After they rested - well at least the man did, Sunny stayed up all night due to not feeling tired - they started traveling to the town Sunny had found the day before. He could tell the man had warmed up to him, which made Sunny quite pleased, as it put him in a talkative state, since a one-sided conversation had started ever since the morning. He couldn't speak and having to break wood barks off to write runes down would lead an obvious trail that even a Dormant Beast was capable of following towards them wasn't a good idea. So, he was effectively mute throughout the entire thing, forced to listen to the man's ramblings, whether useful or not.
At the moment Sunny was hearing the quite interesting tale of why the man seemed so eager to travel or "go wandering".
"-as I was saying," he said as he finished drinking from his canteen, "I lived in a town called Beetle water which was called that from the Corrupted beetles that had built a stronghold... it took quite a while for them to be vanquished by our elders. Afterward, we lived in relative peace, that was until the barbaric War Empire decided that they wanted to enslave us. So, the new generation came along and fought for over twenty years, and I was among the last to be sent out there as the war was nearing its end but not quite there yet.
Saying we were winning would be overstating our position, but we started to put up more of a struggle than we were worth. You know, the toughest part wasn't leaving my hometown, but the sad looks I got from my wife and my baby daughter as they waved me off. I fought, we repelled them until they gave up as what they would lose would outweigh what they would get, and I survived - if only barely -. However, when I returned..."
The man seemed to have developed a melancholy look as his eyes lowered, and his stance seemed to sag as an old man would.
"She was gone, and not only that but the whole town was as well. It was destroyed just a year before the war ended and admit I cried a lot seeing my home burnt down due to the barbarians. There was a refugee camp nearby, so I decided to search for my family there. I still remember when they explained to me that she had left about three months ago thinking I had died, and it wasn't like she could stay in the camp forever. Now I spend my days going town to town to search for her, hoping that one day I can find them and hold them in my arms again."
The man smiled at Sunny before speaking.
"I don't know if you know this bea- Sunny, but there's this warm feeling whenever you're with someone special. All I want is to feel that again with my wife and child who must've started school by now."
Sunny nodded sympathetically towards the man as he did in fact know the feeling, He felt it each time he was with Nephis, and not because her skin could feel boiling whenever he kissed her awake - which was what a couple in a web novel did which he copied. They were always almost together so he had gotten comfortable in the feeling, but being far apart for such an extended time was starting to make Sunny homesick for the feeling.
Secretly opening his runes, he looked at Nephis's and saw that her runes hadn't changed at all which agitated him a little, but being able to see her runes must've been a good sign that she was still alive. The scenery around them was beautiful and enticing to say the least, and Sunny wasn't one for being enchanted by nature - with everything being gray no less. The trees swayed in a soft rhythm from the windy day and vibrant leaves of tints of gray fell all around them.
Often, they would find clearings where ponds with all types of insects and amphibians lived that were passive - which he took note of in case he needed an easy hunt. Sunny often had to use his shadows to scout for enemies since varying where they were sounds echoed all around them from the wildlife that must've been native to their world but not his. However, they were quite similar in terms of shape and nature as he often mistook what they called woodkin due to their charcoal-colored skin according to the man.
Most animals actually had dark colors because long ago apparently the forest hadn't been as green as it is now. It was only through efforts from the herbalist living in the town who planted trees over the centuries that part of the forest had been restored, but it was only a fraction of the size it had once been.
Sunny paid special attention to that not because it was useful but because he had been curious as to why the forest seemed so small and why there weren't many wolves despite being called Wolf Pine. He also simply liked learning about past civilizations considering it wasn't often that a nightmare would be centered around a civilization and there wasn't much information on the past. He remembered when he and Teacher Julius talked for hours about ancient civilizations and theories regarding them, so he knew as much as Nephis or perhaps more since she didn't pay attention to her classes beyond the sword about ancient civilizations.
However, how everything looked now compared to the past was stark enough to make Sunny believe something big must've happened that caused nature to turn violent - well more than it already was considering mosquitoes used to exist.
"Anyway, I will ask around and put in a good word around town so that perhaps someone knows how to help lift this terrible curse off you. I'm still amazed that a Shadowspawn as unique as you could be wandering around without news since your species is supposedly extinct. Most of them have already been killed by a Saint up north or crusades made by the horrid War Empire."
