Mordret was taking things better than Gehrman had expected.
When he saw the endless labyrinths above him, it had startled him, but the young man had recovered quickly.
Gehrman had actually needed longer when he had seen it, but that was probably because he knew all too well the horrors of the Chalice Dungeons.
In Johann's Night, those places had been a great boon, offering phenomenal awards, but it was also maddening.
The halls were something new, even if they were a bit spooky at first, but as he had traversed them, the more monotonous and maddening they became. Offering better and better rewards while also throwing worse horrors at him, those who once guarded key chambers became nothing but normal enemies in the lower depths.
It was similar to the Pthumerian Labyrinth that Old Gehrman and Byrgenwerth had explored, that place where they had first encountered Ebriteas and the Old Blood.
Unlike the Chalice Dungeons, the Labyrinth was a real place, the spaces in which Johann had visited were strange dimensions that acted as reflections to the true ruins below Yharnam and other such civilizations.
It was difficult to know if the Moon Presence had simply granted him access to those planes of existence through the rituals, or if had dreamt up those hellish dungeons by Herself.
Either way, it didn't matter.
What stood above him, taunting him now, were the halls that Johann had torn through in an effort to grow phenomenal strength.
"Heres the deal," Gehrman said, scratching the back of his head. "There are surely great treasures in there that will prove to be amazingly helpful, but I can't get access right now."
Mordret frowned, feeling the new powers that flowed through him.
As a creature of reflection, the second he entered Gehrman's Soul Sea, he gained access to his Dormant, Awakened, and Ascended abilities. He also gained his Attributes…as well as his Flaw.
If he had been able to defeat him in a Soul Duel (which now seemed laughably ridiculous), he would permanently gain access to all those powers while wearing this vessel.
Still, the Aspect was actually not what made this man so damn powerful, the most subtle and insideous reason was his Attributes.
Gehrman had a lot of Attributes. Each offering subtle boosts in power that stacked upon each other until there was a large qualitative difference between him and someone else of his Rank.
The [Sixth Sense] took some getting used to, but it didn't take him long. It was somewhat similar to how Mordret felt when it was raining.
Each rain drop was a tiny reflection after all, and each of them could house Mordret's being while he could also share his senses through them.
It was a cacophony of information, but one that was purley situational, not so with this Attribute.
[Uncanny Rune Witness] was also a disturbingly versatile boon. In reflecting Gehrman, Mordret had taken on the benefits of the "Caryll Runes" that Gehrman had equipped at the time. Which were stamina boosting runes, a rune that increased mind resistance, and one that increased soul resistance.
As they talked and Mordret explored this strange realm, he finally caught onto something subtle.
It initially appeared that Gehrman had invited him into his Soul because he had nothing to fear. Mordret believed that the madman was showing him all his powers and abilities freely out of arrogance.
However, this was wrong.
The truth was, impossibly, that this guys wasn't showcasing all his powers and abilities. Mordret was now a reflection of the man, but for the first time ever, he was not a perfect copy.
Even Sunless with his unique Shadow Cores and Essence which were fundamentally different from the normal Soul Core and Essence was copied perfectly.
Yet this was not the case with Gehrman. It took a while for Mordret to notice, much longer than he would like to admit, but there was something wrong with all that he was being told.
Blood, Hunting, this alien world, all of it was unique and new. However it was also surface level.
It was now confirmed by multiple sources that Gehrman had the ability to come back from the dead. It wasn't an Aspect, that was long suspected and now confirmed. No Aspect, even a Divine one, could be that powerful.
Instead it had to be an Attribute.
But Mordret could feel and inherently know all the Attributes he now had as a reflection of Gehrman.
But there was nothing.
[Sixth Sense] and [Uncanny Rune Witness], that was it.
Those were all the Attributes that Mordret was able to reflect. Which was odd, since he knew for a fact that this man had many, many more than that. The most pressing thing missing was anything relating to the "Madness" he wielded.
Something like that had to come from an Aspect or Attribute, but if it did, Mordret could not find a single thing indicating how else he weileded the alien powers.
And despite the man being very talkative, he never once brought up this side of his power.
Still, his break down of his Aspect was much more in depth than Mordret had anticipated. Indeed it appeared to have many secret applications that would take a while to figure out, such as upgrading Memories.
"Here's how I look at it," Gehrman explained. "[Walking Workshop] is this," he gesutered to the sprawling landscape around him. "This imprinatation of Yharnam on my Soul Sea. You are familiar with the concept of Domains, yes. I know that your father can expand his being throughout his army with swords, or at least thats what Ki Song mentioned. Anyway, this place is a sort of Domain in which the rules of Yharnam can be superimposed onto those of this world. Now that I have Transcended, more of that Domain has leaked through."
Mordret stopped then and looked at Gehrman impassivley.
"It's not the Domain of this "Yharnam" though, is it, it's the entity that you had mentioned when you first appeared."
