Chapter Summary: Everyone wants a vacation. The Dream Realm politely declined.
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Nephis woke up feeling refreshed and content.
The sofa beneath her was comfortably warm, inviting her to remain exactly where she was. Though it couldn't compare to the warmth in her arms.
Nephis snuggled closer and inhaled its scent, feeling like she could fall asleep again without effort. Sadly, she had too many things to do to allow herself to do just that, and the world wasn't going to wait for her.
Slowly, despite not wanting to, she let go of her plushie -though her sleepy mind didn't remember having a plushie, let alone one so big- and attempted to get up. Tried being the keyword, as her attempt was thwarted when the two arms coiled around her waist tightened.
Confused, she slowly and groggily opened her eyes and looked at her "plushie."
The first thing Nephis noticed was a mane of black hair and pale skin. It took her sleep-addled mind longer than she was proud to admit to realize just who she had been cuddling with. Or just how close they were.
When she finally did, heat exploded across her cheeks, and all remnants of sleep vanished from her mind.
Last night, she had been too tired and sleepy to care, but now that there was none of that to keep her better judgment at bay, it hit her all at once. At the moment, it had seemed like a perfectly reasonable decision. Now? She felt like she was going to burn up out of nothing but embarrassment.
Her first instinct was to pull away; she even started to move away a little, only to be pulled back by his arms.
Nephis could admit to herself that while it was deeply embarrassing... it had also been quite enjoyable. In fact, it was probably the best sleep she had ever had.
And the look on Sunny's sleeping face? Even when asleep, he had always carried an edge of wariness and distrust that never seemed to go away. But now? She had never seen him so relaxed or at peace. That alone made it worth it.
Maybe it wasn't such a bad decision…
Thanking her past self, she closed her eyes again and, after returning the embrace, allowed herself to drift back to sleep.
The world could wait a little longer.
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Seishan stifled a yawn behind her hand.
It was far too early in the morning to be out of bed, yet she was already up and walking toward her office. It didn't help at all that the previous day's banquet had run long.
Still, it couldn't be helped. There were far too many things to be done and not enough time.
The past few weeks had been nothing if not hectic, as she had been forced by circumstance to take charge as the de facto Clan leader. Surprisingly, it hadn't been hard to take over. In fact, her sisters had insisted, pointing out that she was the most competent and had the most experience as a leader.
Both of those things were true. However, Seishan wasn't fooled. They were simply too lazy -especially Revel- to want to do it themselves.
Seishan was going to murder them all if they sent another petty petition her way instead of handling it on their own.
At least things were set to improve.
Mother had finally regained consciousness two days ago, and she was recovering quickly.
Changing Star and Sunless were here, too, at last. As the official heirs, she could dump... delegate many of her tasks to them.
Being able to sleep more than the bare minimum -and many times not even that- was finally within reach, and she wasn't going to let that chance go to waste.
"Did anything happen that requires my immediate attention?" she asked calmly.
Walking behind her were Felise and Ceres, both of whom were carrying towering stacks of paper almost taller than they were. If not for the fact that they were Masters just like her, they might not even have been able to lift them off the ground.
"No, ma'am," Ceres answered promptly, her voice muffled slightly behind the stack of paper. "The situation has stabilized ever since the Queen regained consciousness, and no new problems have arisen since then."
Irritation briefly crossed her expression.
Mother's vessels were spread all across the Song domain, performing many tasks that required her direct attention. As such, it was impossible to conceal the fact that she had been put out of action.
To say that the vassals of their Clan had gone into a panic would be putting it lightly. She couldn't even completely blame them for it. The aggression of Nightmare Creatures was at an all-time high, and the absence of Mother's vessels gave many of them free rein to prey on the frontier citadels.
Seishan had spent countless hours on this one issue alone, deploying forces and aid as best she could while also calming their fears. It was bad enough that she almost made an example out of the leader of Clan Wu just so that the rest would stop acting like headless chickens.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, on top of her already heavy workload, she also had to mediate the petty disputes that arose, as many took Ki Song's temporary indisposition as an opportunity to advance their own agendas.
Suddenly, the territory of one clan was much bigger than everyone had thought, casually infringing on another's right where the most valuable resources were to be found. For others, what was little more than a minor disagreement turned into a blood feud that demanded retribution or death. This scion stole from that other scion. A retainer was poaching on another's land. A political marriage was broken for another, more favorable one. And those were just a few examples among many.
