Immediately after I heard the Spell speak to me, I felt myself somewhere else. My first sensation was that I wasn't standing on anything; I was floating… but no. A second later I realized it. I was falling from the sky!.
'Shit shit shit'
Expanding my sense of aether as fast as possible, I identified two things. First, there was water everywhere around me, except for a faint platform made of some strange material. My first instinct was to reinforce my body with aether, bracing for impact, and I tried to move as close as possible to the platform, making sure to fall into the water to avoid injuring myself. I didn't know if the platform would withstand an impact from this height, and neither would my bones; even reinforced, I still hadn't tested how far I could fall without breaking something.
Moments later, I hugged my body and fell straight into the water to reduce the impact. It came a few seconds later. I pierced through the water without trouble and, due to the height I'd fallen from, sank several meters down. As soon as I did, I retracted my sense of aether; a strange feeling told me it wouldn't be a good idea to keep it expanded over a large distance.
The water was cold and completely dark, devoid of any kind of light. As I swam toward the surface, I opened my eyes slightly and saw that the platform I had aimed to fall beside was actually a coral hill that rose at an angle close to ninety degrees toward the surface.
Once I reached the top of the coral, I expanded my sense of aether again to check for threats and, fortunately, detected nothing. I summoned my armor [Phantom Armor]. It began forming from my feet: rings of metal appeared one after another, locking together with precision and covering my ankles before climbing up my legs.
The chainmail adjusted to my body with just the right weight, flexible and firm at the same time. When it reached my torso, the links closed over my chest and back, revealing its appearance: a dark, dense mesh with no adornments, designed to protect without hindering movement. Then it spread over my shoulders and down my arms, completing itself in silence, ready for combat. Honestly, it was extremely comfortable.
After that, I summoned [Dawn's Ballad], just in case. Everything around me was completely dark; no matter where I looked, there was nothing to see.
At that moment, while scanning my surroundings, my instincts began screaming at me in one particular direction. I thought it was a threat I hadn't detected and expanded my sense of aether a few meters farther. Just like before, I found nothing, but I confirmed something very curious: this place had a higher density of aether.
On one hand, that was good news. In the Walking World I barely needed to eat, and if the aether density was higher here, I'd need even less. Still, I had to test a few things before jumping to conclusions. For example, during my first nightmare, when I cut into the bodies of creatures, they disintegrated into particles that my body then absorbed. I didn't know whether that was an effect of the nightmare itself or of my former aspect.
'My old aspect was called [Aether Resonance], but now it changed to [Singular Existence]. It no longer has the word aether in its name… does that mean I can consume the flesh of creatures now?'
Another thing I hadn't paid attention to at the time was soul shards. I didn't consume a single one during the nightmare, yet afterward my counter showed as if I had… or at least, that's what I want to believe.
Letting out a sigh, I thought, 'Who told me to have such a strange aspect? If Gray had bothered to explain things better, I wouldn't be worrying about this now.'
I also started noticing that with the higher aether density in the environment, my head began to hurt much faster if I expanded it too much, so I reduced it to about five meters around me. That would give me time to react, though something told me that five meters wouldn't be enough if there were higher-ranked creatures around.
Looking for somewhere to sit and wait for daylight—or at least for something to happen—I began thinking about where I might be. My first theory was that I was in the Storm Sea, but I didn't remember reading anything about corals there. Maybe there were, perhaps it was an unexplored area of the Storm Sea… I doubted it, but it was possible. Either way, without more information, it was impossible to draw accurate conclusions.
The only thing I could do was wait for more data. In the meantime, I decided to analyze my runes and memories again.
Name: Arthur Leywin
True Name: Paragon of Purity
Rank: Dreamer
Aether Core: Dormant
Aether Fragments: [18/1000]
'I went from seventy fragments down to eighteen over these last two weeks from using Realmheart. My theory is that each hour of use equals one fragment. It doesn't seem like much, but it adds up over time. Also, if my instincts are right, the cost depends on how powerful the attribute is.'
'That's something I really need to keep in mind. I might obtain a relic that, once deciphered, I can't even use due to its consumption. That would be a problem.'
