As the Dark Sea rushed back, Nephis rushed forward. Behind her were Gunlaug, Effie, Seishan, Gemma, Teshai… and behind them, the rest of the army. Nephis had instructed Kai to make sure Cassie would be there as well — a responsibility the archer happily accepted.
The new… relationship… between those two might have actually been the biggest change in this timeline compared to the other, Nephis thought absenmindedly. She still didn't know how to feel about it, to be honest.
But that was not important right now. What was important was that they were only one small step away from liberation, all except her. For her, there was no liberation in sight; instead she would have to take her old route through the Nightmare Desert and to the Underworld.
Don't think about it now.
The sleepers could practically smell victory, and they fought with renewed vigor. Of course, there wasn't much fighting to be had anymore. As the veil of black, ominous clouds parted, a piercing ray of whiteness fell upon the battlefield. Not everyone noticed it immediately, but those that did groaned or cursed, staggering suddenly.
The nightmare creatures left the army, instead scrambling to get away, anywhere out of the sight of the sun… But there was nothing. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape. The only way was forward, as it always was.
"Follow me!"
They did not have to cross a bridge to get to the Crimson Spire anymore. The lake that had been was reduced to shallow, dry riverbed that was easy to walk on. Nephis ran through it and emerged on the other side, near the seven heads. From close distance they were massive and foreboding, but she felt no fear when looking at them. She felt no pity, either, knowing what the supposed heroes had done in their time.
Soon enough they entered the shade of the massive Spire; first Nephis, then her strongest subordinates, then other sleepers. Kai had fared well in his aerial battle — a testament to how strong he had grown under Nephis's tutelage this time around — and he landed right next to her with Cassie. The archer was bloodied, haggard and tired-looking, but he still managed to smile weakly while looking up.
"Up close like this… it's so big… "
The Crimson Spire was indeed big; right next to it, it seemed to swallow the whole world and reach up to infinity. Yet it would crumble no later than today because of what Nephis herself would do.
Sunny was, of course, already here.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen", he said. "We have a Gateway to reach, so come inside."
He had no visible wounds and seemed to be in good spirits. He also didn't have a shadow, which meant that he had already sent both of his invaluable helpers to scout ahead.
Nephis nodded, and together they entered the belly of the gargantuan tower.
The air here was cool and full of shadows. The insides of the Crimson Spire were confusing to say the least — there were enormous pillars, walls and archways of coral like frozen blood, making it all look almost organic — like torn insides of some long-dead monster. The air was also dead silent. Their steps echoed loudly as they ventured further into the structure, their mumbles and whispers vibrating from the walls.
In the center of it all lay a still, black lake. It was a all that remained of the Dark Sea.
Some day, Nephis might come back to finish it off. She had now twice as much of a hatred towards it than before.
Which was a lot, by any standards.
All around the lake stood dozens and dozens of silent golems, watching them.
Nephis turned to look back, at dozens of frightened faces of her comrades.
"This is the plan", she said. "I will distract the Crimson Terror and go up to fight it. You will climb, fight the golems and find the Gateway. Sunny will be in charge."
She could see the faces of Effie and Kai fall, but shook her head. "We have talked about this. I'm the only one with protection against soul attacks. When I step into the light, you go. Am I clear?"
After seeing everyone nod, Nephis turned to face her final adversary… in other words, she turned upward, looking at the best way to get to the top. Seeing a twisting pillar of coral that was reasonably wide, she sprinted forward. Immediately after she entered the shore of the lake, light began pouring from above, scorching her soul.
Of course, she could not outrun light. But she could outrun the Terror as it reacted to her movements, trying to predict where she would go next.
This was a dance she had done before, one she knew step by step. And so, she stayed always a step ahead of the enemy.
Nephis twisted, changed direction and jumped from one platform of coral to the next. She climbed, took cover under the coral protrusions, and dashed forward again. She was bound to sustain some damage in this game of cat and mouse, but it would be nothing too serious. She had Blessing as well as Sun God's lineage, which made her soul more potent. She was an awakened now as well, and not so easily killed than before.
Most importantly, her enemy was currently in a state of error. It was evolving from a Fallen Terror to a Corrupted Titan after wiping out the whole of Forgotten Shore, and as such, it was weak… almost sleeping.
Below Nephis, Sunny and others had also begun their arduous journey upwards. Sunny was leading them; he was the only one who knew where the Gateway was. Together with Saint, Gunlaug and other champions of the army they dispatched the golems in no time, moving swiftly and decisively. It was all going really well, better than she remembered.
She did not have much time to look down, though. The annihilating ray of white light quickly found her and forced her to back off the ledge. She decided on another path, continuing the climb - there was still a long way to go. She could have been faster if she jumped more, but that would mean she had no way of changing direction, should the Terror attack.