Now that Mother was back? All of those problems seemed to disappear into thin air. Figures.
"What of the Lake of Tears?" she asked next.
"The situation remains unchanged," Felise answered this time.
Seishan nodded thoughtfully.
She wasn't sure whether to treat the lack of news as something good or bad. Experience told her it was the latter, but one could never be entirely sure when it came to the Dream Realm.
"The Waking World?"
"No incidents worth mentioning," Ceres said, "though Valor's probing is becoming more overt."
Another source of irritation. It was impossible to conceal such a matter from their rival when so many people knew, and they had been engaging in progressively more blatant provocations.
Seishan had already been forced to dispatch Silent Stalker to act as a deterrent, but she wouldn't put it past those Valor brutes to force the issue anyway.
Mother's awakening should make them back down. And if it didn't, at least it wouldn't be her problem to deal with anymore.
"Revel?"
"She returned late into the night," Felise answered. "I scheduled an appointment for this evening. The short version is that she dealt with the Nightmare Creatures preying on the main trading route."
That was good news to hear. The damage wasn't too serious just yet, but if they were allowed to keep operating just a little longer, some of the lesser settlements would start to suffer many shortages in food, materials, and other assorted paraphernalia.
"That will be all. Good job, both of you."
Seishan felt tentatively relieved. A mistake, she knew, but couldn't avoid it. For the first time in weeks, she had not woken up to ten more disasters knocking on her door. It looked like she might even be able to properly enjoy her morning tea before starting on the day's tasks.
Maybe she should go on vacation? Her attendants had more than earned it, and so had she.
Hall after hall passed quickly as she planned it all, passing incredible works of art and trophies without much thought. They were splendid, but having grown up within these walls, she had long since lost that sense of awe.
It was halfway to her destination when she noticed a cluster of people gathered a few hallways ahead. They were out of sight, but her senses were acute enough to detect them by the smell of their blood alone.
Since it wasn't much of a detour, she changed direction to see what the commotion was.
A minute later, she arrived at a corridor she belatedly remembered had been granted to Changing Star and her Clan for use as their personal quarters.
There, she found Nightingale, Raised by Wolves, Elegy of the End, a black-haired girl she recognized as Sunless' little sister, Hel, Eunbin, Revel, and... one of Mother's vessels?
What were they all doing outside Changing Star's room? And so early, at that?
The first to notice her presence was Mother's vessel, who made a shushing gesture while motioning for her to come closer.
Seishan did so after exchanging a confused glance with Felise and Ceres.
Up close, she noticed that the door was slightly cracked open, just enough to allow a glimpse inside. They were all crowding around that crack in a rather comical manner, leaving practically no space free in their eagerness to snoop in.
"This is great fic material," Revel muttered fervently under her breath.
Seishan heard her but refused to try to parse the words. She had known her sister since they were little and by now, knew that it was better to ignore whatever she said when she used that tone.
At Mother's prodding, Hel reluctantly stepped away and left her enough space to peek. Why Hel looked as though she had just been told she was suffering from a terminal illness was beyond her, and she didn't want to know either. She, too, was better ignored when she got like that.
The first thing that came into view was Changing Star's room, and it didn't take long to find the woman herself. Lying on the sofa, with her arms firmly wrapped around the smaller frame of Sunless, she could be seen sleeping soundly.
Surprising, if she was honest. Nephis struck her as someone who only hugged her sword when she slept. Sunless, on the other hand, gave her the impression of someone who would stab you for attempting to cuddle.
It was, admittedly, a rather adorable scene. One that would surely become quite popular in the Jade Palace's rumour mill soon enough, too. The present company alone made sure of that.
Amusing as the idea was, that didn't stop her from backing away and giving them all a judgmental stare.
Seriously? Did they not have anything else to do?
Beastmaster, for example, should be directing her thralled Nightmare Creatures in the construction efforts. Hel divining the future to better direct their forces in handling the crisis they were currently facing.
Against all logic and good sense, her judgmental stare was met with a complete and shameless lack of remorse.
Almost pleadingly, she turned to Kai. She knew him as a sane and reasonable person. Surely he must realize just how stupid this all was.
Right?
Kai avoided her gaze in embarrassment but did not join her in chastising the others.
