Chapter 682: The Red Sect
Effie stared at him with no amusement whatsoever on her childish face, which only made her attempts to appear serious look more comical. Then, she scowled and said evenly:
"Wanna die?"
Sunny shook his head with a grin, then went into more detail about the things he had learned, including various pieces of information he had gleaned in the nightmares, his experience with the Warmongers, and his observations about Solvane and Noctis.
When he was done, there was silence for a while. The others were digesting all the information he had shared with them, full of thought. Well… everyone except Effie.
The somber silence was soon broken by the sound of loud chewing. The little girl swallowed a piece of meat pie, then blinked a couple of times, noticing that everyone was staring at her. Finally, she wiped the oil off her lips and said:
"What? I am a growing child, you know! I need to eat well to grow big!"
Then, she wiped her oily fingers on the tablecloth and shrugged.
"Well, anyway… I guess I'll go next."
The little girl glanced at Sunny, made a face, and turned away.
"There's not much to tell, anyway. My three months in the Temple of the Chalice were not at all as exciting as Sunny's wild misadventures. Although…"
Her face suddenly grew dim and dark.
"...They weren't very pleasant, either."
Effie sighed, lingered for a few moments, and said spoke in a somber tone:
"Basically, I was sent into the body of one of the Red Sect's younger disciples. An orphan girl who had been entrusted to the Maidens, for better or worse… but mostly worse. As I already said, their teachings had grown cruel and perverse over the centuries. Now that I know about how Hope is manipulating everyone's desires, I finally understand why. That Solvane… she had been raised in the Red Sect, too, a long time ago. The difference is, she managed to escape. But we didn't."
The little girl trembled.
"I ran away once, early on, and managed to make it to the Iron Hand island. But I was caught, and the punishment… at the time, they already knew that nothing they did to me would make me obedient. So, they punished the others in my stead. After that… well, I did not try to escape again. At least while the other girls were still alive."
Effie grew silent for a bit, then shrugged.
"So it was pretty boring. Just endless training… battle training, essence training, body conditioning, and all that stuff. How to endure pain, how to endure fear, how to steel your will. How to be a perfect, merciless, lethal vessel of War. Of course, they were very inventive in their lessons… what better way to teach someone to endure pain than to torture them to the brink of death? Or over it, if the pupil is weak."
The little girl's face turned distant.
"...In the end, everyone turned out to be weak. Except for me."
She took a bite out of her piece of meat pie, chewed it slowly, and then said:
"One time, they put me in a coffin and buried me alive, for a few days. To teach me how to conquer the fear of darkness. These wretches… who said that I was afraid of darkness, to begin with? So… so stupid. But mostly, it was just combat training. They trained us ruthlessly. There's a lot you can achieve with a few Awakened healers and no regard for whether your disciples survive or not. If we broke a bone, the healers would put it back together, and order us to continue. If we bled too much… well, you get the idea."
Effie shook her head.
"The thing was, though, that I was getting it even worse than the rest. The girl whose body I took had the misfortune of Awakening at a very young age, you see. So, the Maidens saw her as their promised chosen one… a prodigious warrior fated to slay Solvane and wash away the humiliation she had visited upon the sect, to avenge her sin and sacrilege. So, they worked me harder than anyone else."
The little girl looked away, then sighed.
"The weirdest part was that all the vile crap they did to us was done without any hint of hatred, malevolence, or bad intentions. On the contrary, the older Maidens treated us like their little sisters — when they were not torturing and killing us, of course. My teacher… Hilde… I think she thought of me as her own daughter. She cared. A lot of good it did, in the end…"
She hesitated for a moment, and then grimaced.
"Well, anyway. Eventually, I was the only one left. Actually, I think they went harder on the other girls because of me. My presence… reignited their fervor, I think. After everyone else died and the Maidens had nothing else to hold over my head, I started planning my escape. I had no idea if I would survive it, but luckily, before I had the chance to find out, Sunny and Kai came and obliterated the whole sect. Cheers! Thanks, by the way."
She nodded at them, and then stuffed her mouth with another piece of the pie, clearly unwilling to say anything else.
