The castle was in a state of panic when the conflict that happened in the meeting room became public. Rumors spread that a nightmare creature had snuck into the castle, killing every castle guard that was having a leisure time.
However the issue was not pursued. Because the next day Changing Star would be visiting the bright castle. Tessai had been tasked to bring her to the throne room.
Which, Aether was currently in the throne room along with the other lieutenants. Hundreds of Sleepers standing along its walls, waiting to meet them. It seemed as though the whole population of the Bright Castle had gathered here. There were the Guards, the Hunters, the Artisans, the quiet Handmaidens. Even people who paid tribute to remain in the Castle were all there.
Only the members of Church of the Godless had stayed out of this under Aether's orders. Only Veynar, who was healed by the Deer of Abundance, he insisted he would come. And Seraphine was there too, standing next to him along the walls.
On the raised dais at the far end of the great hall, illuminated by the false stars that were carved into the wall of the dark alcove, the five lieutenants of the Bright Lord stood. There was Gemma, the leader of the Hunters, Kido, the chief Artisan, Seishan, who was in charge of the Handmaidens, and, Aether.
And Harus.
Aether was not wearing his usual smile today, he was mentally rather exhausted from the yesterday's slaughter. However he had more to kill today.
Tessai.
Soon the people from the outer settlement started pouring in, the one who was leading them was Changing Star, next to her was A Night of Affection and behind them walked Caster of the Han Li clan.
And.. was that Nightingale? What the hell was he doing here? As a fellow entertainment industry member, Nightingale seemed to have recognized him too. His handsome turned into surprise, then he composed himself.
Meanwhile, Tessai walked to the middle of the hall and threw Effie down, forcing her to kneel on the floor. Then, he gave Nephis a dark look. However as he was about to join the other lieutenants his world darkened.
All he could see what two green flaming eyes staring him down at the end of the hall. He did not understand what was happening, and before he even could, the green flames lunged at him. Something tore through his armor, and then touched his bare arm.
A hand was gripping his bare heart!
And before he could even react, the figure tore his heart from his chest.
The giant figure of Tessai stared at Aether with pure terror and horror in his eyes. He saw his beating heart in his hand, which slowly died. He himself coughed blood, then fell down to the ground with a thud.
'Pathetic.'
This only transpired in a matter of four seconds. The crowd gasped, everyone stared at the scene in shock, some in terror.
Aether threw the heart to the ground. Casting Changing Star a glance, who looked at him with widened eyes. He returned back to his place among the lieutenants, no one even dared to say a word.
When some of the city guards tried to do something, they were silenced by Gunlaug, who was surprisingly calm compared to Kido, who was shivering beside him.
"My apologies for the spectacle. Our lieutenants had a score to settle, it seems that score is settled now... although in a rather gruesome way." Gunlaug broke the silence.
Gunlaug and Nephis shared their views of justice, which was both bullshit if you asked Aether. To him, both were tyrants.
And finally the duel started. Nephis won spectacularly, with some dirty play involved. And then under Gemma's orders hell broke loose inside the throne room.
A second later, hundreds of Sleepers clashed against each other, their suppressed rage, bloodlust, and murderous resentment finally exploding into a storm of violence.
The white marble was instantly painted red with blood.
The Guards slaughtered indiscriminately, their powerful Memory armaments and training giving them a vast advantage over the disorganized crowd of slum dwellers. But they weren't killing just those who came from the outer settlement: in the panic and havoc that engulfed the throne room, differentiating friend from foe was not an easy task.
With Gunlaug gone, that safety was now gone, too.
It almost seemed as though the Guards didn't care who they killed, or were even glad to be let off the chain. Even if there were those among them who had preserved some vestiges of conscience, now, it was utterly gone, devoured by the crowd instinct and the exhilaration of being free from all restraints. Their faces were contorted with ferocious grimaces, and their eyes burned with rage, hatred, and tenebrous joy.
How could humans do this to the other humans?
No that Aether himself was exactly innocent after yesterdays slaughter. Speaking of which, he had become a Tyrant after that.
The slum dwellers, meanwhile, came to their senses and met the assault of the Host with as much fury and bloodlust. Even though they were less experienced, well-fed, and armed, their resolve and exalted fury made up for that.
Aether did not move from his spot for a while, however when he saw three figures approaching him, he descended the stairs.
It seemed that Changing Star had a very high opinion of him, a bit too high if you asked him.
Because currently, Caster, Changing Star and A Night of Affection were surrounding him in a circle.
"It seems we meet again, Great Performer."
"Greetings, Lady Theola." Aether responded, a smile appearing on his lips.
Lady Theola had some interesting memories now.
