It was already night in the Dark City. At this hour, the windows were covered with cloth to prevent the reflection of the Crimson Spire. The only sources of light were candles and torches. The materials used to create the furniture were made of wood that had to be obtained by venturing deeper into the Dark City and hauling it back with the help of Echoes or Memories. Fabrics were crafted from the remains of Nightmare Creatures that had been hunted. With all of these materials, every comfort within the Castle had been built, with special focus placed on the rooms.
And in one of those rooms, at this late hour of the night, stood possibly the two most talented Sleepers in history.
Changing Star and Paragon of Purity.
The first stood leaning lightly against the desk, her arms resting on the wooden surface. Her gray hair currently fell loose to her shoulders, and her gray, expressionless eyes were fixed on the figure standing a few meters away from her. She wore casual clothing: a white shirt and black pants. An outfit designed entirely for comfort and flexibility.
The latter stood a few steps in front of the door, leaning against it with his back, arms crossed over his chest. His face carried an expression of caution that did not match his golden eyes, and his hair, of the same color though paler, framed his features. He wore the same as before—a white shirt paired with black pants.
Several silent seconds passed after Arthur entered the room. The only sounds were the faint crackling of burning candles and the soft current of air slipping through the window.
Neither of them broke eye contact, and the situation began to feel uncomfortable, at least for Arthur.
Growing bored of the silent contest of who could outstare the other, he finally moved toward the bed and sat down with his back straight. Seeing this, Nephis took a seat in the desk chair.
"You said you wanted to talk, and you've been quiet since I walked in," Arthur remarked.
Without moving an inch, she replied, "It's time we have an honest conversation. Just the two of us."
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he asked, "Honest?"
"Yes. Honest," she confirmed. "I asked Kai whether you've told a single lie since we arrived. He said no."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"That's strange for two reasons," Nephis continued. "The first is that maybe you can't lie. The second is that you calculated everything you said so it would still be the truth."
Arthur let out a soft laugh.
"And where does the option that I simply don't care to lie fit in?"
"Everyone lies," Nephis replied without hesitation.
'I know someone who doesn't,' Arthur thought.
"I don't understand this hostility you have toward me," he finally said. "But if this so-called honest talk is going to help you stop seeing me as the enemy, go ahead. Ask."
He adjusted himself more comfortably on the bed.
Nephis watched him for a long second. Her expression did not change when she asked, "How did you obtain your True Name?"
Arthur lifted his gaze.
"My first Nightmare was strange. It lasted two weeks. And during that time, I came into contact with a being of Sacred rank."
Nephis's eyes widened slightly.
"Two weeks?" she asked. "And someone of Sacred rank?"
"Yes. Two weeks," Arthur replied calmly. "I can't say who it was, but it was of that rank."
Nephis straightened slightly in her chair.
"Did you kill someone of Sacred rank?"
Arthur tilted his head.
"Kill? Well… not exactly. But I'm fairly certain it stopped existing!"
"You're lying," Nephis said flatly.
Arthur remained unfazed.
"Then why don't we ask Kai?" he suggested. "Since he's flying outside the window."
A choking sound echoed from outside, and seconds later a figure awkwardly appeared at the window.
"M-my apologies, Lord Arthur!" Kai said. "They asked me to do this, and I couldn't refuse. It's nothing against you."
Arthur smiled at him.
"Don't worry."
Then he glanced toward the door.
"While we're at it, Effie can come in too. She's two rooms away."
Nephis turned toward him. "How did you know?"
"I can feel the vibrations in reality," he replied with a shrug.
Kai's face turned pale. He looked at Nephis and nodded.
The door opened, and Sunny and Effie entered.
"I told you this was a bad idea," Sunny said, raising his hands.
"And what are you doing here, doofus?" Effie shot back, grabbing him by the shoulder. "You weren't invited."
"Since when do I need an invitation?" Sunny replied, shrugging her off and leaning against the wall beside Nephis.
Arthur looked at Effie.
"If you're hungry, you can ask a guard to bring something to eat."
He didn't even finish the word hungry before Effie was already shouting, "GUARD!"
At that moment, another figure appeared at the doorway, short in stature, blond hair cascading down her back, a blue blindfold covering her eyes, and a face of delicate beauty. Cassie arrived accompanied by a handmaiden.
The handmaiden left her at the entrance and departed to fulfill the food order.
Effie helped Cassie into the circle, and just like that, the room went from two people to six.