He said the name with such disdain that Sunny's mood soured a little but shook it off as he growled lowly in response. He also took note that he had called him a Shadowspawn which was quite fitting of a name for such a creature as him. Eventually, they reached the town where the man said goodbye and Sunny watched him fade into the town and enter its wooden walls... well at least he did.
Three of his shadows though were hidden inside the man's shadow and once he entered a particular shaded street his shadows wandered off in different directions to explore. Sunny himself found a soft patch of dirt near a tree as he hid under the light shade as leaves slowly fell. Gray fruits were hanging on the tree branches, but he hesitated to eat them considering they could be poisonous and it would be an unnecessary risk since he had a surplus of food stored.
Sunny didn't feel bad for using Alex since it was an equal trade. He led the man to safety and in return, he allowed safe passage for his shadows to enter the town.
As his shadows wandered around the town he took note of everything important or of relevance. The town was quite huge so there were many residential buildings, but Sunny already sent one of his shadows to a prominent place - the town square. He also sent another one to the town hall, and the last one was simply exploring. Sunny dared not enter the houses belonging to citizens since there was nothing of importance he would gain that he couldn't gain while not violating their privacy.
When his first shadow reached the town square it had to start moving in people's shadows since the sun was in a position where many buildings or merchant posts didn't overlap one another. So, he used the kids running around as a shadow taxi as he listened intently to the citizens' conversations. Apparently, the town - specifically the women but also some men - loved to gossip as most of them talked about other people and how apparently the government was pushing back on finding the mysterious witch or priestess since they possessed abilities from both.
That rang a bell inside his head as he remembered Nephis describing the murals about a priestess and a beast as he tried to grab all the details about the story.
'They must be nearby considering they aren't letting anyone into the forest... I'll have to be more careful around here.' Sunny thought as he brainstormed the possibility that the way to beat the nightmare would rest on finding the priestess.
There were a couple of close calls with the Awakened guards as they were seemingly able to notice the presence of his shadows despite the buff his shadows received for being unseen when he consumed Shadow God's ichor. However, he was able to create distractions by destroying weak targets in stalls which would cause a commotion when their produce suddenly spilt all over the wooden plaza.
He made sure to stay clear of the few Ascended that roamed the town, but he hadn't been caught yet, and they were still only concerns of a possible intruder in the thoughts of the town guards. Sunny hadn't gained much from the town square, but at least he knew not visit Mrs. Garma's bakery.
His other shadow that he sent to the town hall arrived after a few minutes and stood in front of the building. It was eye-catching to say the least as it had quartz columns on all the sides holding up the wooden roof that covered the entirety of the building and then some. The building itself was made of smooth gray stone with huge windows spread throughout the complex. There was a double-entry door made out of most likely painted white wood in front, which was the only entrance into the town hall.
Going inside the interior seemed to resemble a mansion more than a government building - like a police station - as patterned carpets sat on top of a fine wooden floor that would put the synthetic wood from earth in shame. The walls were decorated with chandeliers and fancy wallpaper patterning a wolf's head, with multiple doors on either side in the hallway. Sunny explored every room where multiple people were both accountants, deputies-like authorities giving meetings to their guards of the town, and meetings with government officials talking about the conditions, wants, needs, and more of the town.
By the end of it all, he was quite bored by all the fancy governmental talk and took a mental note to never join the government if he didn't want to be swamped by paperwork - not that he ever wanted to join the government that allowed people to live on the outskirts of NQSC. After scouting through the maze-like building, he reached another double-entry fancy wooden door where a woman who seemed to be in her thirties cracked open the door before exiting in a hurry. She had heavy eye bags, wore a scuffed-up white shirt, black sleek pants, bright-colored eyes, and bright hair that he guessed must have been blond or brown.
"Stupid governor, stupid stupid stupid!" She was quietly seething as she walked past his shadow, "He's going to get us all killed!"
Before Sunny could follow her another woman from the connected hallway purposefully bumped into her. This woman seemed to have a presence around her that confused Sunny, as if suddenly everywhere felt dangerous once she arrived, and nowhere was safe despite him trying to rationalize his irrational thoughts and knowing the great distance he was away from the town to the woman. The previous woman seemed to lose her angry expression but there was still tension in her muscles - it looked even more tensed considering she was only a mundane human being affected by the presence of the seemingly powerful woman. She wore a hunter's uniform with a black cape, white leggings, seemingly lazy eyes like Jet's, and a toolbelt with an obsidian-made dagger in open display which made him wonder how security even allowed her to enter.
