One month later...
Nephis and the cohort stood with a sleeper who was frantically explaining a series of events that they hadn't come to understand.
It had been a month and half since they left the outer settlement, during this period they had crossed the dark sea, ridden a statue, killed flying abominations and fought against the lord of undead successfully getting the shard.
Their return wasn't any less dangerous than the coming but they had pushed through it and on their day of arrival they heard that their companion returned a month ago but has been missing ever since.
"So let me get this straight, Merlin came back a month ago..." Sunny asked the sleeper, Carl.
Carl had been one of the sleepers that the cohort trusted to maintain order in their absence, He helped in scouting and hunting with the minor groups in the outer settlement and his reputation was well known within the cohort, so as for anything that happened in their absence, Carl or any of their trusted group would be aware of it..
"Yes, He returned a month ago, he specifically asked Shakti about lady Nephis and the cohort, after he heard that you left before he arrived he spent a few days in the outer settlement before heading to... the bright castle" Carl told what he knew about the situation.
"What about the bright castle?" Effie asked, catching the earlier hesitation.
"Lady Athena the thing is... After he went into the castle, by noon the castle went on a full lockdown..."
Carl paused then continued.
"... For the past month, no one had left the bright castle, and there's no information about what led to it either, we've had some of our scouts inside but they haven't come out since then".
Effie looked at Carl then glanced at Nephis, Nephis' face was still the same but something seemed to flash through her eyes.
"Do you guys think Merlin's alright?" Kai asked the group.
Sunny turned to look at Nephis but she still seemed to be in deep thoughts so he spoke up.
"Merlin's probably fine..."
"Yeah, if it's Merlin he'll definitely find a way" Cassie added, in their minds Merlin's reputation had climbed to a considerable degree.
"Lady Nephis, what should we do?" The quiet Caster spoke up looking at Nephis.
Nephis stared at the direction of the bright castle and replied.
"We're going" and with that she started walking towards the castle.
"Hey wait a minute... Are you just gonna barge your way through the castle gates to look for Merlin?" Sunny rushed to the walking Nephis.
"Yes"
"Are you crazy?!... Hey it's Merlin we're talking about here, you and I both know nothing in the castle can keep him if he wants to leave" Sunny said, sighing at Nephis.
'She's not thinking straight anymore' he thought silently.
Nephis stopped and turned to him.
"Sunny, Merlin might be strong but he's not invincible"
"He might as well be... You know his abilities"
Cassie who had been following spoke up from behind.
"But we still need to look for him, he's our friend"
"Don't get me wrong I'm not saying we shouldn't look for him, but walking head first into a castle with over a hundred guards and a tyrant ruler is definitely not the way" Sunny said as Nephis stopped.
As turned to him and asked.
"So what do you suggest we do?"
The question brought a brief moment of silence, Sunny placed his hand on his chin calculating possible moves, he looked around and saw the cohort with their eyes on him, he sighed then spoke up.
"Since that's the case why don't we just pay a few shards, pretend like we're planning to stay for protection then gather information about_" he paused slightly then shook his head.
"That won't work... Your reputation is too bright for that plan"
"Then_" Nephis tried to speak but he cut her off with a snap of his fingers.
"Neph may not be able to get in, but Kai can, I mean his reputation and... face is obviously good enough to pass the guards"
"Um.. what does my face have to do with anything?" Kai tilted his head slightly staring at Sunny.
"Now now Kai, such a face can't be wasted without being put to good use" Sunny waved him off then turned to Nephis "So what do you think?"
"No" Her answer came firm as she resumed her march towards the castle.
"Seriously... I may not be good with plans like Merlin but at least consider it a little before denying next time, that just made me look stupid"
"Don't worry doofus, if it's any consolation you've always looked stupid to me" Effie's voice sounded as he finished.
He sighed then answered instinctively.
"Thanks Effie that really helped_" then he stopped in his tracks replaying her words in his mind "Hey... what do mean stupid, I'm definitely smarter than you who spends all day thinking of what to eat"
A vein showed on Effie's head as she responded with a smack on the back of his head, as he turned to glare at her she had already walked forward to catch up with Nephis.
'I'll definitely get you back one day'
"I guess we're doing this then... This day can't get any worse.." Sunny shook his head as he walked faster to match their pace, then he paused.
"Wait... I didn't just jinx it, did I... I hope not" he shrugged then continued.
