Chapter 37: Yelling Timber
We left Bright Castle before dawn, slipping out through the eastern gate under a veil of fog.
The guards barely looked up — two more Hunters heading toward the ruins was nothing new.
The City devoured people daily; it was almost boring.
The road that wound through the lower tiers was cracked and uneven, cobblestones slick with
moss and old blood. Towering arches loomed above us, their spires leaning inward as if
gossiping about our chances. The lamps along the path still burned with pale dreamlight, but
their glow grew weaker the further we went.
"Cheerful morning," Sasrir muttered, tightening the straps on his pack.
"It's the City's version of a sunrise," I joked. "Soft light, faint despair."
We moved fast while the mists were thick, following what was once a pilgrim's route. The
frescoes carved into the walls were almost gone now — faces worn smooth, halos turned to
stains. The air carried the faint tang of rust and resin, a scent that clung to everything near the
ruins.
After an hour, the ground began to slope downward. Buildings became smaller and stranger
— once-grand mansions reduced to skeletal outlines, their marble eaten by pink coral
growths that pulsed faintly in the shadows. This was the outer boundary of the Dark City
proper, where stone gave way to coral and decay to mutation. The closer we came to the
Coral Labyrinth, the more the architecture seemed to breathe.
"It's growing," Sasrir said, crouching to prod a coral outcrop with his knife. It pulsed once,
slow and deliberate, like a sleeping heart. "This wasn't here last time."
"Maybe the Labyrinth is expanding," I said. "The Dream Realm boundaries shift. The City
isn't stable, and the Crimson Sun can't burn forever. Sooner or later, everything alive here
will die to either it or the Dark Sea, and then the Sun will have no fuel left."
He straightened, his eyes glinting in the pale light. "I wonder if the Sleeping God would
destroy the Dream Realm when He wakes up."
"Would you?"
He grinned. "Maybe."
The coral grew thicker as we descended. At first it only crawled along walls, but soon it had
consumed entire streets — twisting pillars of red, violet, and pale blue, threading through
collapsed buildings and weaving patterns across the ground. Some structures looked like they
had grown instead of being built: windows shaped like eye sockets, doors that curved inward
like mouths. It was all just my imagination, but that didn't make it any less creep Between
them, faint whispers echoed — the sound of air moving through coral tubes, producing
ghostly music.The sky above the Labyrinth shimmered oddly, a mirage of fractured colors. Somewhere
beyond those shifting hues lay the endless maze that shared its name — the Coral Labyrinth,
the region we spawned in. We weren't going back just yet, but even the edge was dangerous
enough.
"This place looks alive," Sasrir said quietly.
"Everything here is," I said. "That's the problem."
We made camp briefly at an old watchtower that had half-sunk into the coral. The stones
there were warm to the touch, the black absorbing the heat and light. We had avoided fighting
on the way here, conserving our strength, so as we munched down on monster jerky, I lazily
laid with my head back. Sasrir was keeping watch even as he ate, and for a moment I felt like
Sunny-watching your shadows work while you do nothing.
It felt good.
When we set out again, the ground had changed texture. Coral gave way to earth, soft and
dark, threaded with pale roots. The air thickened, carrying the smell of sap and wet wood.
The coral veins ended abruptly at a line of trees that rose like spears against the horizon.
Beyond that line, the ruins disappeared entirely.
"That'll be it," I said, adjusting the strap of my pack. "The grove."
Sasrir glanced at the faintly glowing treeline. "Looks harmless."
"So did you, once."
He smiled slightly. "I'll have you know I don't try and put on airs, people just get scared of
me all by themselves. Still, I'm not complaining for the free entertainment."
"Well, now I can see where Amon learnt to get His kicks from terrifying others-He inherited
it from His 'mother.'"
I dodged a sudden kick from Sasrir, well expecting it by this point.
"Smart ass."
We stepped off the coral road and into the roots. The shift was immediate — the air muffled,
the light golden and soft, as if filtered through honey. The City's endless hum faded behind
us, replaced by the slow creak of trees and the whisper of sap sliding through bark.
I had never seen a place like this in the Forgotten Shore-it felt more like the Chained Isles or
Burned Forest. I briefly wondered if this place was the result of a Corrupted Rank, as they
tended to create domains suited to themselves. Nothing of the sort had been reported from
what I'd heard though, and even the Crimson Terror itself was only Fallen. Still, the thought
put meon edge.
The eastern ruins were quieter than I expected. I had pictured a haunted jungle of twisted
trees and screaming roots, but in truth, it was almost peaceful. Pale sunlight filtered throughthe skeletal remains of towers, the air thick with the sweet smell of resin. The only real sound
was the faint buzz of insects — or the Dream Realm's approximation of them — drifting in
lazy spirals above our heads.
Sasrir sniffed the air and frowned. "Smells like honey. That means trouble."
"Not everything sweet wants to kill you," I rebuted. Then, after a long pause, "Though in
fairness, here it usually does."
We moved carefully through the rubble. The Dream City gave way here to something older
and softer. Cobblestone paths vanished under moss, and tree roots had broken through the
pavement like bones pushing out of old skin. The grove wasn't vast, but it had a kind of
stillness that made every sound — every crunch of gravel or rustle of fabric — feel intrusive.
"Do you sense anything?" Sasrir asked.
I adjusted the Weaver's Mask. It didn't obscure my vision, and since I went throughso much
trouble to get it, I was determined to get my effort's worth. Hence why I was wearing it now.
