand and interrupted her.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. I'm not going to do anything bad to him. If I wanted to, I would have killed you already. My shadow saw where you were going already, remember?"
In fact, Sunny was bluffing. While he was almost sure that Aiko was hiding Stev because of how much food she was stealing every couple of days — too much for such a tiny girl to eat on her own — he had no idea where her hideout was.
That was because it was situated somewhere past the Guard's territory, and Sunny had avoided sending his shadow anywhere near where Seishan was.
A stunned expression appeared on her face. After a while, Aiko asked:
"You really are not going to hurt us?"
Sunny offered her his most friendly, honest smile.
For some reason, the petite girl shuddered.
"I am not, you can trust me. I am the most honest man in the world, after all. Two worlds, even…"
***
A few hours later, three figures were sneaking through the corridors of the Bright Castle. One was a pale young man in dark leather armor, the second was a petite girl with mischievous eyes, and the third was a giant of a man with a vast round belly.
Because of him, all their attempts of being stealthy were rendered practically useless.
Nearing another corner, Sunny sighed and gave the other two a signal to stop.
"The Guards are patrolling ahead. We'll have to wait for a bit."
Stev and Aiko glanced at each other and shrugged. Because of their difference in size, the two looked nothing short of comical together. Shaking his head, Sunny summoned the Endless Spring and took a few sips of water, then offered the beautiful glass bottle to them.
"Why were you hiding from everyone anyway, Stev?"
The ample giant looked at him with a sullen expression, then said in a depressed tone:
"Why else? As soon as this mess started, I knew that people would be coming for me to get the Memories."
Sunny frowned.
"The Memory Market belonged to the Host, so why didn't you just go to either Tessai or Gemma?"
Stev grimaced.
"I know Tessai too well to go anywhere near him with Lord Gunlaug gone. As for Gemma — we're on friendly terms, actually. But that girl, Kido… uh, let's just say that I called her a few names in the past. Over a, uh… business dispute, one might say. Who knew she'll go and become one of the lieutenants? Anyway, I was afraid for my safety because she and Gemma are, you know…"
Sunny raised an eyebrow, then asked in an curious tone:
"Then what about Nephis?"
Aiko gave him a complicated look.
"We heard that her people don't treat us Castle folk well. And Stev was even officially under the Host, so… we sort of had nowhere to go."
Sunny frowned. There was indeed a measure of internal strife in Neph's faction, with some outer settlement people being against anyone from the Castle joining them. Changing Star and the members of her cohort tried to prevent anything too nasty from happening, but they couldn't be everywhere at once.
"There are a few troublemakers, true. But you'll be fine. Just say that you're with me."
He thought for a couple of moments, and then corrected himself:
"Actually, don't say that. Most of them barely know who I am. Say that you're with Night. And if Night asks why are you going around telling people that you're with him, then tell him that you're with me."
The two of them suddenly looked at him.
"My buddy Kai is alive? That's wonderful news!" Stev said with a wide smile.
On Aiko's face, a dreamy expression appeared.
"Why haven't you told me that you knew Night from the start? That would have made things so much easier!"
Sunny stared at them and shook his head.
"Pick up your drool, will you?"
Why had he even spent a whole hour trying to convince Stev to return with him? He could have just taken Kai with him, and the damn bastard would just say yes after one smile from the beautiful archer.
'So unfair...'
Then, he suddenly turned his head and froze.
Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. The Guards that were supposed to walk past his shadow a whole minute ago… never appeared.
Chapter 305: Trail of Blood
Raising his hand, Sunny gave Aiko and Stev a signal to remain quiet. Then, with a frown, he commanded the shadow to abandon its hiding spot and find the Guards.
'They can't be near us… I would have heard them.'
Then where did the bastards go?
Soon, he had his answer.
The three Guards were in the corridor a hundred or so steps from Sunny's current position, just behind a corner. In a place where they shouldn't have been, since it was way off their previous route.
They were also dead.
Two had their skulls smashed in. Sunny did not know what weapon, tool, or limb was used to kill them, because their Memory armors had already disappeared. It had to have been something capable of piercing through steel, though, because the Guards had been wearing helmets the last time he saw them.
The third was even worse. His throat was torn, seemingly with terribly sharp fangs… to such degree that the young man's head was almost separated from his body. One would expect a sea of blood to come out of such a terrible wound, but in fact, there was surprisingly little of it on the floor.
However, the corpse of the Guard was unnaturally pale, as if devoid of blood completely.
'Curses…'
Sunny felt a cold shiver run through his body.
The shadow cautiously looked around, but didn't notice anyone else present on the scene of the gruesome slaughter.
