Everything was silent.
Zachary could still see Nephis's light burning faintly in the depths as they reached the statue's hand. He immediately grabbed Cassie and jumped out of the boat with her in his arms. The blind seer was barely conscious, tears spilling from her unfocused eyes, incoherent murmurs trembling past her lips.
"This wasn't— Why?— It shouldn't—" Zachary heard her fragments of thought as he let her rest against one of the stone fingers.
Then he noticed.
The light beneath the water was gone.
Darkness reclaimed its throne across the sea.
A dreadful feeling clawed at Zachary's heart — cold, sharp, merciless — but he forced it down. He crushed it. Switching his focus, he rushed back to the boat and summoned Antlered Wrath. With a clean strike he opened a hole in the deck. They couldn't risk even the smallest chance of the vessel attracting anything.
He continued striking the crude craft quietly, methodically. And just as the boat began sinking, Cinder Eyes caught something glinting — something tying the carapace plates together.
The Golden Rope.
Nephis's Memory was still summoned.
Zachary's heart leapt as he bent down to reach it. But just as his fingertips brushed the water, a bloody hand shot out of the darkness and seized his wrist.
He almost screamed — but held himself back. Grabbing the hand, he pulled upward… only for his heart to plummet.
There was nothing attached to the arm.
Zachary stared at the severed limb, recognizing the vambrace of the Starlight Legion Armor instantly. It was Nephis's arm. Just as he was about to curse, a second hand gripped the edge of the statue's stone, and without wasting a moment, Zachary bent down and pulled Nephis up with desperate care.
What he saw hollowed him out.
The entire left side of her face was destroyed — her eye gone, her cheek shredded down to torn muscle and exposed teeth. The short hair on that side of her head had been ripped away, revealing raw, bloody scalp.
Zachary's mouth went dry. Words died in his throat. Clenching his teeth, he wrapped an arm around her waist and carried her to the center of the statue's palm.
Above him, he could hear Cassie saying something — but he couldn't register anything except Nephis's injuries. The Starlight Legion Armor was shattered. The left side of her torso was torn open, broken ribs jutting into her lung. Cinder Eyes made every sickening contraction visible, the punctured organ struggling to draw breath.
A gaping hole yawned across her stomach, revealing torn bowels shifting faintly with each shallow breath. She was in even worse condition than in the novel.
Zachary wanted to close his eyes — to look away from the horror. But he refused. Nephis had taken these wounds for his sake. The least he could do was witness them, and help her however he could.
As he steeled himself, a broken sound escaped Nephis's ruined lips, followed by a wet series of bloody coughs. Zachary understood immediately. He grabbed the severed arm and pressed it gently to her mangled shoulder, holding it firmly in place.
A bright light erupted from Nephis's remaining eye.
An agonized wail tore itself from her throat as fire burst across her skin, pouring from her flesh like molten light. It was a cruel miracle — the holy flame burning away the damage in waves, reshaping and restoring her body even as the process wracked her with unimaginable pain.
Horrific. Beautiful. A cleansing inferno.
Minutes passed like a lifetime.
When the flames finally died, Nephis lay whole and unblemished — her body restored, her broken armor the only witness to what she had endured in the abyss. Her eyes were unfocused, dazed. She exhaled once, softly.
Then she collapsed into unconsciousness.
Nephis's short breaths were interrupted by a soft voice behind him.
"Is— is she ok?" Cassie asked with a shaky breath. Her voice betrayed the chaos in her mind, barely managing to form coherent words.
Zachary turned his head slightly toward her. "Yes, she is. Come here, Cass… she'll need you."
The blind girl carefully descended from the stone fingers and took slow, deliberate steps toward his voice. Kneeling beside him, she reached out and stroked Nephis's hair with gentle fingers. Then she removed her cape and draped it over the unconscious girl.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The distant groans of the Dark Sea below were the only sound.
