[You have slain an Awakened Tyrant, Seed of Dominance]
[A new pattern has been completed.]
[Resonance Fragment acquired.]
The building had become something unrecognizable.
Where walls had once been, roots had grown instead. Where floors had once held furniture, vines had swallowed everything down to its foundations. The place had been consumed so thoroughly it looked less like a ruined structure and more like a forest.
Leon's blade was still buried in the thing's core. His chest heaved, as sweat poured down his face.
Around him, the roots grew darker, as if they were having their life drained out of them.
Sunny was sprawled to the side, his hands bloodied from killing the nearby plant creatures. Although, the blood was more so his, than the plant's. His red was mixed in with the green everywhere.
They had found this tyrant a while back, and observed it for a few days. After deciding it was time, they began hunting it down.
Using their undetectable nature, they had approached the tyrant, but a small slip-up by Leon caused them to go for a direct confrontation.
'This cloak... so annoying...'
Having to stay calm all the time to use the cloak was not an ideal type of Memory.
While Sunny handled the minions — who were of mere dormant rank, Leon went after the tyrant itself.
"No memory..."
Leon muttered while Sunny groaned.
"Bastard...you suck at this...."
Sunny sighed as he picked himself up and dug into the tyrant's corpse.
Leon helped him alongside, as they dug out the awakened soul shards out of the tyrant.
"I just realized."
Sunny didn't look up. "What?"
"The tree." Leon slowly turned his head. "We never took the soul shards from the damn tree."
The digging stopped.
Sunny sat very still for a moment.
"Shit..."
They — which the sole exception of Leon, of course — were so terrified and traumatized by the tree, they didn't think of harvesting soul shards.
Leon placed the soul shards into his sack and said nothing more about it. He wiped the green ichor off his blade. Of course, he could simply unsummon the halo, and it would be restored naturally in his Soul Sea. But he had learned one thing...
If you didn't take care of your things, your things stopped taking care of you.
Leon shook his head.
"Well, in other news...."
Sunny sat down on the tyrant's corpse, motioning for Leon to summon the Endless Spring.
"Harus has killed some artisan because they spoke up or something."
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"That is unfortunate for the artisan but..."
His expression turned cold.
"We can use this."
Leon nodded, tossing the Endless Spring.
"If we can convince Kido that we will kill Harus, she will ally herself with us for sure."
Sunny gripped the Endless Spring tighter.
"Harus... is mine to kill."
Raising an eyebrow, Leon nodded.
"Sure I guess."
Sunny stretched his back.
"Let's go get some memories today, the chest is filling up."
Leon nodded as he summoned his runes.
Name: Leonar
True Name: —
Rank: Dreamer
Resonance Core: Dormant
Resonance Fragments: [43/1000]
After collecting 43 fragments, he could feel his body growing considerably stronger. Though not strong enough to compare to Nephis or Sunny, still noticeable.
The two left the building, as countless vines dropped down, growing lifeless.
"We should hit the market. The chest is filling up."
"Hmm."
Leon had a complicated relationship with memory shopping.
He was not Sunny, who approached it with the focused intensity. He was not Nephis, who seemed to already know what she needed. He looked at this and that, would buy things he never needed, and eventually complain about spending soul shards.
Today though, Sunny was looking at a rather old piece of armor. The suit of ancient plate armor was jet black in color, its design intricate and solemn.
Following Sunny's gaze, he looked at the dusty thing, not noting anything special. But as his eye focused deeper, and studied its weave.
What he saw beneath the surface of the armor shocked him. The weave of ethereal diamond strings were vast and complex. The only other memory that had something this intricate was perhaps Aurelia's crown.
He glanced at Sunny, and blinked once.
Sunny understood the signal immediately, and decided he would buy the armor.
Leon's identity was well known throughout the castle.
No one ever dared to snitch on him. Sure, if they told the castle guards, or someone connected to Harus, they would get a handsome reward.
But what happens when the Mad Scythe found out?
This, Leon had found, was a great policy. Ignorance, truly was bliss.
Truly, it was a reasonable development!
