A vast, empty expanse.
Grey mist danced below, faint tendrils coiling here and there as if following an invisible current of air. The sense of familiarity made Zachary recognize immediately where he was standing — and he couldn't hide his surprise.
The mindscape he had entered during his First Nightmare. The Mind World, where he had ended the Original One's existence.
He looked down at his hands. Compared to that first time, Zachary was now in a corporeal form. His true, naked body stood alone, surrounded by nothingness. His lips curled into a wry smile as he glanced around, searching for something… or someone. But deep down, Zachary knew — he was the only one here.
And yet, for some strange reason, he could feel he wasn't alone. His smile softened, and he placed a hand over his heart.
"You're watching, right?" Zachary asked into the emptiness.
The void remained unresponsive. Still, Zachary continued.
"I can admit now that my words back then were just self-indulgence…" he said, a faint trace of shame in his voice. His gaze dropped as the mist swirled gently around his ankles.
It had taken so much pain — and nearly losing himself to his Flaw — for him to admit this. But now, he was certain of it. His words carried resolution and hope.
"I'm working, step by step, to make them true…" His voice trembled slightly, but he clenched his fists and pressed on. "So keep watching over me, got it? I'll make sure to give a good show."
Zachary smiled broadly into the empty air, where no one was looking back.
And yet, unseen to him, the mist trembled.
***
Zachary opened his eyes in surprise, and without missing a beat his hands moved in haste to his stomach — to the place where the fatal wound had promised his demise.
Now… nothing. It had been healed.
Calming his racing heart, he finally took a moment to look around. He was resting on a bed of dry leaves, and watching over him was Nephis — her usual calm demeanor intact, though the faint relief behind her grey eyes betrayed her composure.
Cassie knelt beside him. Her blind eyes could not hide her worry. Her pristine face was now streaked with soot and grime, courtesy of the flames she had fallen through during the battle.
Zachary turned his attention back to himself. His fingers traced the lines of his abdomen — not a single scar remained. Tilting his head slightly, he noticed his right hand still clenched tightly around the shaft of Ender's Solace. Even in unconsciousness, he had refused to let go of his weapon. A soft warmth pulsed from the blade, and Zachary had a vague suspicion about where his previous experience had come from.
The Witness' Testament... the mantle had seen better days. Cuts marred the sleeves, chest, and legs, and the once-pristine cloth now looked like a collection of rags — not to mention the huge hole in the abdomen. The dark-blue fabric was soaked in blood, dyed nearly black.
Propping himself up on his elbows, Zachary decided to break the awkward silence.
"Well… it didn't turn out that bad, right?" he said with a small grin.
Nephis's eyes twitched slightly, but before she could argue, Cassie's soft voice came from beside him.
"How are you feeling, Zach?" the blind girl asked. Her voice carried worry — and something that sounded a lot like guilt.
Zachary considered her question and the feelings behind it. But, sensing he already knew where they came from, he decided to focus on himself for now.
He felt great. Extremely great. After his Enlightenment and the discovery of Unity, he felt complete. His mind was fresh and light — this was the clarity Nephis had always spoken of.
But even that wasn't the full extent of it. It was as if his Mind had gone beyond that state, taking clarity to a new level. His thoughts flowed faster — more organic, more refined. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Like Bradley Cooper in Limitless," he said. Before the girls could ask, he continued, "You know the movie, right? The one where the protagonist takes this drug that lets him use a hundred percent of his brain—"
Nephis interrupted with a defeated sigh. "I see you're really okay," she muttered, shaking her head.
Cassie could only laugh in relief.
Zachary scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry for worrying you."
"No, Zach. I should be the one apologizing," Cassie interjected. "After the hammer hit... I don't know why, I suddenly lost balance and I— I'm sorry, Zach." Her voice trembled with guilt.
'So it wasn't an enemy.' Zachary felt a wave of relief knowing there was no hidden foe in the Ashen Barrow — aside from the damned tree looming behind them, of course.
"Don't blame yourself, Cass," he said gently. "It's not your fault. The plan didn't account for something like that."
"The plan that almost killed you," Nephis cut in, her tone sharp. "You almost died, you know that, right?"
There was a hardness in her grey eyes — tension that spoke louder than her words. Zachary's hand moved instinctively to his abdomen, and the phantom pain returned along with that lingering sense of death.