Everyone remained silent, until Cassie leaned over and put her hand on the little girl's shoulder. She gripped it softly, and said:
"You did well, Effie. You did well to survive."
Effie looked down, sighed, and then said darkly:
"Ah, but this time, I didn't just want to survive. I wanted to save a few people, too. But I failed… who cares, though? I am too really way too old to be this sentimental. Or maybe that Hope already did a number on my brain… this is just a Nightmare, after all."
Hearing a little girl proclaiming that she was too old to feel grief would have been funny, if it wasn't so sad. No one said anything, until Kai leaned back and sighed.
Then, his grating voice resounded in the stone room, sending shivers running down Sunny's spine:
"Well, in that case, I guess it is my turn. My story is not that long, though. I didn't do much."
He glanced at his hands, with skin that had been replaced by polished tree bark, remained silent for a bit, and then added:
"...I only fought a dragon. And lost."
Chapter 683: To Kill a Dragon
Kai remained silent for a while, and then let out a heavy sigh. He looked away, picked up his charred wooden mask and stared at it for a few moments, then finally spoke:
"I was sent into the body of a centurion of the Sun Legion, the army of the Ivory City. The city… you must have seen it when we entered the Nightmare, rising from the ashes as the time flowed in reverse. It is a wondrous place… beautiful, peaceful, and full of life, with people who are warm, kind, and care deeply for their neighbors. Dozens of flourishing islands, all connected into a single whole by the aerial bridges and arching aqueducts built of white stone…"
The young man paused, grimaced, and took a sip of honey tea to smooth his aching vocal cords. Then, he glanced at the mask again, lingered for a moment, and continued:
"At least that was what I thought, at the start of it. Looking back, I was terribly naive… but it was so easy to be misled by how the Ivory City, and its people, appeared — especially by the stark contrast between the splendor of that enchanting facade and the barefaced vileness of those who wished to destroy it. The merciless, mad killers... Warmongers."
Kai shook his head.
"The people of the Ivory City are just like those we know in the waking world. They have the same values, the same ideals, the same regard for decency and human life… ah, now that I say it aloud, I realize they might be doing much better than us in that regard. My point is… is that they seemed nice. Their city was like a beautiful paradise... like a place that all human cities should strive to be. Was it so unexpected, then, that in this Nightmare, there was someone who wanted to destroy it?"
His eyes grew dim.
"The followers of the cult of Glory, on the other hand, were exactly like what one would imagine the forces of evil to be. Merciless, cruel raiders that worshipped war, slaughter, and bloodshed, killing simply for the sake of killing. Their perverse fate, their zealous belief that by destroying the lives of innocent people they were delivering the gift of salvation to their victims… murderers and madmen, each and every one of them. So, you might understand why I was blinded to the truth… for a while."
The young man took another sip of tea, then put down the mask and looked at them with a dark expression.
"In my naivete, I came to believe myself to be a hero of a grim fairy tale. A noble warrior tasked with protecting a beautiful paradise from the tide of evil. I mistakingly considered the fate of the Ivory City to be the true conflict of the Nightmare, and so convinced myself that protecting it was what we had been sent here to do. Unable to abandon my duty and reluctant to become a deserter, I remained with the Sun Legion, thinking that, sooner or later, you guys will join me."
Kai looked down and sighed heavily.
"...And so, very soon, I became known as a hero of the Legion."
His disfigured face contorted for a moment, but then the young man restrained his emotions and smiled bleakly.
"I know, that fact might sound surprising. Unlike the rest of you, I have never been a fearsome warrior. I have never been a dauntless leader of men, as well. My only real act of bravery was facing the Spire Messengers in the shadow of the Crimson Spire, and even then, I only survived because of Cassie. So… I was very surprised to find myself gaining fame and renown as a fearless battle commander."