Aiko and Stev were staring at Sunny with alarmed expressions. After waiting for several minutes, he finally relaxed a little and motioned for them to follow.
"What happened?"
He hesitated for a few seconds, then said in an even tone:
"The Blood Lord has just been here."
Their eyes widened.
"That fiend?! Then why aren't we running?!"
Sunny glanced at them with a calm expression.
"Don't worry, it's already gone."
Inside, however, he was anything but calm.
A creature capable of killing three Guards was not necesarrily something he would be scared of. One that managed to get past his shadow and slaughter them just a hundred steps away without making enough noise to attract his attention… that, on the other hand, was a reason for concern.
'Just what kind of an abomination is it?'
Sadly, the three of them had to pass the place where the Guards had been killed to reach their destionation. Soon, the smell of blood hit their nostrils, making Aiko and Stev turn pale.
The bodies of the Guards looked even more gruesome in person. Sunny frowned slightly, while Aiko and Stev had to struggle to keep the contents of their stomachs inside.
"Gods… poor bastards…"
Sunny did not say anything, looking around with a dark expression. He was hoping to notice something that his shadow had missed to give him a clue of what type of Nightmare Creature the Blood Lord was, exactly.
But there were no signs that anyone except for the three Guards had been in this corridor in a long time.
"Hey, Sunny? Can we please leave? This crap doesn't seem to bother you, but I… I mean, Stev seems to be really scared. Just imagine what is going to happen if he faints and falls. The whole Castle will hear, probably…"
Sunny hesitated for a little, then nodded.
Just before they left, however, he suddenly noticed something glint in the pool of blood. The shadow had not noticed it earlier because there was nothing to shine on the small object and make it reflect the light back.
Crouching, he reached out with his hand and picked up the bloodied piece of metal, then brought it close to his eyes to take a closer look.
Pressed between his fingers was an intricate silver earring in the shape of a flower blossom. It wasn't a charm Memory, though… just a simple piece of jewelry.
'What is that thing doing here?'
With a confused scowl, he lingered for a few moments and then stood up, turning away from the mangled corpses.
"Let's get out of here…"
***
Soon, they returned to the barricades creating the border of Changing Star's territory. The Sleepers standing watch were surprised to see Sunny come back with two strangers, but let them in without asking any questions.
Aiko raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you guys going to inspect us? What if we're spies?"
The watchmen glanced at each other, and then one of them said:
"Usually, we would. But it's Sunny."
The petite young woman smiled.
"Oh! Is he in very high regard around here?"
The watchman gave a strange look, then coughed with a bit of embarrassment.
"Uh… it's not that. It's just that starting a conversation with him is, uh… well, you know. A headache."
Sunny stared at him with an offended expression.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The watchman hurriedly shook his head.
"No, no. Nothing. Uh, I need to inspect the barricade. If you'll excuse me…"
With that, he made a hasty retreat.
'Did I scam him out of his boots or something?'
Shaking his head in bewilderment, Sunny turned away and led the two newcomers deeper into the stronghold, searching for Nephis.
She was alone in a spacious room. Changing Star sat on the floor, wrapping herself in her white cloak, and stared at the wall with a distant expression.
These days, Neph was a bit strange. She had always been aloof and hard to read, but now, her usually indifferent face had become completely motionless. Her grey eyes had always been calm, but now, they seemed to be especially cold. Almost… empty.
Sunny had no idea what was going on with her.
'Maybe she hasn't recovered from using her Aspect Ability to its full extent, still…'
Clearing his throat to attract her attention, Sunny gestured to the giant man and the tiny girl he brought.
"Hey, Neph. I've recruited these guys."
She tilted her head a little and didn't say anything.
Sunny smiled.
"You must remember Aiko. She was the one on whose behalf you had challenged that Pathfinder, Andel. And cut his head off."
Then, he glanced at Aiko and narrowed his eyes.
The petite girl hurriedly said:
"Oh, yes! Thank you, Lady Changing Star. That guy was… uh... a real menace."
Nephis slowly nodded and said evenly:
"...You're welcome."
Then, she looked at Stev.
"...And you are?"
A wide grin appeared on Sunny's face.
"Oh. This is Stev. Stev is a very special guy. You see… he has a hundred battle-ready Memories stored in his soul core."
With that, Sunny patted Stev on the shoulder and said:
"...Basically, he's going to solve our weapons problem."
Chapter 306: Final Confrontation
With all of Memory Market suddenly falling into the hands of Changing Star's faction, the skirmishes happening in the halls of the Bright Castle became even more frequent and brutal. People kept killing each other, slowly painting the who citadel red.
And yet, it was still not enough for a winner to emerge.
