A heavy, suffocating silence gripped the room after Kane's terrifying admission. The core members of—Nephis, Caster, Effie, Sunny, and Kai—were united in a sudden, cold dread. This man, their former companion, had walked through a camp Blood Growlers and destroyed it.
Finally, Sunny broke the tension, turning to the leader. "Anyway, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Nephis, Changing Star, hesitated, her gaze flickering to Kane's formidable, scarred figure. She then spoke, the decision heavy on her words. "I want you to take Effie to your hideout in the ruins and keep her safe there for about a week."
Kane patted Sunny's shoulder, a gesture that felt both encouraging and deeply menacing. "Good luck."
Effie glared fiercely at both of them. Sunny, meanwhile, was perplexed. "Uh… excuse me? Keep her safe?"
Nephis gave him a sharp nod, then sighed, a rare concession to fatigue. "I guess I owe you an explanation."
With a serious frown, she glanced at the map of the Dark City, her gaze fixed on the stark, white symbol of the Bright Castle at its center.
"You asked why Gunlaug hasn't killed us all yet," she began. "This is a good question. However, the answer is... complicated."
Changing Star turned her head, looking directly at Sunny. "Partially, it is because I have not challenged him openly yet. I also haven't done anything to justify an intervention. Everything my group and Kane's group have accomplished for the benefit of the outer settlement not only fell outside the purview of his reign over the castle but also strengthened the human position on the Forgotten Shore overall. Officially, he has no grounds to accuse me."
Sunny scoffed. "It's not like Gunlaug really needs justification. He only needs the pretense of one, and even then just barely. He's a monster who hides his fangs."
Nephis slightly frowned, acknowledging the dark truth. "You are right. If he really wanted to escalate the situation and bring about an open conflict, he could have easily created a reason. Alternatively, he could have sent Harus—his terrifying, elite executioner—under the cover of night to make me disappear without a trace. But he didn't. And... we are not entirely sure why."
Kane analyzed the situation, a cold calculation running through his mind. 'Shakti never faced any direct, major threats. She knew better how things would operate if she remained subservient to the outside. That means... Gunlaug might have projected her as an extension of his own power to keep the underlings in line.' He began to grasp the complex power dynamic—a game of shadows and subtle manipulation. He decided to remain silent, still trusting none of them completely.
Sunny blinked, genuinely confused. "You don't know?"
Glancing at Caster, Nephis shook her head. "There are several possible reasons. Perhaps he is uncertain if Harus will be able to dispose of me. Perhaps he is using the growing status of the outer settlement as a deterrent against his lieutenants' ambitions. Perhaps he is just confident and patient. Whatever the case, Gunlaug more or less tolerated our existence for these past four months."
Caster sighed, rubbing his temples. "Of course, there were still challenges we had to overcome. If we weren't cautious in how we dealt with these provocations, things would have been very different."
Changing Star nodded grimly. "Indeed. There were several attempts to taunt us into confrontation already. Nothing too bloody, though. However... things seem to have changed. We received word from the castle that Gunlaug is going to act against us soon. This time, he is aiming at one of my companions. The attack will be a serious one, and the target is Effie."
Kane looked at Effie, raising an eyebrow marked by a fresh scar. "Did you offend them?"
Effie shrugged, bristling at the tone. "Yeah, I got into an argument with them, so what? They were being pigs."
Kane suppressed a sigh. 'With that mouth of yours, Effie, anything is possible,' he thought, facepalming mentally.
Caster clenched his fists, his handsome face grim. "It could have been any of us, really, but Effie... despite all my warnings... got into a rather vulgar argument with a bunch of Guards who came into the outer settlement for some entertainment. Coincidentally, some of these Guards went missing last night. No one knows what happened to them."
Suddenly, Kai, the new member, spoke up. "Actually, I might know something about that!" He began to explain his harrowing tale of being kidnapped and his subsequent, dramatic rescue by Sunny.
Caster nodded, the information settling grimly into his strategy. "Thank you, this is a very valuable piece of information. Sadly, it doesn't change anything. Effie is still in danger. The Bright Lord is going to use her as a hostage and force Lady Nephis to challenge him. If she does, he will kill her. If she doesn't, Effie will die, and our reputation will be ruined. Either way, he wins."