Then Cassie looked toward him. Now that she knew Nephis was safe, her eyes regained their focus. She raised her hand cautiously, grazing his arm — hesitant, searching — before finding his sleeve.
"You didn't jump," she whispered. Not accusing. Not judging. Just stating a simple, fragile truth.
Zachary's jaw tightened. "…No."
Cassie lowered her head. "Good." Her voice cracked. "We… we need you here."
Zachary didn't trust himself to answer. So he didn't.
He watched Cassie carefully caress Nephis's hair, and a few moments later, he released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Relief, faint and unsteady, washed over him.
'I can't relax. We're not safe.' Zachary told himself, only to close his eyes a moment later. 'Yet… maybe I can feel relief for a few seconds… just a few seconds.'
His mind was fraying at the edges. He was exhausted — truly exhausted. The Soul Devourer's assault, the high-stakes clash with Nephis, the emotional tension with Cassie, the nerve-wracking journey through the Dark Sea… even a moment of rest felt forbidden.
But maybe…
Just today.
Zachary closed his eyes, and his breath steadied. A calm breeze drifted across the stone palm. Nothing changed, and yet somehow, everything did.
Night passed.
Zachary woke with a start. Instinctively, he reached into the inner pocket of his mantle for the carved carapace plaque — only to exhale in relief a moment later. The Soul Devourer no longer clung to his mind. He didn't need to check himself anymore.
He pressed a hand to his face and let out a tired sigh. "I'm not some kind of veteran with PTSD, man…" he muttered, and a low chuckle escaped him.
He turned to his side. Cassie was still asleep beside him. They had stayed close for warmth atop the cold stone. Looking at the blonde girl, Zachary's thoughts spiraled again, chaotic and heavy. The conversation on the boat repeated itself in his mind, followed by the words she'd said before: "We need you."
'Why must things be so complicated…' Zachary thought, cursing under his breath.
He turned his gaze downward, toward the unconscious figure of Nephis. His eyes lingered on her for a long time, tracing her now-pristine face. One single word plagued Zachary's mind.
"Why?"
Why had she jumped?
Why had she put herself in such danger?
Why… for someone like him? If Cassie knew something about him, then Nephis must know as well — so why?
What did she gain from it? Why would she act out of character?
Zachary froze. He could hear the hard thump of his heartbeat in his ears. He repeated those last words again and again.
'Out of character...'
He knew. He had always known. 'She— she's no longer a character.'
Zachary realized as something strange stirred through him.
Despite living in this world — a world he knew had become real — some unconscious part of him had still been treating it like fiction. Treating its inhabitants the same way. Characters. Lines of text. Words on a screen.
But now...
That strange feeling spread deeper through his chest, but Zachary couldn't give it a name.
He steadied his breath and looked at Nephis one last time. Knowing she wouldn't be waking anytime soon, he decided to enter his Soul Sea. It was time to finally see the true changes Blood Weave had brought to his vision.
The Eternal Sunset welcomed him. Warm, fractured colors washed across the sky, bringing a strange but soothing calm to his mind. Purples bleeding into violets and oranges — a truly beautiful sight. Raising his gaze further, Zachary focused on the fissures above, and what lay between them...
Nothing.
Nothing looked back at him from the darkness.
"I guess I can be thankful for that," Zachary muttered as he walked toward the radiant sun at the center of the Sea — and the gleaming stars drifting around it.
But as he took his first step, he finally noticed something.
The water beneath his feet remained tranquil, reflecting the fractured sky above. But in its depths, Zachary saw something new.
Clouds of darkness — as if ink had been dropped into clear water and left perfectly still. Wisps of drifting black formed strange, swirling patterns. There were many of them, scattered across the depths, some larger, some smaller. One in particular sank far deeper and darker than the rest.
Zachary knew it meant something, something truly important. He scratched his head, trying to decipher it, but after a while he admitted defeat. He lacked the knowledge to draw any real conclusions.
With a defeated sigh, he continued walking toward the Memories orbiting his Core. When he reached them, he summoned his runes.