Nephis was always on the frontlines, leading her people and slaying countless enemies with her silver blade, as if alien to the very concept of mercy. Wherever she appeared, blood flowed like a river. She had even clashed against Tessai personally, but their fearsome battle ended in a draw.
Now that more than two weeks had passed after Gunlaug's death and the decimation of the previous order, humans were starting to suffer from the lack of food. There were more and more Nightmare Creatures finding their way into the Castle, too. The situation was slowly turning into an irreversible crisis.
In fact, it already had.
The civil war raged on, reaping human lives one after another. But it was also forging those who remained alive into much more fearsome, powerful, and hardened fighters.
And then, suddenly, the status quo was finally decimated, announcing to everyone left alive in the Bright Castle that the end was drawing close.
The new Lord was about to take his crown. And it was not going to be the most noble or formidable of the candidates.
It was going to be the most vicious.
The news arrived in the stronghold of the Changing Star's faction at the darkest hour of the night. The scouts sent into the depths of the Castle returned one after another, bringing with them shocking news.
The Castle Guard had secretly launched an all-out assault on the stronghold held jointly by Gemma and Kido. The Hunters were defeated, losing many of their numbers in the battle. Left without their protection, almost every Artisan had been captured by the Guards, while Kido herself had been killed by Tessai with his own two hands. After her death, Gemma and his surviving warriors had to flee.
After the scouts made their report, a heavy silence settled over the stronghold. Everyone understood what was going to happen next.
The faction formed by the alliance of the Guards and the Handmaidens had already been the most powerful of the three. Now that all the Artisans were in their hands and most of the Castle was under their control…
They would be coming for Changing Star and her people next.
In that silence, Nephis looked around, at the pale faces of her followers, and said after a long and poignant pause:
"...Stay strong. We will prevail."
However, for the first time, her words did not seem to convince them.
After a long and sleepless night, an unexpected visitor arrived in the stronghold.
It was Gemma, the mighty leader of the Hunters.
The tall man looked very different from how he had before. His laidback attitude was gone, replaced with dark exhaustion. His face was grim and ashen, and his light armor was torn and covered with blood.
He wished to speak with Changing Star.
After she arrived in front of him, Gemma offered her the services of his remaining men in the struggle against Tessai.
She tilted her head and asked, her voice emotionless:
"What about your ambitions? Didn't you want to become the next Lord?"
Gemma was silent for a long time, the fire extinguished in his eyes. Finally, he said:
"I never wanted to be a Lord. It was Kido's wish. Now that that damn butcher… now that she's dead, I don't care about the throne anymore."
He paused, a mournful shadow veiling his eyes. But then, embers of scathing hatred ignited in its depths. Gemma gritted his teeth.
"All I care about is to see Tessai die. If you can promise me that you'll defeat him, I and my Hunters will follow you to the end."
Nephis was silent for a while, considering his words. Finally, she turned away and answered:
"Signal for you men to come. We have some food to share, so eat your fill. Prepare for tomorrow."
With that, she walked away.
Gemma stared at her back and yelled:
"What happens tomorrow?!"
Changing Star paused for a moment, then answered without turning her head:
"...Tomorrow, I will kill Tessai."
***
The next day, there were no scouts and no patrols sent out in the morning. Instead, everyone armed themselves, gathered together, and marched to the throne room.
Nephis was walking at the head of her army, clad in the stark black and white armor of the Starlight Legion.
On her breastplate, seven shining stars were engraved.
The great hall was just as they had left it three weeks ago. During that time, members of all three factions had gathered the bodies of their dead to give them proper burials, but the white marble floor was still painted red with blood.
Tessai and his people were already waiting for them there.
The morose giant was sitting on the throne, looking down from its height. In his hands, there was a terrifying heavy mace, still wet from the slaughter.
Sunny grimaced, noticing the difference between the two armies.
Despite all their losses, there were still almost a hundred Guards left alive. Not only were they better equipped and trained than the slum dwellers, but now they also had the captured Artisans on their side, supplying them with all kinds of tools, gear, and deadly inventions.
The Artisans themselves were beside them, some of them bound and chained, some simply intimidated into submission. Their faces were pale, frightened, and bloodied. From their position in front of the Guards, it seemed as though Tessai was planning to use these poor people as a meat shield against Changing Star's assault.
The Handmaidens were also there, standing silently behind the guards. These quiet young women used to maintain the Castle and complete various chores around it, but they were capable fighters as well. Since they had not participated in the furious battle that had happened after Gunlaug's death, their number did not diminish by much. There were around a hundred of them, too.
Their leader, Seishan, was also there, at the base of the stairs that led to the throne. Looking at her, Sunny felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
He couldn't explain it, but this beautiful and strange woman made him feel fear for some reason.