"Suzume... It's so good seeing you again, wouldn't you agree?" She said in a sarcastic tone.
"S-sure Ascended Mila," The woman - Suzume - replied in a slowly passive tone, stark from her bodily expression which showed held-back rage.
Sunny could tell the Ascended could see this as when a person goes up the ranks their senses like sight, perception, and other senses increase exponentially. So, if Sunny could tell how she was feeling within two heartbeats, then she must've been an open book to the Ascended who seemed to have some history with the regular human.
"So, let me guess, you're trying to push the new governor to pursue the previously dormant witch of the forest huh?" Mila said as she walked slowly around Suzume.
"He doesn't know what he's doing, and you know it! Governor Remiel simply thinks that putting more protection enchantments around the town would ward her off, but we all know that's a temporary fix to the problem. And to clarify your misunderstanding, she's a priestess not a witch!"
"Witch, priestess, it doesn't make much of a difference for me. What does matter is getting rid of the witch once and for all don't you think?"
"Yes, I agree with you on that, but I don't approve of your way of using beasts against her. We all know she practically controls the nature around us and using the same beasts that roam in nature is just asking for her to infiltrate us with those same beasts."
"Perhaps, but you should know the amount of restraints I put on them to prevent that. Plus, I recently found... a peculiar beast recently." She was about to continue, but she paused herself before and seemingly thought about it before shaking her head, "ah, but that's only for the governor to hear. I have no idea why I'm even spending any time on a civil servant of the lowest rank; I have a meeting to get to with him so go along and do your mundane tasks."
Sunny could swear he heard Suzume's teeth clench tightly before moving to the right of her and moving along as she mumbled a series of words that made even Sunny feel insulted. The woman however was unaffected by the fury of insults as she almost skipped like a little girl towards the door to the fancy double door. Sunny's blood went cold when she quickly turned her head around and stared straightforward to Sunny who was so entangled in their conversation, he got careless in staying hidden especially in the presence of an Ascended. He quickly closed his eyes and prayed for his shadow as he also felt it subtly praying as well for her not notice his shadow.
"How interesting..." She said before Sunny heard the door close and a few moments later her muffled voice echoed inside the room which was strangely unintelligible.
Sunny sighed heavily in relief and his hearts raced from the disaster before berating himself for being careless. After a minute he got his hearts and breathing to slow down and decided to chase down the woman who had left to test his luck and hopefully find out some useful information on the Ascended.
***
"... You know, if I wasn't seeing The Second Nightmare seed with my own two eyes I would think I'm dreaming..." Effie remarked as she - among the rest of her cohort which included Kai and Cassie - stood stiffly in front of the seed.
"Indeed, it is quite fortunate that we have secured our spot in one, however let me remind you both that in there we can die easily since we do not have another fighter and spy this time around."
Cassie spoke up in the middle of the two, wearing her signature blue-white dress and having her echo rapier in hand to help guide her. Of course, she was referring to Nephis and Sunny as they were most likely in their Second Nightmare according to the cryptic dreams she had been receiving recently. She had Jet help her secure the flying ship a while ago while fixing its rune circle with the runic sorcerers from Clan Valor. In her memory storage, she had an obsidian knife tucked away which she knew due to another dream she had received a long time ago. She had other stuff in preparation for the nightmare such as food, water canteens, medicine since there was no telling if any friendly healers would appear, a sleeping bag, and even a beautifully made mirror to check her new body when they entered the nightmare.
"Just the three of us then huh... well I'm just happy I'm doing this with you two dummies," Effie spoke rather softly which was strange considering her natural personality, but they all felt a sense of melancholy thinking of the past and the Forgotten Shores.
She didn't dillydally as she un-promptly jogged into the seed while making a face at Kai and Cassie who stayed oblivious. Kai responded without delay as he quickly tried to catch her but before fully realizing it, he had fully entered the seed and she heard the rift in space engulf her close friends.
Cassie sighed rather heavily as she fixed herself up and her crooked mask, which her friends failed to notice anything out of the ordinary as a smile with a difficult expression to make out appeared.
'I really really hate fate...' She thought silently.
After fixing herself up she slowly walked up to the seed as the darkness consumed her as well like a ravaging beast. After an unknown amount of time, a voice spoke out from seemingly everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
[Awakened! Prepare for your Second Trail...]
[Four brave ones... welcome to the Nightmare!]