Seishan was surrounded by idiots.
And she was definitely taking that vacation now.
If Mother, Revel, Bin, and Hel had time to fool around, they also had time to deal with her workload.
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Sunny stretched out while walking.
Reluctantly, and only to himself, he could admit that he hadn't slept so well in ages. Even if waking up had been awkward.
Not bad, just... awkward.
What was bad was the fact that he kept stealing glances at Nephis from the corner of his eye, something she must have noticed, for she was doing the same.
It was such a mess. Weeks had gone by, and he still wasn't completely sure how to act around her.
He had made his choice and stood by it, but Sunny couldn't let go of all that baggage so easily, even though he wanted to. At the same time, he was also reluctant to do so by nature, which resulted in a contradictory mess that even he didn't know how to solve.
Then again, he had never been that good at handling his own emotions.
Fortunately, Nephis chose to break the silence before he could go any deeper down that rabbit hole.
"What do you think she wants?"
Sunny gave her a brief look, only to look away immediately after when his cheeks started burning again. For Spell's sake, why did she have to be so… so Nephis!
Great, now he didn't even know how to structure his thoughts anymore. He blamed her.
After taking a long breath, he returned to looking straight ahead, lest he embarrass himself again.
They were walking alone, heading to one of Ki Song's many offices. She had sent a messenger requesting their presence, and they could scarcely refuse.
"No idea," he said with a light shrug. "But she'll probably ask about what happened after she was taken out."
"Do you intend to ask for that vacation, then?" she asked evenly.
"No idea, either."
To be honest, Sunny wasn't sure if he should.
He had the chance to speak with Seishan at the previous day's banquet and had been caught up on the mess unfolding throughout Song territory as a result of their encounter with Merias.
Sunny didn't consider himself a hero or particularly benevolent, but he also wasn't the kind of bastard who would knowingly go on vacation while the rest of the world went up in flames.
Given the look on Nephis' face when he risked a short glance, she probably thought the same. If asked, she would probably deny being a hero, too, and instead claim that she was only doing it because she wanted to, or something like that.
Oh gods, when had he begun acting like her? Was he crazy?
"You are," she replied matter-of-factly.
Even from the corner of his eye, he could spot the faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I didn't say anything," he shot back.
The faint smile grew wider. "You are thinking too loudly."
Before he could come up with a properly witty remark, the corridor ended, leaving them before a wooden door large enough for a dozen people to walk through comfortably.
After shooting Nephis a "this is not over" look, which she returned with a challenging one, he knocked on the door and stepped inside the moment he was told to do so.
It was quite spacious, probably meant for a being that was far bigger than a normal human. The decoration was interesting too, filled with antiques and even an ancient map on one of the walls that he was sure Teacher Julius would kill to have a chance to study.
Ki Song awaited them inside, using her main body this time.
Sunny could tell at first glance that she wasn't fully recovered yet. Her vessel was in perfect condition, as expected, given that it had long been dead and was animated by the Supreme's Aspect. However, the aura she gave off was quite diminished compared to normal.
Oh, she was still more than strong enough to kill them both at the same time without much difficulty, but she was certainly weaker.
In one way or another, none of them had emerged unscathed from that bastard of a bird's machinations.
"Please, take a seat," Ki Song said, motioning to the two comfortable-looking chairs placed before her desk.
They did so, and from the new angle, Sunny finally noticed the knowing smirk she was giving them.
It was the exact same smile that everyone he had met so far -Kai, Effie, Rain, Beastmaster…- had given the two of them.
Did something happen that he wasn't aware of?
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Ki Song regarded her two heirs carefully.
Little Nephie was seated with her back straight, the perfect image of composure and neutrality, yet still failed to conceal the heat in her eyes. It was through no fault of her own, Ki Song simply couldn't fail to recognize such a stare when she herself had worn it once.
In stark contrast, Sunless was slightly sprawled in his chair, the perfect image of relaxation. Like previous times, she did not notice any overt hostility coming from him, though she also knew better than to trust that.
It was about what she expected. However, there was something deeply confusing. It was just how... calm they were.
They weren't pretending; she was sure of that.
Nephis and Sunless had come face to face with a God -not some pale reflection, but a real God- and did not seem shaken at all.