At a first glance, Nephis had more people on her side. There were slightly more than three hundred of them, comprised mostly of the surviving slum dwellers, with several dozen tributaries and a dozen or so Hunters added into the mix.
…But really, only about a half of them was worth anything in the fight against the battle-hardened Guards.
Altogether, these were all the humans left alive in the Dark City. Just shy of six hundred.
Everyone else was already dead.
And how many more were going to die today?
Chapter 307: Throne of Light
Two forces stood against each other, the desecrated expanse of the great hall separating them… for now. The tense silence was full of bloodlust and dark apprehension.
Sunny slowly made his way to the first row of the crowd, staring at the opposing mass of armored warriors with a complicated expression. From his point of view, followers of Changing Star had little chance of winning this battle.
They simply had no advantage against the Castle Guard — with the exception of the fact that there were more bodies they could throw at the sharp blades of the enemy. Even if everyone here was mundane human, that would not have helped them prevail against a better-armed and trained force.
The fact that every single human in the throne room was a Sleeper only made things worse. The potential difference in power between two Awakened was much more vast than that between two mundane fighters.
And yet, he didn't think that Nephis was going to lose — for that same reason.
The Guards might have been better equipped and more experienced than the slum dwellers, but they didn't have Changing Star on their side. They didn't have Effie, Caster, and Gemma. They didn't have Sunny.
They only had two truly fearsome champions: Seishan and Tessai himself.
At the end of the day, the outcome of this battle was going to be decided by those few who stood out from the sea of Sleepers, impressive as everyone still surviving in the Dark City might have been, like tall and unassailable cliffs. Among the Awakened, individual power was so much more important. And in terms of exceptional individuals, the Changing Star's side was far superior.
So yes, Sunny felt confident that Nephis was going to win.
But at what cost?
Out here on the Forgotten Shore, people had nowhere to retreat. So this battle was going to end only after one side was totally annihilated. And the closer to utter annihilation a faction would come, the more desperately its members would fight… like rats driven into a corner. When that happened, the bloodshed would only grow more terrible.
Was it only going to stop when just a handful of the strongest and most resilient was left alive?
As if reading his thoughts, Tessai suddenly chuckled and looked at the crowd of people gathered in the throne room with a bloodthirsty smile.
'Is… is that bastard actually looking forward to the slaughter?'
The morose giant then looked directly at Nephis and grinned:
"Changing Star. Ah, we meet again. But… wait. Who is that beside you? Is that Gemma, my old friend? What a pleasant surprise! How considerate of you, to bring him here. Now I won't have to search the whole Castle for that filthy cockroach…"
With that, he slowly rose from the throne, put his terrifying mace on his shoulder, and descended from the stairs, dark fires igniting in his eyes.
"Have you come here to die, Changing Star?"
Nephis tilted her head and looked at Tessai with empty eyes.
"...No. I came here to kill you."
The giant laughed. Stepping on the marble floor, he stopped beside Seishan and bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
The two of them looked truly fearsome together. The morose giant was like an incarnation of destruction and violence. His skin had turned slightly blue because of the invisible icy barrier that encased it. The air in the throne room suddenly became colder, with tiny snowflakes dancing in the beams of light.
The mysterious leader of the Handmaidens was reserved and elegant, but no less frightening.
Seishan was exquisitely beautiful, cold, and inexorable. She was wearing a simple, but strangely regal dress, its velvet the color of red wine. There was an intricate silver necklace resting on her chest that accentuated her supple figure, and two bracelets on her wrists.
Her most striking feature, however, was not her grace and not her beauty, but her skin. It was grey like stormy clouds, smooth like silk, and devoid of any imperfections.
Just like Nephis, Sieshan was one of those people whose appearance had been changed by their Aspect. But in her case, that change was far more pronounced. It gave her an exotic and tantalizing, but outwardly inhuman look.
Seishan's beauty was of the kind that put both longing and fear in a person's heart.
When Tessai approached, she silently summoned her weapon and stared coldly at the crowd of slum dwellers. Many of them shivered and hurriedly looked away.
A few moments later, a graceful war hammer appeared in her hand, one side of its head forged in the shape of a narrow beak.
The morose giant laughed.
"Kill me? Haven't you tried already? If memory serves, the last time we fought, you ran away like a cowardly dog. What makes you think that today is going to be different, bitch?"
Nephis raised her chin slightly and met his mocking gaze with silence.
Tessai shook his head.
"That look. I dreamed about wiping that arrogant look off your pretty face for a long time. Today, I am going to teach you how to beg, girl. So, what do you say? How about we finish this mess once and for all?"
