On the far side of the Bright Castle's vast interior, a… a council of sorts was underway.
A war council.
The long table had been cleared of its usual clutter. In its place lay a massive map with edges curled like dried leaves. Gunlang had pieced it together over the years, marking nests and ruins, and the territories claimed by horrors that did not tolerate trespassers.
The Dark City, captured in ink.
Effie scratched her head, staring down at the web of lines.
"…So, the only options are to circle the Dark City for days before diving into the south sea. Or head straight to the east and remain on the statues around the Dark Sea until the Disasters go ham and kill each other?"
A grimace could be seen on several faces.
Gunlang's gaze passed through several faces. He released a heavy sigh, then lifted his gaze from the map.
"There is also the area near the Hollow Mountains. We would not remain there ourselves. Just another idea. If the Disasters are weakened, and if Changing Star is correct, they will avoid that region."
Nephis shook her head a second later. "No. Crossing the Sea with so many people will kill a majority of them."
Gunlang studied her a moment, then inclined his head slightly before addressing the rest of the room.
Caster had been silent, his eyes tracing the outline of the coast. He finally spoke. "I am not well versed in the Dark Sea's environment. Lady Nephis, you mentioned the sea recedes and rises in fixed intervals. Yes?"
Nephis gave him a single nod.
Caster gestured toward the southern stretch of inked waves.
"The Hollow Mountains are not viable. Even if the Disasters avoid them, the Nightmare Creatures inhabiting the death zone would crush us with ease. Agreed?"
Several heads dipped in assent.
"Then the Dark Sea is all that remains," Caster continued. "Remind me. Where are the Disasters currently?"
Gemma answered this time, his tone precise.
"One is to the South. However, the distance between us and it is uncertain. Another was hunting near the Crimson Spire to the west, though sightings place it in the north as well. The remaining two have not been seen. Whether that absence is fortune or foreboding remains unclear."
Effie gave a dry chuckle. "Couldn't agree more. They sound delightful! I would rather skip their little social gathering."
Gunlang's expression hardened beneath his helm.
"The Dark Sea, then. However, understand this. Most of the Sleepers will not survive. I can brave it because my Aspect allows me to excel in such an environment. Changing Star and her cohort are capable as well."
His gaze shifted toward Nephis, Caster, Effie, Cassie, and Kai standing beside them.
"The citizens of this Castle are not. I will use what time remains to teach them how to traverse the sea and which waters to avoid."
Nephis turned her head back to him.
"There are areas in the Dark Sea to avoid?"
Gunlang stared at her as though she had just confessed a crime.
'By the Spell… how did you even make it here?'
"Yes, Changing Star. Several. Some of the waters are ruled by Corrupted Nightmare Creatures—and the true ones at that. Creatures that could be beyond the Disasters threatening us now. If you believe a Disaster formidable, pray you never cross paths with a leviathan of the deep."
Nephis gave a small nod.
'Duly noted.'
The decision had already been made. The Dark Sea was the only path forward. After further discussion from Tessai, Kido, and Kai, the conclusion became unavoidable. Remaining on land invited a slow and painful death. The western Disaster had already shown itself. The south carried signs of another. The east and north remained silent, though silence in the Forgotten Shore usually meant more danger.
On a general map, their territories could be estimated, and thus avoidable.
In theory.
In practice, one misstep meant wandering into any of the Disasters' claimed grounds. The lands they found themselves on would naturally be one of these soon.
At least the airborne horror in the west seemed the swiftest of the Disasters.
Kai cleared his throat.
"Um… what about the flying abomination? That red streak in the sky. You don't think it will…"
Effie clapped a hand on his shoulder with exaggerated cheer.
"Oh—it absolutely will! Trust me. As someone with a healthy appetite, I recognize that look. It's gathering strength so it can come snack on us. Reminds me of myself after skipping meals—augh. Tired and constantly hunting."
Kai's complexion drained further. He looked like a corpse.
Nephis ignored that and focused on the implication.
"Then that gives us another time frame for that Disaster. That one seems… eager. The fact that it left the Crimson Terror wounded while it was weakened itself is troubling."
Effie's grin looked forced now.
"…Fair."
A quiet shift in movement drew everyone's attention.
Cassie had raised her hand.
Gunlang blinked, faintly perplexed. 'What is this, a classroom?'
"Yes, Lady Cassie?"
"What about the movement of materials?" she asked in a gentle voice. "If we abandon the Bright Castle, we cannot leave everything behind for the Nightmare Creatures."
Tessai, Kido, Gemma, and Harus turned toward Gunlang with that same question in their eyes.
He glanced at them, then shrugged.
"Of course. That is another matter I must discuss with Se—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Suddenly, the air itself seemed to grow heavier. Nephis was the first to pick up on it.
Gunlang had gone still. His presence, once steady and oppressive, now gave her a sense of dread.
"Gunlang? What is it?"
He turned toward the door without answering her.