As I focused on a nearby vine, it pulsed gently, like a heartbeat at rest. "There's movement
ahead," I said with a frown. "Nothing massive from the sounds of it. Be careful for an
ambush, we're in their territory right now."
"Never though I would be killing trees" Sasrir mutterred. "What would Mr Beast think?"
That nearly made me laugh out loud, but I managed to stiffle it. "Nows not the time for that
type of thinking Sasrir, just focus on the task at hand."
He gave me a look. "Really? You're the one telling me that?."
"Fuck you too."
We followed the faint pulse until the ruins opened into a clearing. At the center stood what
might once have been a fountain. Now, it was a mass of amber and roots, the basin filled with
thick golden sap that glowed faintly from within. Around it, four trees stood at uneven
angles, their bark dark and glossy, their branches twitching slightly even though there was no
wind.
Sasrir exhaled. "There's our friends."
The nearest tree shivered, its trunk unfolding like muscle. Sap dripped down in slow rivulets,
and the outline of a face—smooth, eyeless, and slightly human, was etched on the centre.
When I saw it, the image of one of the Heart Trees from A Song of Fire and Ice came to
mind.Now that I think about it, didn't Nephis possess some Targaryan traits?
Silver hair, last of her bloodline, obsession with fire, is a terrible person, friends with a
Dragon and has connections to grand prophecy that surrounds the end of the world. Well I'll
be damned.
Bitch might just be Azor Ahai."Adam, snap out of whatever bullshit you're daydreaming about, we're moving."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, alright let's do this."
After raising the UnshadowedCrucifix, I gave us our standard blessings and Notarizations.
Then, I conjured the Quill of Alzuhod and wrote a "prophecy" that we will get the Memory
on our first kill. Then we locked onto the creature that seemed slighlty more spread apart
from the rest and snuck towards it.
Only, it was the one to take the initative.
The Sap-Spirit lurched toward us, roots tearing free from the ground with a wet snap. It was
tall but not fast. Sasrir darted left, his shadows trailing behind him like a tattered cloak. He
sliced through one of its arm-roots, and the sap sprayed in shimmering arcs. The Spirit hissed
but didn't cry out — it didn't feel like a creature of pain, more like one of slow, inevitable
hunger.
I lifted the Unshadowed Crucifix. It glowed faintly in my hand, the holy light already
prickling at the edges of my skin. "Blessed fire," I murmured. "May you burn responsibly."
A line of white-gold flame lanced out, catching the Spirit square in the chest. The fire burned
cleanly, and the scent that followed was sweet — burnt sugar and cedar. The Spirit convulsed
once and fell still, its form collapsing inward until it was just a melted husk.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster-Degenerate Dryad]
The other three stirred, but only slightly. One began to drag itself toward us, but the effort
seemed half-hearted, its movements sluggish.
Sasrir flicked sap from his blade. "These things are strong, but not very bright."
"Like politicians," I said.
He tutted. "Now now, don't get all political on me."
Our banter was cut short when three new roots burst out of the ground and swiped at us.
Sasrir turned into a shadow to harmlessly glide over his one, but I had to tuck and roll the two
aiming for me. Lurching back to my feet, I sent a barrage of holy fireballs at the approaching
monster, causing it to light up in light, heat and a sickly sugar smell.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster-Degenerated Dryad.]
In the meantime, Sasrir had flown over to third Dryad and stabbed it a dozen times in the
dark, making it shudder and then wilt over, dead on the spot. Soul damage was a nasty thing,
followed only by Mental Damage, which was why Sin of Solace was so badass.
'Yeah, I definitely want to get that jade sword in the future. I can treat my own madness in the
future after all.'
"No Memory?" Sasrir asked, coming back towards me."No such luck it seems. We'll have to go deeper, maybe fight some stronger variants. The
ones I heard about were Devils, since they could use pyshic attacks from afar-there is a
reason why the Hunters call them Sap Spirits."
"Alright then, let's go while there's still good light left in the day."
We moved deeper into the grove, following the faint trail of sticky footprints and the smell of
burnt caramel. The air grew warmer, thicker — not chokingly so, just dense enough that
every breath felt like inhaling syrup. The soft golden light filtering through the branches had
shifted to a deeper hue, closer to amber.
"I don't like how pretty this is," Sasrir said. "The City never looks nice unless it's planning
something."
"Maybe it's a peace offering," I proposed, "Maybe the Dryads know we're coming and
decided to submit?."
"Or it's just a trap" he grunted back.
We passed what must have been a nest — half a dozen smaller Dryads slumped over in
various states of decay, roots coiled protectively around shards of amber. Whatever the Devil-
class version was, it had clearly been feeding on its lesser kin.
At the grove's heart, the path widened into a hollow shaped like a bowl. Sap pooled at the
bottom, reflecting the warped canopy above. In the reflection, the trees didn't move quite
right — they shifted just a bit too slow, as if the image was thinking about catching up.
Sasrir suddenly froze beside me, the shadowscovering his face shifitng gently, like water
being pushed. "Listener is acting up" he warned me, summoning a shadow blade in one hand
and a Steel Memento in another.
"Guess we're here." The air vibrated faintly, like standing near a church bell that had just
been struck. " These things have a psychic field, don't listen to whatever you hear."
The Crucifix pulsed at my side, its light dimming and brightening as if to steady my mind. I
made a small warding sign out of habit. The whispering started almost immediately after.
—You could rest here—
"Not today," I said aloud.