Memories: [Infinite Lash], [Phantom Armor], [Dawn's Ballad]
Name: [Infinite Lash]
Memory Rank: Dormant
Memory Type: Tool
Description: [He stretched his arms until the world lost all distance. He never reached what he sought; he only learned that there is no end. This lash knows no limits. It extends like a promise that refuses to be fulfilled, like a desire that refuses to die. As long as there is something to reach, it will keep growing. And when there isn't… it will still try.]
'Okay… why does this description sound kind of romantic?'
Name: [Phantom Armor]
Memory Rank: Dormant
Memory Type: Armor
Description: [Something existed so close that the world chose to look away. Not out of fear, but denial. This armor inherits that absence. It neither protects nor threatens: it remains. And what remains too long eventually stops being seen.]
'And now this one is just sad.'
Name: [Dawn's Ballad]
Memory Rank: Dormant
Memory Type: Weapon
Description: [Dawn's Ballad accompanied King Gray from the first dawn to the last. It was not a weapon, but a steady step at his side. When his path ended, he understood it should not be given to another. He entrusted it to himself, in another time. Because ballads do not die. They only find a new voice.]
'This was Gray's first sword…'
[0/100]
'What is that counter?'
'I knew of memories with counters, but I never thought I'd obtain one. What does it mean?'
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Realmheart], [Djinn], [Former King], [Being of Aether and Flesh], [Life]
I decided to take advantage of the high aether density in the environment and meditate until something happened. Taking my position, I began cycling aether throughout my body. I also started adding variation: when expelling it, sometimes I did so in a controlled manner, while other times I aimed for greater explosiveness. Something told me this might be useful in the future. On other occasions, I also tried to control the aether outside my body.
I didn't have much luck with that. Even using Realmheart, controlling ambient aether was extremely difficult. The farther it was from my body, the harder it became. For now, I could only maintain a thin barrier around myself and even that took effort.
While I meditated, the hours passed and the sun began to rise. At first, I only paid attention to the light, but then, through my sense of aether, I noticed something else: the sea was retreating.
I stood up and approached the edge of the platform to make sure my perception wasn't failing me. I watched as the water level descended slowly at first, then faster and faster with time.
As the sun climbed higher, the sea retreated even more, until other structures began to emerge above the surface. Half an hour later, there was no evidence left that a sea had ever been there.
'So I'm definitely not in the Storm Sea.'
'And that's bad, because it means I'm in a completely unexplored region of the Dream Realm.'
From the coral platform, more than two hundred meters above the ground, the labyrinth stretched beneath my feet like an open wound.
Crimson columns rose in every direction, irregular and sharp, growing over one another without any apparent order. Between them opened paths of varying widths: some wide enough to walk through without care, others so narrow they forced you to turn sideways.
From above, the paths followed no recognizable logic. They twisted, crossed, vanished from sight only to reappear farther on, sometimes returning to the same point they seemed to have left. Some sections ended abruptly against coral walls; others sank into the structure itself, turning into dark tunnels that swallowed the light.
The labyrinth wasn't flat. It rose and fell in overlapping layers, with passages hidden beneath others, as if the place had been built over itself again and again. Trying to memorize it from that height was useless; the more I observed it, the more it unraveled in my mind, as though its very design rejected understanding.
While analyzing the labyrinth, I understood why my instincts had screamed at me the moment I arrived in this area. Every time I looked in a specific direction, a strange sensation ran through my body. At the time, in the darkness, I hadn't noticed it but whenever I looked west, my attention drifted without realizing it, and I ended up staring that way.
It was the map Gray had engraved into my soul. It was guiding me west. There had to be a relic in that direction.
'My first relic!'
'What will it be? Will it let me control the aether outside my body?'
I couldn't help feeling excited at the promise of gaining more power, especially as a Sleeper. But that same thought pulled me back to reality and made me realize just how dangerous this mission would be.
As a Sleeper, I'm completely alone in an unexplored region. I don't know what kinds of creatures inhabit this area, nor even if the relic is really here. Maybe it's beyond the labyrinth.
'This doesn't look good.'
The creatures could be dealt with. In fact, I was already seeing movement beneath me. One of the things I'd learned was how to enhance a specific sense; for example, by focusing aether into my eyes, my vision improves significantly, allowing me to identify what kinds of creatures move within the labyrinth.
When I did so, the details became clear even at that distance. I distinguished several creatures moving through the coral corridors. Each stood about two and a half meters tall. Their bodies were supported by multiple long, segmented legs ending in curved, sharpened extensions. They moved steadily, without haste or erratic motions.