Somewhere in the castle Merlin shivered slightly as a small coin fell from his hand, the one that was twirling it.
"Why do I feel like my luck just reduced" he stared at the fallen coin then bent to pick it up.
"Must be my imagination..."
The cohort arrived at the gate, on the outside everything looked normal except there were more guards standing at the entrance, five to be exact.
'Seems like they're hell bent on making sure no one leaves the castle' Sunny thought as he assessed the five sleepers in front.
The cohort led by Nephis made their way towards the entrance, as they arrived in front of the guards, Nephis was about to speak up but the guard beat her to it.
"Lady Changing welcome... The bright lord has been expecting you, all of you"
The change of pace made everyone pause for a while then Nephis answered the guard.
"I understand" and then she walked into the castle with the cohort following right after her.
"Strange how this went from search and rescue to direct audience with the bright lord" Sunny spoke up as he looked around.
"Yeah, it's almost like he was expecting us to come" Kai added.
"It's definitely suspicious" Caster said from the side.
Nephis slowed her steps and answered.
"It doesn't matter, if Gunlang want to settle things now then I'll do the same"
"Haa... That pretty boy better compensate me for the trouble I'm enduring to find him" Effie sighed as they continued.
As they walked, they looked around and the situation in the bright castle seemed different, the people who once looked oppressed now walked around with calm faces.
"Something about this place feels different" Sunny voiced out everyone's thoughts.
If the previous bright castle was like a military camp then this was more like a residential area.
"Yeah, something's changed..." Kai nodded.
Their words didn't last long as they arrived at the castle, the castle strangely did not have any guards compared to the streets but that didn't matter.
As they walked in the first figure they saw was a lady who stood beside the door, seeing them walk in she moved to them.
"Lady Changing Star, I've been tasked by the bright lord to guide you upon your arrival" the handmaiden bowed slightly and walked in slowly as they followed.
The handmaiden did as she said and guided them through the castle till they arrived at the throne room where she handed them over to another lady who stood at the door.
"It's a pleasure to meet you lady Nephis, I'm Seishan leader of the handmaidens, the bright lord is waiting inside"
Nephis stared at Seishan who wore a light smile and then walked into the throne room, as they passed through the door, they were met with a baffling sight.
Merlin... their trusted companion sat on the large throne with the grace and air of a king, his long hair was tied up in a ponytail tail and his unique clothes fit perfectly into the role, for a moment all they could do was stare at the scene (Cas was probably hearing the scene...).
From the silence Sunny spoke up.
"One month Merlin, we don't see you for one month and you go ahead and become king"
Merlin stared at him for a second then bursted into laughter.
"Pfft... Hahaha, good one Sunny, but hey I'm awesome right..." He smiled then looked at them "welcome back guys... g
good to see you're not dead" his eyes settling on Caster for the last part.
"Well well flower boy, looks like lady luck took you for a joy ride while we were away" Effie spoke up with a teasing smile.
"What can I say Eff, I got the looks and the style to enjoy the ride" Merlin replied to her jokes.
"Merlin... What exactly happened?" Nephis spoke up after them.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed before answering.
"The thing is about a month back after I came back from the hollow mountains, I took a leisurely walk through the castle, on the way met with Seishan, Kido and Genma" He paused for a breath then continued "I decided to convince them to join us and their condition was as long as Harus dies... So I killed Harus and while I was at it I also killed Tessai, he wasn't going to join us, then finally I just decided that since the two of them are already dead why don't I just finish it, then I killed Gunlang and took over the bright castle..."
Merlin finished his words with a smile but the reactions he received was entirely unexpected, Nephis had a subtle proud look on her face, Sunny's wore a little surprise and relief because he expected it, Kai and Effie were baffled, Cassie was a little happy and surprised meanwhile Caster's look bordered on suspicion and threat analysis.
"So you mean to tell me you took over the entire bright castle... in a day?" Effie's voice sounded baffled like her expression.
"Uhm a couple of hours but yeah" Merlin scratched the back of his head.
"That's... Monsters, you, doofus and princess are seriously monsters"
'Technically I'm a demon but hey who's asking'
"Alright before the big get together there are things we have to take care of..." Merlin clapped loudly twice and Seishan walked into the room.
"Please get Kido and Genma, I have something to say" He instructed and she obeyed leaving the room.