—Warmth, safety, roots, peace—
Sasrir tilted his head. "They always sound so nice before trying to murder us."
"Customer service is important."
The sap at the bottom of the hollow rippled, and something began to rise — slow and
deliberate. At first it looked like a statue made of amber, but as it moved, long cords of root
and resin stretched between its limbs. Its face was smoother than the others, and it smiled."Well," Sasrir said, gripping his blades tighter. "Time for another prophecy?"
I held up the Quill of Alzuhod and quickly scribbled a new line in the air: We will win, and
receive our Memory. The words glowed briefly, then vanished into the air.
The Sap Spirit raised its hands, and the world tilted. Not physically — just perceptually. For a
moment I wasn't standing on earth but sinking in warm sap up to my knees, hearing echoes
of a thousand other voices whispering about growth and merging.
Sasrir's shout cut through the illusion. "Snap out of it!"
I blinked, raised the Crucifix, and fired. The beam lanced across the hollow, burning through
the haze and into the creature's chest. The psychic field warped and cracked, breaking like
glass.
The Spirit retaliated with a screech that wasn't sound so much as pressure. The ground
rippled, and roots lashed toward us — faster than before, sharper. Sasrir's shadows danced,
slicing and deflecting the strikes while I conjured a circle of fire around us.
"Adam," he called, "this thing isprodding at my head, keep yourself self, I can't divert much
attention."
"Got it!"
Note to self: don't let Sasrir hold the Sin of Solace in the future.
True to being two whole Classes above the previous Dryads, this one was much faster and
stronger, and had double the roots. The oneSasrir had sliced was halfway through stitching
itself back tgether, ochre sap serving as an adhesive, so I made sure to burn that one first.
The Degenerated Dryad screeched again, making my ears pop and nose start bleeding, but I
pressed on regardless. If the Unshadowed Crucifix's blood tax was good for one thing, it
increased my pain tolerance and dizzyness resistance.
Sasrir trembled at the screech before snarling and ferociously lunging forward, blades
cleaving downwards with no regard for defence. He managed to get within two feet of the
Dryad before a deceptively fast root slammed into his chest, knocking him back with an ugly
crack, but I repaid the favour with by summoning Holy Fire right in it's face. Swaying wildly,
the monster once again tried to lull my mind with an illusion, but even after my surroundings
blurred I kept spamming the thaumaturgic spells blindly.
After the sound of two impacts and explosions, the illusion shattered to reveal Sasrir back on
his feet and closer to the Dryad than ever. He dashed forward, shadows rippling under his
feet, and drove both blades into the Spirit's torso. It howled — now audibly — and tried to
wrench free, but I joined in, channeling another blast of holy flame into the wound.
The explosion was bright, hot, and sticky.
When the smoke cleared, the Devil-class Sap Spirit was gone.[You have slain an Awakened Devil-Degenerated Dryad]
[You have received a Memory: Regenerative Bloom]
Sasrir wiped sap off his cheek, gently holding his ribs with the other hand. "Well that was a
mess. How was the result?"
"The Quill worked like a charm-got the Memory."
He wiped a small dribble of blood off his mouth. "Hand it over to me then, this hurts like a
bitch."
I summoned the Memory and an amber crystal appeared in my hand, with a small sprout
seemingly crystalized inside it. After admiring it against the light for a second, I tossed it
over to Sasrir.
Catching it, he sighed warmly as his channeled Essence charged the Memory, and a soft
golden glow was cast on him. After around a minute, he opened his eyes and passed it back
to me. "That's pretty good."
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Tier: IV.
Memory Type: Tool.
Memory Description: [From the Forest of the Heart God came many miraculous gifts, and
the Deity shared them all generously. But when the end times came, even the most pure and
pacifistic bounties were tainted and turned towards war.]
Memory Enchantments: [Soothing Ichor], [Verdant]
[Soothing Ichor Description: The sap produces by this amber heals the body and soothes the
soul and mind, but the sap is slow to regenerate after use.]
[Verdant Description: Imbued with the power of Life, this amber can passively boost the
recovery of its' wielder in body and Essence even while not in use (does not work while
stored inside the Soul Sea)]
"Damn", I whistled in appeciation after reading its' Runes. "This thing really is quite good.
The sap being limited is annoying, but it still haspassive healing for physical damage at least.
Plus it boosts essence recovery too!"
"Well then," Sasrir said after brushing the rest ofthe sap off his clothes, "anything else you
want to poke before we leave?"
"No," I said. "Let's get back before we run out of luck.""Music to my ears."
We started back toward the coral edge, sap crunching underfoot and sunlight leaking through
the amber canopy in ribbons. The City was just as quiet as when we left it, like a nightmare
perpetually frozen in time.
By the time Bright Castle's walls came into sight, the sun was at the tail end of its' journey
through the sky. As the Dark Sea began to emerge out there, in the Coral Labyrinth, I fixed
my gaze where I believed the Soul Devourer wassituated. Today had proven that the
Unshadowed Crucifix's flames, while potentially not as capable of raw damage like Nephis'
or an Iron-Blooded Knight, was still a massive type-advanatge against Tree Monsters.
Sasrir caught me glancing across the horizon. "Feeling prepared yet?"
"Not quite."
"Any idea when?"
"Not too soon," I said. "I'd rather be better safe than sorry, have the full route planned out.
They had to sail across the Crater the first time, remeber? I don't want to be eaten by some
Kraken."