Suddenly, Mordret felt it.
The Madness.
It caught him off guard, not at all like the pressure of a Saint, but not quite like a Soul or Mind attack either.
How curious…and fiendish.
Mordret was suddenly quite glad he didn't have access to these abilities, even if it did intrigue him greatly.
Then, a calm hand clasped on his shoulder, casually, Gehrman lamented in an unphased voice.
"That's one of my very few regrets, you know, acknowledging that thing. So let me give you some advice, it dosen't exist," Gehrman paused and then he looked more serious. "Also, do not use my Awakened Ability. As a rule now, I try not to use it in here either. If either of us catch a glimpse, it will be a truly terrible death."
Mordret smiled.
"As you wish."
He took a few more steps, approaching the yawning opening to this enormous forest.
"I wonder though, the way you say that indicates that you don't mind me using your other Aspect Abilites. I doubt you are giving me your body, so, why are you telling me this?"
For the first time in a long time, Mordret truly did not know the answer to his own question. He had inkling, of course, but already Gehrman had proved to exist outside his expectations.
Indeed, at that next moment he once again said something that made even Mordret balk.
"Well, I spend four hours of my every day here, searching through these vast forests and searching for those Soul Beasts I told you about. Chances are a magnificent reward will drop from any beast slain in this forest. On top of that, I find it highly likely that somewhere in here there will be strange Arcane objects that will be able to grant me access to the Dungeons high above. I would quite like to visit that place, so I will need some help scrounging around, and you know what they say, two heads is better than one."
Mordret stared at him blankly. The off-red of the blood moons reflecting off his mirror like eyes turning his face into one of demonic insidiousness.
"You…want me to come and invade your Soul every day, for hours on end and help you kill Nightmare Creatures in YOUR SOUL so that you can get to a different, more harrowing part of your own Soul, with even worse Nightmare Creatuers."
Mordret's voice was painfully patronizing and his sneer cut like glass.
That was for a different reason than usual though. This time, it was to cover up the strange feeling rising in him. It was a tumultuous conflict, and an unexpected one at that. This was because of Gehrman himself being so weirdly open with his own Soul, but more for the fact that despite the owner of a Soul Sea bearing no ill will against him, Mordret very well could die in this endeavor.
Despite his "Death" being long hidden elsewhere, dying in a Soul Sea was still a surefire way to erase him for good.
There was no reason for him to risk his neck fighting unknown and deadly creatures.
Even if the very concept of working together with this man intrigued him.
Gehrman could apparently sense this, since he kept talking.
"I will be straight with you Mordret, we should be allies, and I'm not just talking about within Song."
This gave the sneering man pause.
"Oh?"
"I think you may very well be one of the strongest and best pillars of humanity against the Nightmare Creatures. You, Sunny, Nephis, Cassie, and potentially Caster, if he works hard enough. In terms of potential, I would say it is you five who may reach the level of godhood."
Mordret raised an eyebrow.
"Comparing me to them is a stretch, don't you think? I suppose Sunless and Changing Star can fit in the same category as me, but Cassia, the seer? And that disgraced Han Li boy that you took in, I don't know how you think he could possibly be a so called 'pillar'."
"It's not about Aspect Rank, though that does indeed help. It's about who you are as people."
Mordret's brows furrowed.
"What gives you the idea that I would ever do anything to protect humanity? Though I did explain it away earlier, I will be frank, what I did during the 2nd Nightmare was not just for the test, it was something I enjoyed. Killing Nightmare Creatures is all well and good, but humans…well…their pain really is more colorful,"
A sharp pain suddenly struck Mordret and he reeled.
His hands flew up at the unexpected sensation, and he felt at his forehead.
A bright red welt was forming, and he could feel the indent already.
Instead of being angry or vengeful, Mordret simply stood still, eyes unfocused and uncoprehending.
"Did you just flick my forehead?"
"Yeah, you were being a little edgy shit. I get enough of that from Caster I don't need you being all melodramatic now too."
Gehrman wiped his hand on his trousers, as if he had stuck it in something gross.
"Look kid, your a sociopath. You pretty much already admitted that, but I think you got the wrong idea about the condition. In movies and stuff sociopaths are made out to be crazy villains a lot, but that doesn't automatically make you one in real life. It's just a chemical imbalance, nothing special. Plenty of people with sociopathy go around living normal, civlized lives, they just need a bit of help. That is what I am offering you, Mordret, some much needed help."
A seething rage started to twist inside his gut.
Mordret felt the sparks circling those moons, those Soul Cores, all that way away. The sparks were Memories, and he felt them, searching for one with which he could drive into the scrawny throat of the man across from him.
"Thats cute, but your wrong." Mordret said, his whisper chilling. "I didn't turn down your little diagnosis before because it wasn't nessecary. Now, it appears, I let some misconceptions spread into your writhing little mind."