At the front, a humanoid torso protruded, covered in thick chitinous armor. There was no visible neck; the head sat directly on the shoulders. It had two narrow eye slits and a wet-looking mouth with several mandibles constantly shifting.
Instead of hands, they had two large pincers, held partially open as they advanced. They moved through the labyrinth paths with apparent familiarity, entering and exiting passages without hesitation.
At least now I knew what kind of creatures inhabited this area.
I spent some time observing their movement patterns, trying to determine whether there was any kind of hierarchy. That would've indicated the presence of a Tyrant. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case. All the creatures appeared to be between beasts and monsters; with bad luck, maybe a demon or a devil.
When I finished analyzing everything, night fell again. I decided it was a good moment to return to meditation. Tomorrow would be the time to move forward. Still, the sensation persisted: every time I looked west, my body seemed to demand that I go in that direction, as if telling me, 'Abandon everything and seek what belongs to you.'
While I meditated, my thoughts began to unravel.
In a region like this, it would be logical to consider the possibility of running into another Sleeper. It wouldn't be strange; the Dream Realm doesn't discriminate when throwing people into impossible places.
But… what would be the point?
Allies are important, I know that. In a world like this, moving alone isn't the smartest choice. Any normal Sleeper would be searching for a citadel, a civilization, any form of safety. I should be doing the same.
And yet, I'm not.
I'm in an unexplored zone, standing on a platform at the edge of a labyrinth that at night is swallowed by a dark sea, chasing a relic I don't even know will grant me real power. I'm not seeking refuge or stability. I'm seeking power. Not because I want to, but because I need to. It's the mission Gray left me.
If I were to meet another Sleeper, would it be right to drag them down this path?
To guide them toward something they likely wouldn't even be able to use?
As far as I understand, relics don't work for others. Some might not even work for me. I don't know yet. And if this relic only responds to me, bringing someone else along would be exposing them to danger without offering anything in return. I'd be using their life as backup for my own benefit.
That goes against my values.
I don't want to advance by stepping on others or turning their survival into a tool. If someone chose this path of their own will, that would be different. But forcing it on them wouldn't be.
First, the relic.
Then, allies.
Then, a citadel.
Maybe the place I'm heading toward is a citadel itself. Though that thought isn't comforting either. An unknown citadel, with no records, can only mean two things: either there is no gateway… or there is one, but its guardian is strong enough that no one has ever returned to speak of it.
Not a reassuring thought.
But it doesn't change anything.
This is the path meant for me, and me alone.
'In the end, the name of my aspect is going to be even deeper than I thought.'
That was a problem for future Arthur. For now, what mattered was how to get down without killing myself, since day had returned and that meant the sea had retreated once more.
Taking advantage of my aether-reinforced body, I focused it into my arms and, with the help of Dawn's Ballad—embedding it into strategic points to pull myself along—I descended at a steady pace. It took me a few minutes to get down from the platform.
Once inside the labyrinth, I turned my head west and began to walk.
One thing I had noticed before descending was that toward the west, the labyrinth only extended a few more kilometers before giving way to an empty hill, as if this section were sunken compared to the rest. In any other direction, the labyrinth continued endlessly. That reinforced my decision to head west. I also noticed a couple of platforms that remained above sea level during the night.
'If I move quickly and my calculations are right, I could be out of the labyrinth in a week.'
The first thing I did when I started moving was expand my sense of aether from wall to wall. It was only a few meters, something that, even with the high aether density in the environment, didn't cause me discomfort. It didn't take long before I encountered one of the creatures I'd seen from the platform.
I detected it a few meters ahead of me. It hadn't detected me yet, so I took the opportunity to hide in a naturally formed hollow in one of the labyrinth's walls. It wasn't very large, but it was perfect for a crouched person to fit without trouble. As the creature drew closer, I reduced my sense of aether to avoid detection. I still don't know whether that depends on the creature's class or rank.
When it was close enough, I confirmed everything I'd observed from above. It was much taller than me, much broader, and its presence made it clear it wasn't Dormant. It was Awakened.
'First time fighting an Awakened nightmare creature.'
Summoning Dawn's Ballad in my right hand and reinforcing my body with aether—especially my legs—I waited until it turned its back to me. With a burst of speed, I swung the sword toward its joints to limit its mobility. My intention was to sever two before it reacted, but it moved the instant it felt the blade.