The Guards standing behind him laughed and readied their weapons, looking at the slum dwellers opposing them with contempt and dark anticipation. Followers of Changing Star gritted their teeth, closing their ranks and preparing to charge.
The bloodshed was about to begin.
Nephis summoned her silver sword and answered Tessai, her voice cold and indifferent:
"...Let's."
For a moment, time slowed.
With a bestial smile, the giant stepped forward. He opened his mouth, ready to give his soldiers the command to attack.
A step behind, Seishan silently moved to follow him…
…And brought the beak of her war hammer on the back of Tessai's head, shattering his skull with one devastating strike.
At the same time, the Handmaidens who were standing behind the Guards attacked the unsuspecting men with long knives that appeared out of their sleeves. These knives were not Memories, and as such, did not take any time to weave themselves into reality or shine with ethereal light while doing so. Instead, they were fashioned out of steel, bone, and black obsidian.
Just a moment later, the blades plunged into the flesh of the Guards, ruthlessly slaughtering them. The Handmaidens were aiming for their throats, hearts, and eyes. Blood streamed on the marble floors once again, and screams of terrified agony filled the air.
By the time Tessai's soldiers realized what was happening, it was already too late. They had no chance to resist the treacherous attack.
A dozen seconds later, everything was over. A hundred powerful fighters were mercilessly eviscerated without even having a chance to raise their weapons. Their corpses lay on the floor, a look of horror and disbelief forever frozen on their faces.
…Only Tessai was still alive.
Despite the fact that his skull was broken, the giant was still struggling to stand up, fury contorting the lines of his face. His disoriented attempts, however, were growing weaker with each second.
A confused, pained roar escaped from his lips.
As hundreds of Sleepers stared in shock and horror, Nephis slowly walked across the great hall and stopped near him.
Seishan, who was standing behind the giant, gave her a respectful bow.
"Lady Changing Star."
Sunny stared at her war hammer, which was wet with blood and bone matter, with splinters of bone sticking to its metal surface. An expression of recognition suddenly appeared on his face.
"The hammer… the mason's hammer…"
Held in Seishan's graceful hand was the sixth Shard Memory. One that belonged to the walking colossus, the statue of the Builder who had created the walls of the Dark City.
The Sunlight Shard.
Nephis gave the beautiful woman a court nod.
"Good job."
Finally, the identity of the spy who had been helping her from within the Castle was revealed.
Then, she turned to the dying giant and stared at him. Neph's face was still and motionless, with no emotion appearing in her cold grey eyes. After a few moments, she said evenly:
"I promised to kill you."
With that, she raised her sword and pierced Tessai's heart with one swift, precise strike. The giant man shuddered, and then grew still.
Retrieving her sword, Nephis closed her eyes and used it to support her weight for a few moments. A slight tremor ran through her body.
The war for the throne was over.
The Bright Castle had finally found its new Lady.
Chapter 308: Handmaiden
In the aftermath of the Castle Guard's annihilation, the core members of the cohort gathered in a small room that was situated not far away from the great hall. From there, they could hear the bodies of the slain Guards being stripped of anything valuable and then dragged away to be disposed of... lest they attract the hordes of hungry Nightmare Creatures.
Just like that, the former most powerful faction of the Bright Castle was no more.
Judging by the expressions on everyone's faces, no one had been aware of the secret alliance between Nephis and the Handmaidens. Perhaps with the exception of Cassie.
But none of them dared to ask Changing Star about it.
Well, Sunny had no such problem.
Staring at their intrepid leader with a dubious expression, he said:
"So when did you start working with Seishan?"
Nephis glanced at him, then shrugged indifferently.
"Soon after you left."
A slight spark appeared in her eyes.
"Why? Are you surprised?"
Sunny remained silent for a bit, then shook his head.
"No, not really. I figured out that your spy was one of the lieutenants a long time ago. I just didn't know which one. But I thought that either your cooperation ended with Gunlaug's death, or that they double-crossed you as soon as you got rid of him for them."
Changing Star smiled darkly.
"...She wouldn't."
Sunny frowned slightly, then asked, his voice full of cold, calculating curiosity:
"So why didn't she join your faction when all of this had started? Why go to such lengths to create this charade?"
But then, he raised his hand to stop her from answering and grimaced.
"Actually, don't say anything. I can guess. If the Handmaidens joined us directly, the power of the faction would have been too immense. And that would pressure the other three lieutenants into joining forces against it instead of fighting among each other. Then, we would have really had to end things with an all-out battle, the last man standing wins. Right?"
Nephis glanced at him and nodded.
"Correct."
'Not only did the two of them prevent Tessai and Gemma from considering an alliance, but they also eviscerated the Castle Guard without losing a single follower. How… diabolical.'