Kane nodded, his suspicion solidifying. Sunny, looking uneasy, asked the crucial question: "How did you guys know this?"
Kane immediately connected the dots. 'Seishan must be their informant. I wonder what kind of deal they cooked up to buy their safety,' he thought, shooting a cold glance at Nephis. Nephis met his gaze, the unspoken accusation passing between them.
Caster hesitated, then reluctantly said: "We have an… ally."
Sunny pressed the core mystery. "I see. Well, there is this one thing that I don't really understand. You said to keep Effie safe for a week. What is going to change in a week? I doubt that Gunlaug will magically forget everything after a few days."
A heavy, absolute silence descended on the room. No one seemed willing to speak the truth first.
After a few agonizing moments, Nephis finally broke the silence. She leaned back, staring out the window at the terrifying sprawl of the Dark City, and said in her usual, indifferent tone: "In a week, we will be ready to leave the city."
Kane looked at her, his lips curving into his psychotic, self-aware smile. "I guess this is where my involvement truly comes in."
Nephis gave a barely perceptible nod.
Immediately, another map was spread on the table. This one was drawn on a crude piece of parchment made out of monster hide, much less detailed than the strategic map on the wall.
At the center of it, a straight black line depicted the towering, terrifying Crimson Spire. The vast, unknowable Labyrinth flowed from it, devouring the parchment like an ocean of blood. To the east, a small circle of black ink with a symbol of a white tower marked the Dark City.
The city was perched on the edge of another, much larger circle—the massive cyclopean crater that Sunny had traversed months ago. Only now, looking at it in scale, did he finally realize just how giant the crater was, and how vast the entire Forgotten Shore appeared. Back on Earth, this desolate region would have been the size of a continent. The Dream Realm was truly an impossible, gargantuan landscape.
There were other, cryptic symbols on the map, but several immediately drew Kane's attention.
On the far side of the crater, almost exactly opposite the Dark City, a symbol of a dead tree depicted the Ashen Barrow. Some distance to the east, on a straight line, there was a mark in the shape of a red cross.
This red cross was replicated across the map:
The first was drawn inside the crater, just outside the eastern edge of the Dark City.
The second was about a week's worth of travel time to the north, near a symbol that looked like a grotesque, misshapen skull.
The third was halfway between the ruins and the Crimson Spire.
The fourth lay to the south, about the same distance as the third, drawn atop the symbol of an arching bridge.
The final red cross was at the very edge of the parchment, far away to the south, beyond the Labyrinth. Near it, two symbols were drawn: a crown and a question mark.
Kane, observing the five crosses he could easily identify, felt a surge of cold confirmation. 'She has the ideal locations of the Shards. She must have collected some of them already.' He looked at the final symbols—the crown and the question mark. The message of the First Bright Lord, Thrain, mentioned the Dawn Shard could empower memories.
'The Dawn Shard is outside of the City,. No wonder I haven't caught it inside the Dark City. If I join this expedition, I can get my hands on it, heal Linia with combining her healing lamp'
Sunny spoke, the sheer ambition of the plan staggering him. "So let me get this straight. You want to leave the Dark City, cross the Labyrinth, reach the edges of the Forgotten Shore… and then return?"
Nephis smiled faintly. "Pretty much, yes."
He sighed, running a hand over his face. "If we somehow survive the months of traveling through the Labyrinth and actually manage to escape it, why the hell would we return?"
The smile on her face vanished. Changing Star lingered for a few moments, then pointed to the three symbols at the lower edge of the map: the red cross, the question mark, and the crown.
"The First Lord of the castle led an expedition to find the way out of the Forgotten Shore fifteen years ago. This is where their trace disappeared. From what we were able to learn, an unassailable mountain chain blocks the path to the south. They ventured into the mountains… and never returned. Nothing but death awaits us there."
Sunny scratched the back of his head, piecing together the true goal. "So you aren't really looking for a way out… you're looking for the remains of the cohort of Sleepers that had conquered the castle fifteen years ago?"
Nephis nodded, her eyes fierce. "There is an item that they took away from the castle. If we find it... we'll have a chance in the fight against Gunlaug."
