A while later, the five sat close to the campfire, having just finished a good meal. The warmth of the fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows over their faces. Though full and a little lethargic, the atmosphere was anything but relaxed.
The unusual trio sat across from Ray and Effie, their postures tense, eyes sharp with curiosity. They had been silent so far, but their attentiveness was obvious.
Ray broke the silence first, "First of all, I'm glad you guys are okay. I heard that it was very unlikely for others of our badge to still get here."
"But, where were you the whole time? If you were in the dark city, surely you would've either come to the castle or died in the ruins itself," spoke Effie, quite puzzled to where they came from, so suddenly.
Nephis, being the always vigilant and dignified figure answered, "We have just arrived in the city. The journey took… longer than expected."
"…" 2x
"You- You guys were in the labyrinth for two whole months? Seriously?" the duo was completely caught off guard by this revelation.
It was the labyrinth, after all. The place swarming with numerous nightmare creatures. Sure, they weren't as strong as the ones contained in these walls, but they were a lot more diverse. All of this was then combined with the threat of the dark sea, bringing with it nightmare creatures way beyond just the fallen level.
"Now, that is something new. It is even more impressive than what this guy here did, when he first arrived in the dark city," said Effie while pointing to Ray.
"Why, what did he do?" asked Nephis, quite curious about other's experiences.
"That idiot, decided it was the best decision to just not enter the city, but rather hunt in the labyrinth down below, while the sun was up."
With this declaration, all gazes turned towards Ray. He coughed slightly before responding, "Yeah, well, I wouldn't recommend it. The nightmare creatures living close to the walls are mostly one of two things. Either extremely weak, for the standards of this area of course, or quite strong with difficult abilities."
"Whatever, we should probably introduce each other, for now."
The silver haired girl lingered for a moment, and then began:
"My name is Nephis," she then gestured to the other young man and the blond girl, "and these are my companions, Cassia and Sunless."
Effie rolled her eyes before waving a hand dismissively. "Anyway, introductions first. You three already know him, obviously. I'm Effie, at least that's what most call me – a sleeper like you guys."
The last part brought visible confusion to the faces of the trio, bringing a moment of silence with it.
This only lasted for a moment though, before Sunny leaned forward slightly and asked freely:
"Are you from the castle? We saw it from the walls. There are people living there, right?"
Effie glanced at him, then shifted her gaze over to Ray, to which he just shook his head slightly. All this was witnessed by Nephis, but even then, she couldn't make sense of this behavior.
After a short sigh of resignation Effie answered, "…yes, there are people living inside the castle."
Not noticing the changing atmosphere, Sunny and Nephis exchanged excited looks, before Nephis asked:
"Can you take us there?"
"You got some soul shards?" Asked the giant huntress.
Hearing the question, Nephis took out the shards they currently had on them, "Just these two."
Effie sighed in response. Then threw a quick glance at Ray, and after seeing no response, continued, "Just two? Whatever, keep them, you're gonna need them soon enough."
Not really grasping the meaning of the words of the tall huntress, Nephis spoke uncertainly, "We had hoped to reach the citadel as soon as possible, and then use the gateway. How long would this take?"
When those words came out of her mouth, Ray could already expect what would follow next. And he was right. Barely a few seconds after Nephis finished speaking, Effie broke out in a loud and unrestrained laughter, causing Ray to sigh deeply.
Not understanding what this strange behavior meant, the three turned their attention to the other person present, making a wry smile appear on Ray's face.
While Effie was trying to restrain herself again, Ray explained the situation a bit, "Sorry for that, she can be very… special, sometimes. Regardless, we can bring you guys to the castle tomorrow, but sadly, there is no gateway there. Nobody knows a way out of this hellish place… so, welcome in the Dark City. The place where return can only be a distant dream."
As soon as he was finished, Effie, who finally calmed down, added as well, "Yeah, he's right. I've been here for three years already, some in the castle even way longer. It's best if you just give up on returning to the waking world."
This revelation caused the faces of the trio to grow deathly pale. It was as if something shattered inside of them, something they kept close.
Sunny stared into the fire, face void of emotion. Nephis sat motionless, her gaze slightly lowered. Cassia's fingers curled around the fabric of her clothes, gripping it tightly.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
At one point, a tiny voice broke through the silence, "What do you mean, there is no Gateway?"
Because of the silence, everyone knew who said it, and unconsciously turned to the owner, Cassia. The blond girl looked horrified, as if her world broke in two.
Effie sighed again, "Sorry that i am the to break it to you, but haven't you realized it yet? This whole area, the forgotten shore… was never a place meant for people to survive. Deep down you surely have already known it, but didn't want to accept it, this region is separated from the known parts. No one knows of this region, which is also why, no one could've taught you about it."
These words caused another change in the atmosphere, and in the expressions of the trio, and even Ray looked on a little helplessly.
Meanwhile, Sunny was fully consumed with anger. He was never a trusting person, much less someone with hope. Still, this time he really had hoped to be able to escape this hellscape, but no. This damn nightmare wasn't even close to being over.
Cassia grew even paler, she had sowed the seed of hope in her comrades, so she couldn't help but feel guilty about their situation. All their hardships seemed for naught.
Nephis partly lost her indifferent look, even she was hit by these horrifying news. They went through so much, just to make it here. To the dark city. But now… now everything seemed to have lost their meaning.
She began slowly descending into a deep abyss…
Seeing everything unfold before him, Ray didn't know what to do. But he indeed had an idea on how to help Nephis, though, he wasn't entirely sure if this may help her or push her deeper into helplessness.
"Nephis, can I ask you something?"
The silver haired girl looked up; many different emotions mirrored behind her eyes. She didn't say anything, just looked at Ray.
He took this as a confirmation.
"Say, what do the words: 'Aster, Song, Vale' mean?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere grew more tense, and Ray could see Nephis eyes containing a white flame. Sparks already appearing where her sword seemed to be appearing.
Sunny, also snapped out of his thoughts, and became alarmed instantly. He knew those words, but only very little about what they meant. What he knew, was that they were something like Nephis trigger.
Effie also noticed the strange behavior of the others and became slightly serious as well.
"How do you know these words? Whose domain do you belong to?" asked Nephis through gritted teeth, her sword nearly fully summoned.