He shook his head, trying to push those thoughts away, but Nephis wasn't finished.
"How long are you going to keep putting yourself in danger?" she asked, her voice calm but devoid of warmth.
"It's not like I have any other options, right?" Zachary shot back, frustration bleeding into his tone. "With this Attribute of mine, what else can I do?"
Nephis frowned, about to reply, but he continued before she could.
"But... you're right," Zachary exhaled tiredly. "I'll ask for your opinion next time — both of you. Is that fine with you?"
Nephis held his gaze for a long moment before giving a short nod and sitting down beside Cassie.
Zachary shifted tiredly. "How much time has passed?"
"About five hours," Nephis answered dryly. "The sea just rose. We were going to take turns watching over you, but now that you're awake, we can finally rest."
With that, the three of them began to prepare for some well-deserved rest. Through Cinder Eyes, Zachary watched as Nephis made a bed of leaves for Cassie. Before long, both girls were asleep, their breathing steady and peaceful.
Zachary, however, stayed awake.
'How should I— no... how should we deal with this tree?' he asked himself over and over as the hours crept by.
Explaining the tree's nature meant revealing where his knowledge came from — and since Cinder Eyes couldn't pry into its essence, he had no plausible excuse. That meant he'd have to reveal the truth about the novel... something he wasn't ready to do.
He was lost in thought when Cassie suddenly sprang upright, her movements sharp and frantic. Zachary flinched, startled, but before he could react, she rushed toward him in panic.
"Please, Zachary! You can't let much time pass!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "Please, we have to get out! Please!"
Nephis was on her feet instantly, her shimmering blade appearing in her hand as she ran toward them.
"What happened?" she demanded, eyes wide with concern as she saw her friend trembling in Zachary's arms.
Before he could respond, Cassie blinked — confusion replacing her panic. "What happened, Neph? Why did you summon your sword?"
A shiver ran down Zachary's spine as he watched the worry fade from Nephis's face.
"I... I don't know," she said slowly.
'... Fuck.' Zachay cursed inwardly. This... this was going to be more difficult than he thought.
"I think Cassie had a Nightmare," Zachary said, forcing calm into his voice. He swallowed the guilt and shame threatening to surface. "There's nothing to worry about... go back to sleep."
As the two girls settled again, Zachary looked at the horizon and clenched his fists.
'I'll take care of it.' His resolve hardened. 'We'll get off this island... I'll make sure of it.'
***
The next morning arrived, and after a brief talk they decided to head toward the western side of the Ashen Barrow — first, to avoid whatever might try to claim the Demon's remains, and second, to scout the path toward the Dark City.
As they walked, Zachary looked up. A Spire Messenger circled above the Ashen Barrow but refused to descend. After a few minutes, it finally left. At his side, Nephis lowered her gaze and kept walking. Zachary waited for her joke — but it seemed she was still too irritated for funny comments.
'How do we travel west?' Zachary mused to himself as they trudged on. 'I really want to avoid sailing. Being in open water… in the middle of the Dark Sea…'
The memory of his arrival at the Forgotten Shore surfaced — those gazes from the deep, that paralyzing pressure crushing his body. Zachary's stomach twisted. Just the memory was enough to send a shiver crawling down his spine and freeze him in place.
'So no, sailing's not an option,' he concluded grimly.
After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the western edge — and the sight before them left them speechless.
An abyss.
A vast crater, its slope so sharp it looked like an endless cliff. The Ashen Barrow, the only high ground for what could be hundreds of kilometers, stood unmoving at its edge. The girls were silent, caught off guard by the abrupt end to their path westward.
Zachary, however, was quiet for a different reason. 'I… I actually forgot.' His head spun. 'I actually forgot this part of the novel.'
His hand pressed against his forehead, now damp with cold sweat. 'I thought they had to sail because they were desperate to escape the Soul Devouring Tree… not because it was the only way left.'
He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Instead, only one thought surfaced:
'What do I do now?'
No one spoke on their way back to camp. The sight of the crater had been enough to crush everyone's morale. Sitting in silence, Zachary decided to shift his focus elsewhere. His eyes landed on the Demon's corpse.