The insides of the Spire stretched above her head, continuing to what seemed to be infinity.
That was why Nephis was almost surprised when she finally, after long and arduous journey, reached her destination.
There it comes...
The pinnacle of the Crimson Spire was a large, beautiful hall - or at least it had been beautiful at some point. Once upon a time there had been a symmetric, circular opening in the dome, designed to let serene sunlight flood the chamber. The opening, however, was no more, completely overgrown and blocked by red coral.
The coral was everywhere she looked. The floor, the ceiling, the walls — they were completely red, like they were painted in blood.
The Terror itself was just as grotesque as Nephis recalled, a monstrous fusion of flesh and coral. Long time ago it a had been a beautiful girl, made to be a vessel of the new sun. Then, after countless years, last remnants of its hope had died… and thus, the Crimson Terror was born. Its twisting mass did not resemble a human anymore, but it had faces. Hundreds of them, frozen in hundreds of expressions of pain and madness.
It was a revolting, sickening thing.
Currently, most of the faces were lifeless, consumed by the Terror's ascension to a higher Class. But many of them had that same, annihilitating light burning in their eyes.
When Nephis appeared in the chamber, the eyes were already gazing at her. Countless beams of pure light sliced through the air, dealing damage to her soul. The pain was exquisite, but the damage itself was not very serious. Nephis rolled on the floor and got up. Then she dashed to the left, avoiding the second barrage of attacks. This battle, contrary to most, was deathly silent, for light did not make any sounds. There was only the noise of her steps and breathing and the distant clamor that came from below, where the Dreamer Army was nearing the Gateway.
However, the silence did not last for long.
Last time here, Nephis had not had her awakened ability at her disposal, but this time was quite different. Now, she did not have to enter close range in order to deal with the Terror — instead she could bombard it with a artillery of her own. That made them equals in this fight; the only thing determining the victor was who could endure other's assault longer.
Nephis had her sword, which both raised her own lethality and shielded her from some of the Terror's power. The Terror, on the other hand, was severely weakened.
In conclusion - it was not easy, but it was fast.
Nephis's flames enveloped the Crimson Terror. They burnt its flesh and melted the coral. Before, the faces of the Terror had looked as though they were in pain — now those faces became unrecognizable, twisting and melting in the heat. Nephis could almost hear an ear-piercing scream coming from everywhere around her. She could also feel the Spire trembling and and the many coral veins spasming and pulsing. Nevertheless, she maintained her balance and steeled her concentration, speaking a string of Names she had become very familiar with over the years — not that they ever came easily to her.
In fact, channeling Fire, Destruction, and other Names of the same sort was incredibly strenuous for her body. But Nephis was augmented by her Soul Flame on top of her usual physical prowess, and so, she held.
There was one final explosion. The Spire quaked and clouds of ash, stone and coral shrapnels rained down.
Then there was silence again.
[You have slain a Fallen Terror: Nameless Sun]
[Your soul shines brighter]
[You have received a Memory…]
She had also received a new Attribute, one she didn't need the Spell's announcement for.
[Attribute: Soul Conduit]
The accursed Attribute was finally back, and it made Nephis realize what she was about to do. Or rather, what she was about not to do.
She would not go through the Gateway.
Of course, if she used her version of the Dark Wing and glided through the air, she could maybe leave the Dream Realm with Sunny… maybe they would both escape. She had been quicker this time around, after all, and all of the army had perhaps not marched through the Gateway yet…
But that was not the point. The point was, she wanted to pay Sunny back for the suffering she had caused him — if inadvertantly. And so, she was determined to give him a year of freedom; freedom from her, as painful as the thought was.
She walked slowly to the edge of the chamber. There, cracks and holes had started to appear on the floor, giving her a clear view downwards. The insides of the Spire were wracked by the battle, unstable and dim, and now they were quiet, too. The day had been won. The end was in sight.
It was over. The only thing left to do was to leave the crumbling building and never look back.
Although, maybe Nephis could build some sort of grave or a monument for the fallen soldiers. Last time… had someone built a grave here last time? Sunny must have, Nephis figured. She had never seen it, though, never coming back to the Forgotten Shore after her Second Nightmare.
Then, it would be a long and arduous journey. But she would survive. Of course she would. If that was her will, nothing could stop her.
She wondered what Sunny would do back in the Waking World. She hoped he would spend some time with his friends and find Rain… like last time. She also hoped he would grow stronger, stronger even than he had been back in the past.
She hoped he would not hate her, when she finally came back again.
Nephis sighed and turned around.
As it happened, that turn saved her from being knocked out.
*******
AN: New chapter after a long time! If anyone was confused about that grave-thing, it's because this fanfic happens somewhere between Volume 9 and 10 of Shadow Slave.