Even a treacherous cheat like Sunny couldn't help but be impressed.
However, there was one problem. His frown returned, now even deeper than before.
"If memory serves, the last time we talked about your spy you said that she can never be trusted. You only trusted the information she provided. Why the change of heart? How come you were so confident that she would uphold her end of the deal?"
A pleasant, velvety voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Maybe I can explain myself."
'What the hell?!'
With a startled expression, Sunny turned around and saw the beautiful woman standing right in front of him. Up close, she was even more striking, with her strange grey skin seemingly shining softly in the sunlight.
'How did she get so close without alerting neither me nor my shadow?'
He didn't like the fact that Seishan had been able to sneak up on him one bit. Things like that were not supposed to happen...
The gorgeous woman, meanwhile, gave them a reserved bow and said:
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Song Sei Shan…"
Suddenly, Caster's eyes narrowed. A strange expression appeared on his face.
Sunny did not miss that sudden change.
'Well, the fact that our proud scion is reacting this way can mean only one thing. It's some Legacy crap.'
Sunny stared at Seishan, seeing her in a new light. He studied every detail of her appearance, from the modest cut of her velvet dress to the glinting silver of her intricate necklace.
She didn't look like a Legacy. At least not the ones he had seen.
However, one little detail of her appearance did give him pause...
Noticing his gaze, Seishan offered a polite smile.
"Ah. No, I am not a true descendant of the great clan Song. However, I have been raised and cared for by the Clan Leader herself, like many other girls orphaned by the Nightmare Spell. As such, it is my duty and ardent wish to return to the real world and repay my debt."
She lingered for a few seconds, then lowered her eyes.
"That is why, while you have no reason to trust in my character, you can at least trust in the fact that my wishes align with yours. I followed Gunlaug because only he was able to give people a chance to survive the Forgotten Shore. And I will follow Lady Changing Star, because only she can give us a chance to escape it. This is my belief, and this is what I will do. She is Broken Sword's daughter, after all."
Without having to discuss anything, everyone stared at Kai, who coughed and said in an embarrassed tone:
"Uh… yeah. All of this is true. She is very sincere."
Effie raised an eyebrow, then turned to Seishan and shrugged:
"Well… welcome to the team, then? I guess."
One after another, the other members of the cohort repeated her greeting. Sunny was the last to speak.
When it was his turn to greet the beautiful Handmaiden, however, he remained quiet. Soon, an awkward silence hung in the room.
Sunny glanced at the rest of the people gathered there.
Nephis, Cassie, Effie, Caster, Kai, Seishan… and him.
Seven people in total...
A few moments later, he turned to Seishan and stared at her for a bit, then finally said, his voice strangely suppressed:
"Welcome."
She looked at him with a reserved smile.
However, Sunny wasn't done talking. Quickly glancing somewhere left of Seishan's face, he hesitated for a little, and then added:
"Oh, right! I almost forgot. I found something of yours. I think you dropped it."
With that, he raised a hand. On his open palm, an intricate silver earring lay, one side of it covered with blood.
Seishan looked at it for a few moments. Then, her lips suddenly parted, her smile turning wide and brilliant.
Glancing at him with sparkling eyes, she said:
"Thank you very much... Sunny, right? I thought I lost it."
Her teeth were perfectly even, pearly, and spotlessly white.
Chapter 309: Where Dreams May Come
In the next week or so, things moved with terrible speed.
Nephis became the ruler of the Bright Castle without any type of glorious ceremony or impassioned speech. No one questioned her authority, anyway, as though it was a simple fact of life.
In a sense, it was.
Sunny found it interesting, however, that she didn't take her seat on the white throne of the ancient citadel once. Even when there was a need for a large gathering, Changing Star sat on the last step of the stairs leading to the throne. As if making a point to show that the Bright Castle did not belong to her… or, perhaps, that she did not belong to the Bright Castle.
At first, he was sure that Nephis was going to push people to march on the Crimson Spire immediately, but she didn't even mention it. When he confronted her about her plans, she simply said that they were going to wait until the winter solstice came before making any decisions.
It was just a few days away, anyway. In the meantime, everyone who was left alive had a lot to do.
There were just five hundred people in the Dark City now. In less than a month, the human population of the Forgotten Shore had been reduced by half. The outer settlement remained completely abandoned, but even then, there were barely enough people to maintain and guard the Bright Castle.
Nevertheless, they persevered.
The halls and corridors of the ancient citadel were cleaned of blood and corpses. The Nightmare Creatures that had found their way inside were methodically hunted down and eliminated. The breaches in the defensive lines they had created were located and repaired.