Kai and Leon had been acquainted after Sunny introduced them.
The man was — a problem. Firstly, he was too beautiful. His green eyes almost identical to Aurelia's. But the man himself... was oblivious to this.
'So... humble...'
Leon had stared at him for a moment.
Then Sunny had added, without inflection: "He can tell when you're lying."
"Hello, we meet again." Leon said.
Kai watched him carefully. The previous kindness in his eyes, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was only nervous.
"Hello," he said.
His voice... was also a problem.
Sunny left them to it, as he began browsing through the memories again.
They talked awkwardly at first.
Leon thought of Kai's flaw.
Although it seemed like a blessing and not a flaw, he knew from experience that the Spell was never that benevolent. His own foolishness led to his downfall countless times after all.
"I... I didn't know the Mad Scythe was Sunny's friend..."
Leon shrugged.
"I am a kind person... usually."
Kai laughed nervously at that. But his eyes had softened.
"Kai, you were a singer, right?"
Kai nodded.
Leon pitched a song to him. A song, that was completely original and not plagiarized from some rock floating in space.
Kai froze, blinking.
"Say that again."
Leon repeated the melody. Rougher the second time, because he was doing it with his voice and not the original production.
Kai was quiet for a long moment.
"How," he said carefully, "does someone like you know music like that?"
"I'm full of surprises."
Leon said, smiling.
"That," Kai said, his expression softening.
"Just be sure to give me the credit. And the money."
And so, Leon began pitching more of his original ideas to Kai. Each time, Kai's expression shifting from shock to admiration.
"So Kai, you said you were an archer?"
Leon and Kai were taking a walk in the dark city. Why?
Because Kai had gotten himself kidnapped by some of Gunlaug's guards. Leon had swiftly dealt with them, of course.
Kai nodded.
"Yes, although I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I know how to wield a bow."
Leon smiled.
"I think I should teac—"
Noah interrupted him.
"Don't be fooled, he's practically an expert."
Leon's sentence paused as he completely turned it around,
"I think I should learn from you, I don't even know how to grip a bow properly."
Kai showed a nervous smile.
"That... Sure I guess."
And so, since that day, Kai and Leon got into archery practice everyday. While Leon himself warned Kai that he shouldn't always rely on the bow. So he taught him some sword art.
They began meeting regularly. Even Sunny joined in sometimes.
Kyudo, Kai explained once, was not really about hitting the target. It was about arriving at a state of mind from which hitting the target became natural. The motion was secondary. The stillness was primary.
"Kyudo..." Leon repeated.
He understood stillness.
Leon discovered that he was a genuinely poor archer. This pleased Kai, just because he felt happy for being better at something than the Mad Scythe.
Even though Kai seemed nervous to talk to Leon at first, they eventually became good friends, along with Sunny who couldn't lie.
In exchange — he taught sword work. Simple things, first. Footwork. Distance management. How to read a body before it had moved.
Kai learned quickly.
Eventually, Kai began joining them on the hunts in dark city. The archer's nervousness was slowly melted away as he observed Leon and Sunny's skill.
He observed, as Leon and Sunny decimated a Fallen Beast... on their own...
Monsters... was the only thing he could describe them as.
Leon wiped the blood off his blade, while Sunny was busy digging for soul shards.
Leon sighed, and turned towards Kai.
"Kai, buddy. What's wrong?"
Kai flinched. He shook his head frantically, and approached them.
"You guys... killed a Fallen Beast. All on your own..."
Sunny looked up, his face already grinning.
"Hey, Night." He wiped his hands. "Guess what? This was nothing. The first time I was in a Nightmare, I faced an Awakened Tyrant."
Kai froze.
"An—"
"Awakened," Sunny confirmed pleasantly. "Tyrant."
Leon felt obligated to contribute. "I had a Titan in mine. Not sure if it was Awakened or Fallen, honestly. Things got complicated."
Sunny rolled his eyes.
"Sure sure. Except you didn't kill it. I did in mine."
Leon gritted his teeth.
"Oh yeah? I met a dragon in my First Nightmare. It was at least Supreme rank."
