Beyond the western edge of the Ashen Barrow, the landscape of the Forgotten Shore unfolded in a way Kane had neither expected nor hoped for. On this side of the island, the slope was much steeper than anything they had encountered so far. Where he had anticipated the familiar flat wasteland, there was nothing of the sort. Instead, the ground continued to slope downward at a less drastic, but still considerably sharp, angle.
It stretched far into the distance, so far that it seemed the entire island stood on the precipice of a colossal depression in the earth. This chasm, with its edges subtly curved, resembled a giant crater left behind by an unimaginable impact, one that stretched as far as the eye could see. From Kane's vantage point, the crater's diameter could only be measured in hundreds of kilometers. The roots of the giant tree, which could be seen protruding from the soil far below, seemed like tiny blades of grass in comparison to the sheer, abyssal wall of the chasm. It was as if the whole world was tilted on its side, making Kane's head spin with vertigo.
In short, there were no more high natural features to the west of them. The only way forward was to descend into the abyss, with no hope of finding shelter from the crushing torrents of the dark sea that engulfed the land each night. This meant that there was no viable way forward at all. Their arduous journey to the west had come to an abrupt, definitive end. And with it, all hope of finding a gateway to the real world was extinguished.
Kane stared at the desolate landscape, a raw mix of rage and disbelief clawing at his heart. He simply couldn't believe that all their struggles, all their sacrifices, had been for nothing. Yet, the undeniable proof lay stretched out before him, real and crushing. He racked his brain, desperately trying to conceive of some way to solve their impossible predicament, but his imagination yielded nothing. The dark sea, with all its horrors, drowned the world every night, and the only way to escape its terrifying embrace was to climb high enough before sunset. With no elevated ground anywhere in sight, what could he possibly do?
He glanced at Nephis and Sunny, who had climbed up behind him. Nephis seemed even more crestfallen than he was, her face transformed into an icy mask, a dark look full of bitterness and resentment in her eyes. Sunny, beside her, simply watched the grim expanse, a deep sadness and remorse etched onto his features. In the end, all three of them remained silent, the heavy weight of their discovery pressing down on them, until a distant rumble announced the inevitable return of the dark sea.
Deep in the colossal crater, dark torrents appeared from beyond the horizon, rushing forward like an unstoppable force, beginning to fill the vast chasm to the brim. A little stunned, Kane watched as the water level rapidly rose, finally transforming the endless crater into a vast, churning sea of black. Then, it began to overflow, sending an unstoppable flood of water into the wasteland beyond. Flowing past the Ashen Barrow, it rushed inland, crashing against the petrified coral of the crimson labyrinth. Soon, the entire world was covered in seething black water, a terrifying, temporary ocean.
Sunny licked his dry lips and turned to Nephis. After a short pause, he said in a raspy voice, "I think we found the source of the dark sea." Kane added, "I think so. We need to go and meet Cassie, to form an idea."
Nephis lingered, watching the last rays of sunshine slowly disappear from the sky, then turned to him, a grim expression etched onto her face. "...Let's head back."
A Lingering Memory and Troubling Thoughts
All four of them felt lost and heartbroken because of the terrible discovery. Cassie, in particular, seemed utterly shocked by the revelation. "It doesn't make sense, it just doesn't," she mumbled on their way back to camp, her voice laced with confusion. "How could it be?"
Gripping Kane's shoulder, she quickened her step and asked, her voice tinged with a small glint of desperate hope, "Are you sure that there's nothing higher than the sea level out there? Are you absolutely sure?"
He sighed, feeling his mood turning even darker than before. "Yes. We looked quite thoroughly. The whole land just goes down, down, and down. It stretches to the horizon, as far as we could see, in all directions except for the east. The Ashen Barrow is right on the edge."
The blind girl shook her head, still in disbelief. "But how could it be? I've seen that we had reached the castle! There must be a way!"
Kane pondered her words, but all his thoughts led to incredibly audacious, almost suicidal solutions. He let out a brief sigh. "We have two solutions to cross this area and reach the castle, but they are both crazy ones."
Cassie's voice contained a small flicker of hope. "What is it?"
Kane spoke plainly, laying out the impossible options. "Option one: set sail on the dark sea. Option two: go way around this thing and land by foot, literally."
Now all of the others were in shock. Cassie was shocked to her core, her face pale, and even Nephis's stoic expression wavered for a split second. Sunny broke the silence, his voice incredulous. "Are you insane? When did you get infected by Nephis?"
Nephis's eyes narrowed slightly. "I... am not a disease."
"We don't have that much choice," Kane interjected, his tone serious. "We are in that precarious a situation."