Neph's watchmen assumed the role of the obliterated Castle Guard, manning the walls and protecting the stronghold from outside threats. The hunting parties resumed their expeditions into the ruins, with hunters from the outer settlement and the Castle joining forces under the leadership of Effie and Gemma. Once again, there was food for everyone to eat and safety to enjoy.
Despite the harrowing hollowness and the absence of so many young men and women who had died in the turmoil of the bloody struggle for the throne, not to mention the invisible scars left on the souls of those who had survived, things were slowly starting to resemble how they had been before.
But behind this veil of normalcy, they were anything but. And the reason for that was Changing Star and her Crown of Dawn.
With the help of the miraculous Shard Memory, humans of the Dark City were now able to not only hunt more Nightmare Creatures and with less risk, but also challenge Fallen rulers of the cursed ruins. Not every one of these terrifying creatures could be killed without paying too terrible a price, of course. But after so many years on the Forgotten Shore, experienced Hunters knew a lot about various horrors populating the city. Putting the knowledge together, they determined which ones they could challenge and survive.
One after another, many powerful Nightmare Creatures were tracked down and slain. Suddenly, humans have become if not the apex species in the Dark City, then at least not the weakest one.
By killing Fallen abominations, Nephis was achieving several goals simultaneously. She was steadily accumulating an arsenal of Memories to arm every person in the Castle. Some of those Memories were even of the Ascended Rank, and the number of such powerful armaments slowly grew.
She and her warriors also brought back large quantities of soul shards, which were then given to the inhabitants of the Castle to absorb and grow stronger.
In an ironic twist of fate, it appeared as though now, it was the Bright Lady who was paying tribute to her subjects, and not the other way around.
This only made the respect and adoration people felt toward her grow stronger.
But most importantly, perhaps, was the fact that through these hunts, she was training her people to fight together as a cohesive force and prevail against creatures that were much more powerful than them.
Guided by Cassie, the surviving Artisans were hard at work, too. They were applying their mastery and craft to close any gaps in how the humans of the Dark City were equipped and supplied for the battle against the Dream Realm. However, the nature of their tasks was drastically different now.
If they had been in charge of maintaining the lifestyle of people leaving in the Castle as much as working to supply Gunlaug's Host with gear and equipment, now their only job was to create things people were going to need in battle.
It was as though they were preparing for war.
There were a few large projects that the Artisans were working on that Sunny knew little about, too. These things were requested from them by Nephis herself. He suspected that they were going to become useful once the time to attack the Crimson Spire finally came.
...Just like that, the winter solstice came.
On this day, exactly a year ago, Sunny had arrived on the Forgotten Shore. It was hard to believe that he had survived here for so long. That any of them had. But it also seemed as though one year was not enough to encompass it all.
It felt more like a lifetime. Several lifetimes, perhaps…
It was also on this day, a year later, that Sunny turned eighteen.
Remembering his previous birthday, a slight smile appeared on his lips. Back then, Cassie, who had been a complete stranger, offered him unexpected congratulations. He also made plans to celebrate his next birthday as an Awakened by drinking a cup of coffee with lots of milk and sugar.
Those dreams were not meant to come true.
Instead, Sunny met his eighteenth birthday in an empty hall of the Tower of Dusk, practicing the steps of the Shadow Dance, sweat streaming down his lithe and strong body.
These days, he felt that he was almost there. Just a little bit more, and the first level of mastery over his mysterious Aspect Legacy would be his. It was already in reach.
One more thing happened on that day.
As Sunny continued to train, the subtly familiar voice of the Spell suddenly whispered into his ear:
[...Your Shadow has evolved.]
Chapter 310: Shadow Demon
Lowering his sword, Sunny stood in the silence of the empty room for a while. In the window, the distant axis of the Crimson Spire loomed, the light of dawn slowly painting it red.
A subtle smile appeared on his face.
"Aww. Thank you, Spell. What a nice birthday present."
Summoning the Endless Spring, he greedily drank delicious cold water and then sat on the floor, crossing his legs and drawing a few deep breaths.
'Let's take a look…'
Leaving his worries behind, Sunny dove into the Soul Sea and walked past the rows of motionless shadows.
A long time ago, there had been just a handful of them. Now, hundreds of dark silhouettes watched silently as he approached the tenebrous sun of the Shadow Core. Among them were all kinds of horrors, creatures whose appearance alone would drive weaker men insane. The Mountain King was there. The Black Knight was there, too. The terrifying Spire Messenger stood lifelessly on the tranquil surface of the water.
…And there were humans, too. Harus was among them, and so was Harper.
Sunny didn't pay them any attention.
Standing beneath the Shadow Core, he sighed and summoned the runes.
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Shadow Core: Dormant.
Shadow Fragments: [977/1000].