Sunny's mouth gaped open. He glanced at Kai, who's face was already pale. His knees were barely keeping him standing. Sunny turned back to Leon.
"I technically met a Divine being in mine."
Sunny said, grinning madly.
Leon opened his mouth, but he couldn't top that. After all, even the dragon was two ranks below that.
"Hey Kai—"
But Kai was already on the ground. His eyes were still widened from shock, and he was already unconscious. Kai's mouth was still hanging open, muttering something.
The two of them stood over him.
"...Did we say too much?" Leon asked.
"We got excited," Sunny said.
"He was doing so well."
"He was doing well."
They remained quiet for a while.
"Should we?"
"Give him a minute," Sunny said.
***
The third time Leon went to see Seishan, she was arguing with one of her handmaidens about something he couldn't quite hear from outside the door. The argument stopped very suddenly when he knocked.
He let himself in.
The handmaiden placed a cup of tea on the table for her lady and left.
As she left, Leon stood up and walked toward the table.
"She a new recruit?"
Leon asked as he grabbed onto the cup of tea.
Seishan raised an eyebrow.
"How did you get in."
"I knocked."
"The door was locked."
"Mm." Leon pulled out a chair and sat.
He put a hand into his bag, and grabbed out a bottle of blood. His free hand slowly raised the cup of tea.
Placing the bottle on the table in front of him, he slid it toward Seishan while sipping on the cup of tea.
"Fallen, of course."
Sieshan froze.
"How did you—"
Leon sipped the tea louder, cutting her off.
"Anyway, I have some news for you."
She hesitated, but looking at his calm demeanor, she sighed and grabbed onto the bottle, opening it.
"You usually do."
Leon smiled as he placed the cup of tea back on the table.
"Caster of the Han Li clan."
Smelling the aroma of the fallen blood, Seishan's nostrils flared as she smiled.
"Changing Star's puppy?"
Chuckling, he sat back onto a chair and crossed his legs.
"He's after you."
She paused, as she put the bottle back down.
"What do you mean?"
Leon expression grew dark. He leaned forward and locked eyes with Seishan.
"He wants to assassinate the princess of Song clan, so his standing in the Valor clan can grow."
Seishan frowned slightly, as she looked at Leon.
"How do I believe that? The Han Li clan has always been loyal to Song."
Leon shrugged as he raised his arms.
"You don't need to, just watch out for him, and if he does come, know I warned you."
Seishan slowly nodded.
"I will keep that in mind."
Nodding, Leon stood up and prepared to leave.
As his presence disappeared, Seishan sighed.
"Perhaps... Mother will like this man."
She muttered under breath.
***
Nearly a month had passed since Leon began trying to infiltrate the inner administration of Gunlaug's bright castle.
She would already have a cup waiting for him when he arrived. He would sit down and drink tea while she sat across from him, and drink the blood from different creatures Leon would bring her — which had become a routine now.
At first she would check the blood thoroughly for poision or sedatives. But eventually, she eased into it.
Seishan, although still wary of him, had trusted him enough to form a temporary alliance. Because what she hated more than Gunlaug, was being stuck on the forgotten shore.
"You're unusual," she said eventually.
"I've been told."
"Most people who come to me want something straightforward. Money, women, or even me." She turned her cup slowly. "You want — what, exactly? I've been trying to determine it."
"Allies," Leon said.
"Everyone wants allies."
"Not normal allies, of course."
She looked at him for a moment.
"And what way do you mean it?"
Leon tilted his head slightly.
"I mean — people I can trust. Strong people, smart people." He leaned forward. "People who never give up."
Seishan remained quiet.
She turned her face slightly to the window. Her face was — striking, her eyes grey were cold. She looked almost as beautiful as Cassie.
After a moment she said:
"You are strange, Leon."
"You've mentioned."
Seishan's lips curled upward.
"It wasn't a complaint."
"Mm." Leon was too busy contemplating something else to catch the meaning behind her last sentence.
'If I can farm one soul shard every 3 days, that makes it 2 per week... No, more like 2.1? 2.2? So how many would I get in a month? How much longer till I'm a millionaire...'