A cascade of ivory fabric draped her form, the gown flowing in elegant waves yet bound by intricate structure. Golden filigree curled like living vines across the bodice and hips, their spiraled patterns both ornamental and commanding. Sleeves broke apart into layered petals of white and bronze, fastening at the shoulders with sculpted clasps that gleamed in the light. The neckline plunged into a sculpted frame, edged with ruffles that softened the armor-like symmetry. At her thigh, a black garter of laurel motifs bound the silk, the contrast deliberate, drawing the eye to the measured interplay of bare skin and gilded ornament. Every fold of fabric, every curled accent of gold, merged opulence with restraint, less a dress than a coronation of silk and metal, worn like a mantle of authority.
He could tell that it was no mere garment.
"In honor of you joining us, we three will take you on together." Changing Star said with a smile on her face. "Lets get started."
Nephis had changed a lot. Her hair had gotten longer, not the tomboyish hairstyle he remembered. She seemed more mature than before, and more ruthless.
"Three of you against me? How unfair." A saber appeared in his hand, yellow sparks shimmered as he summoned [Silk Step] and then [Glassified], which attached itself to his garment. "Anytime, I am ready."
Aether created three mind links. He had realized after forming more soul cores, he could handle more than one mind link corresponding to the number of soul cores he had. Zheshi herself hovered above the four.
Without waiting for more, Aether lunged at Changing Star, lashing against her with his saber. The first clash rang sharp, steel sparking against steel, both of them testing weight and intent in those opening blows. Changing Star's footwork had grown precise, she pivoted lightly on the ball of her foot, her blade moving in tight arcs that bled white fire as it cut through the air. Aether pressed harder, his saber flashing in quick, cutting angles meant to overwhelm, but her guard held, her expression calm even as the pain flickered across her features.
Zheshi whispered a warning into his mind. Aether broke away, boots scraping stone as he skidded backwards just as a longsword slashed through the space where his ribs had been an instant before. The blade was tethered by a glimmering golden thread, alive and hungry, snapping back with whip-like speed as Theola guided it into a second strike.
The thread lashed, the longsword snapping sideways toward him like a serpent. Aether pivoted sharply, saber cutting across its path. Sparks leapt as edge met edge, deflecting it wide, the force rippling up his arm. Theola's hand flicked, and the sword reeled back into formation, coiling above her like a predator ready to strike again.
Then white flames roared across Nephis's sword. He remembered her flaw in an instant, pain carved into her every time she used her aspect, doubled when her reflection burned in his mirror. Her jaw clenched, her knuckles whitened, but she kept advancing.
And when her figure was reflected in the mirror, the pain she felt doubled. Aether felt it too, but compared to the pain he had faced while burning the deer, it was not that painful.
Through the mind link, he guessed that Caster was on the move. He immediately turned his was, summoning the [Feelings of Attachment], he attached the string to Caster and immediately circled around him before appeared to slash against him.
Aether swung his saber in a wide arc, however it was immediately parried by the flaming sword of the Changing Star. Aether skidded to the left once he saw golden threads trying to lash out to him, he weaved through them like a dancer and reached Theola.
Aether and Theola exchanged blow after blow in a short succession. The way Theola fought was interesting to say the least, she had attached the longsword to herself with golden threads, and she was manipulating it in a skillful way to make impossible angled attacks.
Aether needed to delve into her mind to read her attacks more properly since they were complicated, however he needed to save his stamina to deal with the others.
Aether slid to the side, his saber grazing the floor as he turned his shoulder. He could feel another presence, fast, sharp, and through the mind link he knew it was Caster. His speed was blinding; one heartbeat he was nowhere, the next he was there, jian whistling down with crushing weight. Aether twisted his saber upward, steel ringing against steel. The impact numbed his wrist and forced his boots to skid, his body driven a step backward from sheer force.
Caster pressed, every strike faster than the last, each one a hammer hidden in silk. Aether's arm ached under the repetition, sparks stinging his face as he deflected. He waited, watching the rhythm, waiting for the overextension. When Caster poured too much strength into the next cut, Aether dropped his guard and slipped back. The legacy lurched forward into empty air, his momentum carrying him too far.
Changing Star struck again, white fire carving down. For a heartbeat, the mirror at Aether's side caught her reflection. Her scream cut the air, ragged, and the flames flickered unstable. Her blade still descended, and in the same breath Theola's golden-tethered longsword shot forward.
It grazed the mirror, shattering a fragment of light, and tore a line of pain across Aether's shoulder. His teeth clenched as blood welled hot against his collar, but he bent his body in a sudden, unnatural angle, spine arching backward past human comfort.
Caster was behind him. Aether felt it before the sound came. The jian cut downward, but Aether's twist carried his saber up in a thrust.
The move Veynar had used against him during their first training session.
The blade pierced through Caster's guard, slicing between ribs and plunging deep into his chest. The man's eyes went wide, mouth spilling blood as his sword faltered mid-swing. For a moment the two were frozen, locked in that impossible position. Then Caster collapsed to his knees, life already leaving his body.