He smirked. "I'm sure it would spit you back out."
"No way, you probably taste way worse than me!"
"Impossible," he shrugged. "I'm the most perfect and beautiful of all the ASG bodies, stated
by Cuttlefish himself."
I laughed, and the sound echoed against the cracked walls as we crossed back into familiar
streets. For once, even the City seemed to approve.
Back in Bright Castle, we dropped our gear and cleaned off the lingering sap. It hardened
fast, and by the time I managed to peel the last of it from my fingers, I'd decided it smelled
faintly of caramel. Sasrir complained it made his hair sticky; I told him it looked cool.
That night, I checked the Mantle of the Underworld again. Its black surface possessed a
strange beauty to it, and I was transfixed. Nether might have been a simp for the Storm
Goddess, but that Daemon could sure as hell craft.
Sasrir spoke up from beside me, lying on his own bed. "Night, Adam."
I smiled faintly. "Sweet dreams."Chapter 38: New Season
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
The mirror in my quarters was cracked down the middle, but that didn't stop me from
admiring the reflection staring back.
"Not bad," I murmured, tilting my head this way and that. The light from the morning sun
poured through the narrow window slit, gilding my face in warm gold. "Definitely taller…
shoulders broader, too. And that—" I leaned in closer, squinting, "—that's a beard. A real
beard."
It wasn't much. Just a faint line of golden stubble tracing my jaw. But after six months of
rationed food, endless patrols, and baby-face jokes from Effie, it felt like a badge of honor.
"Finally, the manliest of men," I said to myself with mock gravity, brushing a thumb across
the small patch of roughness. "All Might would be proud. Probably."
The blue eyes staring back were still the same — too soft, too unscarred for this place, like a
baby. That probably wouldn't change, not on it own at least, and once I became a Psychiatrist
they would be golden.
Gonna have to think of an excuse for that ahead of time.
I grinned, leaned closer, and flexed slightly. "Well, Adam, you've done it. Survived the
Shore, grown a beard, achieved beauty beyond mortal comprehension—"
A hand shot out from behind me and smacked the back of my head.
"—ow!" I spun around. "What the hell, Sasrir?"
He was standing there in loose fatigues, eyes half-lidded with sleep, a toothbrush hanging
lazily from his mouth. "You done flirting with yourself, Narcissus?" he asked, voice muffled.
"Some of us would like to use the mirror for practical reasons. Like not dying from morning
breath."
I frowned and rubbed the back of my skull. "You could've just asked."
"I did. Yesterday. And the day before that." He nudged me aside with his elbow, claiming the
cracked mirror like it was sacred ground. "Now move before I pick you up with a shadow
and do it myself."
I sighed, stepping away while muttering something about respect for personal growth. Sasrir
ignored me entirely, brushing his teeth with rhythmic precision, the same way he did
everything in life-though after months of the Forgotten Shore, I had also gained some
mechanical routines.Outside, I could hear the faint hum of activity — some fighting in the courtyard, the grinding
of tools, the murmured conversations of people who had long since stopped being strangers.
Six months of routine had carved order into chaos.
"Don't look so mopey," Sasrir said around his toothbrush. "You'll have plenty of time to
admire yourself once we're dead and fossilized."
"Thanks for the optimism."
"Anytime." He spat into a cracked basin, wiped his mouth, and flashed me a grin. "Now
hurry up, Golden Beard. We've got patrol in twenty."
I blinked. "You noticed?"
"Oh, I noticed," he said dryly. "The whole fortress has noticed. The sun itself probably
noticed. It's blinding, Adam. Please shave before it becomes a weapon."
I laughed despite myself. "Not a chance."
"Then I'm requisitioning sunglasses."
The two of us stepped out into the corridor together, boots striking the stone floor in unison.
The air smelled faintly of salt and metal, same as always. That was one thing the novel hadn't
really mentioned, I'd found. The salty smell from the Dark Sea, while not particularly
notieable, became quite pungent on a windy morning like today. It was a small detail, but it
reminded me not everyhting in this world was confined to the imaginations of one man.
We crossed the courtyard. The air smelled faintly of brine and metal. A few soldiers nodded
as we passed; others were sparring, the rhythm of their blades clanging steady and practiced.
A couple of them gestured to Sasrir, asking for a fight, buthe just shook his head and kept
moving. They dropped it without a word and just resumed, though I swae one or two looked
dissapointed on the side. Though the legend of Sasrir's deadly skill was more potent than
ever, most had realised the silent killer was actually pretty normal, and so their apprehension
had dropped considerably.
Only when he was in a good mood though: catch him on a bad one, and you'd be liable to
lose a few fingers. After one or two especially violent incidents, we had basically given up on
exploring certain parts of the City. The powers of a Listener were simply too damn hostile in
this world, almost as bad as LOTM itself.
As we reached the ramparts, Sasrir squinted toward the horizon. The sea had withdrawn
under the rising sun, revealing the corpse-stricken battground that had formed during the
night. Already, some brave monsters were scavenging for scraps. Far beyond it, the Coral
Labyrinth shimmered — a maze of pale pink and crimson spires jutting from the water like
the bones of some colossal beast.
"Still thinking about it?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah."The Soul Devourer.
Somewhere out there, beyond the crater of a fallen star, it waited.
Six months hadn't passed for nothing: we had planned and plotted almost obsessively on how
to kill it. The Centurian Demon, Blood Weave, the hundreds of Soul Fruits hanging from its'
branches...it was one of the few treasures left in the Forgotten Shore, ad arguably the biggest.