Looking at them all, a thought crossed Arthur's mind, but instead of analyzing it, he simply asked, "I see you're all here. Well, except Caster. What happened to him?"
At that moment, he noticed Effie and Kai's faces shift to confusion, while Nephis, Cassie, and Sunny did not react.
"It simply wasn't necessary," Nephis replied.
'Necessary, huh?'
Still seated on the bed, Arthur adjusted himself until his back rested against the wall and both legs were stretched across the mattress.
"Well, I can see you came prepared, and I can tell something's bothering you. Go ahead. Ask."
The others glanced at each other—except for Cassie—and Nephis began.
"The day we arrived, the guards acted strangely. Today we asked them why. They said they were following your specific orders." She continued, "It makes one wonder, why would you want to receive us that way?"
Arthur had known this question would come the moment they had the chance. It was a tactic he had once read about in a book. In ancient times, visitors were always treated that way to establish the presence of a dominant figure. Moreover, after a shift in power, they would assume it was Gunlaug's doing, questioning whether he had changed during their absence. All of it served one purpose: to show the before and after.
"Because I needed to show you the changes I made since your first impression," Arthur replied. "If everything had remained the same and you arrived, you would have assumed Gunlaug was still alive. So I altered your first impression to open your minds to the possibility that someone had defeated him."
Sunny, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, asked, "Wouldn't it have been easier for the guards to just tell us about the changes?"
"If they had, we wouldn't have seen Arthur the same way when we found him sitting on the throne," Cassie answered.
"Bingo," Arthur said with a smile.
Nephis looked at him steadily. "So it was all planned from the beginning?"
Arthur nodded.
"And what about the Fallen Beast you said you killed when we arrived?"
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ah, that. No, that wasn't planned," he admitted. "There really was a Fallen Beast near an important building, and there were no available cohorts. So I had to handle it."
Changing Star gave a small nod and was about to ask something else when Effie interrupted.
"And what about Seishan?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow and noticed Cassie shift uncomfortably, changing the foot she leaned on.
"What about her?"
With a wide grin, Effie said, "She's obviously your girlfriend, duh."
Cassie shifted again, and everyone's eyebrows rose. Arthur tried to maintain his composure but failed to stop a faint blush.
"Seishan and I are not dating," he replied, feigning calm.
They all turned to Kai. After swallowing, he said, "He's telling the truth."
"You still have a chance, Cass!!" Effie exclaimed, elbowing her.
The poor Blind Seer didn't see the hit coming—literally—and staggered slightly. Instinctively, her hand began playing with the ring Arthur had given her. Fortunately, the food arrived at that moment, and Effie immediately rushed toward the door. Cassie released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Kai, Sunny, and Arthur couldn't help but laugh. Even Nephis's lips lifted slightly in what almost resembled a smile.
The food was nothing like the first day. Most of them had already eaten dinner, so it consisted of about a dozen portions. Eight of those were obviously for Effie. The rest received one each, except for Arthur, who didn't need to eat.
By now, Nephis was tired of going in circles. Her intention had been to question Arthur to confirm whether he was trustworthy and not one of the assassins sent after her. Kai was nearby to verify the truth of his words, and Effie was there in case he turned out to be hostile.
But they hadn't anticipated Arthur detecting them both. So plans had changed.
'Sunny warned us this might happen,' Nephis thought. 'And he's been laughing since he walked in. I'll have to get revenge later.'
Indeed, from the moment he saw Effie leave the room where she had been "hiding," Sunny had worn a grin. He had told them Arthur would detect them, and they hadn't listened. Though "told" might not be the right word. During planning, he had approached them, said it wouldn't work, and immediately left.
With her patience exhausted, Nephis asked the question that had been gnawing at her since she saw Arthur in the throne room.
"How did you kill Gunlaug?"
Everyone stopped eating. Even Effie. All eyes turned to Arthur—except Cassie, who still wore her blindfold.
"Would you believe me if I said it wasn't difficult?"
"No," they all answered.
"Good. Because it wasn't. Not at all."
***
Almost two months earlier…
The dining hall looked as it had before. The only difference was Tessai's lifeless body lying several meters from the center, his head severed, and the expressions of disbelief on every Sleeper present. What they had witnessed made no sense. Tessai had been one of the longest-standing figures on the Forgotten Shore, the leader of the castle guards.
Everyone knew how strong he was and how ruthless.