Name: Zachary.
True Name: Heaven's Equal. [Unclaimed]
Rank: Dreamer.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Soul Fragments: [602/1000].
Memories: [Ender's Solace], [Witness' Testament], [Antlered Wrath], [Midnight Shard].
Echoes: [Carapace Scavenger].
Attributes: [The Fool], [Mark of Sin], [Conqueror's Soul], [Blasphemer], [Enlightenment], [Spark of Divinity], [Blood Weave].
Aside from the new additions in his Attributes, what caught his attention were the two new fragments he had received — courtesy of those cursed fruits from that damned tree.
"Fucking bastard," Zachary muttered, barely suppressing the urge to spit. This was his Soul, after all — he needed to keep it clean.
A small laugh escaped him at his own joke, and then he turned his attention to the weaves of his Memories. He began with the warhammer — by far the simplest among them. The tapestry of light that formed it, the intricate threads and inner workings, were beyond anything he could describe.
Finally, new runes appeared beneath the rest.
Memory: [Antlered Wrath].
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Tier: I
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [The dragon fought valiantly…]
Memory Enchantments: [Rising Ire].
Enchantment Description: [Accumulate the kinetic energy of the swings to release it on the tenth].
Zachary nodded quietly.
"This confirms it. It's a simple enchantment, but it'll come in handy in a myriad of situations," he said approvingly as he focused his gaze on his tattered mantle.
As Zachary examined the weaves, something struck him with genuine shock. A single Transcendent Soul Shard served as the core of the Memory — but countless clusters of tangled strings surrounded it, restricting it, choking its brilliance. The essence flowing out of the shard was losing potency as it passed through the seals.
This explained everything. Despite Dahrio having been a Transcendent human, the Memory remained merely Awakened.
"I can feel it… as I advance, this seal will weaken, raising the rank of the Memory until it reaches its rightful power," Zachary murmured, poorly containing his excitement. "Hmm… but I don't know if the seals will break just by ascending, or if I'll need to follow certain procedures tied to Dahrio's Will…"
He shook his head. "Only time will tell." Then he summoned the runes.
Memory: [Witness' Testament].
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Tier: I
Memory Type: Armor
Memory Description: [The Witness Mantle, once…]
Memory Enchantments: [Guardian's Care], [Mantle of Duty].
Seeing the name of the enchantments, Zachary couldn't help but smile faintly, thinking of Dahrio. He focused on the first enchantment.
Enchantment: [Guardian's Care]
Enchantment Description: [Provides the wearer with protection against targeted attacks.]
"So that's how it is…" Zachary said with a growing smile.
Everything clicked into place. This was an invaluable enchantment — an all-round defense against most esoteric forms of harm, simply by virtue of an attack being aimed at him.
He remembered his fight with the demon and how, despite the armor being Awakened, its physical defense had been comparatively low. Now it made sense.
In exchange for lower physical protection, he gained powerful resistance against Soul and Mind attacks — anything that specifically targeted him.
His eyes widened. "So that's why I had an advantage against the Soul Devourer, huh?"
But another realization settled in. "That also means I'm weak against elements and AoE attacks…"
He grimaced. And then another thought surfaced — more intimidating, but also promising.
Once someone reached Supremacy, they could use their Will freely. And since Will manifested by targeting the world and their opponents, then this Memory…
"It'll work wonders against that kind of foe…" Zachary muttered, impressed — and slightly nervous. "But there's still a long time before I face enemies like that."
He moved on to the remaining enchantment — and his heart began beating faster.
Enchantment: [Mantle of Duty]
Enchantment Description: [This mantle can be worn over a different armor].
This… This was a game changer.
The largest drawback of the Witness' Testament was its low physical defense. But this enchantment meant he could wear it atop another armor — gaining what the mantle lacked while keeping its esoteric defenses.
And considering the mantle would rise in rank over time? This wasn't just a good Memory.
It was one of the most ideal armor Memories imaginable.
