…After a long time walking up the coiling road of white stone, they finally reached the zenith of the hill and saw the mighty castle in all its glory.
Up close, it looked even more magnificent.
Built from the same pristine marble as the arch at the base of the hill, it stretched into the sky like a white mountain made by human hands. The frontmost tower was wide and imposing, with a tall decorated gate and a grandiose staircase leading down from it to a vast stone platform that the road ended with.
On both sides of the frontmost tower, brought slightly forth, two other stood as bastions, connected to it with arched aerial bridges and accompanied by smaller companion towers of their own. Behind them, the main keep soared even higher, as though trying to challenge the menacing Crimson Spire that loomed above the world far in the distance.
Smaller towers, spires, and wings stood here and there, forming a complex and strangely harmonious formation.
The whole structure was incredibly beautiful, striking, and at the same time radiated a feeling of unassailable firmness. It was as though the castle was built for gods, not mortals.
The only thing that spoiled the picture were dozens of human skulls hanging above the gates on rusty chains.
"Will we stick together for the time being?" Seraphine asked him while they walked.
"If you wish to."
Seraphine simply nodded to his answer.
His gaze fell lower, only now noticing dozens of crude, makeshift hovels huddled on the stone platform. They were built from fragments of rubble, rotting wood and pieces of monster hides, chaotically clinging to the stones as if afraid to be blown away by the wind.
An unpleasant, strangely familiar smell hit him in the nose a few moments later. It was the motley, but unmistakable stench of the slums. That stench was nothing like the poisonous reek of the outskirts, and at the same time exactly the same.
He knew because he lived between the city and the outskirts.
Between the hovels, gaunt and empty-eyed people were busy eking out their pitiful existences. They were dressed in a strange mix of dirty rags and shiny Memories, with those wearing armor standing out among the rest like rare oddities. Most of them were extremely young, barely older than sixteen. He could smell their exhaustion and desperation even from where he was standing.
"You will need two soul shards to pass. If you do not have them, we may provide two for you."
'Translation: You will owe me.'
Unfortunately Aether did not have any with him-
"I have two, no worries."
Aether gave Seraphine the side eye. It seemed she came prepared.
"I will pay you back."
"Nah, its okay." She said with a smile.
Soon, they approached the apex and stopped in front of a couple of unfriendly guards.
Both of the young men barring their way wore armor-type Memories and wielded their weapons in the open, as though trying to warn anyone approaching to not test their patience. They let the handmaidens and Seishan pass with any resistance, however they scowled as soon as they saw Aether and Seraphine.
Before he could say something, Aether simply tossed the guy two awakened soul shards. Then both of them passed the gates.
Seishan lead them through the castle, many people greeted her while she walked through the crowd of people.
"She seems to be pretty respected around here. I wonder why there are so many sleepers around though.."
***
They were lead to a lavish room, taking their seats on the table in the middle of the room.
Aether and Seraphine sat next to each other while Seishan sat in front of them. Aether proceeded to introduce himself and Seraphine. If Seishan was surprised that he had a true name, she did not show it.
But being the former performer, he already knew that she was surprised.
"I assume there is no gateway around here, is there?"
Next to him, Seraphine turned her head towards him, her eyes wide with shock. As for Seishan, she stood silent for a few moments, then sighed.
"There is a gateway. However it is inside the crimson spire.. it is guarded by a fallen tyrant."
Tears welled up in Seraphine's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away as soon as they came.
Seishan proceeded to speak to them about the bright castle.
Apparently the castle had its immortal king, Gunlaug.
Most of the inhabitants of the castle, unsurprisingly, were directly serving Gunlaug. They were Guards, Hunters, Pathfinders, Artisans, and Handmaidens. Ruling over them were five lieutenants who answered directly to the lord himself, each responsible for their own aspect of the day-to-day life of the fortress.
Hunters were the most respected ones. They were led by a man named Gemma.
"The group you had killed was full of hunters. So if the information that you had killed them gets out, you will be in big trouble. Would you like me to help you out?"
"No, thank you. We would like to deal with this issue ourselves."
Seishan nodded faintly, then continued speaking.
"There are also sleepers who had arrived into the forgotten shore this solstice other than you."
Aether immediately narrowed his eyes. So it was Nephis that had left the signs of life in the bone ridge. Seraphine to his side, seemed thrilled about the news.