Kane frowned, the confirmation of her motive—using the Dawn Shard to fight the Bright Lord—clearly at odds with his own goal of healing.
Sensing his hesitation, Nephis added: "The way to the mountains is not as dangerous as you think. There is… a method we can use to reach them comparatively safely. But once we're there... that's where we'll need your talents. Having you with us will make a lot of things easier."
Sunny looked at her with doubt. "How do you know all this? It's not like there's anyone in the Dark City who was alive back then."
Nephis shrugged, the secret source of her knowledge sacred to her. "There isn't, but there are stories. Some written evidence. However, most of this we have learned from Cassie's visions." She gave the blind girl a rare, warm look. "Cassie has helped us a lot."
Kane looked at Cassie, she staring at him hard as if she was scrutinizing with her eyes, his internal radar screaming caution. 'What did I do to this stare from Cassie?'
Suddenly, both Kane and Sunny spoke in unison. "I want to speak to Nephis alone."
They looked at each other. Sunny spoke first. "Kane, I want to speak with her alone first. It's important."
Kane understood. He gave a sharp nod and left the room.
Outside, Kai, Effie, Caster, Cassie, and Kane waited in the dim corridor. Cassie approached him, her voice quiet. "So, how was the Dark City? How did it go?"
Kane looked at her, the memory of Linia's wound and the husk monster fresh in his mind. "It was... a good learning experience."
Cassie's tone turned serious. "You have changed a lot."
Kane met her gaze. "So did you. I don't know what you went through, but I went... a lot." He remembered Linia, his parents' past, the multiple times his skin was ripped, being beaten to a pulp, learning for the fact the he is a person got reincarnated from who knows where and the horrifying knowledge that his Aspect Legacy might erase his current Identity, and the immediate, desperate need to save Linia.
He sighed. "A lot."
As Cassie was about to ask another question, Kane cut her off. "I want to know something. Answer this honestly."
Cassie looked at him, the unnatural calm in her blind eyes wavering. "Well, ask it."
Kane leaned in, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "When Nephis stabbed me... did you already know about it?"
Cassie visibly shuddered, the composure she had mastered slipping. She opened her mouth to speak, the truth trembling on her lips.
Suddenly, the door opened. Sunny's voice was clipped. "Kane, now it is your turn."
Kane looked back at Cassie, his gaze drilling into her. "I will ask you later." He turned and walked into the room.
Kane saw Nephis sitting in one of the chairs, radiating a deceptive stillness. He shut the door and walked toward her, his tone harsh, uncompromising.
"I know you are planning this expedition for the Dawn Shard and another relic," he stated, his voice a low growl.
Nephis looked at him, a genuine flicker of shock crossing her face. "How did you know about the shards?"
Kane ignored the question. "I want to join, but it is not for free."
Nephis looked at him, her usual indifference replaced by calculation. "What is it?"
Kane laid out his demands, the price of his allegiance carved in stone. "I need two things. First, I want you to lend me the Dawn Shard for some time, at the earliest possible moment after we return from the expedition. Second, I want to use your healing power on a specific person without question or interference. If you agree with it, we can proceed with this collaboration. Or else, forget it."
Nephis was stunned by the audacity and the clarity of his demands. The Dawn Shard was the key to her entire plan against Gunlaug. She needed to empower her own memories. Yet, she needed his devastating combat power more.
After a moment of agonizing silence, she spoke. "I agree with it. I promise to deliver the shard and use my healing on your companion."
Kane was about to leave, his business concluded, but Nephis stopped him. "Where were you? I sent people to search for you."
Kane looked at her, his contempt clear. "I was on a different place... Anymore questions?"
"About our previous..."
Kane's control snapped. He turned on her, his voice erupting in a raw, dangerous rage that filled the soundproof room. "If you think that I would forgive you, think again. No chance. I am talking to you because of my own reasons—that is all. Don't manipulate or talk out to me. I'm done with you and your Hypocrisy!"
He stormed out, leaving Nephis staring at the closed door, the force of his hatred palpable. As he walked outside, he saw Sunny waiting for him, his expression serious.
"I want to talk with you, alone," Sunny said. The conversation was far from over.
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