Finally, he called forth Ender's Solace. His heart began to beat faster, almost nervously.
Memory: [Ender's Solace].
Memory Rank: ???
Memory Tier: ??
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [There is not a single soul...]
As Zachary inspected the Memory, something immediately stood out.
No matter how hard he focused, the weaves were impossible to follow. They were cloudy, unfocused, endlessly convoluted — like trying to track smoke with his eyes. And he couldn't find the Soul Shard that acted as the Memory's core. No matter how deep he looked, it wasn't there.
But that wasn't what truly stole his breath.
Ender's Solace did not have enchantments.
It had Attributes.
Memory Attributes: [Soul Companion], [Evolutionary Trait], [Contempt of the Weak].
Reading the runes made his heart tremble. This was the same kind of Attribute he'd glimpsed in the First Nightmare — the one that had hinted at what he could have become with the Original One. His breath grew shaky, but he forced himself to keep reading.
[Soul Companion] Attribute Description: "This weapon is alive. It shares the Soul and Longing of —unknown—."
[Evolutionary Trait] Attribute Description: "This weapon is able to grow. It will improve to make its wielder's path less arduous."
[Contempt of the Weak] Attribute Description: "This weapon has developed the ability to damage higher-order enemies."
Zachary stood speechless. His mouth hung open for several seconds before a trembling breath escaped — which then broke into laughter. Heartfelt, relieved, disbelieving laughter.
"Hahahaha…" He covered his eyes with a hand as his shoulders shook.
"So that's how it is…" he murmured once he collected himself.
The trembling in his heart faded. In its place was warmth.
There was so much to unravel. First: Ender's Solace was alive.
That was why it possessed Attributes instead of Enchantments. Why it could share his Soul. Why it — he — responded to his [Enlightenment] Attribute, allowing the blade to be coated in soul essence. And it explained why Zachary couldn't find a Soul Shard.
He was the core of it.
Second: the Spell still labeled him as —unknown—. With everything that had happened, with every glimpse into himself and his abilities, he realized it likely wasn't because he had some connection to the Void. It was because the Spell simply couldn't categorize the existence of a Transmigrator.
"I don't know if that's a bad or good thing," Zachary muttered, scanning the runes again.
It seemed Ender's Solace's inherent Attribute was its ability to evolve. And [Contempt of the Weak] was the proof — the change triggered during the battle with the Carapace Centurion, enabling the weapon to harm a foe far above its intended rank.
"I don't think it can grow indefinitely, though," he said, scratching his chin.
"This ability must be limited. Probably one slot for each step my Soul takes. One as a Sleeper, another as an Awakened, and so on."
By the connection between them, he knew he was right.
Looking up at the broken sunset above him, Zachary dismissed the runes. A calm smile touched his lips.
The Original One… Zachary had ended his life. Yet somehow, he'd found a way to follow Zachary still — to accompany him on his journey.
Zachary placed the guard of Ender's Solace against his forehead, eyes closing.
"Thank you," he whispered before stepping out of his Soul Sea.
***
Two days needed to pass before Nephis finally woke up.
Zachary spent that time taking care of her and talking with Cassie. Watching the blind seer behave so naturally almost made him wonder if he had imagined everything that happened at the Ashen Barrow — and their conversation on the boat.
But he knew it wasn't a delusion. She knew about him.
'But is that exactly true?' Zachary asked himself as he watched Cassie gently comb her fingers through Nephis's hair.
'I mean… the Spell — the divine tapestry made from dead gods — can't even name me properly. It can't recognize my transmigrated existence. So what could a Dormant human possibly know about me?' he reasoned, before chuckling softly.
'Look at me, playing devil's advocate for someone I should probably be suspicious of.' But the truth was clear: Zachary felt no hostility toward her.
He watched her quietly. His face betrayed none of his thoughts, yet the faint trembling in his crimson eyes hinted at the conflict within. Eventually, his whole demeanor loosened.