Yet a complete unknown had faced him head-on and not only won, but controlled the entire fight and proved even more ruthless than Tessai himself. The unnecessary way he had severed his head sent chills down the spines of the guards and the Sleepers watching.
The only ones who showed no reaction were Gemma, Seishan, and Gunlaug. Even Kido looked uncomfortable at what she had just seen.
And when Gunlaug offered Tessai's position to the one who had killed him, many guards didn't understand why. Though to anyone intelligent, the reason was obvious.
Control.
Allowing a Sleeper strong enough to kill Tessai so decisively to roam freely was a mistake the Bright Lord could not afford, even if keeping him close brought its own risks.
Arthur accepted Gunlaug's offer to become a lieutenant and fill the vacant position. In doing so, he became the leader of the castle guards. At that very moment, Seishan seized the opportunity to offer her assistance, explaining how everything functioned.
And in doing so—whether he realized it or not—the Bright Lord sealed his own death sentence.
The rest of the day passed without much drama. Arthur attended meetings, walked through the castle, learned protocols and response structures. The curious thing was that there were none. Protocols were whatever he decided at the moment. The only limitation was that his actions could not weaken the castle's power relative to the settlement outside.
During his tour with Seishan, she explained everything: shifts, patrol routes, storage locations for resources and Memories, but most importantly, which guards were loyal to Gunlaug and which merely feared him.
By the end of the day, Arthur reached a conclusion.
The problem wasn't just Gunlaug.
It was the culture he had built through fear.
The following day, Arthur called a meeting with all the guards.
The purpose was to establish new rules and abolish old ones. Though he was now their leader, some regulations had been set by the Bright Lord himself and could not be changed.
Still, it was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate who he was and what he expected. So at the first sign of dissent, Arthur intended to act.
He didn't have to wait long.
A guard who had spent years on the Forgotten Shore and behaved however he pleased since arriving at the castle was the first to challenge him.
"Just because Gunlaug made you our leader doesn't mean we'll follow you. Earn our respect first, boy."
Smiling faintly, Arthur replied, "If anyone believes I'm unworthy of this position, you may challenge me. Let's do this, whoever defeats me is free to do as they please. Deal?"
Another Sleeper asked, "And what do you gain from this?"
"If I win, you follow my orders without question," Arthur answered. Then added, "I'll even let several of you attack me at once."
The first Sleeper had already summoned a massive hammer and advanced toward Arthur, who stood calmly without moving. When he was less than two meters away, he began to charge.
Only then did Arthur summon his new armor—[Umbral Husk]—and Dawn's Ballad.
Name: [Umbral Husk]
Memory Rank: Ascended
Description: [Something refused to fall. Its body endured collapse, impact, erosion—until resistance itself became instinct. This armor is shaped from that persistence. It does not harden or adapt. It simply remembers how to endure, and forces the world to exhaust itself first.]
Name: [Dawn's Ballad]
Memory Rank: Ascended
[98/800]
The Sleeper brought the hammer down with full force. Arthur pivoted right and avoided it. Wanting to end it quickly, he closed the distance but at that moment, the Sleeper activated his Aspect, allowing him to anticipate others' movements, almost like mind-reading.
Unfortunately for him, Arthur had learned long ago to move first and think later.
With a simple shift in stance, he dodged another strike, moved laterally, and positioned himself to the left. With a downward slash, he severed both of the Sleeper's hands. A scream of agony followed. The hammer hit the floor and was dismissed instantly. That was enough for Arthur to kick him squarely in the back, sending him flying into the nearest wall.
Walking calmly toward him, Arthur placed Dawn's Ballad at his throat.
"Surrender and live. Or die."
The Sleeper—Anton—looked at him with fear and pain.
"I surrender."
At that moment, Sylvie entered the hall and healed his wounds.
Even after witnessing that display of power, several guards still decided to test their luck.
Unfortunately for them, they all ended the day severely injured or unconscious.
None died.
And that was something every guard noticed.
One of them—Nico—finally asked, "Why are you showing mercy? We've been challenging your authority all day, and instead of killing us, you're exposing a weakness. Tessai would have killed several by now."
"That's exactly the point," Arthur replied. "I want you to understand that things have changed from now on. And don't mistake this. Mercy is no weakness and I will not show mercy to those who mistake it for one."
After that, Arthur left the hall and headed to a private room.
Inside were Kido, Gemma, Seishan, Arthur, and Sylvie.
It was time to formulate the rest of the plan.