His golden armor rippled faintly, responding to the disturbance in his mind.
Effie stopped leaning and stood straight. "…You gonna finish your sentence? Even I'm a bit unsettled now."
Gunlang raised a hand for silence.
"Harus. Tessai. Gemma. With me. Be on guard."
Caster heard him say that, and he immediately summoned his Jade Jian without hesitation. Kai called forth his bow. Effie cracked her knuckles and stretched in preparation.
Nephis had already summoned her Dreamblade long before. She trusted none of them enough to remain unarmed.
Eyes shifted to Gunlang, all holding the same silent question.
Nephis and Cassie opened their mouths nearly at the same time. Cassie paused, a faint curve touching her lips, and inclined her head for Nephis to speak.
Nephis gave her a small smile, then turned toward Gunlang with a serious expression.
"Gunlang. Is it an attack?"
Gunlang's voice lowered.
"…Seishan would never take this long to answer my summons. If it were anyone else, I would dismiss it. Not her, though."
His jaw tightened.
"Something is undoubtedly wrong."
A golden axe formed in his right hand.
"I'm more than sure of it."
He stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Then he rushed out.
For a heartbeat, the others reacted a fraction too slowly.
Nephis and Caster pushed forward first, slipping through the doorway after him. The rest followed close behind, all weapons drawn, footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Just like that, the Council was over.
Whatever awaited them would decide the rest.
—
Outside the Bright Castle gates, eight Sleeper soldiers stood watch.
The air carried the usual dampness from the Dark Sea, mixed with the sweet scent of food from the gathering inside the main halls. Beyond the walls stretched the dark plains of the Dark City, a field of ruined structures and broken streets fading into the ever-gray distance.
They were supposed to be vigilant.
Though in reality, only one or two were needed to actively scan the horizon at a time. Nightmare Creature influxes were never subtle. When they came, they came in hordes. Screams, tremors, and the sounds of claws on stone were usually enough to signal that they had come. Even the inattentive would notice.
So the others allowed themselves low conversation. They could summon their memories long before any Nightmare Creature reached them.
"Hey guys," one of them said after some silence. "Did you ever have any regrets?"
A few glanced over.
The one he addressed, a blond Sleeper with a relaxed posture, gave him a faint look of confusion.
"Huh? Oh. Well… what is there to regret? Regret is something you feel when you've done something you're ashamed of. Or neglected to prevent something you could have. Us though? We didn't choose this. We didn't choose to become Sleepers. We didn't choose the Nightmare Spell."
He gave a small shrug.
"So no. I don't. There is nothing to regret."
"…Well said."
They returned their attention outward. It was then that the blond one narrowed his eyes.
Something was off.
At first, he assumed it was nerves. The Forgotten Shore had a way of forcing fear to crawl into one's skin. But… the unease persisted.
He squinted toward the horizon.
For a moment, he thought he saw red. A mist hanging low in the distance. It resembled a drifting cloud, though that alone was quite wrong. The sky above the Forgotten Shore was perpetually empty. At night, there were no clouds and stars. A simple endless, oppressive void. When the sun appeared from the Crimson Spire, it was as if it were day.
But currently, that sun was not shining. The Disaster of the West was to blame for that.
He leaned forward slightly, seeing the red haze shift.
It did not move like smoke carried by the winds. It advanced in a slow spread…
He reached out and tapped his friend's shoulder. But—
His hand met nothing.
He blinked.
The space beside him was empty.
His friend had been there only seconds ago.
He turned sharply. "…Sam?"
He scanned the immediate area. The others were still there, watching the distance as some adjusted their gear. None of them seemed to have noticed anything unusual.
"Sam?!" he called again, louder this time.
A few of the others frowned.
"What's wrong with you? Are you trying to attract the nearest nightmare?" someone muttered.
The blond man stood up fully, his heart beginning to race.
There was no blood or sign of struggle. No trace of his friend at all.
It was as though he had been erased from existence.
And now, the red mist was closer.
It crept along the ground, thin and almost translucent. The color deepened as it approached, shifting from faint haze to something denser. The air had the faint scent of blood now.
He swallowed.
"Do you guys see that?"
A couple of them turned toward the horizon. One of them frowned.
"What—"
The sentence never finished. As if warping their perception, the mist was no longer at the horizon.
It was in front of them.
No, it had always been there. They simply couldn't perceive it properly. And now it surged forward in a sudden, violent wave.
The first Sleeper nearest to the gate disappeared into it. There was a strangled sound, abruptly cut off. A second later, something heavy struck the stone.
The blond man stumbled backward and summoned his offensive memory as he watched the man's intestines fly, slapping against the stones in wet movement. His hands were trembling.
A towering shape formed within the crimson fog.
It was tall and distorted. Its outline blurred and reformed constantly. It wasn't like the Nightmare Creature was being blurred by the mist. It was resisting being defined.
He tried to scream a warning, only for a pressure to slam into him from above.