The first joint gave way after some resistance, and the creature lost a leg. Almost immediately, it turned around with impressive speed and swung both pincers at me. Through my sense of aether, I dodged both attacks by leaping to the left and, reinforcing my legs, launched myself toward the joint of its front right leg, on the opposite side of its pincers.
Again, I felt resistance, but after reinforcing my arms, the joint gave way. Now the creature had lost two of its original eight legs. However, that only made it more dangerous. It entered a frenzy and began attacking with greater ferocity, even using the weight of its body to try to crush me.
That was when I summoned [Infinite Lash] in my left hand. Just as I had done with the chimeras, I wrapped the whip around the junction where one of its pincers connected to its body, a point it couldn't cut even if it tried. I commanded the lash to shorten and, reinforcing my legs, launched myself forward, passing beneath one of the pincers. Seconds later, that would've been where my head was.
Using the creature's inertia and movement, I managed to position myself on its back. As I analyzed it, I detected a weak point: a slightly sunken, discolored cavity in its armor, roughly where the eyes would be. Several plates converged there, and the chitin was noticeably thinner.
Shortening the whip once more, I drove Dawn's Ballad straight into that spot. With a dry crack, the chitin shattered and the sword's tip sank deep into the scavenger's body.
The monster shuddered, then collapsed heavily to the ground.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your Aether grows stronger.]
I landed a few meters away from the corpse and immediately went on guard, expanding my sense of aether to check if any other creatures had heard the fight. Fortunately, there were none nearby. Only then did I approach the fallen scavenger. It was time to see how things worked now.
First, I checked the fragments gained.
[Aether Fragments: 22/1000]
'Huh, I went from 18 to 22? I thought it would be 20…'
I approached the corpse and began cutting into the flesh, not out of necessity, but to search for the soul shard. When I opened the place where it should've been, I found nothing.
'Is that even possible?'
I kept searching, thinking it might be elsewhere, but after several minutes it became clear there wasn't one. Then I understood.
When I killed it, I absorbed the soul shard instantly. That was why I'd gained more fragments. The problem was obvious.
'If I absorb every soul shard from the creatures I kill, it'll be impossible to store them and sell them later.'
'That's bad'
'What happens when my core gets saturated? Will I keep absorbing them, or will it stop?'
Another problem for future Arthur. Great.
After standing literally on top of the scavenger's corpse thinking about all that, I resumed my march. I couldn't afford to waste time if I wanted to reach the next platform before nightfall and the sea returned.
The next platform was several kilometers away, and I didn't know how many more scavengers I'd encounter along the way. It also wasn't sensible to assume they were the only creatures in the labyrinth.
Over the days, I finally reached the edge of the labyrinth. Behind me, it stretched almost endlessly. The journey to the hill marking its boundary wasn't easy, but it wasn't especially difficult either. I ran into a few more scavengers, though they were less frequent near the edge. On average, I fought about five per day during that week, always at different times. I never had to face two at once, and some were already injured.
[Aether Fragments: 162/1000]
Looking at the counter, it's still hard to believe how quickly I can obtain fragments. On one hand, it's encouraging; on the other, I remember that every time I use Realmheart, I end up spending them. Also, I'm almost certain that attribute consumes the fewest fragments. I need to saturate my core as soon as possible.
[Dawn's Ballad]
[35/100]
That wasn't the only thing I noticed. When I checked my status more carefully, I realized that Dawn's Ballad's counter had grown as well. It wasn't slow, either, far from it. I was already at 35 out of 100. Considering the number of creatures I had killed over the week, the connection was obvious.
So that's what it tracks… kills.
I don't know what will happen when it reaches one hundred, but I'm sure that's when I'll find out what that counter truly means.
I considered staying longer in the labyrinth to keep accumulating fragments, but I dismissed the idea. I wanted to reach the relic as soon as possible. I'd already spent a week there and, aside from the fragments and Dawn's Ballad's counter, I felt like I hadn't progressed much.
My aether control had improved, but that wouldn't matter if I didn't grow stronger overall. And I could only achieve that in two ways: with the relic, or by finding a gateway and awakening. My plan was to obtain both.
I looked at the labyrinth one last time, bid it farewell, and began walking toward whatever awaited me on the other side.