Kai looked at them, lingered for a moment, and then said with uncertainty:
"The war between the Ivory City and the Red Colosseum, you see, has been going on for centuries. Its bloody tides come and go, like those of the sea. Sometimes, only small skirmishes and raids happen for decades, and sometimes, there are terrible battles happening every day. Sometimes, only mundane soldiers and Awakened officers fight each other, and sometimes, Ascended champions appear to sow devastation on the battlefield. Sometimes, even the Transcendent Lords descend…"
He paused for a few moments, took a sip of tea, then continued in a neutral tone:
"At the time, I found myself in the center of a sudden shift from a prolonged period of relative calm to the start of a massive offensive by the Warmongers. And very early on, I discovered an unexpected truth…"
He glanced at them, thought for a second, as though carefully choosing his words, and said:
"You see, I was always under the impression that warriors of this mythical era, when gods were still alive and magic permeated the world, were infinitely more knowledgeable, powerful, and proficient in battle than we, humans of the Waking World, are. But as it turns out, that is not so. Maybe a long time ago, during what they call the Age of Heroes, they had been. But now, most of them are far less deadly than we have become… at least those of us who had been forged and tempered by the Forgotten Shore."
Sunny raised an eyebrow, surprised by that statement. Noticing his expression, Kai tilted his head a little.
"...Nightmare Creatures are nowhere near as numerous here as they are in the future. There is no Spell, no Nightmares, no trial of the Dream Realm, no Gates… unlike them, each of us had been forced into a life of bloodshed and conflict, thrown against unimaginable horrors with no choice to retreat or surrender. The Spell might be a cruel teacher, but its vile lessons seem to be morbidly effective. Grow stronger or die, there is no other way for us. So, most Awakened from the real world would have experienced more strife and battle encounters than an average Awakened warrior of this time period."
He sighed, and then added somberly:
"That was why even I, despite my humble Aspect and lacking battle prowess, was able to stand out. I led my soldiers to victory, keeping them alive through the sudden attack by a large force of the Warmongers. And then, I kept them alive through the rest of the campaign, wreaking havoc on the enemy anywhere my centuria appeared."
Kai grew quiet for a long time, and then added, his ugly voice suddenly sounding especially hoarse and grating:
"And that was how I gained the attention of the radiant Lord of my city… of Sevirax, the Ivory Dragon."
Chapter 684: You Must Become a Dragon
Kai poured more tea into his cup, then cradled it in his hands and looked away. He remained silent for a bit, then continued the ominous story:
"After many weeks of battles and bloodshed, the Warmongers were pushed back, and my centuria was recalled back to the Ivory City, to rest and recuperate from the hardships of war. We were met by a jubilant crowd that showered us with rose petals and sang our names… my name, too, louder than all the rest. Ah, what a beautiful sight it was! Victorious, we returned home, and everything was well. For a while, we enjoyed the beauty of the city and the warm company of our fellow citizens."
He took a sip, then shook his head slightly.
"The more I explored the beautiful Ivory City, the more elated I was by its prosperity and its harmonious way of life. It seemed as though people there were all content and happy, treating others with sincere kindness, love, and respect. It was as though they didn't have a care in the world… and there was a reason for that. The people of the Ivory City could live this way, and be this way, because they were protected by the mighty dragon, Sevirax, a true descendant of Sun God. Their lord and protector."
The young man shivered, then added in a hoarse voice:
"The dragon protected them, provided for them, and guided them with his wisdom. It was because of him that the Ivory City was safe, sound, prosperous, and welcoming. Why its citizens were so kind and happy. This… was a paradise of his creation."
Kai took a sip of tea and smiled sadly.
"...Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Ah, but it was. I was just too slow to see it."
He remained silent for a bit, then let out a long sigh.
"At first, I only felt it. A slight, vague… wrongness. As if something was off with these kind, happy, beautiful people. As if there was something hidden behind their sincere smiles. I dismissed it, thinking that it was just my prejudice speaking. A mindset that I brought with me from the waking world. But the more time I spent with them… the more strange details I started to notice. And soon, a harrowing suspicion took hold of my heart."
Kai looked at them, his face growing dark.
"...A suspicion that there was madness hidden deep in their lustrous eyes. The same madness that the Warmongers were infected with, albeit of a different shade. I had never… had never felt as disturbed and afraid as when that thought first entered my mind. I was so afraid, in fact, that for a few days, I closed my eyes to the truth and pretended that nothing was wrong. But the suspicion kept gnawing on my heart, and so, I decided to investigate. It wasn't hard to confirm it."
