Flint cleared his throat, spreading his arms like a great orator.
"It's very simple, Master Roan. I am surprised you have not figured it out for yourself. We are not in the Dream Realm."
The clan leader crossed his arms. "If I had wanted jokes, I would have consulted with Saint Jest for cohort recommendations."
"You wound me deeply," Flint gripped his chest. "My jokes are far better than his, and yet I assure you that I am quite serious. We made the discovery after Blondie fell from the sky like a glorified comet and was named a Realm Walker, but before we realized that this world, just like ours, is being consumed by an unstoppable force and is likely being sucked into the Dream Realm piece by piece."
"I'm afraid you've lost me." Roan rubbed his forehead and looked to Noble for guidance.
She smiled weakly, wincing at something he couldn't hear.
Flint ignored her strange reaction.
"I'm not sure how I could have been clearer. Maybe if I were a statesman like Syrce's father, I would be more eloquent. Of course, he died in the Doom War, so his words were probably not useful there."
"D-did you say Doom War?" Roan felt his mouth go dry.
The dark-haired Master tapped his temple.
"Of course I did! How else do you think the moon shattered?"
If the cohort leader was confused before, now he was speechless. He opened and shut his mouth many times, much to Flint's amusement.
"B-Bel?"
The lady in question pursed her lips. "Everything he said is true, though his telling leaves much to be desired."
"What do you mean? I didn't even get to the part where there are Nightmare Gates here." The surly Master placed his hand on his chest indignantly.
"Now, I know you aren't serious." Roan frowned.
"If only! I am deadly serious. Though not as deadly as the Spell, which coincidentally isn't here even though the gates are. Isn't that fascinating?" Flint nodded enthusiastically. "I am not usually a scholar, but that is enough to inspire me to write a report!"
Noble shook her head.
"You are being confusing on purpose. Maybe you should back up and start from the beginning."
Flint nodded seriously.
"Fair enough. It was a cloudy day when my mother and father welcomed this most precious bundle of joy into the world. Steel had hoped for a sister but…"
"Not that beginning!" Noble was amused in spite of herself. "The beginning of the Nightmare!"
"Oh, why didn't you say so in the first place?" The surly Master folded his hands. "Blondie here fell from the sky while I was stalwartly holding down the back of the convoy. Saint Syrce took a shine to the princess here, probably with the glowing recommendation provided by a scion such as myself."
"Glowing recommendation?" Noble crossed her arms.
"I am glad you agree!" With a brilliant smile, Flint continued. "After that, I found that I myself could not be separated from my blonde companion, both because of my commitment to the cohort and this belt made by Imagination.
"We have since been to the sweet waters of the ocean and peered at the unknown mountains to the north. We visited some mourners and raised a man from his grave. Then we fought a panther, and I discovered I might be part fairy, too! Finally, we spent a night in an epic treehouse with a Nightmare Gate at the bottom before coming to see you."
Flint tapped his chin before nodding definitively.
"Yeah, that about covers it. Do you have anything you want to add, Blondie?"
Noble smiled. "Plenty."
————
The next two switchbacks down the cliffside were filled with Noble's more detailed version of Flint's tale.
Roan listened carefully, absorbing each detail and storing it to digest later.
Even as Noble told her story, she wondered at how far she had come in less than a week.
"And we stumbled upon that eel, which was still bleeding, and that was how we knew that someone or something was nearby. The rest, well, you already know."
Taking a deep breath, Roan shut his eyes. "That is…a lot to take in."
It was. Despite the amusing way it was all dumped in his lap, there were a lot of revelations to unpack.
"Your two souls are really joined by a magical belt that is supposed to belong to the Demon Imagination?" Roan spoke slowly.
"I think I prefer the term Daemon, but yes, that seems to be the case. That or Mirage made it for someone who was a bit too clingy." Noble couldn't think of who else would possess such a relic.
"And this world is one of many…and it's being consumed by the same Gates that have appeared in ours?" The leader of the White Feather Clan rubbed his temple.
Noble floated along the descending path. "See those dark spots. Those are gates. We can take a detour so you may see one up close for yourself. There is no mistaking what they are, though."
The blue-eyed legacy stared at the ground below before looking away.
"That news is earth-shattering."
"Moon-shattering," Flint corrected him.
"Whatever it is, our world needs to know about it." The leader pulled at the edges of his azure scarf.
He thought about his family, but even more so about his clan and the millions upon millions of others who would be affected by the loss of the Waking World. He had thought it would be overtaken by monsters eventually, but if Noble and Flint were correct, it could disappear entirely with no chance to ever be recovered.
"Good luck getting that message out," Flint laughed bitterly.
Roan didn't respond.
"What do you mean?" Noble tilted her head. "You think people won't believe us?"
Flint smiled sadly.
"Unless you have a Sovereign as your backer, even if you shout it from the rooftops, it won't mean much. If they don't want the news out there, not even the Government will be able to do anything."
"Surely as soon as they know, they will be the first to—" Noble's words were cut short by a derisive barking laugh.
"Come on, Blondie…don't be stupid. The Sovereigns know more than peons like us could ever hope for." The surly Master rolled his eyes.
"Then why would they hide it?" Child of Promise felt suddenly protective of everyone she had ever known.
"If they know, perhaps they are wanting to avoid mass panic. That kind of news is liable to destabilize everything." Roan offered.
It made some sense, but that didn't mean Noble had to like it. Anvil and Ki Song were gearing up for war, not for a massive evacuation. If they knew the awful truth of what was coming, then they were even more selfish than she had ever thought.
But what could she do?
Nothing. At least while still in the Nightmate.
It was a problem for another day, and fixating on it would only divide their attention.
For now, Noble decided to focus on getting out of the Seed and becoming stronger.
Having found Roan, that path had become clearer.
Only two in their group were left out there. If their guess was correct, they would find Aether very soon.