Kane looked at the dark city, a silent, imposing fortress that seemed to rise from the depths of the earth itself. Its walls, built of a strange, polished gray stone, were a testament to a forgotten age of power and glory. The city was massive, its sheer size a promise of both sanctuary and untold secrets. He took a moment to stand, his body still mending, and simply took in his surroundings from the massive, cupped palm of the stone hand.
In the distance, beyond the city's formidable walls, he could see a dark silhouette, a cyclopean tower that loomed above the world like an unholy spear made out of solidified blood. The sight of it was terrifying. As soon as Kane saw the Crimson Spire, his heart was gripped by an unexplainable fear, a cold, primal dread that had nothing to do with the physical threats he had just faced. The Spire was a wrongness in the world, a monument to malevolent power.
Soon after, Nephis and Sunny began their descent. Kane, with the blind girl Cassie clinging to his back, followed them. He was grateful for his [Silver Plates] armor, which had miraculously survived the brutal battle in the abyss. It was tattered and scarred, but still present, a faithful guardian. Luckily, the descent was much faster than the arduous climb. The stone hand, though a place of refuge, felt temporary. They needed to find a more permanent shelter.
As they moved, Kane's mind began to recount all his experiences on the Forgotten Shore. He had traveled around the Crimson Labyrinth, escaped the Soul Devourer Tree, fought a massive monster in the dark sea, and survived. His luck seemed to be completely out of whack, a bizarre and terrifying rollercoaster of near-death experiences. He mused that it might be due to his [Fated] Attribute, a passive ability that had a strange and unpredictable effect on his life, seeming to both lead him into danger and out of it in equal measure.
Curious to learn more about the strange structures of this place, Kane examined the statue more closely. Out there on the slope of the colossal crater, slightly tilted to the side, a giant statue of a slender woman dressed in a light, flowing robe towered over the black mud. She was lovely and graceful, with a slim waist and delicate arms outstretched to the skies, as though trying to embrace them.
At least, that was how she had looked once, a long time ago. Now, one of her arms was broken off, with only its shoulder remaining in place. Luckily, the other one was still there and had served as a safe haven for the three Sleepers in their moment of desperate need. Just as Kane expected, there were seven shining stars carved into the stone surface of her robe, a strange and recurring pattern in this place.
What piqued his curiosity the most, though, was the fact that just like the giant knight he had seen before, the graceful woman seemed to be missing her head. Once again, Kane wondered if these stone titans were created without faces to begin with, or if something had beheaded them much later in a fit of destructive rage.
'...seven severed heads guarding seven seals,' he thought, remembering Cassie's frightening vision.
The mystery of that vision was nothing short of tantalizing. However, it seemed as though it was destined to remain unsolved. Kane doubted that he would ever come back to this cursed place after returning to the real world. There were many regions in the Dream Realm, and almost every one of them was far better than the hellish Forgotten Shore.
After that, Kane's thoughts turned to the possibility of a Gate, the only way back to reality. But he had his doubts. 'If there is a Gate and people have escaped, shouldn't we have information on this hellhole? But as far as I remember, there is no info,' he mused. 'So either this place is a secret, or nobody has escaped this place. It better be the former.' The alternative was too terrifying to contemplate.
As they approached a section of the slope that was almost vertical and covered in thick, black mud, something dangerous finally happened. Just as Sunny was about to step on a wide, flat stone buried in the mud, the stone suddenly shifted and rolled to the side. A terrible, thunderous roar resounded across the vast emptiness of the colossal crater, making him shiver in fright.
Fearing that something was crawling from under the soil, Sunny jumped back and summoned his sword, its black blade appearing in his hand. To both of his sides, Kane and Nephis were doing the same, their weapons ready, while Cassie swiftly stepped back to not be in the way.
However, there was nothing moving in the mud. No giant beast rose from it to feast on their flesh; no horrifying abomination had extended its limbs to pull them underground into its maw.
Then... what made that terrible roar?
Just as Sunny was trying to understand what was happening, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his right leg. Looking down, he saw… he saw… The damn stone was chomping on his shin!
The stone, which turned out to be a bizarre Nightmare Creature, revealed a mouth full of long, sharp teeth on its surface. It awkwardly rolled a couple of times to reach Sunny and then tried to dig its fangs into his soft flesh, its roars now sounding more like a frustrated grunt than a terrifying bellow.
Kane looked at the scene, a genuine look of amusement on his face. He thought, 'Seriously, why didn't a creature like this attack me? For each one, I am barely alive?' His journey had been a series of battles against god-like horrors, and now, here was a sentient rock trying to nibble on his teammate's leg.
Sunny stared at the stone in bewilderment, then raised his head and glanced at Nephis. Her expression was as indifferent as always, but after all the time they had spent together, he was able to recognize the similar kind of amusement written clearly on her face. And then he glanced at Kane, who was clearly amused by the entire, ridiculous situation.
Sunny strained his muscles, raised the trapped leg into the air, and shook it a couple of times, trying to send the stupid stone flying. However, the weird monster was really stubborn. With another thunderous roar, it doubled its attempts to gnaw on Sunny's shin, its stone teeth on the verge of shattering from all the pressure exerted on them.
After a moment of frustrating struggling, Sunny, with a resigned sigh, summoned his Midnight Shard and pierced the rock creature with a swift, efficient thrust. The stone shuddered, its roars turning into a gurgle, and then it went still, its teeth still locked on his leg.
A strange expression appeared on Sunny's face, a mix of surprise and confusion. Seeing it, Nephis asked: "What's wrong?"
Sunny scratched his head, hesitant, and then answered: "Uh… I just received a Memory."
Kane's eyes widened, and he asked in a bewildered tone: "What memory is it?"
Sunny scratched his head, hesitated again, and then answered with an incredulous shrug: "Uh. It's a… rock? An ordinary rock..."
Kane tilted his head, but then he remembered that he also got a memory from killing the lotus monster. He immediately focused on his runes to see what he had gained.
Name: Kane
True Name: Deputy of Heaven
Rank: Dreamer
Rebirth Cores: [240/1000]
Kane glanced at the counter and thought, 'At least this fills fast. I killed quite a number in the dark sea.' He then focused on the new memory, the one he had received for defeating the Heavenly Lotus.
Memory: [Band of Heaven]
Memory Rank: Ascended
Memory Type: Charm
Memory Description: [A heavenly chain maiden who sacrificed herself for a greater good. What faced her was a fate worse than death. She decided to dedicate herself to heal forever.]
Kane pondered the description, the words a bittersweet symphony of sacrifice and eternal suffering. He thought, 'That is quite tragic.' The memory was one of immense power and profound sadness. He immediately decided to summon it.
A large band, black in color with an intricate design pattern of chains, appeared from his wrist and covered his arm all the way to his elbow. The band pulsed with a subtle, dark light, a testament to its origin.
Nephis's and Sunny's eyes widened in shock. Nephis, in a subtle display of emotion, asked in a shocked tone: "Where did you get it?"
Kane looked at her, then at the band, and finally said in a calm, flat voice: "By killing a lotus."