He looked up just in time to see a massive limb descend.
His final thought was his own regret. The regret of worrying his mother, who must still be sitting beside a hospital bed in NQSC, waiting for him to wake up.
'Ma…'
He never would. At least his mother would never need to worry again.
The red haze thickened, swallowing the remaining soldiers one by one, before spitting them out. Their shouts vanished into choking gasps. Steel could be heard ringing briefly against something wet yet dense. Completely unyielding before snapping.
When the mist finally receded slightly, the castle gates were half-submerged in the ruined bodies of the eight Sleepers. Fragments of limbs, shattered skulls, brain matter and bone splintered across the stone, crushed and drained of essence before being spat back out like refuse.
If one listened carefully, beneath the wind and restless groan of the distant ruins, there was the steady, wet sound of something feeding.
—
Running through the corridors of the Bright Castle, Gunlang did not slow down.
He was a blur. Torches flickered violently as he stormed through room after room, searching for Seishan. He did not bother with his usual subtlety. Doors were shoved open and rooms were scanned in moments and abandoned just as quickly.
There was nothing. Absolutely no sign of her in this part of the castle.
He quickly turned and cut toward the main hall.
He burst through—
—and the sight before him was catastrophic.
Nephis and Caster arrived a second later, followed by Effie, Kai, Cassie, and Gunlang's lieutenants.
For a moment, all of them simply stared.
The main hall had become a slaughter ground.
Nightmare Creatures were pouring in at a relentless pace. Awakened, but more Fallen than usual. Some of the Creatures were fighting the Castle Guards directly. Others of the Guard were convulsing violently, clutching their heads as though something unseen was tearing at their minds. A few raked their own faces with their fingers, gouging out their own eyes in frenzied agitation.
Gunlang's gaze flicked downward.
Two blood-slick orbs lay on the stone near a crumpled corpse.
His jaw tightened.
The Castle guards who had survived the initial breach were forming a broken defensive line. Some of their shields were splintered, and blades were flashing out. Orders were shouted through the panic and pain.
But… there were simply too many.
Kai's eyes scanned the chaos.
"twenty-two, at least," he muttered in a low voice.
More shapes emerged through the now-broken entrance.
Red mist seeped in. Everyone saw it.
The massive castle gates were shattered, reduced to complete wreckage. Through the splintered opening, that crimson haze entered steadily into the hall. It was so thick that nobody's gaze could penetrate through it.
The battle was not contained within the walls. Gunlang could hear it now—steel ringing against something vast outside. His Hunters were absent from the hall. Driven out, perhaps. Fighting beyond the gates.
Which meant the initial breach had been forced inward… and then the mist had followed.
'How?'
Gunlang's mind worked quickly.
A horde of Nightmare Creatures could never approach unnoticed. The Guards were vigilant—hell—even inattentive men would sense such a surge.
'No.'
This attack must have been concealed. Either a powerful Fallen capable of masking its kin—
—or a mind hex.
His expression darkened. The second possibility was far worse.
'Seishan.'
The thought struck him again. That was his original goal—but now he was forced to push it aside. The Castle came first.
Before he could turn around, Nephis was already gone. She rushed forward, her Dreamblade flashing with light. Her eyes took in the numbers instantly.
Eight Fallen.
Fourteen Awakened.
She exhaled once…
And unleashed her Aspect.
Caster followed her without hesitation, his Jade Jian manifesting in a ripple of emerald light.
Effie barked over the chaos, "Kai! Get Cassie somewhere safe! You can take to the air if you have to!"
Gunlang's order also broke through with barely contained anger.
"Tessai! Gemma! Harus!" His voice thundered across the hall. "Aid in the battle! If we lose too many today, we all die here!"
They snapped out of their stupor and charged in.
Gunlang turned briefly toward Kai, Cassie, and Kido.
Kai had already drawn his bow, having shot a few arrows across the hall, striking a lunging Awakened squarely through the skull. He spared Gunlang a glance mid-draw.
Gunlang swiped out his Golden Axe, completely forming the weapon in his hand.
"Go!" he roared at the trio. "Find the handmaidens and search for Seishan! There is little you can accomplish here!"
Then he stepped into the fray. His axe cleaved through flesh and bone alike.
Kai did not argue. He lowered his bow with a somber expression and grasped Cassie's arm. Kido fell in beside them with an offensive-type memory drawn.
They retreated into the corridors.
—
In a forbidden area of the Castle, far from the main hall, Aiko was running.
Her lungs were on fire. The tremors beneath her feet made the walls shudder. Dust rained from the ceiling with each distant impact.
She reached Stev's memory market quickly.
There was no time for decorum. She slammed the door open.
"Stev!"
He appeared to be already standing, alarm etched across his face. The faint glow of memories flickered around him as he drew them into his soul sea. The shelves were stripped bare in seconds.
