Morning arrived quite quickly. Ash, as always, was the first to wake up just a few minutes before dawn. The cold, slightly salty wind filled his nostrils. As was his custom, he sat at the edge of a large precipice that gave him an impressive view of the accursed city.
In the distance, he could sense the abominations killing each other.
Letting out a yawn, Ash looked at his fragments.
Soul Fragments: [832/1000]
He needed less than two hundred more soul fragments to completely saturate his core. Something he was really pleased about. It had taken him almost three months to achieve this result.
Though it was a pity that his repertoire of Memories was so small.
Among all his Memories, he regularly used only his armor, the Sword, the Needle, and the Ocarina. He used the bow and arrow but to a much lesser extent.
Of course, he knew how to use a spear with some skill, but he wasn't a master. He was more of a swordsman and close-quarters combatant than a spearman or archer.
Noticing the first rays of the Nameless Sun emerging on the horizon, he watched as the sky adorned itself with twilight, then with warmer colors, until returning to its usual gray.
Little by little, activity returned to the accursed city. The camp, which had been joined by a small army of Sleepers, began preparing breakfast for all those dependent on Changing Star.
Summoning the Ocarina, he decided to play a certain anime melody that fit the situation quite well.
The melody was calm and beautiful, making anyone who heard it feel great peace and calm inside.
He played for several minutes until he stopped, sensing someone approaching.
Turning his head, Ash looked at Sunny, who had a strange expression on his face. Lost, perhaps? Or someone who didn't know where he stood.
"Oh, Sunny. What are you doing here?" Ash asked.
"I came for the melody," he replied, looking ahead.
"I see you're confused. Why don't you sit for a while?" he offered, pointing to the other edge.
Sunny thought about it for a few moments before shrugging and sitting down. Both remained silent, letting the cold breeze caress their faces.
"What's bothering you? You've been lost lately, like you don't know where you stand."
"That's quite assertive of you," the egotist murmured.
"Let me guess... you feel displaced, with the sensation that you realized your place could easily be replaced by someone else, and no one seems to care?"
Sunny frowned and nodded.
"Are you some kind of therapist or psychologist?"
"I have experience dealing with what you're feeling, Sunny... too much..." he said that last part in a low voice.
"What do you think I should do? It's not that I care about being recognized or not, but it feels bad somehow."
"Uhm..." Ash made a thoughtful sound.
"Well, what you should do, honestly, I don't know. Everyone has their own way of dealing with their problems, Sunny. Some do it alone, others seek help from their friends, and others simply run away from them." Ash sighed.
"Right now, what do you think you should do?"
"I don't know. I just want to hit something or kill something. I feel strange in my own home."
"Do you have doubts?"
"Yes."
"What are you doubting?"
"What Nephis is achieving with all this."
Ash fell silent.
"Why don't you talk to her?"
"Excuse me?"
"Talk to Nephis. Ask her what she's planning, what her plan is. If that's what's causing you doubt, just go and tell her clearly, whether it's good or bad. The answer will give you some kind of clarity. Think about it." Ash stood up, putting his hands in his pockets, leaving Sunny alone.
---
After getting some food, Ash simply limited himself to observing in silence. He watched Harper's arrival and knew that soon he would have plenty of free time.
He didn't plan to intervene. He could, of course; it would be easy, very easy, in fact. However, he wouldn't do it. He would only observe in silence.
A few days passed quietly, with Ash simply hunting abominations with the cohort every two days.
After a week of this, he finally felt it.
The sun had set, and the Dark City was wrapped in darkness. Ash was sitting atop a collapsed house, his legs crossed.
He was using his dormant ability to sense Harper's presence. For a few minutes, nothing happened, until it disappeared completely, as if a flame had been instantly extinguished.
Harper was dead.
Then he sensed Caster's presence approaching.
No, that was wrong. Caster had been silently following them and simply waited for one of them to die to join his side, to create a debt.
'So that's how it originally happened. I suppose legacies are naturally very gossipy,' Ash thought with a sigh, looking at the dark sky.
Yawning a little, he looked in the direction where he felt the Dawn Fragment in the underworld. It was time to go find it; he didn't plan on being trapped in this place any longer.
---
The next morning, Ash went to meet Nephis. Caster, seeing this, tried to stop him, saying Nephis was busy, but Ash gave him a look that silenced the legacy, knowing perfectly well that if he started a fight, he would die.
When he managed to meet with Nephis, she was looking at a map that showed a huge skull in the northern part of the city, where the Moonlight Fragment would be.
"Is something wrong, Ash?" Nephis asked, looking up from the parchment.
"Yes. I'm leaving," he said calmly.
Nephis froze for a moment, then looked at him with a strange expression.
"You're leaving? Where? How? Why?"
Ash sighed.
"I think I expressed myself poorly. I mean I'm leaving the Dark City. I'm going to look for something, and it might take me some time to find it."
Nephis was silent for a few moments.
"The fragments," she murmured.
"Yes. I'm the only one who can find them and survive where they are. It might take me a month or two, maybe three at most," he expressed.
Nephis looked at Ash for a few moments before nodding.
"Alright," said Changing Star. Her voice sounded a little disappointed, perhaps.
"Well, I'll go now. See you." Saying that, Ash simply left the room that served as a meeting hall.
Leaving the hut, he noticed that the afternoon would soon begin to fall. He could sense Sunny somewhere.
Ash simply walked without looking back. Once he reached the ruins, he activated the enchantment of the Cloak of Mist, then summoned his Echo, soaring through the skies toward the lighthouse.
Upon reaching the underground tunnels, thanks to his guide ability, it took him less than an hour to reach the fallen tyrant.
Focusing on the key, he felt it inside the corpse. The space filled with mist that hid his presence from the tyrant.
Approaching the pile of bones in silence, he reached out his hand and grabbed the key, which had a common, ancient appearance, and stored it.
He watched curiously as a long, red worm tried unsuccessfully to pierce his Cloak of Mist. Using the Pale Needle and Soul Guide, he managed to kill the fallen beast.
Finally, he left the catacombs before nightfall.
After exiting, he stayed at the lighthouse where they had first taken refuge when they arrived at the Dark City.
The next morning, when the sun had risen, Ash summoned his Echo. After mounting its back, he ordered it to head towards the Hollow Mountains.