"Judging by your reaction, I am guessing you were already aware?"
'She catches on quick.'
"I am a seer. So I knew that Changing Star had arrived here. But who else?"
"There was Caster of the Han li clan. A Night of Affection from the Song clan, a blind girl. Changing Star has created a hunting party in the outer settlement and is feeding the people there, Theola and Caster are supporting her."
So Lady Theola and Caster had been dropped to the forgotten shore too.
"Oh and.. there was a scout named Sunless. However he left the party and he is now living in the dark city. I am surprised that he is able to survive in that hell."
And now, it was Aether's turn to be surprised. Sunny was here too? Not only that but that maniac was living in the dark city? That place crawled with abominations!
He suddenly felt very proud of his short friend.
After chatting and getting more information from Seishan, they bid farewell. Aether and Seraphine were led to their own respective rooms, which were right next to each other preferably.
Finally after three months, Aether was able to comfortably shower and wash his body clean.
He looked at himself in the mirror. His lithe and lean muscles bore no fat, they were developed and filled with strength after almost four months of living and training in the labyrinth. His hair had also gotten longer, hovering just above his shoulders. The green light in his eyes had become sharper.
Overall Aether was very satisfied with his growth in these four torturous months. He went to bed with a smile on his face that night.
***
In the next morning.
As Aether and Seraphine walked through the crowded halls in the morning, waves of guards suddenly started entering the hall, pushing people out of the way.
Just like that, Aether and Seraphine were surrounded by almost forty guards.
"Are those the ones who killed ten hunters yesterday?"
"Their leaders head was found utterly crushed, can you imagine?"
"Two newbies killed ten hunters? How is that even possible."
The guards pointed their weapons at them. Aether wore a friendly smile on his face as he observed them. Seraphine to his side was more nervous, but she was doing well to keep a serious expression. Finally a guard stepped forward.
"You are blamed for the murder of ten hunters! Follow us to the grand hall!"
"Lead the way."
The duo were lead to the grand hall.
Five figures were waiting for them at the steps leading up to the throne. They were Gemma, Tessai, Seishan, Kido, and the last of the five lieutenants.
The fifth lieutenant had no official duties in the Bright Castle, but everyone here feared him the most. It was a strange, pale man with a bony face and glassy, emotionless eyes. His spine was twisted, making him appear deceptively short, Harus.
Bright Lord Gunalug was clad in a strange, gilded armor that covered his tall figure from head to toe, not leaving even his eyes exposed. It seemed simultaneously solid and liquid, almost flowing over his mighty muscles and broad, powerful shoulders.
In the place where his face should have been, a smooth and empty expanse of polished gold reflected the frightened faces of hundreds of Sleepers back at them.
He was sitting on the throne, waiting for them.
Next to him, Seraphine did not look at her own reflection on the golden armor. But Aether himself boldly stared at it without any visible reactions on his face.
A few moments later, a deep and insidious voice resounded from all around them, as though the castle itself was whispering into their ears:
"Ah, what a nice day it is today. A perfect day for justice, don't you think, my precious wards?"
The guards circling them slowly backed away. Aether practically felt the weight of many eyes that were falling on them. Being accustomed to being the center of attention, he was not affected, however he could not say the same for Seraphine.
He could feel the death stare Gemma was giving him. He had killed one of his most precious groups after all.
"My wards. We have a guest today. This man.. who apparently as a true name called the blasphemer and his subordinate Seraphine has slaughtered ten of our hunters within cold blood. We must get to the bottom of this matter! After all, the law is our only guiding star in this dark world… Now... Mister Blasphemer, could you explain why you had killed our comrades? In such a gruesome way that is."
Keeping up his friendly smile, Aether answered.
"They were harassing a group of handmaidens. I could not let them do as they please against the women."
"You have great morals for a supposed blasphemer. Tell me.. do you have any witnesses?"
"The handmaidens that we saved."
Aether watched as they brought the girls they had saved yesterday. By the look in their faces, he could already tell what was going to happen.
"We did not encounter this man during our time outside yesterday."
'Great.' Even if the situation was turning out to be worse, Aether still kept his friendly spot.
"What do you say about this?"
"It seems my friends have magically lost their memories of yesterday. I wonder who ordered them to keep quiet about this important matter."
