Ash yawned slightly while in the background he could hear the fights of nightmare creatures that were becoming more active, hunting and killing each other. In his hand, he held his sword while his senses were sharpened against any threat.
Beside him, a little behind, was Changing Star, holding her sword while a tense look was on her face.
They had both been walking for the last twenty minutes.
Ash was in no hurry to start a conversation. By nature, he was someone silent who enjoyed simply observing interactions between people.
It wasn't that he was an introvert or asocial; it was simply his nature.
This also allowed Ash to think about his actions.
He didn't want to be trapped for an entire year in this Forgotten Shore as it was a waste of time. He would only have to find the statue of the Wandering Constructor, go to the Underworld, and obtain the two fragments of the seven. The rest were in the city and could be obtained in a matter of weeks.
Of course, this was in the case that they cooperated.
"What are you thinking about?" asked Nephis out of nowhere, making Ash stop and look at her for a moment.
"Uhm. About some things, actually," he responded, while suddenly turning into an alley, with Nephis following him. A few seconds later, a Fallen abomination similar to a spider passed by where they had been.
They remained silent, moving calmly until they reached another intersection of empty narrow streets.
"What things?"
"Mainly about how to leave the Dream Realm and return to the waking world."
Changing Star raised an eyebrow.
"From your tone, it sounds like you've already discovered a way."
"I have several options. Want to hear them?"
Nephis nodded without responding directly.
"Well, first I could cross the Hollow Mountains, I could go East, find some Citadel further north, or directly challenge a second nightmare. Those are the options I've come up with."
"And which would you choose?"
"They're all equally good. Inevitably, they'll kill me." Ash sighed, then stopped, signaling her not to speak.
Almost a full minute passed before he relaxed after feeling that the danger had moved away.
"Nephis, I have a question for you," said Ash, looking at Changing Star.
"Do you think I was sent by one of those clans to kill you?"
Nephis stopped. Her eyes narrowed while her posture imperceptibly tensed.
Ash didn't react, maintaining his indifferent look on his face, though he was equally attentive to any movement.
A minute passed, then two, until Nephis responded in a uniform tone.
"At first, I thought you were an assassin. In the Academy, in combat class, you refused to fight against me, claiming you didn't know how to fight, yet it turned out to be the opposite. That, added to your rapid development in mastering multiple weapons."
Ash just tilted his head.
"Those were your suspicions about me?" he asked, somewhat confused.
"Only initially. I suspected you to a certain extent, however, I confirmed that you weren't an assassin sent by any of the great clans."
"And why would that be?"
"The Soul Devouring Tree. You could have had the opportunity to kill me and you didn't. Even when you had multiple opportunities to assassinate me when I was weak, you didn't. I suppose it's like that big woman said, you're just a quiet guy who helps others without expecting anything in return. Oh, and very good at telling stories."
At the end of her words, Nephis gave a smile, or well, made the effort to smile.
'I'd give it a five out of ten,' he thought to himself.
"I guess you're right. Although I'm not as altruistic as you think. Everyone has their own objectives, their own goals to achieve, and I'm no exception to that rule." Ash resumed the journey while they continued chatting, agilely avoiding Fallen abominations and annoying Awakened monsters.
"What is your objective, if I may ask?"
"How about you tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine? That's a fair deal."
Nephis nodded.
"My objectives are many, but the main one is to destroy the Nightmare Spell." Nephis's voice became one that hid great hatred and contempt.
"I see..." Ash murmured, already knowing about that objective, although he didn't mention her desire to kill those who killed her father and tried to kill her since she was a child.
"Well, my objective isn't so glamorous. I simply wanted to have a quiet life, you know? A house in a quiet area in the city, set up my own business to make a living, and maybe gain a little weight."
Nephis looked at Ash with a strange expression on her face before noticing something in what he said.
"You said 'wanted'... is it no longer?" she asked.
"I'm changing plans. I realized that the world wouldn't let me have a quiet life, and would push me into more and more chaotic events, forcing me to get stronger." Ash sighed while continuing to speak to himself.
"It's a bit curious actually, and it gives me a lot to think about. When I return to the waking world as an Awakened, I'll prepare to challenge my second nightmare, and then go directly to the third, and after that, I guess become a Supreme."
Nephis raised an eyebrow at the last part.
"A Supreme through the fourth nightmare?"
Ash stopped before muttering a curse under his breath.
"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now," Ash murmured, then looked at Nephis.
"Nephis, what I'm about to tell you is very valuable information that supposedly only the current three Supremes know."
Nephis's eyes widened. This confirmed some suspicions.