A bitter grimace contorted his hideous face.
"You see, as it turned out, the Ivory City was indeed prosperous, safe, and beautiful because of the dragon. Its people were indeed protected and provided for by the dragon. In return, the dragon only asked for one thing in return…"
The young man clenched the teacup, almost causing it to crack.
"...To feed him."
He gritted his teeth for a moment, then said quietly:
"To feed him with human flesh. Seven sacrifices had to be made to him every month, from the ranks of the citizens. And the kind, warm people of the Ivory City… were more than happy to provide. Ecstatic, even. Being devoured by the dragon was considered to be a sacred honor, and having a loved one chosen as a sacrifice was a cause for celebration."
The young man grew silent, then said hoarsely:
"...The dragon never dictated who had to be fed to him. But the people of the Ivory City wanted above all else to please the dragon, and so, they always chose the best and the brightest. The most beautiful, the most talented, the most innocent, the most desirable. And there we were, young heroes who had just returned from a triumphant war. The month was up, and so, they chose me and six of my most brave and loyal soldiers."
Kai smiled bitterly.
"What a reward! The sight of them… was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Parents surrendering their children to death with zealous smiles, husbands sending their wives into the dragon's maw with wild joy, friends and neighbors singing and laughing as they led their fellow humans to be eaten by a hungry beast. Only little children did not share in their glee… they cried when their mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters were torn away from them, not understanding what was happening. But the crying children were punished and taught a harsh lesson about how repugnant their behavior was."
He grimaced, then put his cup down and looked away.
"The whole city was insane. Perhaps… perhaps one could argue that a few dozen souls a year are a small price to pay for a paradise. But what is a paradise built on blood worth? …Worthless. It's worthless. And even if it's not, at least the wretches could have made the sacrifice without the ghoulish joy. Without the songs, and the zeal, and the kind, warm, sincere smiles on their beautiful faces."
Kai took a deep breath, remained silent for a while, and then shrugged dismissively.
"...Anyway, we were brought to an island that bordered the Ivory Tower itself, and chained to a white cliff. The jubilant crowd disappeared, and soon after that, we heard the rustle of mighty wings. The dragon landed in front of the cliff, as majestic and fearsome as he was in the legends. A great beast with beautiful ivory scales, and radiant golden eyes that were full of wisdom, nobility, and inhuman intelligence."
Effie was listening with wide eyes, biting her fingers. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and asked in her soft, childish voice:
"How the hell did you survive?! Why didn't the dragon's flames kill you?"
A sad smile appeared on Kai's disfigured face.
"How did I survive? Oh… that was simple, really. When Sevirax appeared, I broke my chains and shielded my comrades, ready to defend them until my last breath. Seeing this, the dragon… he spoke to me."
His smile slowly disappeared, replaced by an expression of anger, shame, and regret.
"You must have already guessed that Ivory Dragon Sevirax is also Sevras, the Ivory Lord. One of the Hope's eternal shackles, a Transcendent whose Transformation Ability allows him to turn into a dragon. He is a human… or at least was a human once, a long time ago. And so, he spoke to me."
The young man sighed.
"He was amused by my reaction. We spoke, and what he told me… it broke me, a little, I think. You see, I had it all wrong. The dragon… he had never once asked the people of the Ivory City to sacrifice anyone, or anything, to him. They had invented the story themselves, and chose the number of the victims themselves, and started bringing him sacrifices of their own free will. Because doing so made them feel as though they were binding themselves to the dragon… that they were becoming a part of the dragon, and so, were of the dragon, and safe from him."
Kai shook his head.
"Sevirax… Sevras… he had lost a part of himself a long time ago, I think. He told me that, in the beginning, he wanted to be a good lord for the people, someone whom they could see, and whom they could strive to become. And so, he rarely appeared in his Transcendent form before them. But as centuries passed, he noticed that people were disturbed by his human face, and were only at peace when he came as a dragon. As if they needed him to be something else… something greater than them. And so, after a while, he abandoned his human form completely. And not long after that, the sacrifices began."