'You know what? I don't care. It is what it is. Whether I want it or not, this… whatever we have started with my lack of honesty. I'm partially at fault here. And yet… my feelings were genuine too. I really do welcome the friendship I've formed with her.'
With that, Zachary let go of every lingering hesitation he had been carrying toward the blind seer.
'I'll stay friends with her. And if it blows up in my face… at least I'll know it wasn't because of me.' At last, his mind was at peace.
Hours later, Nephis opened her eyes.
She rose slowly. Her gaze regained focus bit by bit until it settled on Cassie, who immediately threw her arms around her in a tight hug. Nephis turned her head until she found Zachary — who was staring straight at her, a tense frown carved on his face.
Sighing, he stepped closer and asked in a calm, steady voice:
"Why did you do that?"
The question had been eating at him for the last two days, worsening with every moment spent watching her unconscious. So he asked it the first moment he could.
Nephis held his gaze. After a long silence, she tilted her head slightly, as if she truly didn't understand the confusion behind the question.
"You said you were scared of the sea," Nephis replied matter-of-factly, as though it were the simplest thing in the world.
Zachary's mind went completely blank.
"This— You— But— It can't—" he stammered, his face twisting into a comically baffled expression.
Cassie stared at him in surprise. Even Nephis raised an eyebrow. For once, Zachary was utterly speechless.
Finally regaining control of his tongue, he managed a single word:
"Unbelievable."
He dragged a hand down his face before bursting into genuine laughter.
"You're truly unbelievable, you know that, right?" he said with a grin, lowering himself and offering a hand to her.
Nephis looked at his hand for several seconds. Then, faintly — barely visible — the corner of her lips curled upward. She took his hand and stood. Cassie remained close at her side as Nephis walked toward the statue's massive fingers, staring out toward the walls of the Dark City in the distance.
"What are you waiting for?" Zachary called from behind. "We still have enough daylight to reach them."
Nephis turned, gave a sharp nod, and said:
"Let's go."
They didn't waste any time descending the statue. After all the days spent in the Forgotten Shore — scaling corals, cliffs, and broken titan remains — they were nothing if not experienced climbers.
Once they reached the ground, they set their course toward the Dark City and its colossal walls. That didn't mean they were careless. Nephis took the lead, eyes sharp as she scanned the surroundings. Cassie followed close behind, clutching her staff with both hands. Meanwhile, Zachary trailed a little further back… carefully kicking any pebble or loose stone he came across.
'It must be here somewhere,' Zachary thought as he nudged a small rock forward and watched it bounce straight into Nephis's boot. She shot him a brief, raised eyebrow before returning her gaze to the front.
'Man, this brings back memories,' he mused, lampooning himself. 'I'm like a bored kid on the sidewalk, trying to keep a random pebble going while giving myself points for hitting things.'
His inner commentary was abruptly cut short by a deafening roar — coming from under his foot.
Nephis reacted instantly, summoning her sword with sparks of white flame dancing around her fingers. Cassie stepped back so she wouldn't interfere. But there was no threat — or rather, no dangerous threat.
Nephis glanced at Zachary's lifted foot with a confused expression. Zachary, meanwhile, was wincing.
'Fuck, I'd really appreciate some more physical defense right now,' he thought, grimacing as sharp teeth gnawed at his boot. Witness' Testament blocked the bite itself, but the pain still surged through him.
Without hesitation, Zachary summoned Ender's Solace and sliced the rock-creature cleanly in two.
[You have slain an Awakened monster, Rolling Stone.]
[You have received a Memory: Ordinary Rock.]
Hearing the Spell's announcement, Zachary grinned widely. He had obtained the fan-favorite Memory.
Turning back toward Nephis — whose expression had already returned to its usual aloof neutrality — he cleared his throat lightly.
"We can continue," Zachary said awkwardly as he collected the Soul Shards from the remains.
