The nocturnal garden of the Dream Escape was a peculiar place, even by the standards of that dream world. Ash had settled in an infrequented area, surrounded by vegetation that seemed to whisper forgotten secrets and nightmare creatures that prowled in the shadows. For any other Awakened, that would have been a death sentence. For him, it was almost like being home.
He had been there for about a day since his encounter with Sunny in the Dream Escape's dome. He knew the boy would look for him, that he would want answers about what he had witnessed. Ash didn't avoid the conversation because he couldn't, but because reliving those memories meant crossing the Hollow Mountains again, and that experience remained uncomfortable even for someone like him.
But that was a problem for future Ash. Right now, his only priority was to grow stronger.
He leaned back against the trunk of a tree whose branches seemed made of dark crystal, and closed his eyes for a moment. The night air carried a metallic and sweet aroma, a mixture of the mist that always accompanied him and the trace of the creatures he had hunted. His mind drifted briefly to the simple days, those when he wrote stories on the Internet, published them, got bored, deleted them, and started over. A monotonous and peaceful cycle that he now missed with an intensity he hadn't expected.
He sighed. Nostalgia was a luxury he couldn't afford.
With an almost mechanical gesture, Ash invoked his runes. The marks glowed briefly in the air before him, showing his progress.
Name: Ashfall
True Name: Dream of Oblivion
Rank: Awakened
Aspect: Ghost
Aspect Rank: Divine
Class: Monster
Soul Cores [2/7]
Soul Fragments: [704/2000]
He had managed to gather twenty-four fragments in the last few hours, a modest but satisfactory haul. It wasn't the fastest collection rate he had hoped for, but each fragment brought him one step closer to his goal. He could feel his power growing, slow but steady, like the tide that rises without rush but without pause.
His abilities remained intact:
Aspect Abilities: [Soul Guide] [Ghostly Body]
Innate Ability: [Guide]
And his attributes... that set of skills that made him what he was:
Attributes: [Nothingness] [Blessing of Nothingness] [Spark of Divinity] [Shadows]
The memories he had accumulated were varied, tools for different situations: the [Nebulous Bow] for ranged combat, the [Nebulous Cloak] for defense, the [Sword of Seven] for close-quarters fighting. The [Infinite Spring] and [Mortal Arrow] gave him tactical options, while the [Ocarina of Calm] and [Pale Needle] served more specific purposes. The [Weaver's Mask], the [Travel Bag], the [Cursed Thorn], and the [Armor of Laments] completed his arsenal.
His echoes, the [Black Steel Crow] and the [Black Knight], rested somewhere within his soul, waiting to be summoned when needed.
And then there was his flaw: [Mercy].
Ash couldn't help but smile bitterly at the thought. In a world where survival depended on strength and determination, his greatest weakness was precisely compassion. The universe had a strange sense of humor.
But it wasn't time for philosophical reflections. Ash felt a change in the air, movement in the periphery of his perception.
The creature emerged from among the nightmare shrubs, a fallen beast of humanoid appearance that combined lion and man features. Its body was covered by a disheveled mane that dripped a viscous substance, and its claws gleamed with an unnatural edge. It sniffed the air, located Ash, and lunged at him with a roar that distorted the reality around it.
Ash didn't move. He simply watched as the beast pounced on him, its claws extended to tear him apart.
At the last instant, he activated [Ghostly Body].
His body became translucent, ethereal, almost intangible. The creature passed through him like smoke, its claws tearing only the void where moments before the young man had stood. Ash floated slightly, feeling his essence separate from the material plane. It was a strange sensation, like being and not being at the same time.
Description of Ghostly Body: [This ability allows you to detach yourself from the material world, becoming a specter. As a specter, you can pass through the tangible and attack the intangible. You walk between what is and what ceases to be.]
From his new incorporeal perspective, Ash could see beyond the creature's flesh. He could see the beast's soul, that core of energy that kept it anchored to existence. A faint light, flickering, palpitating. Vulnerable.
He summoned the [Pale Needle].
The object appeared in his hand, a thin and sharp instrument that glowed with ghostly light. It was a weapon designed to pierce souls, to tear apart the very essence of its targets. Ash wielded it with the familiarity of one who had used it countless times.
The beast, confused by having passed through its prey without causing damage, turned to face him again. Ash was no longer a target; he floated in the air with the grace of a ghost, his needle gleaming with lethal intent.
He moved with supernatural speed, his body passing through branches and vegetation as if they didn't exist. The creature tried to dodge, but Ash was already upon it, the needle penetrating the beast's soul with surgical precision.
The creature's roar transformed into a cry of agony that wasn't entirely physical. Ash didn't stop; he impaled the soul once, twice, three times, each blow weakening the connection between the beast and its existence. The creature's body began to decompose, to fade as if it had never been there.
Finally, with one last push of his needle, Ash destroyed the soul completely. The beast dissolved into specks of light that vanished into the mist.
A soul fragment floated in the air where the creature had stood, a small flash of energy that Ash absorbed effortlessly. [705/2000].
