The cohort followed the guard until they reached the mountainside Citadel. Two great doors were pried open by a pair of Awakened, and they were promptly led inside. The space was well-lit, with countless sprawling murals. A mix of salvaged furniture — what remained after undoubtedly centuries — was interspersed with more modern craftsmanship in the halls and rooms.
Blood-red banners also hung everywhere, the insignia of Clan Sorrow branded in black paint.
Nico spent his time walking and observing the murals.
Gemma watched him for a moment, then took a cursory glance at the tasteful decorations before remarking,
"This place is awfully intact compared to the rest of the ruins."
Seishan shrugged. "Most Citadels are like this. Based on what we know, the Spell preserves them in some way or another." She paused. "Or, perhaps, it's just that only the things left are the things preserved by the Spell."
"Did it consider the Bright Castle not preserved?" Kido asked, her tone smug.
Gemma and Seishan rolled their eyes. Kido leaned a bit forward.
"What do you think, Nico?"
"I think you're both wrong," he answered, keeping his eyes on the ceiling above.
Aggrieved, she stammered.
"O-Oh yeah?! Well, what's your guess then?!"
He hummed for a moment.
"I can't state factually why the Spell chooses certain Citadels over others, but if I had to guess, the reason the Bright Castle wasn't chosen to become one was that it wasn't special."
Kido's mouth hung open. This time, she felt less personally attacked and more curious.
"How can you say the Bright Castle isn't special? It was still standing after who knows how long. It's the only place that the Nightmare Creatures avoided. To me, it only seems like the only reason the Spell didn't turn it into a Citadel was to torture us…"
Nico clasped his hands behind his back.
"The Nightmare Creatures of the Dark City appear to avoid the Bright Castle more out of natural instinct. The Spire Messenger that nested inside the throne room before the arrival of the first lord's cohort is proof that no sort of sorcery is deterring them."
The elaborate painting above the halls were slowly turning dark and gruesome. Swords plunged into the depths of dying human soldiers, but it only seemed like the statues they fought bled more. Black mist rose from the ground itself.
"The Bright Castle's impeccable condition is a result of the lack of Nightmare Creatures."
Before Kido could share her thoughts, the Awakened leading them turned around. They were standing in front of an open pair of reinforced doors, and beyond them lay a set of spiral stairs leading further underground.
"Beyond here is the 'Inner Sanctum,' as we have named it. Despite that, there is no statue, altar, or figure of worship. Simply stand on the raised platform at its center, and you will be transported back to the waking world." He turned to Seishan and Nico. "And as the clan head is currently away, you will most likely meet with him upon your return."
Both Kido and Gemma's faces scrunched in the same way upon hearing that. Were they nothing more than commodities whose job could be discussed by their betters?
Nico thought the situation would be humorous for someone else.
As he took a step toward the stairs, he said absently,
"Me and Seishan will be busy outside the Dream Realm for some time. Our compatriots will be able to handle any of his questions."
"W-Wait, hold on!" both Kido and Gemma angrily whispered.
The guard gave them a pensive glance.
"Of course, Sir Nico," he mumbled, bowing as the cohort passed him and continued down the stairwell.
They walked for a few seconds, Nico ignoring the persistent tap on his shoulder, before Seishan asked, her voice calm.
"We are busy?"
"Yeah, are you?" Gemma parroted.
Nico shrugged.
"We are now. I plan on us spending a lot of time in the Dream Realm soon, so I figured allotting some extra time for matters outside of it wouldn't impede our progress."
Kido rolled her eyes.
"Just say you want to relax."
"I do not want for anything."
Smirking, Gemma stroked his chin and muttered,
"I don't know… that sounds like something someone who wanted to relax would say…"
Nico sighed. Kido and Gemma shared a grin, while Seishan shook her head.
After a few more seconds of walking, the stairs finally straightened and opened up into a wide hall.
The stone was a dark grey, and the ceiling was supported by a hexagonal set of pillars. As the cohort walked through the space, their eyes curiously flickered between various points of interest. Nico's followed a rather ancient set of runes that were engraved into each pillar. They twisted together on the ceiling, forming a loose circle.
Kido, Gemma, and Seishan reached the center of the room. They walked up a few more steps, these ones with no definitive edges and tracing around the raised platform where the gateway was said to be. Gemma yawned, then looked back after noticing Nico hadn't followed.