The young man lingered for a few moments, and then continued:
"I asked him to spare our lives, but he refused. He told me that he had never accepted an unwilling sacrifice, and I was free. But the other six… it was as though they were in a trance, or had gone mad. They didn't even try to save themselves. No matter how I begged him to spare them, he refused. This was what his people desired, what they needed. They might have not been bound to him… but he was bound to them. Burdened by them. And so, when nothing else worked… I foolishly tried to stop him."
He smiled bitterly.
"But how could I defeat a dragon? I am not a dragon myself, after all. He swatted me to the ground with one swipe of his tail, breaking my ribs and almost killing me. But I did not die… instead, paralyzed, I watched as he turned his head, opened his maw, and turned my soldiers into ash with one immolating breath."
Kai grew silent, his face unmoving. After a while, he spoke again:
"...Overwhelmed with anger, grief, and despair, I screamed at him, cursing him, swearing that I will tell everyone the truth, that I will make them realize… that I will make them change. But he just looked at me tiredly and said… that I will see. And then, the Ivory Dragon was gone, leaving me alone on the empty island."
He looked down.
"I was too injured to move, and spent the rest of the night in the throes of pain. In the morning, the citizens of the Ivory City came. When they saw that I was alive…"
A pale smile appeared on his hideous face.
"...they were stunned, scared, and angry. And so, they built a pyre, tied me to a stake… and burned me. No matter what I tried to say, no matter how I tried to make them understand, they wouldn't listen. They only grew more scared and hateful. The dragon… he had been right. He had told me the truth. I saw."
Kai picked up his tea, took a sip, and looked away.
"My bindings broke before I died, and so, horribly burned, I shot into the sky like a spark. I flew away from the city, and somehow survived. Crippled and heartbroken, I slowly made my way east, finally reaching the Iron Hand island, and then the Sanctuary, where Sunny eventually found me. Lord Noctis had replaced my burned skin and damaged muscles with enchanted wood and tree bark, and here I am. As good as new."
He sighed, looked at them, and smiled:
"Luckily, I had friends that helped me pick myself up. You guys. I'll do whatever it is you decide to do... but if there is one thing I want to say, it is this. If Noctis wants to kill Lord Sevirax and end the dragon's reign, I would be happy to lend a hand."
Chapter 685: Temple of the Night
When Kai was finished with his story, everyone remained silent for a while. Eventually, the young man sighed and stretched out his hands, which were covered in polished bark and looked more like those of one of the Sailor Dolls than those of a human. He moved his fingers, and then smiled lightly:
"Noctis did a wonderful job of healing my wounds. Just as he had said, some of the pain remains, but I am as strong and capable as I had been before. No, even more so… these enchanted limbs he gave me are much more sensitive to soul essence, and so, they are more durable and powerful than my own flesh had been. I also collected a few Memories during my time in the Sun Legion. Overall, my battle prowess has increased a lot since we entered the Nightmare… not to mention the experience I earned, and the lessons I was taught. Whatever comes, I am ready."
Sunny lingered for a few moments, then let out a low growl:
"What about the other Transcendent of the Ivory City? The Sun Prince? Have you met him?"
Kai frowned and made a vague gesture with his hand.
"Yes… I think. The Sun Prince is supposed to be a brother of Sevirax. Among the people, it is believed that his soul resides inside the metal colossus that guards the Ivory City and sometimes leads the Sun Legion into battle. I've seen him once, from afar… and to be honest, I am not quite sure if that thing is sentient or not."
He hesitated for a bit, and then added:
"You've seen him, too. I think that it is his corpse that swings beneath the Shipwreck Island, tangled in the chain… although I can't quite imagine what kind of force could have destroyed that implacable giant. He is at least ninety meters tall, with a body cast out of solid steel, and nearly invincible. He is... he is also not a living creature, really, and so can't be killed by wounding or damaging his body."