"Aiko," he said in a loud voice. "What is happening?! The whole castle is shakin'. I smell blood. Did the Nightmare Creatures breach the gates?"
Aiko stared at him incredulously.
'He can't be serious.'
"W-Wha—breach the gates? YES! The main hall is a bloodbath! We need to move!"
He did not waste another second.
They cleared the room and rushed into the corridor.
Other Sleepers were emerging from their rooms—tenants, handmaidens, and artisans. Some carried weapons in shaky hands. Most did not.
Fear was spreading far faster than the red mist.
If a Nightmare Creature reached them, they would have to fight or run. There would be no third option.
As they hurried down the corridor, Aiko's thoughts raced.
How had this happened?
How had it happened so suddenly?
She felt a sense of dread. This wasn't some unlucky attack.
Something must have been strong enough to tear the gates without warning.
She gulped.
For now, hers and Stev's survival was all that mattered.
Until someone gave the order to retreat.
Or until the battle ended.
One way or another.
—
The main hall of the Bright Castle roared with combat.
Gunlang fought with everything he had, lunging at yet another Nightmare Creature. Rather than dodging it—he advanced.
His axe descended in a brutal arc and split the Creature from shoulder to hip—parting it entirely. Before another Nightmare Creature could attack his flank, his echo rippled into a golden spear. He twisted around with terrible speed and pierced its neck before drawing the tip through its brain.
Two deaths in all but a few seconds.
Nephis was performing at the same output—perhaps even better.
Using her aspect, white flames ignited across her body. Moving forward like a rising tide of fire, she divided an Awakened-Beast directly in two. In another second, a Blood Fiend swiped at her, attempting to strike at her shoulder. She blocked it—though with a lot of effort. Due to the many Nightmare Creatures, she was thrown off balance for a moment—but quickly recovered, slashing its arms off.
She healed herself with Soul Flame. As she did, the Fiend shrieked and lunged at her.
She pivoted and cut again. Its head fell at her feet.
Caster blurred past her.
His aspect covered distance at immense speed. He became a streak of jade and blurs, circling the battlefield faster than the Nightmare Creatures could track. Multiple had attempted to strike at him, only to slash at empty air. He was already elsewhere.
His Jade Jian flashed. He hamstrung one creature and pierced the spine of another. Then he was gone again, the wind even chasing his afterimage.
Elsewhere, Effie was having the time of her life. She crashed into the front line like a siege ram given legs. Using her bare hands, she delivered attacks that held the strength of mountains upon two Awakened-Monsters that had the appearance of grotesque black centipedes. Their bladed legs screeched against her skin, some failing to bite deep. Effie roared and slammed one into the floor hard enough to crater the ground. Then she delivered a devastating kick to the other, once, twice, until its onyx limbs bent like cheap tin.
Another charged her flank.
She met it head-on.
Tessai exhaled, and the air seemed to cool.
Frost formed beneath his boots. Tiny snowflakes drifted lazily through the beams of firelight, incongruous.
His skin turned faintly blue as an invisible icy barrier encased him. With this, he took part in the heat of the battle and rushed a Fallen-Beast.
Claws screeched against his frozen hardness. Of course, it was a Fallen-Beast, and thus it managed to pierce it.
However, it should have killed him on the first blow. Tessai seized the creature's arm and surged his cold outward. Frost raced along the creature's bone and sinew. The abomination's movements slowed and stiffened, though not enough for Tessai to kill it alone.
Thankfully, Gemma was right behind him. Taking the opportunity, he unleashed a barrage of arrows into the creature's joints and eyes, leaving it unable to both see and move properly. Tessai took the chance to try and shatter its skull, but he only cut it. It wasn't enough to finish it off.
Though as both Gemma and Tessai looked up, they dodged.
Nephis surged forward to meet the two Awakened advancing on her, her blade flashing in a clean, merciless arc. She cut the first down before it could fully recover from its lunge, then pivoted smoothly and drove her sword through the second, wrenching it free in a spray of dark blood. Without pausing, she turned on the Fallen Beast itself. It had already been wounded by Tessai and Gemma, its movements slowed and unsteady. Nephis pressed the advantage, her strikes precise and relentless as she carved through its torn flesh, until the abomination finally collapsed at her feet.
The frost met flame, causing steam to explode from its corpse.
For a moment, the battlefield became a storm of hissing vapor. Jade, gold, and white flashed in the middle of the smoke.
Out of all those participating in the battle, Gunlang was at the head. Though his Aspect wasn't suited for combat, his transcendent echo was more than enough to make him the lead offense. He had already killed two more of the Fallen Abominations.
He yelled out. "Harus! Assist those outside!"
Gunlang didn't even get the chance to see Harus rush past him. Though he did notice that the man had used his Aspect, as the Fallen-Beast that approached him missed easily. Despite only dodging a little, the beast collided with the wall.
Caster roared, his voice nearly shaking the hall.
"We're gaining ground! Push them back!"