Aether retrieved his saber and stood up straight. Looking down at Caster, who collapsed to the ground.
[You have slain a dormant human.]
He then turned to Theola and Nephis, who watched him with wary eyes.
"Judging by your unfazed reactions, I suppose you both knew that he was a traitor. No need to thank me, really." Aether slashed his saber in a wide arc, spilling the blood down from it, then summoning back his memories. "Well then, why don't you go and support your followers?"
Without a word, Nephis ran back to join in on the carnage.
"You have gotten stronger, Great Performer. Would you like to join song clan once we are out of this hell?" Theola shot him a mischievous smile.
"I will think about it, thank you for the offer, Lady Theola." Aether said with an appreciative smile. Although he had no plans in joining the song clan.
As far as he knew, there was not many ways to join a clan other than to become an adopted child or get married with a member..-
Aether stared at Theola's retreating back. Did he just get proposed to?
'What the fu..-'
***
Veynar and Seraphine
Currently both of them were fighting against the fearsome hunter, Gemma.
Seraphine ducked low, Gemma's blade whistling past her hair as it carved sparks from the marble floor. She surged upward, short sword flashing, and rammed it into his abdomen. The impact wasn't just steel, her aspect detonated in a brutal shockwave, tearing muscle and rupturing organs. Gemma's body convulsed, blood bubbling from his mouth.
Before he could reel, a hiss of steel rang out, Veynar's katana tore from its sheath in a blur. He moved like a shadow unchained, cutting deep, shallow, and wide, each strike layering over the last.
Veynar's katana was of the ascended rank, he had gotten it from killing the spire messenger that had slaughtered his previous cohort. Its enchantment allowed him to become stronger the more he landed attacks.
As for the sheath. It generated kinetic energy which would be unleashed when he drew his katana.
But the man before them was no mortal opponent.
Gemma's wounds knitted together even as they were carved open, blood seeping, then vanishing, replaced with unbroken flesh. His chest swelled with a guttural growl, and his eyes, burning with the cruel serenity of someone who could not die, fixed on Seraphine.
"Damn it," she spat, twin blades rising. "Why won't you stay down?!"
Veynar sheathed his katana once again and dodged backwards. Summoning the [Poisonous Water], he took a sip in the middle of the fight.
Seraphine's attacks were each coated with shockwaves, so Gemma had no chances to counter any of her attacks, they were too powerful.
Her short swords blurred, one-two-three-four, each blow layered with shockwaves that cracked bone and warped armor. Yet Gemma advanced through the storm, silent and inexorable, every strike she landed erased in the time it took her to gasp for breath.
Her rage peaked, she gathered her strength for a finishing blow. But Gemma read it, faster than her fury. His sword carved twice across her chest, shallow but vicious, pain ripping through muscle and stealing the power from her arms. His boot hammered into her stomach, hurling her back. She hit the floor hard, air bursting from her lungs, blood spilling across her lips.
"Seraphine!"
Veynar's voice was a whisper, not a shout, measured, controlled. He didn't run to her. Instead, he raised a lacquered cup, filled it with [Poisonous Water], and drank in the middle of the chaos. His eyes closed, his shoulders relaxed. Seraphine's vision swam with pain, and fury rose hot in her chest.
"Focus, you bastard!" she rasped, dragging herself to her knees as Gemma loomed above her.
The Hunter's blade swung down-
But a splash of water struck his face. He snarled, blinded for a heartbeat, and whirled at the phantom attacker. Nothing there.
Only silence.
Then dread crawled up his spine.
Gemma turned to swing his sword in a wide arc, but his attack was avoided.
Veynar crouched low, hair veiling his eyes, every line of his body coiled like a spring. His fingers tightened on the hilt, and in a single heartbeat the katana _sang_ free. The sheath exploded in a discharge of stored force, sending the blade screaming through the air.
The strike cleaved Gemma clean in half. Flesh parted, ribs snapped, blood sprayed in a crimson arc. Before his aspect could mend the ruin, Veynar pivoted, his heel slamming into the hunter's upper half, booting it away from its lower. Gemma's torso skidded across the marble with a wet screech.
Cold and merciless, Veynar lunged, driving his katana straight down. The steel punched through Gemma's skull, splitting bone, burying itself to the hilt.
The immortality ended.
[You have slain a dormant human.]
Veynar exhaled slowly, as if he'd only now remembered to breathe. He tilted the cup above his head, letting alcohol pour over his face and hair, dripping crimson where it mingled with blood.
"I feel refreshed," he murmured, voice calm, detached.
Seraphine groaned, clutching her chest. Veynar bent and, without ceremony, hooked an arm under her shoulder, hauling her upright. Her body trembled against him, but he didn't slow.
Zheshi was hovering above them, most likely wanting them to follow her.
"We are following you, your majesty!" Veynar said sarcastically as he followed Zheshi with Seraphine.