Pale purple sparks formed, and suddenly there was a blade in his hand.
Gehrman reacted to it quickly, dodging to the side as the seemingly mundane blades swiped past.
As they did no, Mordret noted the surprising lethality. For a moment he was confused by the power in them. It was a Transcendent Memory, but even then they held an astonishing amount of sharpness.
The infomration came to him easily, the [Blades of Mercy] were a powerful Transcended Memory of the 5th tier. Despite the tier, all that power was poured into a singular enchantment that made it especialy deadly. Even more so because its potency increased against other humans.
Mordret had felt with his Soul for the best weapon, and it had led him toward this one. It suprised him that the two Supreme weapons did not appear as tasteful as this one.
He gathered that though they were of a higher Rank, they were also unwieldy, and in this case, the uniqueness of the [Blades of Mercy] closed the Rank gap between them.
As a Prince of War, his comabt skills were also enhanced.
The blade was met with the long, ragged pole of one of the Supreme Memories, a large scythe that Mordret recognized as the man's main weapon. One that notoriously delt Soul Damage.
"I feel plenty of emotions," he hissed. "Hatred, anger, indignation, I am not an empty shell."
"What did I say about being melodramatic," Gehrman spat back.
In one motion he dismissed the scythe, moved forward, and moved his hand along the pommel of Mordret's own chosen weapon.
A click resounded, and the long blade suddenly split into two short curved blades Gehrman deftly caught one before pulling it down.
…
He felt only empty air.
Gehrman blinked and then sighed.
Mordret was gone.
Indeed, a Soul Duel put him in actual danger, but he could flee from it quite easily.
Gehrman opened his eyes, the dark, heavily gaurded room had only a single mirror, and it was engineered beforehand by him.
Mordret's reflection stood there, slight annoynace playing on his lips.
"Are all your weapons like that?" he asked with venom.
"Pretty much."
Mordret's jaw was suddenly set. He appeared to be mulling over the situation, and Gehrman let him take his time.
"I couldn't reflect all your Attributes, you know. That is a first for me," Mordret said.
Gehrman replied only with a shrug.
The awkward silence continued.
Eventually, Mordret just shook his head, no longer hiding confusion.
"Ah, I just can't understand you. I tried, I really did, but you're even crazier than I am."
"Like I said you're not crazy you just–"
"Don't start with that," Mordret interrupted, his tone dark.
Gehrman grunted, and took a step back, considering the scenario.
This was quite an odd turn of developments. Things had gone just as he had predicted until Mordret had suddenly gone off the rails after the sociopath comment…or rather, it was when Gehrman started to imply that Mordret could be a good person, despite, his condition.
That was interesting.
More intresting was that Mordret was telling the truth. His anger was defintiely not an act, anybody could see that by the way he reacted. Indeed the way the man seemed to be pulled around by vengeance like it was a leash was something no self respecting sociopath would allow.
What was it that he had said?
'I am not an empty shell'
Gehrman stroked a non-existent beard, sizing the Prince of Nothing up in return.
A few theories popped into his mind, but all led Gehrman to believe that pushing on this matter would go nowhere.
He was not willing to give up on Mordret, not by a long shot. What he had said in his Soul was not just manipulation, it was the truth.
Though he secretly wished and hoped that one day someone from the New Workshop (besides Caster) could one day also join that list of potential pillars of humanity, the vision of the future he held was best when those 5 worked together.
Raw power, versatility, adaptability, and drive worked in harmony with a team like that. None of them were particularly agreeable, or even good people, but that didn't mean they didn't have the highest potential.
Gehrman could imagine it now, Mordret wearing multiple vessels, each with their own Aspect and Attributes, all ready to respond to any threat. Each tailored to perfectly counter the enemy.
He desperatley wanted someone like that to fight for humanity.
For now though, he would just settle for someone like that fighting against humanities worst.
"You want to kill your father, that is your primary motivation, yes?" Gehrman asked.
Mordret responded immediately, not even taking time to think about it.
"My whole family, all of Valor. Though, yes my father and sister are the main worry of mine. My father may still be out of reach, but I believe this little campaign in Antarctica will give me the opportunity to take care of my dear sister."
Gehrman nodded.
"Well, let me tell you, as you are right now, your failure is guaranteed. I have met your sister, if briefly, and though I have no doubt you would beat her in a fight, I doubt you could kill her."
Mordret frowned.
"You don't know anything about me, or my family."
"True," Gehrman acknowledged. "What I do know though, is combat. And I will be the first to say that you have plenty of things you can improve on. Your good, some might even say a master, or even Grandmaster, but I guarantee that I could crush you and your sister at the same time with nothing but technique."
Gehrman started to stalk forward, standing close to the mirror, he looked deep into Mordret's reflective eye.
"I am offering you the chance to get stronger. Prince of Nothing, if you aren't a sociopath drifting through the waves of this life, then I suggest you start taking this seriously."