The bright lord shifted in his seat. "Are you implying something."
"Take it however you like."
In the ensuing silence, Gemma, the leader of both Hunters and Pathfinders, suddenly spoke:
"My lord, if I may speak. Isn't there a law that suits this situation perfectly? It has existed for as long as humans lived in this ancient castle. I'm talking, of course, about the right of challenge."
He glanced at Aether and smiled:
"If this criminal wants to prove his innocence he should step down. If not, he can challenge the criminal and prove it with blood. Of course, the real culprit here is… me. As the person responsible for these men, any crime they commit in their roles as Hunters is my fault."
'Hell yeah!'
Aether's smile widened as he listened to him. Seraphine was growing paler as the conversation went on.
"So how about, Blasphemer? Will you step down? Or do you want to challenge me?"
"Come down." He gestured with his hand that he should step down as he walked forward.
…As though reading his thoughts, the Bright Lord spoke:
"A challenge? Ah, so be it. This is a sacred tradition, indeed. As long as good men are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of righteousness, depravity can't win…"
The crowd of Sleepers exploded into whispers. Some of them were tense and somber, others filled with dark anticipation.
"...However, it would not be suitable for you to represent the accused personally, Gemma. The Bright Castle can't afford to lose you, my friend. Jubei, would you mind if the accused chose another champion?"
"You can come down yourself if you would like, bright lord." Aether knew the lord was not going to come down, he was simply making a performance out of this.
The crowd gasped at his comment, however Gunlaug himself simply laughed.
"I choose Harus, my lord." Gemma said.
Harus, who had looked a little bored and uncomfortable through the whole procedure, stared at the Pathfinder who had named him with no particular expression on his bony face, and then slowly walked down the steps.
The other lieutenants reacted to this unexpected turn of events differently. Gemma frowned and threw a quick glance at Gunlaug before stepping back with a dark expression. Tessai grinned, as though expecting a good spectacle. Kido grew a little pale and took a little step sideways, trying to distance herself from the descending hunchback as much as possible.
Only Seishan remained silent and indifferent, not allowing any emotion to appear on her cold, beautiful face.
'That wench seriously went ahead and betrayed me when I saved her handmaidens.'
The hunchback descended from the steps and stopped opposite of Aether in the empty space that had been cleared in the center of the grand hall. His face was still motionless and a little bored.
It seemed that Harus was waiting for them to summon their memories.
However only Aether stepped forward. He did not seem to be summoning any memories.
The hunchback just looked at him with his glassy eyes and silently allowed his thick cloak to fall on the floor. Then, he grimaced and straightened his spine as much as he could, suddenly losing the appearance of a small and fragile cripple.
At his full height, Harus towered above most of the Sleepers in the grand hall, losing only to the giant Tessai. His monstrous, twisted shape radiated a sense of deep, bestial power. He didn't bother to summon any Memories, staring at the hunter with the same cold indifference.
"So be it." Harus said.
Aether immediately tapped his mind into the memories when he had delved into the mind of the soul devouring tree. There he had learned how it created its mind attacks.
So Aether activated [Imagination] and copy pasted the ability onto Harus. Right at that moment, Harus' eyes became hollow. Aether felt that his mind was fighting against his, trying to break free from the enthrallment Aether had put him into, however there was no escaping him.
"Kill yourself." Aether ordered.
The hunchback immediately gripped his own throat with his own hands and started choking himself to death. The whole crowd was shocked as they stared at the hunchback who was did as Aether asked and started choking himself.
Gemma's face paled as he watched the ordeal, Tessai was equally moved by what had transpired. Seishan stared at the scene before her. She had planned to intervene before everything escalated quickly, she was simply ordered to stay silent until they had measured Aether's power.
However this.. it was ridiculous! How could he do something like this with just a few simple words?
Harus' face had grown red from choking himself. And right at that moment, Gunlaug decided to speak up once again.
"I would be glad if you didn't kill Harus. I will offer you a position amongst my Lieutenants in return."
Aether released the hunchback from the mind hex. The man let go of his own throat and started breathing in and out heavily. Aether immediately felt power drain from his mind, using the powers of the soul-devouring tree was no joke, it would at least take him a whole month to be able to use this kind of mind attack once again.
With a friendly smile, he answered.
"I accept."