A few minutes later they all came into the room, as they settled Merlin stood up from the throne and walked towards the cohort, as he approached shimmering lights gathered around his head as he summoned the dawn shard, he walked and stopped in front of Nephis.
Nephis who probably guessed his intentions knelt down on one knee, the scene almost looked like a rehearsed play if not for the obvious looks of surprise on the faces of others, Merlin smiled and took off the crown on his head and placed them on Nephis' transferring the memory.
'Bothersome meetings, Civil rights, order delegation and a bunch of other problems I officially hand you over'
"With my final authority I hand over the bright castle to Lady Changing Star Nephis!" Merlin decreed with authority.
Nephis stood up and nodded at him then walked to the throne and as she sat the three leaders went on one knee acknowledging her authority.
They updated Nephis on the situation of the bright castle, She offered a few words and gave orders to bring in the outer settlement and prepare for the siege, and in under an hour she had earned the respect of the castle inhabitants, Merlin who got tired of looking at his incompetence decided to take a stroll with Sunny.
...
"Hey Sunny, how was the journey for you guys?" Merlin asked as they strolled through the castle.
"Horrible... Seriously horrible, I can't count the amount of times I almost got eaten" Sunny sighed.
Merlin shrugged.
"Well it could've been worse... Shit I just jinxed it didn't I" He sighed then held Sunny's shoulder as he transferred the moon shard to him.
Sunny stared at the runes then turned to him and said.
"I'm going to assume that the reason you're giving me this is because it's originally supposed to be mine but still... Thanks"
"Sure thing Sunny, we outskirt rats gotta look out for each other"
...
In a room that looked relatively empty except for the desk and things on it, Seishan sat down crossed leg on a chair and in front of her was a brown haired and green eyed young sleeper, one of Changing Star's cohort members, Caster.
He stood a few meters away, his head bowed slightly as he spoke.
"It's an honor to meet you Lady Seishan, I'm Caster of the Han Li clan"
"Han Li... A vassal clan under us, state your reason for calling me out here" Seishan spoke with the air of a princess.
"Yes lady Seishan" He stood straight and addressed her "Under a direct order of the clan head, I've accepted a mission to kill Lady Nephis on the forgotten shore"
Castle spoke with the pride of a legacy, Seishan stared at him for a few seconds, her mind calculating the pros and cons until she came to a decision.
"So what do you expect me to do with this information"
"My lady, if possible I would like you to provide me with an opportunity so we can complete the mission for the clan" Caster spoke still confident.
Seishan went silent again and after a while she answered.
"You want me to create an opportunity for you..."
"Yes lady Seishan"
"...To kill Changing Star"
"Indeed" Caster replied but his voice dimmed a little.
"Here's my answer Caster Han Li... I refuse" Her reasoning was simple, she weighed the options, it would be possible to complete an assassination with her help but doing that would mean getting on the bad side of Merlin, the same man who killed three of the strongest sleepers in the bright castle in a couple of hours, no matter how sweet of a reward Changing Star was worth, it wouldn't matter if you're not alive to see it.
"W-why refuse... Lady Seishan" Caster asked, confused about her immediate response.
"The reason is simple, if you were killing just Changing Star I would be willing to help, but right now she's not just Changing Star anymore, She is the Attendant Of Mysteries' partner..."
She stared at him straight in the eyes as her voice turned cold.
"The moment you touch a hair on her head, He'll kill you"
"She's right you know..." Another voice echoed through the room, immediately the temperature in the room dropped.
Caster was frozen in place, literally, his feet were encased in ice and frozen to the ground, he looked around the room to spot the owner of the voice and from a dark corner Merlin walked into the light.
Merlin had arrived immediately after Caster but he didn't enter through the door but phased through the wall and used black screen to conceal himself listening to their conversation.
As he walked out, the frozen Caster was already summoning a memory while Seishan adjusted herself from her previous shock, he calmly walked towards them and faced the legacy boy.
"Yo Caster..."
A/N: Sorry everyone for the one week delay, I got some medical issue and had to spend a week in the hospital. I was too weak to write any chapter, coupled with the fact that I didn't even have access to my laptop... So please forgive me this once, I literally learnt the wrong way that truck-kun doesn't send people to other worlds but rather white ceiling buildings.
Updates will begin as usual, and as you have noticed the forgotten shore arc will be ending in a few chapters... Thanks for all your support ~Certified_Yamori.