…He was so close to accumulating the whole thousand. If Sunny really wanted to, he could have abandoned caution and pushed to reach it before the inevitable journey to the Crimson Spire. However, he was wary of delving into anything unknown right before the fateful confrontation.
He also felt that his time was better spent consolidating and perfecting everything that he had already learned and earned, not wasting it trying to acquire something new.
Still, it was not an easy decision.
With a sigh, he continued reading.
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Prowling Thorn], [Endless Spring], [Blood Blossom], [Moonlight Shard], [M… …old], [Weaver's Mask].
Echoes: —
Shadows…
He tilted his head and read, an amused expression appearing on his face:
...[Marble Saint].
…Marble?
'How fitting…'
Without wasting any more time, he summoned his Shadow from the depths of the Core. She appeared in a whirlwind of black flames, standing in front of him with her usual taciturn aloofness.
However, Sunny couldn't help but gasp.
The Saint was indeed changed. She grew taller and was now even more oppressive. Her graceful stonelike armor, which had looked as though it was cut from granite before, was now entirely black and glossy, like obsidian… or onyx. In fact, it was very much like the shattered onyx armor he had purchased with Kai's help.
Her skin, on the contrary, became smooth and as white as alabaster… at least the small portion of it he could see through the visor of the helmet.
Saint seemed much stronger, aware, deadly…
But that was not what made Sunny gasp.
The thing that stunned him was what hid beneath the armor. Within the shadow that populated Saint's body, there used to be two ethereal dark embers.
But now, there were three.
Sunny stared at her for a while.
'Did she… rise to a higher class?'
Finally, he calmed down and made the runes describing the Shadow appear. A moment later, his hopes were proved true:
Shadow: Marble Saint.
Shadow Rank: Awakened.
Shadow Class: Demon.
'Demon! She is a Shadow Demon now…'
Shadow Attributes: [Battle Master], [Stalwart], [Spark of Divinity].
The next line had not been there before. Sunny held his breath.
Shadow Abilities: [Weapon Sage], [Underworld Armament].
He lingered for a moment, trying to suppress a triumphant smile.
He had always known that Saint was not a typical Nightmare Creature. But to think that she would acquire an actual Ability before even becoming a devil… and not just one, but two!
Burning with anticipation, he read on:
Weapon Sage Ability Description: [Shadow Saint can effectively wield any weapon-type Memory.]
Underworld Armament Ability Description: [Shadow Saint's armor can accommodate a charm Memory to inherit its enchantments.]
Sunny was silent for a bit, then turned his head and stared at the taciturn monster… no, not monster.
Demon.
A satisfied smile finally appeared on his face.
"Ah. How wonderful…"
Not only had his Shadow grown tremendously stronger, but she now also had the ability to use any weapon he would provide for her, as well as reinforce her armor with all kinds of powerful enchantments.
The possibilities this could provide her were truly endless. The potential combinations, the flexibility… all it took was to find proper Memories.
Sunny shook his head and grinned.
Before, he had sometimes thought that Saint was really suited to command an army.
But now, he understood that he had been wrong.
…She was the army.
***
A few hours later, the members of Neph's cohort gathered on the roof of the old hunting lodge, which still stood at the edge of the slum. Seishan was also there, which made Sunny slightly uncomfortable. He didn't let it show on his face, however.
The outer settlement was desolate and empty. There were no desperate, hungry youths around anymore — all of them were now either safely hidden behind the castle walls… or dead.
It was just the seven of them. They came to see Kai off.
The charming archer was standing near the edge of the roof, checking his equipment for the last time. He was wearing a new stylish armor and a leather jacket with fur on its collar. On his back, there was a quiver full of arrows and a backpack with water, food, and other supplies necessary for a long journey.
Sunny didn't know about the rest, but his heart was heavy.
As though reading his thoughts, Kai turned around and smiled.
"Really, guys, don't worry. I'll be fine. This is not my first time spending some quality time in the Labyrinth."
No one answered, knowing that the mission entrusted to Nightingale this time was especially dangerous... but also important.
He had to leave the Dark City and explore the vastness of the Forgotten Shore in search of new humans sent here by the Spell.
Today was the day of the winter solstice, and that meant that out there in the real world, thousands upon thousands of Sleepers were currently preparing to enter the pods and arrive in the Dream Realm.
Sunny sighed.
"Just don't bring back anyone as irritating as you, alright?"
Kai chuckled.
"...No promises."
With that, he waved them goodbye.
"Well… wish me luck!"
A few moments later, he was gone, turning into a small dot in the sky.
The remaining six people stared at it for a long time, their faces somber.
Their future depended on what Kai would discover.
Their and that of everyone else still clinging to life on the Forgotten Shore.