"I'll be ready soon," I said finally.
Sasrir nodded. "I know. But not today."
"Not today."
The wind swept past, carrying the scent of salt and distant storms. Below us, the rest of the
Bright Castle stirred — a fragile flame burning against the vast silence of the Forgotten
Shore.
We stood there for a long moment, side by side, listening to the heartbeat of our small world.
Then Sasrir broke the silence with a grin. "Come on, Golden Beard. If we're late again, Kai's
going to write another song about your grooming habits."
"He wouldn't dare."
"He would. He already rhymed 'Adam' with 'handsome.' It's spreading."
I groaned. "Damn Night, the corruption begins already."
We made our way down the wall, sunlight painting our armor in glints of gold and steel. The
world outside waited — unchanged, endless, beautiful in its quiet hostility.
And as we walked toward the gate, I found myself smiling again. It was a natural smile, a
happy smile, one without loaded meaning and an ulterior motive. Somewhat refreshing, after
all the Acting I had done, but since I had completely digested my Potions there was no need
to be so invested anymore. 'The key to Acting is to remember you're only ever Acting, after
all.'
The gates of Bright Castle moaned open, the sound echoing like the yawn of some ancient
creature. The morning mist spilled inward from the sea, turning the world outside into a hazy
watercolor of pale gold and gray.
The Forgotten Shore looked deceptively calm today —almost idyllic in the morning sunlight.
But everyone who'd lived here long enough knew better. You never know what horrors
lurked deeper into the City.
Sasrir and I stepped out first, our boots crunching over the hard, stony ground. The Guards at
the gate gave us respectful nods as we passed — a small thing, but proof og labour. Every
Guard on duty responded like this now, regardless of who they were.Six months ago, we were strangers stumbling into this ruin, blood from one of their own on
our hands. Now, when people looked at us, it wasn't wariness or curiosity in their eyes — it
was recognition. Trust, even.
"Morning, Sir Beard," one of the gate guards called, grinning. "Try not to scare off the local
wildlife with that radiant face of yours."
"Jealousy's unbecoming, Ranir," I shot back, smiling.
His partner laughed. "He's right, though. It's getting to the point where we'll have to issue
you a license for that thing."
Sasrir rolled his eyes. "Ignore them, Golden Beard. You'll only encourage the disease."
"Which disease?"
"Your ego."
We walked down the ramp, where the outer settlement was beginning to stir.
The Scavengers were already sorting through piles of stone and dust, their carts creaking
under the weight of salvaged metal. A few raised their hands in greeting as we passed — one
woman even called out, "Hey, Adam! If you see any of those shell crabs today, try not to
shatter them this time! I'll pay extra for all the meat attached."
"No promises!" I yelled back.
Beyond them, a cluster of Artisans stood together, seemingly out for a breath of fresh air. One
of them, aan older man named Harrow, waved his hand in greeting upon seeing us.
"You heading to the Labyrinth again?" he asked.
"Routine patrol," Sasrir replied. "If we find anything that won't immediately try to eat us,
we'll let you know."
"Appreciated! Be careful out there."
Not far off, the Handmaidens — the group maintaining the Castle's halls and hygiene —
were gathering fresh water in clay pots. They were dressed simply, their faces calm and kind
despite the setting. When we passed, a few offered quiet smiles. One of them, Irel, reached
out and brushed dust from my shoulder as I passed.
"Keep yourself safe" she murmured.
I nodded. "Thank you."
Sasrir snickered to himself once we had passed, but I ignored him. A few girls had taken
a...deeper interest in me during my time here, in part because of my natural good lucks, but
also because I was extremely civilised in comparision to some of the other Hunters or Guards
in the Castle.The fact I was always willing to listen to their woes and chats probably helped too.
Past them, the Hunters were assembling at the courtyard gate. They were the rougher sort —
scarred, armored, loud — but they greeted us with cheers all the same.
"Hey, it's the Shadow and his Human!" one of them called. "Where you guys off to today,
City or Labyrinth?"
"Labyrinth," I replied. "Bad luck on the rotation, now we have to face off against a bunchof
crabs."
Laughter rippled through the group. We had fought beside many of them, lost a few too.
Bonds forged in survival burned hotter than friendship. After so much time, I had realised
why Gemma held such high respect amongst the Hunters.
"Popular bunch, aren't we?" Sasrir muttered as we cleared the outer gate.
I shrugged, pretending not to smile. "What can I say? People love a good beard."
We descended the slope toward the lower City, where Effie was waiting with her spear
planted in the ground, one boot resting on a half-buried stone face. She waved lazily as we
approached.
"Took you long enough," she called. "Was starting to think you two got lost in the mess hall
again."
"Blame him," Sasrir said, jerking his thumb at me. "Mirror addiction. Chronic."
Effie smirked. "Figures. I was gonna suggest therapy, but I guess self-reflection's already part
of the problem."
"Ha-ha," I said dryly.
Up on the ridge above us, Kai dropped down from a watchtower, landing light as a cat by
flying at the last second. "You're all early for once," he said, voice gentle and mellow to a
point where I had once been filled with jealousy. "Is this a sign of the apocalypse?"
"Routine's a powerful thing," Sasrir replied.
Kai smiled naturally. "Good. Let's keep it that way."
The four of us formed up automatically — Effie in front, Kai ahead and high, Sasrir beside
me, watching everything, and me taking the rear. The rhythm of half a year's patrols moved
through us like muscle memory.