"Do you find me frightening?"
Leon thought about it honestly.
"Not really."
Seishan's expression shifted briefly.
"Most people," she said, "lie."
"I know." He refilled his tea. "That must be annoying."
Seishan narrowed her eyes.
He looked up at her. She was watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read — which was unusual, because by now he had a dictionary on most of them. This one was something he hadn't encountered before.
It was a slightly softer version of the one she wore when she was waiting for something.
Seishan let out a soft breath and turned her head.
"Changing Star has contacted me for an alliance."
"What did you tell her?"
"That I'd consider it."
"Good." Leon stood up from his chair. "I have a better proposal, but I'm not ready for it yet. Don't commit to her side."
"The one where you asked if I wanted to leave the Forgotten Shore and refused to elaborate further?"
He stood still for a moment, then smiled.
Leaning forward, he grinned.
"I only ask of you not to expose my presence. Wouldn't it be in your best interest to gain information from two parties?"
Leon walked toward the door
"Leon."
He turned around, to see her eyes filled with anger, just a tiny amount.
"See you again."
"Uh... sure. See you soon, Seishan."
Noah, quiet until now, gaped his mouth open.
"Song Seishan... She's not... No way..."
Leon raised an eyebrow, but Noah refused to elaborate.
***
Leon sat in the darkness of an underground room, close to the dark city's borders, Sunny sat opposite to him around the round table.
Time passed and eventually, Seishan and Kai arrived.
As they took seat around the round table, Leon clasped his hands and smiled. A luminous memory above their heads lit the entire room.
"Mad Scythe," Seishan spoke first. Her tone was dry. "What do we owe this pleasure to."
Leon's eyes twitched. "I hate that name."
"I know."
Sunny cleared his throat.
"The purpose of this meeting," he said, trying to sound serious. "is an alliance. A formal one."
Kai looked up. His green eyes moved between the three of them.
Leon spread his hands on the table.
"Sunny is the strongest Sleeper on the Forgotten Shore." He watched Seishan's eyes move to Sunny. He watched Sunny's expression remain neutral.
"Stronger than me. Probably capable of defeating Changing Star — in her current state."
He looked at Kai.
"Night is an exceptional archer. You know his flaw. You've also, had time to observe what he actually does with it." He paused. "His flaw is the reason this table works. Anyone who sits at it cannot lie without him knowing."
Kai slowly narrowed his gaze onto the table. Leon knew he probably hurt Kai's feelings by indirectly calling him a lie detector. But he told himself not to lie in front of Kai.
"Seishan." His eyes moved to her last.
"She's a key figure in the Song clan. She's the leader of the Handmaiden, a lieutenent for Gunlaug. Her combat abilities could be considered admirable."
Seishan's mouth moved. Her smile was almost unnoticeable.
"And me?" He let out a sharp breath. " You already know me."
Leon summoned the broken halo in the form of a longsword. He gripped it tight, and let the blade point toward the center of the table.
"Call this an alliance. An organization."
Seishan remained expressionless.
"And what is the... purpose of this organization?"
Leon smiled.
Noah sighed. "Go on. Tell them you wanted to do this, just because it 'sounded cool'. "
"We work for each other's benefits. We do not cross each other. The perfect alliance."
Sunny summoned the Midnight Shard and placed it on the table. Kai did the same, with his bow.
Seishan looked at the table for a while.
She looked at Leon. Her gray eyes staring down at his.
"As long as we can agree with each other. And our goals don't differ."
She summoned her own weapon, and placed it down.
Leon took a deep breath.
"The Round Table, is born."
"That sounds," Kai said carefully, "like something you've wanted to say for a while."
"I think it's a good name." Seishan said, her eyes closed.
Kai and Sunny turned their heads toward her.
Leon smiled.
Sunny scoffed.
"Well, I suppose the first thing in order for the Round Table, is Gunlaug."
Leon nodded.
"I have a plan for that."
Everyone turned toward Leon. He smiled, slowly turning into a grin.
"A rebellion."