Alista and Artemis were sailing the Dark Sea in their crude boat, moving steadily toward the direction of the Bright Castle.
Artemis was looking out at the dark expanse, her senses alert. She could feel the multitude of Nightmare Creatures swarming beneath the surface. 'Luckily, these creatures are not attacking us,' she thought. Though she was a Legacy and never backed down from a necessary fight, she always avoided unwanted conflicts—that was one of her core rules.
She looked over at Alista Tudor, who was gripping the boat so tightly that his hands were starting to bleed. 'His Flaw makes him Battle Hungry under certain conditions. It made him irrational and crazy,' she observed, noting his desperate self-control.
Artemis frowned slightly. 'What the heck is he doing?'
[Alista POV]
Alista Tudor was gripping the boat's edge with a force that cut his hands, causing them to bleed freely. The surrounding sea creatures, sensing his proximity and the residual chaos of the Soul Devouring Tree wood, were intensifying his Battle Urge. He was using the sheer pain to control the raging compulsion. 'I am never coming to this sea again,' he swore internally.
He glanced at Artemis. 'She might have guessed my capability. What is the possibility of her trying to kill me?' Alista was clearly alarmed. He could say he somewhat believed her explanation due to her frankness, but he also knew she might still try to kill him to prove her worth to the Valor Clan.
He needed to find a way to secure a permanent safe zone. He had clearly screwed the Plot by taking the Dawn Shard and Dusk Shard. He needed to find the rest of the Memories before the true protagonists did.
'First, I need to find Fors first and then…' He looked at Artemis again. 'I need to get proper Fame—something to ensure that no Legacy Clans mess with me, like planning to assassinate me or sending people to spy on me.' He continued his internal monologue. 'And I need to make sure to reduce the fucking Casualties.' The very thought of kneeling before the "Autistic Bum" (Nephis) made him feel like dying—a terrifying level of emotional repulsion he had never felt in his previous life.
He looked at the sailing conditions. There were no attacks from the sea creatures. It was peaceful, as if they didn't even consider the boat an enemy. Their luck was holding, for now.
After some time, navigating through the Dark Sea, they entered the Dark City. Thanks to Artemis's [Navigation] and Alista's successful risk-taking, they were able to arrive near the Slums. The area was bustling; people were standing in a queue, carrying chunks of meat. Alista knew instantly what was happening. 'Well, it seems Nephis has started the Brainwashing of the masses,' he thought, recognizing the start of the Changing Star's influence.
Artemis looked at the scene curiously. "What is happening?"
Alista looked at her. "We will find out." He immediately began moving toward the commotion.
[Aiko's POV]
Aiko was managing a gambling den in this treacherous realm. She prided herself on being the coolest, most composed person in the Forgotten Shore when it came to running her establishment. But today, she was facing her nemesis.
The woman sitting opposite her was wearing a black dress, expertly tailored from Nightmare Creature hide—a testament to her Artisan. She had short brown hair and was holding a twig lazily in her mouth, her legs propped up on the table.
She glanced at Aiko and spoke nonchalantly. "Hand me my returns."
Aiko looked at her furiously. "Fors Wall! What did you do? How the hell did you trick me?"
Fors looked at her lazily, a smirk playing on her lips. "Don't try to trick the TrickMaster."
Aiko was in debt of 137 Soul Shards to Fors Wall. She had to hand over the fragments. Initially, Aiko had planned to complain to Nephis's cohort that one of the newly joined handmaidens of Seishan, named Fors Wall, was cheating. But Fors had somehow brilliantly pointed out the loopholes in Aiko's own system. Now, Aiko would have to beg the Cohort for time or a loan, or her gambling den was a goner.
As Aiko glared seriously at Fors, she suddenly heard a new voice.
"Here you are, lazy bum."
Fors was instantly shaken. She immediately stood up and saw a man with brown hair and a woman with black hair. Aiko had never seen these people, but Fors's eyes instantly filled with tears. Fors immediately ran toward the man and hugged him tightly.
[Alista's POV]
Alista had correctly guessed that Fors would try to earn Soul Shards the easiest way possible, making the Gambling Den the optimal choice for a reunion.
Fors looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "You two survived!"
Alista wiped her tears away gently. "Yeah."
They moved into a secluded corner. Fors immediately launched into questions. "So, where did you two land?"
Alista and Artemis looked at each other and began explaining their journey, the Fallen Monster, the Dark Sea, and the destruction of the Soul Devouring Tree.
Fors's eyes widened. "You guys screwed the damn plot!"
Alista nodded knowingly. Artemis frowned in confusion. "What do you mean by 'plot'?"
Fors rolled her eyes and gave a dismissive wave. "Nothing. Just some local stuff we both know." Artemis, sensing the boundary, didn't press the matter.
Alista smiled, his dangerous plans for fame already forming. "Since we reunited after a long time, why don't we celebrate?"
Both girls looked at him, completely confused by the notion of a 'celebration' in the Dark City Slums.
The Dance Off
After some time, Cassie was distributing food, an act of charity orchestrated by Nephis. She was with Nephis and others, discussing the next expedition that needed to be done.
Suddenly, they heard loud Music blasting from the direction of the Gambling Den.
Nephis, Sunny, Cassie, Effie, and Caster looked outside, startled.
"What is going on?" Nephis asked, her cold facade momentarily cracked by surprise.
People immediately started to surround the den. Suddenly, Aiko ran frantically toward Nephis, shouting. "Lady Changing Star, please stop those two idiots!"
Nephis and the others, along with the outer settlement residents, immediately ran toward the Gambling Den.
When Nephis and her cohort reached the den, they saw a truly unbelievable sight: Alista Tudor and Fors Wall were having a Dance Off atop the gambling table, behaving as if they were having a private party. Artemis was standing nearby, utilizing a Music Producing Memory—which Alista knew belonged to Fors—to blast the rhythm.
Alista had started doing a smooth, almost impossible moonwalk across the table's surface. Fors tried to match his fluid movements, both of them smiling widely. Alista gestured, trying to rope Artemis into the dance, but she was rigid and refused. Then, he performed a recognizable, intricate Kageyama-style dance routine, shocking the crowd.
Alista then looked past the crowd, his eyes locking onto Nephis, who was looking at him with utter coldness, and then at Sunny, who was staring at him with a certain look of disgust and apprehension.
Alista stopped dancing. He sauntered off the table and confidently walked straight up to Sunny. He looked directly into the Shadow Slave's face and spoke with a terrifying mixture of affection and arrogance.
"Don't worry, Sunny Boy…" he paused dramatically, his grin wide. "…Daddy's Home."
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