As we left the safety of the inner City, the air shifted — quieter, heavier. The mist thickened
near the Coral Labyrinth, painting the horizon in eerie red light. The wind whished softly
against the reefs, the sound both peaceful and menacing.We passed a weathered marker stone carved with runes, the last boundary before the wilds
began. Beyond this point, no one else came unless duty or madness drove them.
After walking for only a fewminutes, Effie crouched near a shallow pool, touching the wet
sand. "Tracks," she said.
We gathered around her. In the damp earth, something massive had passed through recently
— too large to be one of the usual crab-shells, too deep for the thin-legged coral hounds. The
prints stretched toward the waterline, irregular, heavy.
Kai spoke low. "That's new."
Sasrir frowned. "Or old, and coming back."
I looked out over the red landscape of the Labyrinth. Somewhere out there, the Soul
Devourer waited for us.
"Let's keep moving," I said quietly.
Effie nodded, spear glinting in the half-light.
We moved deeper into the mist, the mist thickened as we pushed into the outer fringe of the
Coral Labyrinth. The air here always felt different — denser somehow, as if it already
occupied by things. Every step crunched against fine shards of coral and bone, the sounds
muffled by the shifting fog.
The labyrinth rose around us, a forest of jagged crimson and bleached towers. Some were
slick with saltwater, others glittered faintly as if lit from within by trapped embers. The wind
moaned through them in long, hollow tones that almost sounded like breathing.
"Smells worse than usual," Effie muttered, crouching near a broken coral pillar. The ground
there was gouged deeply, sand sprayed outward in wide arcs. "Something heavy moved
through here recently."
"More tracks?" Sasrir asked.
"Yeah, and not the usual kind."
Sasrir knelt beside her, fingers brushing along the impressions. "Too broad for the crabs.
Maybe one of those dog-things again."
I felt a shiver crawl up my spine. The dog-things — the Bone Hounds, as the guards called
them — prowled the shallows at the labyrinth's edge. They had the lithe, long-legged bodies
of hounds but skulls shaped like hammerhead sharks, their white bone faces splitting open
when they howled. They hunted in packs, silent until they struck.
Sasrir and I had faced them before, just before reaching the Statue of the Priestess and
claiming the Cloak, and they had nearly killed us. Despite facing them a few more times,
they were still a great danger."Let's hope it's just a small group," I said.
"But prepare in case it's not," Sasrir added calmly.
We moved on, weaving between the coral towers. The tide was creeping in again, dark water
gliding silently around our boots. Every so often, something bubbled beneath the surface,
sending ripples through the reflections.
A faint metallic clicking echoed from somewhere ahead. Effie raised a hand for silence.
All of us froze.
From the mist emerged a hulking shape — a Crustacean Centurion, its carapace the color of
rusted iron. The thing was as tall as a house, walking sideways through the shallows on six
bladed legs. Two massive claws snapped open and shut with a rhythm that could crush stone.
It didn't see us yet. Its eyestalks swayed lazily, scanning.
Kai whispered, "You'd think after six months they'd start avoiding us."
"They are," Sasrir said. "We just keep going where they live."
Effie smirked faintly, drawing her spear. "That's called commitment."
We circled around, moving slowly until the creature drifted back into another path. When the
clicking faded, we started forward again.
Above us, a shadow glided silently through the fog — something wide and winged, its
silhouette rippling across the coral spires.
"Eyes up," I murmured.
The shadow wheeled overhead, and for a moment, the mist cleared just enough for us to see
it properly.
A Maw Ray.
Its body was flat and graceful like a manta ray, wings undulating as it flew. But where a head
should have been, there was only a circular maw ringed with jagged teeth. When it screamed,
the air itself seemed to tear — a sonic wail that rattled the coral and made my teeth ache.
We ducked low behind a ridge until the sound faded. The Maw Ray drifted away, its shriek
echoing through the maze like the cry of a dying baby.
"Still prefer them to the hounds," Effie muttered.
"I'd take neither," Sasrir said, his voice low. "We're too close to where the Centurians burrow
in. Let's finish the sweep and get back."
We kept moving, the labyrinth closing tighter around us.And then — movement.
At first it looked like a reflection, a shimmer in a shallow pool beside the path, left behind
when the Dark Sea retreated. Then the water began to rise.
"Hold," I said softly.
The surface bulged upward, taking form. A glistening column of black liquid, thicker than
tar, rose from the pool. No limbs, no face — just a heaving mass of sentient fluid. Beneath its
translucent surface, something pulsed faintly: a small sphere, deep within its core, glowing a
dim blue.
"Oil wraith," Sasrir whispered.
We'd only ever seen one once before — and that time, it had nearly melted Sasrir's right hand
off.
Effie's grip tightened on her spear. "Same rule as before. Physical attacks won't work."
"Hit the core," I said.
The blob quivered, and then surged forward with shocking speed. The ground trembled as it
rolled toward us, a tidal wave of black fluid.
"Scatter!"
Kai leapt sideways, shooting an arrow that hissed uselessly through its body. Sasrir raised his
arm, and shadows became forged into a katana that swung through the orb, but the blob
barely slowed.
It lunged toward me.
I dove aside, drawing the Unshadowed Crucifix, its flame flaring to life. The white fire
condensed into a fireball the size of my fist and then flew to meet the creature, causing it
to writhe from the contact.
"Now!" I shouted.
