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…"
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…"
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.