Sunny remained silent for a bit, and then said:
"There is nothing that can't be killed or destroyed... not even the gods. So then… three of the Chain Lords are accounted for, in the future. We've seen the bones of the dragon, Sevirax, on the Ivory Island, and both his brother and Solvane found their doom near the wreck of Noctis's ship. But what… what exactly happened? How did they fall, and how did Hope escape? What happened to Noctis himself, as well as the One in the North? How was the Ivory City destroyed? How did the Tower break free of its chains?"
No one answered, as perplexed as he was. After some time, Cassie finally spoke:
"I am not sure what happened. But I know one thing — because of our arrival, it is happening faster."
They turned to her, and after a moment of silence, Sunny asked:
"...Yours is the last story left. And, to be honest, it is the story I am interested in hearing the most. Because it concerns the fifth Awakened sent here by the Spell. Mordret… he found a way to enter the Seed with us, didn't he?
Cassie sighed heavily and turned her head away. After a while, she said:
"Yes. Yes, he did…"
The blind young woman remained silent for a few moments, gathering her thoughts, and then faced them again.
"Unlike what happened to the three of you, my arrival into the Nightmare was not too harrowing. At least not at the start. I was sent into the body of a young priestess whose duty was to tend to the High Priestess of the Night Temple… the One in the North. In this era, the Night Temple still belongs to the cult of the Goddess of the Black Skies — of Storm God. The deity of darkness, stars, and guidance. And so, no light is allowed on the temple's premises."
She touched her blindfold briefly, then slowly lowered her hand.
"The acolytes spend long years living in the darkness, and blind themselves before becoming priestesses. For that reason, they are known as the Eyeless. Many of the Eyeless are seers, and possess powers of prophecy and divination. For most, becoming a blind priestess inside a lightless temple would have been a terrible trial. But for me… it was strangely soothing. To find myself among those similar to me, in a place where my blindness wasn't an aberrant oddity, but instead a choice."
A pale smile appeared on her lips.
"...However, it was my lady that I found the most comfort in. The One in the North, the Oracle of the Night… she was not unkind. She treated me well enough, and I have learned a lot from her knowledge and wisdom. However, just like the rest of the Chain Lords, she was being consumed by an insidious madness. Hers… was the madness of apathy. Over the centuries, my lady grew indifferent to most things happening in the world, or even to herself. That was why she needed attendants, and I was one of them."
The smile slowly disappeared from Cassie's face.
"That didn't mean that she was powerless or without responsibility, though. All of the northern reaches of the Kingdom of Hope were under her authority and protection. There were many villages and several towns full of mundane humans who relied on the Night Temple for safety and guidance. For that reason, the One in the North ruled not only over the blind priestesses, but also over a small, but fearsome army comprised of both mundane warriors and Awakened."
She sighed slightly.
"Their numbers might not have been as large as those of the armies of the Ivory City and the Red Colosseum, but due to their prowess and my lady's prophetic gift, the north was never attacked by either. The people rarely suffered from the Nightmare Creatures, as well."
Cassie grew silent, and a scowl slowly appeared on her beautiful face.
"...But as the One in the North grew more and more indifferent, that slowly started to change. Still, when I found myself in the Night Temple, things were still more or less fine."
Her scowl deepened, and her face grew dark and despondent. The blind young woman lingered, and then said in a grim voice:
"Until they weren't."
Chapter 686: Creature of the Fog
It was getting late, and darkness crawled into the stone room, drowning its corners in shadows. Cassie sat motionlessly, the graceful lines of her beautiful face contorted by a deep scowl. Then, a heavy sigh escaped from her lips.
"It started soon after I entered the Nightmare, but no one paid it much attention at first. There were just strange rumors that reached the temple, resembling scary stories that people like to tell each other when the sun is gone and darkness envelops the world. Rumors of a pleasant voice that came from the fog."
She gritted her teeth for a moment.
"Perhaps if my lady's affliction was not as severe, we could have done something then. After all, in this world, scary stories often come true. And this one was more ominous than the rest, because it had to do with the fog. The Night Temple stands at the boundary of the Hollow Mountains, after all… and of the mist that shrouds them. But she was distant and uncaring, and so, we have grown aloof, too."