"There is a way to achieve Supremacy without directly taking a fourth nightmare. This is known as Natural Supremacy."
Nephis's eyes opened like plates at this revelation.
"Natural Supremacy..." Immediately Nephis wanted to ask more, but seeing the serious expression on Ash's face, she restrained herself.
If she knew what the method was to achieve Supremacy, her desire to kill the three Sovereigns would be closer than ever.
"Although I still don't know how to achieve it..." said Ash, lying shamelessly.
"I've come to some conclusions based on the evolution line of nightmare creatures."
Nephis listened attentively.
"From what I've read about the ranks of nightmare creatures, I came to the following conclusion. A Demon must first develop supernatural powers to ascend as a Devil, then it evolves into a Tyrant by gaining authority over inferior creatures and claiming territory. Unlike Tyrants, those above that rank no longer need to use their authority externally; instead, they internalize it, becoming autonomous and self-sufficient forces to ascend. For this, Tyrants ascend by consuming their minions to propel their evolution into Terrors. This is because those of that rank and Titans rarely have subordinates. Finally, Terrors spread until they reach a critical mass. Upon reaching that point, they must consolidate to complete their transformation. This final stage of their evolution requires an enormous amount of soul essence, which often results in a massacre of incalculable proportions." He finished explaining.
Nephis was bewildered by the evolution line of nightmare creatures and certain parallels they had with the path of Ascension.
"As you surely noticed, the path of Profanation and the path of Ascension have similar concepts but are different in essence," said Ash, finally stopping in front of a building collapsed by time.
Nephis remained silent, analyzing all this new information.
"Where are we?" asked Nephis.
"A library. Oh well, that's what I wanted to find, and in the entire city, this building is where it led me."
"Why did you want to find a library?"
Ash shrugged.
"Maybe there's something interesting that provides answers to what happened to this place." Saying that, Ash entered inside the building covered in debris. Thanks to having three hundred fragments, he could move the debris with difficulty.
In the process, Nephis also helped him to speed up the clearing.
Hours passed, but he had finally finished cleaning most of the floor and debris, revealing on the walls the history of the Forgotten Shore.
In fact, it was the part Ash was looking for: the murals of the construction of the Crimson Spire.
Nephis looked at the images with a calm face.
Ash moved along the edge until he reached the first image and then continued analyzing them one by one.
Ash focused on the image of the seven heroes whose faces were unrecognizable.
"The Knight, The Huntress, The Lord, The Slayer, The Constructor, and The Priestess," Ash murmured.
"The figure of the Knight and the Priestess resemble the headless statue where Cassie had her vision, and the Priestess resembles where I woke up," said Nephis.
"Yes. It seems each of them holds an object. The Knight holds the Midnight Fragment that Sunny has, so we must suppose that in total there are seven fragments that were used to chain the darkness."
Nephis recalled Cassie's vision from almost two months ago.
"Do you think these fragments are necessary to access the Crimson Spire?"
"It's most likely. Midnight Fragment, Zenith Fragment, Dawn Fragment, Dusk Fragment, Moonlight Fragment. The Solar Fragment and the Starlight Fragment. With them, there are seven, which coincides with the seven seals."
"If we get the seven fragments, we can open the Crimson Spire and seal the dark sea, and with that, the gate to return to the waking world could be activated," said Ash.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I can feel the portal in the Crimson Spire. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I can feel the Dawn Fragment to the north, at an enormous distance from our position."
Nephis said nothing, studying the images engraved on the murals.
"That ability of yours is very useful."
"It doesn't help me fight; it simply guides me to where I want to go and that's it."
"Still, in just one day, you managed to find the way to reach the portal and discover the history of how the Dark City was created."
"I suppose so. Although in the end, it doesn't solve much. We still have to find those fragments. I guess we need to interact with the statues and kill their guardians to obtain the memories."
"Can you sense if there's another statue in this city?"
"Yes, in the western area. It should be of the Slayer or the Huntress," he explained, noticing that dawn was approaching.
"Do you have any plan?" asked Nephis.
"Yes. Two actually. The first is to gather the fragments, and then gather all the Sleepers to conquer the Crimson Spire and leave this place. And the second is more or less the same. If the lord of the city refuses, well, I suppose no one will miss him if he and his lackeys suddenly disappear," he said while his eyes gleamed dangerously.
"Nephis, would you like to become a heroine in shining armor commanding hundreds of Sleepers?"
Changing Star blinked several times before realizing what Ash was thinking.
Nephis sighed, giving up trying to understand the thoughts of the person in front of her.
At this point, she doubted he was really human.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Changing Star.