Effie left soon after, which was okay. I needed some rest anyway. I hadn't slept in two weeks — ever since I was knocked out by Effie and Sara.
I can handle not sleeping way longer than the average human. I wasn't sure if that was part of my flaw or my aspect — honestly, it could've been both. Either way, I could feel my body starting to run on fumes.
When I laid down, I instantly fell asleep, as usual. No dreams — that was normal for Sleepers. In fact, I'd have to wait until I became an ascended before I could even dream again. It was bold of me to think I'd survive the Forgotten Shore, let alone reach ascended rank. At least my second Nightmare was guaranteed to be less intense than my first. I mean, what could possibly surpass killing a Sacred Terror?
(I'm giggling like a child writing this, knowing exactly what's going to happen in his second Nightmare.)
When I woke up, I decided to take a rest day. I didn't feel like training or fighting or doing anything remotely productive. My body still ached from the last ordeal, and mentally, I was running on half a brain cell. So I just walked around the Dark City for a while.
I was technically banned from the castle, though to be honest, it wasn't really a hard ban. More like a "please don't come back for a while" kind of situation. If I really wanted to, I could break my way in without anyone stopping me — but I didn't feel like starting that kind of trouble today.
Kai was flying around above the rooftops — well, flying as in, no wings, just floating through the air like some kind of Superman cosplayer. I called out to him, waving lazily until he noticed and swooped down.
He landed a few feet away, looked around for two seconds, then immediately grabbed his nose in disgust.
"What's that smell?"
I blinked, sniffed the air, and then it clicked — but I brushed it off casually.
"Oh, that's just Nightmare creature blood. I used it to paint my walls."
Kai sighed, his face doing that expression he does when he's trying to decide whether to be concerned or impressed.
"Yeah… that tracks. So, I'm guessing this is your house?"
He glanced around at the tall, uneven structure I called home — half fortress, half slaughterhouse aesthetic.
"It's pretty big. Congratulations, it might even be the biggest one I've ever seen. And it's so thick."
Alucard, my inner sense of humor, was currently having a stroke trying not to say "that's what she said." Somehow, I managed to keep a straight face.
"Yeah, uh… so, wanna come inside?"
Kai shrugged.
"Sure."
I led him inside and gave him a quick tour. The interior wasn't much better — dried blood stains, scattered notes, broken glass, and that faint copper smell that never quite left no matter how often I cleaned.
"You're kinda late to the party," I said while showing him around. "Effie ate all the food. I do have some wine, though? If you want some."
"No thanks. I don't drink."
Unknowingly, Kai had just saved countless lives — human and Nightmare alike — by preventing me from getting drunk.
"Fine, fine," I said, pretending to pout. "Well, it's kinda rude to leave you empty-handed, so… do you want a memory? I've got a charm that lets you see five minutes into the past."
Kai looked at me like I'd just offered him a pet rock.
"In what world would that be even slightly useful?"
"Well," I said defensively, "what if you lost your keys five minutes ago and needed to find them?"
He crossed his arms.
"We're in the Dream Realm. No one has any keys to lose here."
…Fair point.
"Okay, fine. How about a sword that doubles in strength — but only after it's been destroyed?"
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"Wait, do you actually have a memory like that, or are you joking?"
"Yeah, I do."
"You're serious? Can I see it?"
"Sure."
I summoned the sword and handed it to him. It was a katana, but the sharp edge was on the back while the front was completely flat.
Kai stared at it for a long second, then burst out laughing.
"Wow. It even looks useless."
I laughed too, probably harder than I should have. It felt good to laugh again, even if it was over something that stupid.
After a while, Kai got up, still chuckling, and patted me on the back. I walked him to the door and waved as he floated up into the gloomy skyline. The air shimmered around him as he shot off into the distance.
"Well… what now?" I muttered to myself.
I walked around the outskirts of the city for a few minutes, lost in thought. The streets were mostly empty — just the hum of distant lanterns and the faint echo of dripping water from the pipes above.
I remembered that Blood Beast — the one that could control the blood of others the same way I could control my own. It was like the mirror version of my Internal Logic attribute — maybe something like External Logic. I needed to learn how to do that.
It was rare, but sometimes you could gain new attributes by mastering a skill. That was exactly what I planned to do. The only problem was that most of my real growth came from fighting strong opponents. So maybe I should join Sara on her next expedition…
But no, I'd need a few more strong members first.
While I was lost in thought, I accidentally bumped into someone — hard.
A small handmaiden stumbled backward, smacking her face right into my chest. Luckily, she didn't get hurt — mostly thanks to the tunic I was wearing. It was bright red and had the [Great Comfort] comfort enchantment, a gift from some poor fool I'd killed after he tried to bribe me with it. Best deal I ever made.
The girl stammered and looked up at me nervously. Her hands trembled slightly as she adjusted her robe.
"U-uh… Lady Seishan requests your presence."
I raised an eyebrow. Seishan rarely called for me unless something interesting was going on.
"Oh, great," I muttered, smirking a little. "Sei's asking for me. Guess that'll cure my boredom."
I stretched, cracked my neck, and started heading toward the castle again — this time, without caring about that "ban."
Whatever Sei wanted, it probably wasn't good news.
But at least it'd be fun.