"You know what? I'm going to take a bite of this bastard," he said, walking toward it.
Cassie immediately voiced her concern. "I don't think that's a good idea, Zach. Eating a clearly intelligent creature…" She trailed off, but her meaning was clear.
Zachary didn't care. "Counterargument: this bastard made a hole in my stomach. It's only fair I fill that hole with its meat."
He regretted saying it the second the words left his mouth. Zachary turned quickly toward the girls, praying they hadn't caught the double meaning behind his statement.
They stared back at him expressionless. He sighed in relief. 'Thankfully, they're such refined and educated ladies that they wouldn't laugh at such a vulgar jok—'
A sweet chuckle cut him off — one that quickly turned into a sincere laugh. Its source?
Nephis.
She was holding her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. Color crept up Zachary's face.
"You're laughing? An innocent man just humiliated himself, and you're laughing?" he exclaimed, scandalized.
She didn't answer. Cassie joined in, giggling softly until both of them were openly laughing at him.
"Bah," Zachary muttered, turning away. "I won't engage with such immature people."
Still chuckling quietly to himself, he began cutting meat from the Demon's severed pincer.
Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Cassie spoke again. "I'm not that comfortable with this, Zach. Nightmare Creature or not, it was clearly self-aware. I don't like the idea of eating it."
Suddenly, her expression brightened. "I know! How about we eat this tree's fruits? You mentioned the Demon was eating them before — so we could do the same."
Zachary's shoulders tensed at the mention of the fruits. "The fruits we know nothing about? The fruits from the clearly suspicious tree? Those fruits?" he asked, his voice serious.
Nephis, now calm again, stepped in with her usual composed tone. "Zach's right, Cass. We don't know enough about this tree. But we do know the Demon's meat is safe to consume." She placed a gentle hand on the blind girl's shoulder.
Cassie's expression fell. She sighed but eventually nodded, conceding as they sat by the fire and began roasting the meat.
Watching the flames, Zachary's mind wandered. His thoughts returned to the Abyss — to its impossible depth, and the question of how to move forward. How to deal with this situation?
What's in my—
"No, no, no. No more conspirations," Cassie cut in immediately, a frown adorning her sweet face. "No more planning for today, Zach. Let's rest for once."
Zachary flinched slightly. "How did you know?"
"Oh, please," she said with mock exasperation. "Even I can hear how that brain of yours keeps twisting and turning."
Her lips twitched as she glanced at the piece of meat in his hands, then sighed in defeat and took a small, hesitant bite of it.
"Cass is right, Zach," Nephis added, siding with the blind seer. "You're the one who needs the most rest."
Her gaze dropped to his abdomen, peeking through the bloody hole in his mantle. "Speaking of that... shouldn't you retrieve your armor to your Soul Sea so it can mend itself?"
"Nope," Zachary replied curtly, taking another bite of meat without offering further explanation.
But inwardly, he muttered to himself: 'I don't know what enchantments this mantle has, but I'll need every layer of defense I can get to resist the tree's enthrallment. My Mind control gives me an edge against mind attacks, sure… but this is an Awakened Terror we're up against. I can't afford to be careless.'
Nephis studied him for a few seconds, then turned her attention back to tending the food. Zachary was about to resume his train of thought, but decided not to push his luck with the girls and stayed silent.
'In the original novel, they stayed in the Ashen Barrow for almost a month before barely escaping. But I already know what we're facing — and this time, I have the advantage. I can act early, plan ahead, and move carefully.'
That thought finally eased his mind.
After eating and resting a little, Nephis stood up and brushed the dry leaves from her armor. Looking at Zachary and Cassie, she said flatly, "I'm going to climb the tree. Maybe from a higher altitude I can spot another path."
She turned to Zachary. "Please watch over Cassie while I'm away." And with that, she began her graceful ascent into the tree's towering branches.
Zachary watched her for a moment before glancing toward Cassie. The blind girl looked bothered, clearly not thrilled about having eaten the Demon's flesh — but she wasn't complaining either.
Sighing deeply, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
The only danger present was the damned tree looming above them. He still didn't have an answer on how to protect the girls from it. He needed information — and to get that, he first had to understand what had changed within him.
After checking that Cassie was busy amusing herself by blowing dry leaves with her staff, Zachary finally summoned his runes.