Gunlang's golden echo shifted into a greatsword, intercepting a massive Fallen-Monster attempting to breach one of the inner corridors. Gunlang leapt, and suddenly noticed that Nephis had joined him.
It was a Fallen-Monster, so even he would have trouble tackling it alone. Much worse, it was a Cursed Herald. Probably having been a straggler from the battle at the Crimson Spire.
Against the Disaster of the West, of course.
The massive Spire Messenger trying to breach the inner corridor halted.
It turned. The sight of it was quite familiar.
A towering, winged shape with a pale corpse-like body and black feathers stained dark with old blood. Its jagged beak parted slightly, revealing rows of needle-like fangs and a slick red tongue.
Gunlang felt his jaw tighten.
"Of all things…"
It lunged. The floor beneath them practically turned to dust beneath the weight of its attack.
Nephis moved at the same instant. One mass of Soul Flame enveloped her slender frame, reinforcing it. The second surged into her Dreamblade, white fire tracing its edge.
Gunlang stepped forward instead of back. The Herald's claws descended upon him.
The impact thundered through the hall. He blocked its strike with his greatsword, meeting it head-on. Stone cracked beneath his boots as he held the line, the echo taking the worst of the force. The reflective sheen of the armor caught the creature's own image in warped fragments.
For a brief moment—
It hesitated.
It seemed the first of the two echo's abilities still had some effect on the herald.
A subtle pressure pressed against its corrupted mind, urging it to submit.
The Herald shrieked in fury and tore its claws free, beating its wings once. The gust blew away broken tiles and corpses alike.
Nephis was below it—it never even noticed.
She slipped beneath its reach and slashed upward. White flame scorched its pale flesh, carving a burning line across its torso. The smell of scorched feathers filled the air.
The Herald retaliated instantly—its beak snapping toward her with terrifying speed.
Nephis raised her blade, flaring her flame brighter. The impact hurled her backward several meters.
Gunlang advanced while the creature focused on her. His greatsword shifted mid-swing, reforming into a heavy axe. He cleaved into one of the creature's protruding limbs, severing it at the joint. Black blood sprayed outward.
The Herald twisted unnaturally, remaining limbs striking from an impossible angle. One set of claws raked against Gunlang's chest.
The echo took the force—but did not break.
He answered with another brutal strike, carving deep into its side. The next instant, Nephis reappeared at its flank.
Her body augmentation was straining her mind—not in a terrible sense, but with overwhelming agony. Pain was cycling endlessly through her nerves. She pushed through it and drove her blade into the base of its wing.
White fire erupted.
The Herald screamed and thrashed violently, slamming its bulk into a pillar. The pillar crumbled, and the shockwave knocked two Sleepers off their feet nearby.
Across the hall, the battle raged without pause. More than half of the Nightmare Creatures that had breached the hall lay dead.
And yet—
The red mist beyond the broken gates did not thin.
Back at the center, the Herald beat its wings again, lifting partially off the ground despite the ruined limb. Its beak snapped downward toward Gunlang's head.
Rather than dodging, he stepped into it.
His weapon liquefied and formed into a spear mid-motion. He thrust upward with terrible force, driving the golden tip deep into the creature's open mouth.
The spearhead burst through the back of its skull.
For a heartbeat, the Herald hung there—impaled and twitching.
Nephis did not waste the chance. She leapt.
Her blade descended in a blazing arc and cleaved through its neck, tearing the head free.
The enormous body crashed to the floor, shaking the hall.
Silence did not follow. Instead, the remaining Nightmare Creatures shrieked louder.
Gunlang ripped his weapon free and exhaled slowly. Beside him, Nephis stood straight despite the strain. She withdrew her aspect, deciding to once again rely only on her skill.
The Cursed Herald was dead. But the red mist continued to seep inward.
And Nephis was not fond of the idea of finding out what the source was.
Rushing down the corridors of the Bright Castle, Kai carried Cassie in his arms and flew at top speed. The passageways were narrow and uneven, forcing him to perform tight twists and angle himself through corners with precise control. Due to the nature of the Castle, Kido could keep pace behind him.
After several tense minutes, they reached a large cluster of those who remained behind—the handmaidens, artisans, attendants, and injured Sleepers who had to retreat from the battle. A crude barricade had been formed from overturned tables and the corpses of two Nightmare Creatures dragged into place.
Upon seeing Kido, several artisans straightened with visible relief.
"The chief is here!"
Kido didn't slow. She stepped forward and raised her voice over the distant clash of steel and fang.
"Has anyone seen Seishan?!"
A handmaiden with blue hair and sea-colored eyes shook her head quickly.
"No! We wanted to go search for her, but the passage—"
Kido clicked her tongue in irritation.
She didn't need an explanation. The sudden breach had cut off half the inner routes of the Castle. Sending non-combatants into that chaos would have been suicide.
She turned to Kai immediately and began firing off directions, concise and exact. Kai nodded once and gently lowered Cassie to her feet.