Cassie somberly shook her head, then continued, her low, deep voice enveloping the room and her three listeners:
"As time went by, the rumors started to change. They grew more menacing and dire, telling tales of people who listened to the fog and disappeared without a trace. At that point, the Eyeless grew concerned, suspecting that a corrupted creature had found its way into their land. Many of them possessed a high affinity to revelation, after all, and they could feel it... unease, threat, danger. So, a priestess was sent to investigate, escorted by a squad of experienced Awakened soldiers. And at the same time, it was decided that a divination will be performed."
She lingered for a moment.
"The divination showed no result, and the priestess… she failed to return with useful clues. In fact, she did not return at all. She and her escort disappeared without a trace, as though they had never existed. Just like the people from the rumors… only, by then, no one thought of them as mere rumors anymore."
The blind young woman shivered, then said in an even voice:
"Finally, we became alarmed. The army was summoned, and many hunting parties were sent out to find the creature. Mundane soldiers, Awakened warriors, Ascended champions, the Eyeless… everyone was determined to catch the abomination. But despite all our efforts, we failed… how could we catch the fog?"
Cassie's face darkened.
"And all the while, people continued to disappear. First one or two at a time, then scores of them, and then, one day… we found a whole village that stood empty, not a sign of its inhabitants in sight. Everyone there — every man, woman, and child — was taken by the fog."
She grew silent for a few moments, then added grimly:
"And then, hunting parties started to disappear, too. Powerful, experienced soldiers... we even lost an Ascended. The worst part, however, was that there was no pattern to the creature's movements… at least none that we could recognize. It could attack a settlement far to the west one day, and then suddenly take someone far to the east the next. It was almost as if it could be in several places at the same time. Because of that, we couldn't throw all our forces into one location and corner it on a single island. And so, we constructed a trap for it… all we needed was a lure, and I volunteered to become one."
The blind young woman shook her head.
"...Of course, back then, I didn't know that the fiend of the fog was far more cunning and devious than any Nightmare Creature I have ever faced. But I found out… found out very soon. Because that was when I met him again. And as soon as I did, I realized that what we thought of as a trap for the fiend was, instead, a trap that the Prince of War lured us in instead."
Cassie gritted her teeth.
"Because while our forces were concentrated to form the encirclement, most of the northern reach remained unprotected. And so, left without defenders, one of the towns was taken by the fog. A thousand souls, gone. Slaughtered…"
A deep scowl appeared on Sunny's face. He leaned forward, piercing her with an intense gaze:
"What? How? If he was engaged in a battle with the forces of the Night Temple, how did the bastard simultaneously attack the settlement?"
She lingered for a while, then said with a hint of uncertainty:
"That… Mordret, he was not how he had been in the future. He had grown… weaker, somehow. As if he did not possess six soul cores anymore. But, instead, there were five strange creatures helping him — like the lesser versions of the one you had killed on the Reckoning island. While we fought the prince himself, the five creatures attacked the town that we had left unprotected, slaughtering every human who lived there."
Sunny leaned back, stunned.
"...What?"
'Five of them… five Reflections? Did he tear his soul apart to create them, granting each a single soul core?'
Suddenly, a frightening thought entered his mind.
'No… no, this can't be!'
Divine Aspect holders like Mordret and him followed a slightly different path than the rest of the Awakened. Unlike those with Aspects of a lesser Rank, they could create seven soul cores by absorbing fragments — whether of souls or shadows, didn't matter. But there was still a limit to the number of cores they could create, and to grow more powerful after that, they had to challenge Nightmares like everyone else. So, Mordret's slaughter did not make any sense. He had already been a Terror in the future, after all.
…Creatures, however, followed a path that was different entirely, and almost reversed. By absorbing fragments, they did not create new soul cores. Instead, they rose in Rank — like Saint, for example, who had to consume shadow fragments from Memories in order to Ascend.
If Mordret's Reflections were the same as Saint… if they only needed a certain quantity of fragments to rank up... then there was no limit to how many fragments they could devour, and no end to their growth, not until they reached the mythical Divine Rank.
So if the Prince of Nothing sacrificed five of his six soul cores to create five Awakened Beasts…
...Then what was their Rank now, after consuming thousands upon thousands of souls?