"You coming?"
The other two turned skeptically.
Nico shook his head.
"I will arrive after you." He paused, then added when their minds remained unsatiated, "There is something I wish to confirm about this gateway."
Gemma yawned again, and both he and Kido stepped onto the platform. They disappeared a second or two after, no sign of their presence left besides the lingering scent of their clothes and bodies.
Seishan remained for a moment, giving him an odd look he couldn't quite decipher without peering deeper, before following after them.
Throughout the entire process, Nico's soul sense detected no change in the ceiling's runes. He frowned, then took a seat on the steps to the gateway. There was a mystery here — and, if he was right, one that he could figure out.
Nico took a deeper look at the Inner Sanctum. There were six walls, each with ornate carvings and the same ancient runes. A pair of sprawling wings was depicted in the very center of each one, and where the two feathered limbs connected, a small perch outcropped from the stone and shone with the light of a lantern placed there by Clan Sorrow. No other modern amenities were in the room.
Looking up, Nico found himself a little disappointed. Besides the connected circle of runes at the very center, nothing was up there.
"Is that it? I figured there'd be a bit more. Who did this temple belong to?"
He didn't know, but they must have been fairly spartan to have left so few clues as to the reason for this Citadel. Why build a temple if not for prayer? Why place a platform if not to hold a statue?
Nico finally stood up after ten or so minutes had passed.
"I should get going."
He was about to, as well, until he noticed a soul descending toward the gateway. It felt familiar. It smelled familiar, too — and wasn't that odd? Nico had a few new quirks due to assimilating the Beast God's lineage, and one of them happened to be that he could smell souls and discern who or what they belonged to much better.
Focusing his soul sense allowed him to discern the approaching person's figure, and he felt a twitch of surprise in Shaman's mind.
Nico wasn't surprised at all. He smiled.
"It would've been a shame to leave him be."
Tessai sometimes wondered how much of his life he'd missed. The Forgotten Shore had stolen ten years of time, left him enraged and weak, and then departed without a second thought.
What about everything that happened? What about the thousands of people who died, and the one person left behind?
But the Spell didn't care. The majority of him didn't care either. It was hell, and nobody in hell gave a damn about each other. That was how it was supposed to be. That was how it was until it wasn't anymore.
Tessai let his dark hair fall over his face and glowered.
"Damn it all…" He fought against himself. "Damn the Spell. Damn the world. Damn that wench, and damn the entire Dreamer Army too."
And especially damn Nico. Dark emotions rose like bile in his throat when he thought of that man. Dawn Eternal was his name now. So what? He wasn't special. Tessai had a True Name himself. With how little he contributed to their fight back home, it hardly meant anything. It hardly did at all…
"…Or so you'd think."
Tessai froze. He blinked twice.
"What?"
He had just been about to enter the gateway when he heard a voice — one that sounded oddly familiar.
Slowly turning around, Tessai locked eyes with him — with Nico. He was leaning against a pillar, one that the giant had passed only a second ago, facing the raised platform of the gateway.
Tessai's entire body tensed. Like a cornered beast, his mind was suddenly racing. Anger, fear, confusion, and, most shockingly, awe all warred for control in his head. Nico, for his part, just watched without moving. Tessai almost felt like he couldn't recognize the other Sleeper. His hair was shorter than normal, and his tan skin was paler than usual. His eyes were almost glowing, both irises an ethereal light blue.
But he was also unmistakably the same person. He wore the same armor, and he carried himself the same way. His hair and his body were even coated in dirt and dried blood in the same way they would be if he had just returned from a long hunt.
Everything in Tessai's mind seemed to replay all at once, and he only snapped out of his trance when he noticed that there was one thing different — Nico was smiling.
Why… why was he smiling?
Tessai felt indignation and fury burn where his heart should be, but before he could snap or yell, Nico moved. He took a step away from the pillar and passed him. Tessai stood silently.
Stopping just a step before the gateway, Nico cast half a glance back at him.
"Since you're here, I suppose I'll extend the same invitation. Join me — if you wish to grow stronger, there is no better way."
A faint image of him remained in Tessai's eyes, even after his figure disappeared.