Meanwhile, she hadn't been able to sleep a single second since she woke up. Each time she closed her eyes, she could recall it: the feeling of a Will pressing against hers, so vast and mighty that it made her feel like an ant compared to the sun.
Maybe they really were crazy. It took a special kind of lunatic among lunatics to go through what they had and not crack in the process.
And she had invited them into her clan and handed them the key. She wasn't so sure anymore whether it had been a good idea, though she was certainly happy to have them on her side instead of against her.
What were Sunless' words? Ah, yes.
What a damn mess.
"I have read your report," she began at last, her tone all business. "How trustworthy do you consider Merias' warnings?"
Sunless replied instantly. "They might be true, but also heavily exaggerated."
"Also painted in the worst possible light," Nephis added.
Ki Song hummed thoughtfully. Their opinion was expected, and something that she personally shared.
"I agree, but just to be safe, I will have my agents keep an even more careful eye on the regions detailed in the report." She paused briefly before adding the next part. "I'll share this information with the Government, House of Night, and Clan Valor so that they can do the same."
Well, little Nephie's hostility wasn't that well hidden anymore. Sunless was displaying some of it, too.
Honestly, neither did she want to.
Four thousand Awakened, twenty-nine Masters, and two Saints. The tally wasn't over yet, but those were the estimated casualties suffered by her Domain while she was indisposed. Left without the support of her Vessels or the deterrent of her Will, the emboldened Nightmare Creatures had been able to rip and tear unimpeded before the situation was stabilized.
In her eyes, that was the price for that piece of information. Hefty, too hefty. And now, she was about to give it to Valor for free.
"I understand how both of you feel about the latter." She truly did, losing like that against Anvil must have hurt their pride deeply, but that paled in the face of the Firekeepers that had died during the assault. "However, this isn't something that we should stay quiet about. If what Merias said is true, then all of humanity is at risk."
Quite tellingly, while they did not like it, they did not disagree either.
They were good kids. It was such a pity that they would betray her sooner or later, and she would be left with no option but to kill them.
"But enough about these bleak topics," she continued, making her voice sound lighter. "Let's talk about where the two of you are going next."
Nephis quirked an eyebrow, looking unimpressed by her attempt to change the topic.
Unlike her, Sunless went with the flow without resistance. "Sure, where are we going?"
"The Lake of Tears," she said, waving her hand lightly toward a map depicting her territory. "The Awakened stationed there have reported strange events and many disappearances. All clues point to either a Corrupted Devil or a Terror being behind them, though we don't discard something more powerful being involved, either. I hope that the two of you can get to the bottom of it."
"Isn't that the home of Clan Sorrow?" Nephis inquired. "They have a Saint of their own."
"That is correct," Ki Song agreed. "However, he has been deployed to reinforce another battlefield, and he cannot be called back that easily."
"What more can you tell us about it?" Sunless asked next.
"It's all here." Ki Song passed him a closed folder filled with the reports she had mentioned before. "Originally, I only intended to send one of you, but then I heard about your future plans."
She had to fight hard to stop herself from smiling when they tensed surreptitiously. It was too fun to mess with them.
"I have heard that the two of you wanted to go on vacation." Both of them relaxed, though not completely. "If you can solve this issue quickly enough, you may spend a few days there relaxing."
That should be incentive enough.
Her Domain was in dire need of two Saints of their caliber and the forces beneath them. However, a few days without them was a low price to pay compared to establishing a precedent: that going above and beyond would be beneficial to them.
Oh, she would have to be patient and work slowly. But if she had her way, they would eventually give their all of their own volition and without question, simply because the habit had become ingrained.
"Works for me," Sunless smirked lightly. "Just don't complain if we're done too quickly."
She chuckled. "I'm eager to hear such good news."
"You will," Nephis promised seriously. "We have yet to find a Nightmare Creature we couldn't defeat together."
"I like the confidence." Ki Song paused, a sudden thought coming to mind. "Take Seishan with you. She could use a break, too."
Neither of them made any outward sign of distrust, but she knew very well that they were thinking it.
She couldn't fault them either, since their suspicion was spot on. Besides granting her eldest daughter a chance to rest, Seishan would also be her eyes and ears while working to deepen her influence over her heirs and their subordinates.
If she could kill three birds with one stone, why settle for one?
The conversation didn't last long after that, as she sent them away to prepare for their journey to the Lake of Tears.