They resumed their cautious march, and thankfully nothing else blocked their path. Eventually, they reached the foot of the giant wall. The wet stone glistened with an oily sheen under the sun.
Then the climb began — a long, grueling ascent.
It took them a while, but they finally reached the top of the wall — and what Zachary saw below left him baffled. He remembered the first time he had gazed upon the crimson labyrinth from atop the knight statue, on the very first day he arrived at the Forgotten Shore. Back then, he had thought no other sight could ever steal his breath again.
He was wrong.
The Dark City stretched beneath them: burned stone buildings with high, pointed roofs; jagged spires; long, arching bridges; and vast plazas carved from what seemed to be black marble. The architecture resembled something between gothic and baroque — yet there was something foreign woven into the design, something magical that momentarily made Zachary forget the city was plagued by Nightmare Creatures.
Despite all that… he had to admit it.
The Dream Realm was truly beautiful.
A tug at his sleeve pulled him back to reality.
"Zach, what do you see?" Cassie asked, barely containing her excitement.
So Zachary began describing everything Cinder Eyes revealed. The sprawling ruins of the Dark City, from pristine blackened buildings to collapsed piles of rubble. The way the city seemed to have three distinct levels, all connected by a web of stairways, bridges, and tunnels — a complex dance of order and efficiency. And finally, at the very center: the Bright Castle.
With each detail, Cassie's expression brightened. Even Nephis, beside him, allowed a faint smile to form — about as expressive as her usually impassive features allowed.
"Yes! This is the castle I saw!" Cassie exclaimed, bouncing lightly on her feet.
Zachary could only feel pity for them.
Because he had looked upward — past the Bright Castle, past the highest rooftops, past even the highest platform of the city — and there it stood.
The Crimson Spire.
Titanic, oppressive, dwarfing the entire city. It cast its enormous shadow over the Bright Castle, swallowing the hope it represented. A silent reminder of their reality.
But it wasn't his place to break that news to the girls.
So instead, he gently brought them back to focus. "Let's head north. We need to find a way down." He started walking without waiting for them.
No one spoke as they moved. Cassie kept smiling, asking Nephis to describe everything she saw. Nephis obliged with quiet patience. Her words weren't as vivid as Zachary's, but she put genuine effort into making the descriptions pleasant for Cassie — and that effort alone softened her features.
Meanwhile, Zachary scanned the Dark City whenever he dared — or more specifically, the creatures moving through its blackened streets and ruins. Cinder Eyes allowed him to see far more than he ever should have… and sometimes he was forced to shut his eyes and look away before whatever lurked below noticed his gaze.
Danger Sense flared violently whenever he glimpsed them, and honestly, the mere thought of drawing their attention terrified him.
'With my [Blasphemer] Attribute, traversing the Dark City will be impossible,' Zachary thought with cold detachment. 'Considering that most creatures here are Fallen…'
'We'll need a pathfinder if we ever want to reach the Bright Castle.'
Fortunately, he knew exactly where to find one.
Finally, they reached a watchtower. But contrary to his expectations, Zachary's enhanced senses failed to detect anything. No munching, no crackle of fire, no scent of cooked meat. He turned to Nephis, who silently asked with her eyes whether everything was safe.
Zachary nodded quietly before making his way inside the watchtower — and as he did, everything clicked.
'Well, we weren't that faithful to the original itinerary. We left the Soul Devourer much earlier. So it makes sense we didn't find Effie like in the original novel.'
As he descended the steps, he found an empty camp. The stone shards encircling a cold bonfire showed no one had been here in days. Exchanging glances with Nephis, they continued downward until they reached the doorway leading into the Dark City.
Or what should have been the doorway — because a huge granite slab blocked it completely.
Zachary brushed it lightly with his fingers. The truth was immediate and absolute: not even with his Soul Core filled to the brim, his Balance and Unity at their peak, would he be able to shift it. Maybe if he masters Flow Control… but even that felt like a fantasy.
"Let's return to the camp we saw before," Nephis said, placing a hand on Cassie's shoulder.