Effie spun her spear in a smooth arc and drove it through the wavering mass, piercing clean
through to the blue glow within. The tip of her weapon flared with essence, and for a
moment, the creature froze — then imploded, collapsing into a pool of inert, black sludge.
The only sound left was our breathing.
Kai let out a low chuckle. "Well… that was easier than last time."
I crouched near the remains. The blue core flickered once, then shattered into two smaller
fragments. After making sure no more acidic ooze was attached, I picked them up and
pocketed them."That's the third one we've seen this month," Sasrir said, his tone contemplative. "Has
something changed amongst the aquatic monsters in the Dark Sea?."
"Maybe something's stirring them up," I offered. "The Sea runs down to the Underworld,
maybe it's a migration from there."
I glanced toward the horizon, where the sun was still high in the sky. Only two hours had
passed, and it was around midday now.
"Come on, let's cover a bit more ground and then we can go back and report in."
The puddle of oil still steamed when we pushed deeper into the labyrinth. The air thickened
the further we went — wet, heavy, carrying a faint metallic tang that made my tongue prickle.
This place was always changing. Every week, the paths shifted, coral towers collapsed or
rose anew, as though the whole labyrinth were alive and quietly rearranging its bones.
We passed a ridge where the coral had fused into spiraling columns. From within one,
something clicked and scraped, like teeth grinding behind a wall.
"Anything?" Effie whispered.
Sasrir pressed his ear to the surface, then grimaced. "Larvae. A clutch, maybe."
"Crabs?"
"Bigger."
Kai muttered, "Fantastic," and knocked another arrow from his quiver.
I caught movement in the mist ahead — a ripple in the coral dust, subtle but there.
"Wait," I said.
The fog split open.
A Bone Hound burst forth, all pale limbs and grinning bone. Its head was a smooth, curved
hammer of white skull, two hollow sockets glimmering with faint light. The thing bounded
forward, silent until its jaws unhinged sideways — then came the sound, a shriek that was
neither bark nor howl, more like metal tearing against stone.
I met it halfway.
The Unshadowed Crucifix flared with a soft white gleam, its flame cutting arcs through the
mist. The fire met the hound's skull with a hiss; white bone charred black where the light
struck.
It reeled back, but three more leapt from the coral behind it.
"Pack!" Sasrir barked.Effie dropped low, sweeping her spear to trip one as Kai loosed his arrow, glowing red as it
flew. It struck the second hound's legs, and then it exploded and turn te limb to mush. For the
third monster. Sasrir met it head-on — his trusty Shadow Katana slicing through the familiar
weakpoint in the bone plating and impaling its' brain.
The first slammed into me, knocking me sideways into a coral outcrop. Its weight was
immense, breath hot and reeking of iron. I jammed the Crucifix between its ribs, twisting
hard — the holy fire inside the weapon flared, and the beast convulsed before a spear of light
burst under and out of it, right through the heart. The armour i wore proetcted me from the
worst of the impact, and the Verdant Enchantmnet of the Regenerative Bloom was already at
work soothing my bruises.
Kai calmly fired another arrow, thisone with a barbedtip, and it penetrated the crippled Bone
Dog's eye socket, causing it to convulse and whimper before dying.
Effie spat into the sand. "I hate these bastards, their meat is too tough."
"Really? You seem to eat them all the same anyways."
"Let's not judge a lady by her eating habits" Kai interjected with a smile, earning a snort from
Effie.
We moved again, our boots sinking into wet coral dust.
Past the hound nest, the air changed — colder now, touched by salt. The terrain dropped
away into what looked like a basin, filled with black, mirror-still water that was trapped and
unable to recede with the rest of its' mass. Coral ribs jutted from the surface like the spines of
some ancient leviathan.
Sasrir crouched, frowning. "Tidal Pool zone. Be careful — rays like to nest here."
The warning came too late.
The first Maw Ray struck from above, descending in eerie silence. Its wings cut through the
mist, and then the scream came — a sonic blast that hit like a hammer, shattering coral and
splitting the surface of the water below.
The sound alone staggered me. My ears rang, the world tilting, vision fracturing into jagged
pieces.
"Down!" Sasrir shouted, and was quick to tackle me with him.
Effie hurled her spear. It pierced one wing, pinning it briefly to a coral spine. The creature
screamed again, then burst free, showering blood that sizzled as it touched the ground.
I steadied my breath, focused the flame of the Crucifix, and slashed upward in a clean arc. A
streak of white light caught the ray square through its center. The shriek turned into a wet
hiss, and the creature folded inward before hitting the water with a dull splash.
The ripples spread outward… and something else stirred below."Don't move," Sasrir warned, but it was too late — the pool began to churn.
From the depths rose a new shape — a Tide Brute, an Awakened Tyrant. Its body was
humanoid, but translucent, like a statue made of liquid glass. Coral fragments and bones
jutted out irregularly, forming patches of armour. Its' face was just a curved mess of coral and
stone fragments.
"Oh, hell," Kai muttered. "One of those."
"Back!" Sasrir barked. "Traget where the coral does't cover."
Effie darted aside as the Brute lunged. Its arm elongated mid-swing, stretching like molten
wax. I ducked under the blow, swung low — but my blade passed harmlessly through its
liquid body.
Then I remembered that these things were immune to physical, just like the Oil Wraiths
Somewhere inside its chest, faint and flickering, was a small knot of light — like the oil
wraith's core, but brighter, and with five nodes.
"Distract it!" I shouted.