"I'll be right back."
Then he was gone.
He shot down the corridor, feeling the stinging rush of air across his face.
The first Nightmare Creature lunged from a side passage.
Kai twisted midair, narrowly avoiding its claw. His bow was already in his hand. He loosed an arrow at near point-blank range, driving it through the creature's eye before it could recover.
He didn't stop moving.
The corridors were a maze of blind turns and collapsed masonry. Twice he had to skim along the ceiling to avoid being boxed in. Once he dropped, rolled, and came up running to avoid a snapping jaw that closed where his leg had been a moment earlier.
Each second stretched thin. To him, it felt like hours.
He cut down two more Awakened Beasts in tight quarters, arrows fired so quickly the string sang. One managed to rake his side before collapsing. Another clipped his arm. The pain flared so hot it forced him to bite his lip, lest he scream.
He was forced to bite it down.
Then—
He saw it.
A single room set slightly apart from the others. Kai didn't hesitate.
He slammed into the door shoulder-first and obliterated it, splintering the wood inward.
Inside, Seishan lay on the ground.
Unconscious, or worse. There was no time to assess her, though.
The Nightmare Creatures behind him were not slowing for anyone.
Kai crossed the room in three strides and, abandoning any thought of gentleness, scooped her up without ceremony. She was lighter than he expected—but dead weight nonetheless.
A roar echoed down the hall. Kai turned and sprinted.
A Fallen-Beast burst through the corner, forcing him to jump, kick off the wall, and roll beneath its lunge. Feeling claws scrape across stone inches above him, he exploded forward the moment he cleared it, flying down the corridor while dealing with Seishan's dead weight.
Pain stabbed through his side. His arm burned and his leg felt unstable.
He bit down hard and kept going.
When he finally reached the barricade again, he slowed down just enough not to crash into it.
Kido looked up—
And then past him.
An Awakened Devil stood at the far end of the corridor.
It resembled a brute hound, massive and corded with muscle, its maw dripping black saliva. From its spine extended a long, blade-like tail wreathed in flame, dragging sparks across the stone ground as it advanced.
The corridor felt smaller suddenly.
Kai lowered Seishan carefully this time, handing her off to two stunned handmaidens.
He rolled his shoulder once and drew in a steady breath.
The Devil's burning tail carved a shallow groove into the floor as it crouched.
Kai sighed and cracked his neck.
'This is going to be a long night…'
He raised his bow and let the string loose.
—
Outside the Bright Castle, chaos ruled the stone steps and the broken courtyard below.
Harus rushed throughout the chaos like a hidden assassin.
Nightmare Creatures lunged at them all—and faltered, clutching at empty air as Harus's aspect turned their vision completely black. In that single stolen second, Hunters surged forward. Their spears pierced the abominations' throats, their axes crushed skulls. The Castle Guard fought in coordination with the Hunters, boots grinding against blood-slick stone.
They were pushing the horde back—albeit barely.
Harus hadn't realized how much power he was burning. Each use of his Aspect struck like a hammer against his core. It had been a long time since he was forced to exert himself like this.
A very long time.
He was the Bright Lord's executioner. Most battles ended before he needed to strain himself. Most enemies never required him to empty himself.
And now, here he was. If not for him, the line would have broken minutes ago.
And yet—
There was something else… a sensation unfamiliar to his recent memory.
Fear.
It was creeping in—a cold touch to his skin. Like the brush of a scythe against the back of his neck.
And beneath it—
Dread. A profound sense of dread, as if something vast had fixed its gaze upon him. As if his death stood just out of sight.
Harus crushed the skull of a stumbling Awakened-Beast and straightened, his chest visibly heaving.
The Hunters shouted in praise.
"Good one!"
"We must keep pushing!"
They sounded almost hopeful. Yet Harus did not share it.
Something was wrong.
Very, very wrong.
As if answering the thought, the red mist withdrew.
In the blink of an eye, it utterly vanished. The steps leading to the Bright Castle became visible under the night sky. The battlefield lay exposed—corpses, broken weapons and men, streaks of black blood.
But… the stains. They dragged upward.
Toward the defenders—no, past them.
Behind them.
Every Hunter and Castle Guard was confused.
"What—?"
But suddenly, they felt it.
Harus was the first to feel it.
An overwhelming pressure crashed down upon him without any sign of warning. He wasn't hit with a devastating blow, or a ripping gale of wind.
It was will.
It pressed down upon him like a mountain collapsing onto his shoulders. Despite all his experience, his knees buckled. He could even feel the essence in his core shudder.
Around him, men dropped, one by one.
One Hunter gagged violently.
"S-Such force…! I'm going to be si—"
A wet, meaty slap cut him off.
Harus forced his head up in time to see the top half of the man's body spin through the air. It struck the castle steps, bounced once, and rolled down, trailing dark ruin behind it.
Silence followed—but not true silence.