Nephis, ever the pragmatist, offered a counterpoint. "Kane's solutions are optional. We can stay here and think. We may get an even better solution."
Kane considered this for a moment. Both options he'd proposed were, in a sense, suicidal. It was better to take their time under the protection of the great tree, to formulate a less reckless plan.
They reached their temporary camp just before the sun had completely disappeared beneath the horizon. Lying on the makeshift bed of fallen leaves, Kane tiredly closed his eyes and thought, 'I hope I won't see any dreams today.' Then, he slightly frowned. 'Dreams? Since when am I capable of dreaming in this place? Oh, right… there was that one dream… or was it a memory? What was it about again… huh, I can't seem to remember… Is it related to threads?... What threads?' With that thought disappearing into the recesses of his mind, he drifted into sleep.
Morning Revelations and a Strange Hunger
In the morning, the mood between the four of them was pretty somber. No one seemed to want to talk or do anything, aimlessly staring at the ground or the rustling leaves of the great tree. In addition to the crushing blow of yesterday's revelation, they were also intensely hungry. The corpse of the Carapace Demon, despite its recent defeat, was starting to look more and more appealing, at least to Sunny. However, Sunny was still not at the point of breaking his promise to Cassie regarding not eating intelligent creatures.
Finally, Nephis broke the silence. Standing up, she looked up with grim resolution and said, "I'm going to climb to the top of the tree and take a look around. Maybe I'll notice something that we missed from up high."
"Let me join you," Kane offered immediately. "Sunny, protect Cassie."
Sunny nodded. "Alright. But be careful. Keep an eye on the sky. If both of you notice those winged abominations again, come back down."
Kane nodded in agreement, and immediately both he and Nephis began to climb the immense tree. As soon as they reached the very top, a breathtaking, yet daunting, sight greeted them. They could just barely discern the distant castle, a faint outline against the horizon.
"Traversing by foot is going to take a lot of time," Kane observed, the scale of the journey suddenly overwhelming.
"Yeah," Nephis agreed, her voice flat. After a long moment of quiet observation, Nephis spoke again. "I have a question for you."
"Sure, what is it?" Kane replied, slightly surprised by the sudden personal query.
"What is your ambition?" Nephis asked, her gaze fixed on him.
Kane was taken aback. 'My ambition? What is the exact motive here?' He had never truly harbored a grand ambition beyond survival in this brutal world, and finding reason and justice for his parents' deaths. Survival was natural, a mere necessity. Justice, however, was something he had no idea how to pursue, having hit a dead end in his investigations. "I can't tell you just yet," Kane stated, a need to maintain his secrecy overriding any desire for openness.
Nephis looked at him with a frown, a hint of dissatisfaction. Kane quickly countered, "Quick question, what is your goal?" His primary reason for asking this was that Nephis seemed to possess some significant, overarching goal, which he had observed from her eagerness to reach the castle. Her true name, gained from her first Nightmare, spoke volumes about her potential and the type of enemy she had faced. For Kane to receive his own, he had fought an Awakened Titan and killed it through sheer effort and luck. And Kane suspected someone was hunting her, most likely related to her clan. All these reasons made him much more eager to ask this question.
"I'll tell you when I want to tell you," Nephis replied, her voice firm.
Kane thought for a moment and then simply said, "No problem."
"Let me go down first," Nephis stated, turning.
Kane nodded. "Sure." He thought that Sunny was still there with Cassie, waiting below.
[Nephis's POV]
Nephis climbed down the tree, but her thoughts were occupied entirely by Kane. 'Will Kane follow me? Who is he, exactly? Will he be an ally?' Kane remained a mystery to her, an enigma cloaked in shadows and veiled intentions. Her head was filled with multiple questions about him: Was he an enemy or an ally? Would he truly follow her, or would he forge his own path? What was his flaw, his weakness?
Nephis considered. 'From the moment I met him, I have battled alongside him. While I might be stronger than him in swordsmanship, he is a different kind of beast, much different than Sunny. Sunny is like an indestructible cockroach, who survives in any situation with his cunning. But Kane is more like an Calm Eagle, who survives with his sheer willpower and flies high in it.' Nephis felt a slight sense of ease because, unlike her, Kane did not have a True Name from his First Nightmare. This meant his potential was inherently lower than hers. As she was climbing down, she instinctively plucked four large, glistening fruits from the tree, one for each of them. 'He will follow me and help me for my goal or Fall. That is my will,' Nephis thought, a resolute conviction settling in her heart.