She was busy enough as it was and couldn't afford to waste a single second. She wasn't fully recovered yet, but the world wouldn't wait until she was.
The next entry on her schedule wasn't as pleasant as this one, either. The Dreamspawn hadn't wasted any time while she was indisposed and was already spreading his malevolent influence throughout her Domain.
He was even daring enough to make one of his thralls spread his name in Ravenheart itself.
Ki Song wasn't going to let such an insult slide.
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Cor looked ahead with somber eyes.
The Stormsea was doing justice to its name. Relentless strikes of lightning that would have long since blinded and deafened him if he weren't a Saint. Winds that could almost flay the skin from his flesh. To top it all off, the rain was heavy enough that even he felt burdened by it.
And still, all of that was meaningless in comparison to the pure mass of wrongness before him.
In his youth, back before the Age of the Nightmare Spell and the forced unification -though that sounded more like a joke with each passing day- of humanity against it, he had studied many different languages. Almost all of them were dead now, reduced to insignificance and replaced by the universal language that had been born out of necessity.
He was fluent in three of them, decent in two more, and could mostly make out the remaining one.
All of that, and he still had no words that could do justice to the aberration before him.
The mass of darkness, corruption, and sheer madness -the physical representation of a Nightmare Seed- pulsed and writhed before his eyes, steadily growing stronger in preparation to bloom and unleash new horrors upon his beloved world.
It was his third time standing before one, trying to steel himself for the challenge ahead. As he had found out, it wasn't any easier than the previous times. If anything, it was harder.
Were he any less jaded by age and countless horrors, his knees might have already started trembling.
Dale stood beside him, the other Government Saint looking pale and fearful, yet filled with a desperate sort of determination.
To his left stood the two remaining Saints of their small cohort: Knossos and Typhaon of the House of Night.
The four of them were alone. No one would come to say goodbye, and neither would they receive any acknowledgment for daring to brave the challenges of the Nightmare Spell for the fourth time.
Secrecy was paramount given what they were attempting to do, which meant that only the upper echelons of their respective organizations were aware of what they were about to undertake. Officially, the four of them would embark on an expedition in search of more citadels within the Stormsea. If they returned triumphant, the truth would be revealed. If not... well, they would become yet another name on the list of lives claimed by the Dream Realm.
He was going to take a very long vacation if he managed to come back alive.
"This reminds me of a story of mine," Typhaon said with forced cheer. "It all began on a dark, stormy night..."
The Saint of House Night tried to hide it behind a lively façade, but there was no denying how terrified he was.
"Keep it to yourself," Knossos interrupted before he could get started.
Where his companion faced fear with fake bravado, the old man looked as though he were made of stone. A stone that showed all of his years.
They stood silently for a moment, all of them watching the Nightmare Seed with hearts full of trepidation. And still, they had no better choice if they wanted humanity to survive what was coming. If anything, even this felt too little, too late.
"Are you ready?" Cor asked no one in particular.
"No."
"...No."
"No..."
He barked out a laugh. "Good. If any of you were, I'd call you fools."
Another moment of silence passed before he forced himself to break it.
"I had a speech prepared," he admitted. "Honor this, duty that, with some glory sprinkled in for good measure." Another bark of laughter escaped him. "But honestly? I won't insult any of you with such a thing. We all know what we're getting into, and if any of you want to step back and not go through with this, know that I won't stop or resent you for it. In fact, I'll call you smarter than I am."
He waited a second, and while Typhaon and Dale looked as though they were seriously considering it, in the end, none of them did.
"This is it, gentlemen." Cor took a long, deep breath. "Let's show the Spell that we won't just let ourselves be destroyed so easily."
He had stepped forward even before he finished uttering the words, and he did not stop. He knew well enough that if he did, he wouldn't have the courage to resume walking.
In no time, he stood right before the Seed. Before he could think twice, he plunged his arm inside and was greeted once more by the voice of the Spell.
[Transcendent! Prepare for your Fourth Trial…]
As his world was plunged into darkness, Cor made a quick prayer. He didn't know what he was praying for or to whom, only that in his youth, his parents had believed deeply in the idea of a benign existence up there, watching over humanity. And at this very moment, he truly wanted to believe in such a thing.
[Four brave ones... welcome to the Nightmare!]