He floated for a moment in the air, his body still in ghostly state, and watched as night began to give way to dawn. The sun of the Storm Sea rose on the horizon, painting the sky in purple and gold tones that contrasted with the persistent darkness of the garden's shadows.
Ash descended slowly, his body regaining solidity as his feet touched the moss-covered ground. The hunt had been productive, but fatigue was beginning to set in. It wasn't physical exhaustion, but something deeper, a weariness of the soul that could only be healed with rest.
He found a flat rock covered in luminescent lichens and sat down, letting his body relax for the first time in hours. The mist that always accompanied him swirled around him like a protective cloak.
That was when he felt her arrive.
Priscilla burst into the clearing with the energy of a storm, her black hair speckled with dewdrops, her dark eyes gleaming with insatiable curiosity. She wore her usual Dream Escape uniform, but her hair was tied up messily, as if she had been running.
"Ash!" she exclaimed, stopping in front of him with a radiant smile that contrasted completely with his calm and slightly tired expression. "What are you doing here so early? Well, so late, depending on how you look at it! Have you been hunting all night?"
Ash slowly raised his gaze, blinking as if emerging from a deep dream.
"Something like that."
Priscilla sat beside him without invitation, as was her custom, and observed him carefully. Her smile transformed into an expression of feigned concern.
"What a long face!" she said, pointing at his face with an accusatory finger. "Did something happen? Did you run into some problem? Did some Awakened pick a fight with you? Or maybe... you found a treasure and don't want to share?"
"More or less," Ash replied, his voice flat as still water. "I'm in a bit of trouble."
Priscilla's eyes lit up with a gleam Ash knew all too well. It was the same gleam people had when they smelled juicy gossip, when they sensed the possibility of an interesting story.
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" she leaned toward him, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "Is it the kind of trouble that involves someone important? Some famous Awakened? Or maybe... something related to Divine Aspects?"
Ash looked at her with an expression that was half resignation, half amusement. He knew exactly what Priscilla was doing; he had fallen into her webs enough times to recognize her tactics.
"Something like that," he repeated, without giving more details.
"Ash!" Priscilla gently hit his shoulder. "You can't leave the story half-told. That's cruel! What kind of trouble put that funeral face on you?"
He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. The mist around him stirred slightly, as if responding to his mood.
"Let's just say someone important saw me doing something they shouldn't have seen. Someone who isn't going to let the matter drop just like that."
"Someone important?" Priscilla leaned in even further, almost falling off the rock. "How important? important?"
"Exactly."
The girl's eyes widened with genuine surprise. She knew Sunny was the group's leader, the one in charge of maintaining order in the Dream Escape. If Ash had gotten into trouble with him, then it was indeed serious.
"What did you do?" she asked, her voice now more serious, though still carrying a note of excitement.
Ash looked at her for a long moment, considering how much he could reveal. Finally, he shrugged.
"I showed something I shouldn't have. Something that left him... disturbed."
"Disturbed? Sunny?" Priscilla let out an incredulous little laugh. "That guy has an impressive poker face. What the hell did you show him to disturb him?"
"That doesn't matter now," Ash said, changing the subject with the subtlety of a hammer. "What matters is that I need a few days for things to cool down. In the meantime, I'm avoiding him."
Priscilla watched him carefully, her dark eyes scanning his face for more clues. She was too intelligent to settle for vague answers, and Ash knew it.
"Hmm..." she murmured, resting her chin on her hand. "That doesn't sound like a complete story to me. Are you sure you don't want to tell me more? I'm excellent at keeping secrets! Well, most of the time. Sometimes something slips out, but only when it's really juicy."
Ash couldn't help a small smile at that declaration. Priscilla had a gift for making him forget his worries, even if only for a moment.
"I'll think about it," he said finally. "After I do my work."
Priscilla's eyes lit up again.
"Your work? You mean...?"
"Yes. I have to eliminate the fallen creatures that are accumulating in the eastern sector. Someone has to do it."
"Then I'll come with you!" exclaimed Priscilla, jumping off the rock with renewed energy. "That way we can talk while we hunt. It's the perfect combination! Work and gossip!"
Ash looked at her with an expression that was half resignation, half affection. He knew he wouldn't get rid of her that easily.
"Very well," he said, standing up and stretching his arms. "But don't complain if things get ugly."
"Me? Complain?" Priscilla placed a hand over her chest in a gesture of feigned offense. "I'm quite the warrior! I've survived worse things!"
"Like that time you got scared by a nightmare cockroach."
"That wasn't being scared! That was... surprise! They're different things!"
Ash shook his head, a genuine smile appearing on his face. Priscilla had that effect on him; she always managed to pull him out of his melancholy, even if only for a moment.
As they walked toward the eastern sector, the mist swirled around them like a living mantle. Ash could feel the gazes of the nocturnal creatures watching them from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to attack. But he wasn't worried. With Priscilla by his side and his new Awakened ability, he was more prepared than ever.
The "Ghost of the Ship" would hunt again that night, and this time he wouldn't be alone.
The sun rose slowly over the Storm Sea, illuminating a new day full of possibilities and dangers. Ash paused for a moment to observe the horizon, feeling the wind carry the echoes of countless untold stories.
His was just beginning.