[Kane's POV]
Kane began his descent, but something felt off. Ever since he'd reached the tree, a peculiar sensation had gnawed at him, a feeling that he was missing something crucial. 'What was I feeling?' he wondered, trying to pinpoint the elusive thought.
As soon as he reached the camping point, he saw Sunny approaching him. Nephis and Cassie were each holding a large, round, glistening fruit. The skin of these fruits was smooth and black as onyx, while their succulent insides were red as ruby. Their hands, chins, and lips were smeared with red juice, making it look as though they were feasting on blood. The air was filled with an alluring, sweet aroma that made his stomach rumble.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Kane exclaimed, his voice sharp with surprise and concern.
Both Nephis and Cassie turned to face him and Sunny. They were visibly confused. "Why are you shouting?" Cassie asked, her brows furrowed.
Sunny and Kane gaped at them, feeling like they had lost their minds. Why were they so nonchalant about this? What was going on here?! Trying to find some sense in the bewildering situation, he and Sunny took a cautious step forward and looked at Nephis. 'Did she… wait… what was he thinking about?' He was so incredibly hungry. It was hard to concentrate on anything except for food.
Shaking off the unexpected memory lapse, Sunny pressed, "Why did you change your mind?"
Changing Star frowned. "Changed my mind? About what?"
Sunny clenched his teeth, thinking she was trying to fool him. "About the fruits! I thought we had agreed to avoid eating them!"
Nephis blinked, a confused expression appearing on her face. "Did we? ...Why?"
Kane opened his mouth to answer, but then froze. 'Actually, why did I make that agreement?' A wave of inexplicable fog rolled over his memory. 'Uh… I can't quite remember.' He was sure he had said something, but why couldn't he recall it?
Nephis, seeing their bewildered expressions, asked, "Are you guys alright?"
Kane didn't reply, unsure what to tell her. Fortunately, Cassie quickly came to his rescue. She always knew how to make a situation less awkward. "Are you angry because we started eating without you?"
He and Sunny looked at her and noticed the big, delicious fruit in her hands. His stomach growled fiercely. "Uh… I guess?" Kane mumbled, his resolve wavering.
Cassie smiled and pointed to the ground, where two more fruits lay on a pile of fallen leaves. Her teeth were still smeared with red juice. "Don't worry! Neph brought four of them, one for each." Sunny immediately picked up a fruit. Kane looked at it, wanting desperately to eat, but a lingering sense of caution made him speak. "I'm eating the albino chicken."
As he was about to turn away, Cassie held his hand and gently pulled him back. Kane tried to remove her grip, but she rose, took the last fruit from the ground, and stuffed it into his mouth. Kane instinctively tried to resist, but in fear of hurting her, he didn't. Then, he took a bite, a faint thought crossing his mind: 'Crap, she's being very insistent sometimes, but it is cute.'
Cassie, with a slight fluster in her voice, urged, "Try this, no need for that meat."
As soon as Kane took the bite, an instant burst of delightful, cool sweetness flooded his mouth. The succulent, juicy fruit was probably the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. It was both nourishing and refreshing, with a rich texture and a soft, lingering aftertaste. The ruby flesh practically melted on his tongue, sending a pleasant tingle through his whole body. It was pure joy, distilled into the form of a fruit. 'Wow!'
Despite his delight, Kane felt disturbed for some reason. Something was very wrong about the whole situation… but what? Taking another bite, he frowned and tried to understand the source of this anxious feeling. It was hard to think about anything except for how heavenly the fruit of the Soul Tree tasted, but he forced himself to concentrate. 'Huh… Soul Tree? Since when... wait, don't get distracted...'
Kane felt like he was being connected to something, but he couldn't quite grasp it. Recently, his memory had been very hazy. As soon as he ate the fruit, he tried to relate it to the argument he had forgotten, but couldn't. It was as if there was some invisible veil over it, preventing him from piercing through.
But then, Kane got distracted. Something unexpected happened, something that required his full attention. Instantly, he somehow forgot all about the problem with the Soul Tree's fruits. Because at that moment, the Spell was talking into his ear:
[...Your rebirth becomes stronger.]
Kane's eyes widened, a silent exclamation erupting in his mind. "Holy Sh*t!"
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Hey Guys,Here is the Updated Lineages you Shall Cast your Vote
1.Shadow God
2.War God
3.Heart God
4.Storm God
5.Sun God
6.Beast God
7.Weaver
8.Demon of Repose
9.Demon of Imagination
10.Ariel
11.Nether
12.Demon of Oblivion
13.Hope
I didn't Include Forgotten God,it is way too op,I intially thought about Ariel and War god's Lineage but I want your Opinions.