Effie stepped forwardto meet another swing head-on as Kai sent an explosive arrow into the
joint of its' other arm. The explosion scattered coral fragments, but the watery body
underneath merely rippled before reforming. Sasrir vanished, and in his place a blurry
shadow started to merge with the Tyrant's.
While all this was going on, I quickly Notarized myself and then pressed my palm deeper
into the Crucifix, causing blood to well up before dying the object in rivets. Sasrir flinched
andI knew a mirror wound had appeared on his own palm.
"Holy Pillar!"
The golden light descended from Heaven and hit the monster where its' core should be. The
coral protection managed to absorb some of the damage, but in the end the monster's chest
was exposed. With aferocious grunt, Effie closed the distance and once again thrust her spear,
tearing throughthe viscous body of the Corrupted and striking the core.
It shattered.
The Tidal Tyrant collapsed with a sigh, falling into a shower of black droplets that hissed
away into the ground and shards of coral or oily stone
For a long moment, no one spoke. Only the faint echo of the ray's corpse drifting
downstream broke the silence.
Then Effie laughed, a short, breathless sound. "Bloody hell, did we just kill a Tyrant? "
Kai wiped his brow. "Only because its' minions don't seem to be here, but are out hunting
instead. Let's not wait around for them to come back."Sasrir dismissed his blade. "Agreed."
"Yeah, I've had enough for one day too," I muttered.
--------------------------------------------
The air grew warmer as we closed the distance to Bright Castle, the mist thinning until the
sun finally pushed through in pale amber streaks. After the fight with the Tidal Tyrant, none
of us said much. We walked with the steady, quiet rhythm that months of routine had carved
into our bones.
Effie wiped the last of the black droplets from her spear, glanced at us, and sighed. "Alright.
This is where I split."
We'd reached the familiar coral column shaped like a leaning spine — our unofficial marker.
One more turn beyond it, and the patrol routes of the official Castle watch would overlap
with ours. Effie couldn't be seen with us there. Not openly. Not with Gunlaug's rules.
She ruffled my hair as she passed me. "You boys stay alive. Preferably in one piece."
I made a face. "We're the ones who carried you through that crab nest last week."
"Lies and slander," she said over her shoulder. Then, lowering her voice, "Tell Seishan thanks
for the rope trick. I owe her."
"She knows," I said. "And she'll pretend she doesn't."
Effie gave a small grin, then slipped between the coral pillars with practiced ease. Within
seconds, her silhouette dissolved into the mist — another ghost among the ruins.
Sasrir watched her go, arms folded. "I still don't get how she handles playing the secret
agent every day."
"She'd die of boredom otherwise," Kai said.
I shook my head. "Whatever keeps Gunlaug and his lackeys out of the loop."
We moved on, sticking to the less-patrolled pathways where the coral dust had been swept in
unnatural patterns — a sure sign that Gemma and Seishan had already cleared the way. Both
of them pretended ignorance around the others, but they knew exactly where Effie went, who
she met, and what she fought with. They helped cover her tracks and was pretty much the
only reasomn Harus hadn't come visit us during the night.
And maybe because they liked us, too.
The shadows deepened as we approached the Castle, the City blocking some of the sun.
Voices drifted faintly down the path — Guards muttering during shift change, the clatter of
weapon racks being moved, the everyday bustle of people trying not to remember they were
trapped here.We slowed our pace.
By the time the outer gate loomed above us, all signs of the labyrinth were wiped clean from
our appearance — weapons sheathed, armor wiped, sap scraped off, expressions neutral.
Two Guards nodded at us as we passed.
"Patrol?"
"Routine," I said.
They didn't ask more. Sasrir gave them a lazy wave; Kai flashed a practiced grin that made
the younger female Guard blush.
Inside, the courtyard was alive with movement. Artisans carried stacks of salvaged coral
plates. Handmaidens tended the injured, their shadows dancing across the hall's pale walls.
Scavengers hurried past with sacks of scrap, calling friendly greetings as we stepped through.
A few of them clapped me on the shoulder.
"Good hunt, Adam?"
"Back in one piece, ah? Must've been easy then!"
"You lads drinkin' tonight?"
It was normal. Warm. Familiar.
And even though we'd just fought things that could peel a soul out of flesh, the world here
felt steady.
Gemma was waiting near the stairway, leaning on a crate like he'd been there the whole
morning.is sharp green eyes flicked to Sasrir, then to me.
"No trouble following your trail," he murmured. "Effie's already in."
"Thanks," I said quietly. "As always."
He snorted. "You all look like death. Go wash." That was a bold lie, but I merely smiled and
nodded.
Seishan emerged from around the corner, carrying a stack of scrolls. She gave the faintest
smile. "Welcome back."
Sasrir raised a hand. "Did Effie—?"
"She's safe," Seishan confirmed. "And no one saw anything."
I exhaled. I had trust in the Huntress of course, but confirmation never hurt.
We didn't linger, and the three of us climbed the stairs toward our quarters. The hallway was
warm, lit by soft lanterns that flickered gold.A normal return. A careful one. Quiet.
As it always had to be, until Gunlaug was gone.
Inside our room, the door shut behind us with a comforting thud. Sasrir collapsed on his bed,
Kai stretched his arms until his joints cracked like firewood, and I finally let myself breathe.
"Same time tomorrow?" Kai asked.
"Yeah," I said. "Of course."
Because routine kept us sane.
And because the Forgotten Shore wasn't done trying to break us yet.
Not even close.