The kind filled with stunned breathing and the distant drip of blood.
Harus understood now. The source of the dread was directly behind him.
The others could not move. The weight of that presence crushed them flat.
But Harus was no stranger to death.
He had dealt with it. Bathed in it. Stared into its eye.
And so he forced his body to turn—and unleashed his aspect.
And thank the gods he did, or he would have been dead the very next second.
Something massive swung at him. It had the putrid scent of rot.
A sweet, thick, and suffocating rot.
A limb—or something like one—swung through the space where his head had been. Instinct alone saved him. He dropped low, rolled, and sprang backward, skidding across the stone.
His heart pounded once, twice.
He looked up—
And all remaining color drained from his face.
The shape before him was uncertain. It was not merely large and monstrous.
It was off.
Its shape seemed to ripple, refusing to settle into clarity. The red mist that had once obscured the entire battlefield seemed to coil and wrap around this being. Even looking at it felt like forcing his eyes against a blade. A cacophony of wails flooded his mind—screams of agony layered atop one another, crushing despair woven into each note.
His Aspect ability faltered for half a second.
Half a second too long.
The thing shifted. The ground cracked under its weight.
Harus felt like an ant standing before a tidal wave.
He swallowed, his throat dry.
"C-Corrupted… Devil…"
The words barely formed.
But it was true.
The Disaster of the South had arrived.
And in that moment, Harus understood with terrible certainty—
The battle for the Bright Castle had just become insurmountable.
"Tell me, Sunless. Why did you make this choice?"
There is a moment before memory returns.
One wakes up as he does, having forgotten what it is that hurts or where, until you move.
There is a second of consciousness that is clean again.
A second that you, without memory or experience, wake into a brand new world.
Then the past settles back into place.
"…"
"I simply desire another outcome. I am unsatisfied with this one. After all, I am nothing if not greedy, Hope."
Her presence was a gentle one. It felt like standing before something that had answered prayers under countless dawns, rising and falling into dusk.
"That may be true. But still, this request is… untenable. To ask me to write this into being goes against the very will of the world."
A voice let out a quiet, humorless breath.
"Funny. Yet it was Noctis's endless desire that truly kept you bound. If his desire was sufficient, why would mine be insufficient? Why can I not, having reached my conclusion, return to the beginning?"
"…"
"This world is already finished. This is naught but a Nightmare, and yet the distinction between the two no longer exists. You are already dead. I am already dead. And yet, here we are."
"…Ha. Though you are right. It is an odd request. I have lost most of myself. I am not who I was, and my thoughts are no longer human. Yet tell me… what is this feeling, Hope?"
"…It is desire. You have retained it. I can also see that you have reclaimed your fate. Though when did that occur?"
"In Ariel's tomb. None of this can be done without it."
"I see."
"Apologies, Daemon of Hope, but I insist. I refuse to give up here.
"…"
"The world is already consumed. Abaddon erased the law of war with its destruction. The Dream Realm marches toward its end. And we speak within a Nightmare. And yet…"
She studied him, and yet could not understand him.
"What are you? Why can I feel the banished light within you? You are not a Nephilim."
The voice did not answer.
"And even more so… I sense Abaddon's darkness in you as well. I'm aware Shadow God assisted you, but regardless. Abaddon killed you, did he not? And yet you stand here, bearing something of his power. You are both Divine and Unholy, yet neither. A singular existence. A true singularity. You confound me, Sunless."
"…Are you even Sunless any longer? Can you still be called a Shadow? You possess a Light, after all. I can read more than one Aspect on your soul."
"I… am not sure."
"Hm. That is an answer I can accept."
Her gaze did not waver.
"What do you think will happen if this is done?"
"…Forgive me?"
"What will become of 'you'? Do you believe that 'he' can endure this existence?"
"Of course not. My existence is far to great for such a feeble body.."
"…Then why? I cannot understand. Why return, if it is not you that will go back?"
As Sunny dreamt, he saw someone wearing his face smile.
"It is me who will go back, and it is not. The distinction no longer matters. What purpose would there be in my return? I failed. My Nephis failed. My friends failed. Abaddon killed us all. The path we chose led to ruin. The world ended in ruin. The Dream God has already won."
"So…"
"Tell me, Hope. If we reached so far, only to fall at the end, what use is there in returning to merely repeat that failure?"
She regarded him with something like curiosity.
"A truly singular way of thinking. Even among the gods."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I find that amusing, coming from you. I'm akin to a god myself now."
"Is that so?"
Her voice held no mockery.
"Well then… do you accept, Hope? Will you assist me?"
For the first time, her gaze turned elsewhere.
Not toward the figure wearing his face.
Toward him.
The true observer. The one suspended in a dream.
[You have drawn the attention of the 'Demon of Hope'.]
She smiled.
"You are the only reason I was freed. Therefore, I don't see why I cannot."
The light of the flower field thinned.
The silence took hold of the darkness.