Zachary simply nodded and followed them back.
They sat around a fire Nephis managed to start with some wood she found near the stairs. After taking a sip from Cassie's Memory flask, she addressed him.
"What did you find?" she asked, passing him the water bottle.
"Where to start…" Zachary exhaled, taking a long drink. "Well, for starters — the creatures roaming the Dark City are dangerous. Extremely so. Most of what I saw were of the Fallen Rank. Considering my situation, and the layout of the city, diving in without knowledge would be suicide."
Nephis didn't look surprised.
"We'll probably need the help of someone experienced to cross the city. Fortunately…" Zachary gestured to the campfire they were using. "It seems someone frequents this spot. And judging by the state we found it in, it won't be long before they return. So I say we wait for them. What do you think?"
Nephis studied him for a moment, then nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."
Zachary sighed, leaning back on his hands and staring up at the ceiling. The truth was… he was starving. They hadn't eaten a single thing since escaping the Ashen Barrow. Thinking about it, Zachary winced — not because of his experiences there, but because he remembered how the girls had disposed of the demon's meat.
'Now that meat would have come in handy,' Zachary thought with resignation, closing his eyes.
He was about to suppress the hunger with Body Control when he heard something.
A growl.
His eyes snapped open. He looked at the girls — both utterly still, quiet, showing no sign they had made the noise.
Zachary continued staring at them. Neither reacted.
Finally, he sighed and muttered to himself, "Must have been the wind."
The minutes stretched on tiredly, until finally Zachary couldn't resist anymore. "Should we hunt for some food?" he asked the air, not bothering to hide the weariness in his voice.
Nephis looked at him and nodded immediately — Cassie did the same. Without wasting a moment, the three of them returned to the wall and peered into the Dark City below. The sun was beginning to dip behind the Crimson Spire, the orange light stretching long across the ruins. They didn't have much daylight left.
"How should we do this?" Nephis asked as she tied her Golden Rope to a thick outcrop of stone.
"Same as always." Zachary scanned the outer ruins for any signs of danger. "I'll go down with the rope tied to my waist, lure out one of the weaker things, and if something nastier shows up, you two just haul me up."
He reached for the rope — but Nephis pulled it back before he could touch it.
"No. I'll descend."
Zachary raised an eyebrow. That plan had always fallen to him, from the crimson labyrinth onward. Why the sudden change?
Nephis answered before he could ask. "We don't know what roams the City. We don't even know if stepping on the outer rim is safe. I'll go. You cover me from above."
And without waiting for a reply, she began lowering herself down the rope with practiced ease.
Realizing she was being serious, Zachary didn't argue. After giving her enough space, he followed down the rope while keeping some distance, the two of them descending in silence.
Nephis reached the ground quickly. Zachary remained halfway down, keeping a firm grip on the rope and watching her back. He sharpened both Cinder Eyes and Danger Sense to their limits, scanning for any threat hidden beneath dust, rubble, or shadow — ready to shout the moment he sensed—
Something shifted beneath a pile of broken masonry.
But Nephis moved faster.
Her flaming blade thrust straight through the rubble before Zachary could even open his mouth. She kicked the pile aside, revealing a strange creature — some twisted mix of hare and lizard. Dead before it even knew danger was coming.
Nephis grabbed the small beast by the leg and climbed back toward the wall. When she reached him, she met his stunned expression with a raised eyebrow.
"An Awakened beast," she said simply. Then, noticing his arched brow, she shrugged. "You're not the only one with sharp senses, you know?"
Zachary could only nod as he climbed up after her. 'And here I was worried for nothing.'
Just like that, the group enjoyed a much-needed meal at the edge of the Dark City — only steps away from their true destination. The girls were beginning to believe the end of their arduous, perilous journey was near. Zachary, meanwhile, knew better.
This was only the start of the real one.
The next day, the grinding roar of the granite slab shifting announced the arrival of the camp's owner.