And Sunny woke.
—
Sunny's eyes snapped open.
He woke drenched in sweat yet again. His breath was uneven.
So…
'I dreamt. And by the damned gods, I can't remember it.'
The dream itself was gone. He couldn't remember any voices—images—or fragments. There was nothing to cling to.
Only… there was a lingering warmth that remained. Something sweet and gentle. A wind that whispered past the stars.
He felt… well.
That was unusual.
There was no time to dwell on it.
Where was he?
Sunny realized he was leaning against a wall. The stone to his left had cracked open, exposing a wide view of the Dark City. Ruined towers stretched into the night, jagged and silent. Far beyond them, a risen Dark Sea churned under a sky devoid of moonlight.
Without the moon, it was bleak.
With it, it would have been beautiful.
"…Saint?"
Something shifted beside him.
He turned his head.
Saint stood a few paces away, facing the same skyline. At his voice, she turned to look at him.
Sunny exhaled slowly.
He hadn't been certain she was still alive.
Since—
'Wait.'
How long had he been asleep?
Unlike before, there was nothing to measure the pace of time.
Carefully, Sunny pushed himself upright, bracing for pain—
It never came.
He froze.
Looking down at himself, he found that his body was nearly whole. The deep wounds had sealed. Only faint purple scars marred his pale skin. A portion of his right ear was missing, but when he focused, he could still hear through it.
"…What?"
He stepped toward the cracked edge of the tower and peered down.
No Nightmare Creatures. Not one.
That was not comforting.
It either meant he was safe—
Or that something stronger had drawn them away.
He turned back to Saint.
"What did I miss?"
She regarded him for a moment, then walked forward. With calmness, she plunged her sword into the tower's floor and extended her arm, pointing toward the distant horizon.
Sunny followed her gesture.
At first, he saw nothing.
Then—
His breath caught.
Far in the distance, beyond layers of ruined structures, there was light.
It wasn't fire, or some kind of reflection. It was something else entirely.
A radiance that did not belong to this dead place.
Divinity.
The very thing he had been trying to escape the Dark City to obtain was closer than ever.
Though still far.
But no longer unreachable.
The light flickered, partially obscured by something vast moving before it.
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"Just what could you be…?"
He didn't have an answer.
He turned his attention back to Saint and finally noticed her condition.
Cracks ran along her stone body. Deep fractures marred her armor. Several chips were missing entirely.
He checked his runes.
Shadow Fragments: [657/1000].
His eyebrows rose.
Saint had killed at least a dozen abominations while he slept.
Maybe more…
'How the hell am I still alive?'
Then his gaze shifted lower.
Echoes: [Silvershade Harrow].
Sunny went still.
For a second, he thought he was imagining it.
Then his jaw dropped.
It was the flying abomination. He had been too close to death to register the Spell's whisper at the time.
He nearly laughed in disbelief and delight, but he forced it down. Better not to attract anything to his location.
So instead, he summoned it.
Sparks of light gathered before him, weaving together into the shape of a massive, vibrant owl. It was large—larger than Effie, easily—but not so enormous that it dwarfed the tower.
Its four-pointed tail feathers shimmered dark purple. Its chest gleamed with golden scales. Deep red wing webbing stretched between powerful limbs.
It beat its wings once. The gust of wind forced Sunny to shield his eyes.
Saint watched it curiously. If anything, there was something of approval in her eyes.
Though… it was most likely pride. Pride in having helped kill the devil.
Through the owl's silver mask, Sunny felt its eyes settle on him. It tilted its head slightly.
It was… almost cute.
And undeniably beautiful.
Finally, Sunny understood it perfectly.
Its color scales along its body shifted subtly, bending and refracting light. That was how it had vanished before—melding with its surroundings until it became nearly impossible to perceive.
Sunny had realized most of this during the battle.
But now—
The scales moved independently, folding and spreading like living plates.
Sunny's pulse quickened.
'It can hide me too…'
As long as he remained within its span, the light-bending effect would cloak him alongside it.
He let out a strangled, silent sound of triumph.
A flying echo.
The gods were not entirely cruel.
Without being commanded, the owl lowered itself slightly, presenting Sunny its back.
Sunny hesitated only a moment before climbing onto it.
The instant he touched the scales, they softened. Its hardened plates shifted into something akin to thick fur. It was quite comfortable, if he was being honest.
He blinked.
'Why couldn't it have done this when it was trying to kill me?'
He felt a rush of fierce exhilaration.
He felt relief, but also anticipation. A sharp, rising hunger for what came next.
With this echo, hunting Nightmare Creatures would become far easier. And traveling would become safer.
And escape—
Escape was possible now.
Sunny inhaled slowly.
Because now, with a flying echo beneath him and his energy restored, there was no reason left to delay.
He turned his gaze toward the distant golden radiance.
It pulsed faintly on the horizon.
It was time to see what awaited him there.
And whether he would survive the encounter.