Chapter 687: Oracle of the Night
Effie and Kai seemed like they had some questions, but they chose to remain silent… at least for now. Of course, they knew who Mordret was and had a general impression of his powers — Sunny and Cassie had described their experience in the Night Temple to them in enough detail, so that their friends, as well as the Fire Keepers, knew what they would be facing should they cross paths with the Prince of Nothing.
However, even Sunny himself had only a vague understanding of how Mordret's Aspect functioned, and so did Cassie. So hearing how powerful he had grown in the Nightmare was a shock to him.
'The Mirror Beast was a devil… had it been created as such, or had it earned more cores in battles with powerful Nightmare Creatures, as Saint did? If it is the former… then does it mean that Mordret was more than a Terror once? He had many Reflections before clan Valor imprisoned him, too… gods, just what kind of a menace Anvil's firstborn was in the past?'
And, more importantly… just how dangerous was he going to become in the future?
His somber thoughts were interrupted by Cassie, who spoke again after remaining silent for a while:
"In any case, destroying Mordret's body was not too hard. He appeared wearing the body of the priestess who had been first sent to find him, anyway. But, of course, doing so was useless, because he could just take another. In the chaos of the battle, I couldn't explain what dire powers the enemy possessed to the forces of the Night Temple. And, more than that…"
She shook her head somberly.
"...In the moment, I was not sure that it would have been the right thing to do. Was I meant to help the inhabitants of the Nightmare slay one of the Awakened from the waking world? Were we not supposed to be allies? No matter how vile Mordret was and despite what had happened between us in the past, here in the Nightmare, both he and I were meant to pursue the same goal."
The blind young woman sighed.
"So, after a bloody battle, Mordret escaped our trap and disappeared. Soon after that, we learned of the massacre that had taken place while we were distracted by his deceit. And after witnessing the desolate town that his Reflection had slaughtered… I was disabused of the notion that he and I were the same in any way. Sadly, by that time, it was already too late."
Cassie lowered her head, then continued quietly:
"After feasting on the souls of the town's inhabitants, the Reflections became much more powerful. Mordret was not bound by the necessity to stay hidden anymore, as well. His attacks grew much more frequent and devastating, and the number of his victims started to grow with chilling speed. The more people he killed, the more dangerous he became. He was not invincible, of course… among the Awakened serving the Night Temple, there were a lot of those who possessed means to contain him. Especially the Eyeless, who, like me, were immune to his possession. But Mordret knew that as well. And so, he went after those who could threaten him first."
She paused for a moment, her face growing solemn.
"...Eventually, people — those who were still alive, at least — became so terrified that they left their homes and fled to the Night Temple, hoping that the High Priestess would protect them. The army and the priestesses grew desperate, as well. We begged the One in the North to intervene. She was a Transcendent, and an oracle without an equal, after all… and despite her indifference, my lady promised to face the creature herself. That day, people were so relieved that they held a grand celebration."
Cassie remained silent for a while, and then continued, her voice growing sad and wistful:
"...While everyone was celebrating, however, my lady summoned me in secret, and asked me to deliver a message to her old friend, Lord Noctis, in the east. Just three words… I am dead."
She paused for a moment and turned away, her beautiful face growing still.
"I was appalled, of course. What about her immortality? What about all these people whom she promised to protect? She smiled sadly, and told me… that they were all dead, as well. And that it was better that way."
A heavy sigh escaped from Cassie's lips.
"I left the next morning, and made my way south all alone. Traveling through the wilderness of the Kingdom of Hope, blind and without anyone's help, was not easy. But I managed to survive, somehow. Whether by luck or due to the One in the North protecting me, Mordret never intercepted me. I had to face a few powerful Nightmare Creatures, though… as well as other dangers, along the way. I overcame these obstacles and eventually reached the Sanctuary. And on the day that I arrived, I finally felt it… the sudden change."
A dark expression appeared on her face.
"My lady had died, and another flaw was added to Hope's prison. The approaching disaster was accelerated even more. You… you know the rest."
For a moment, Sunny could sense a hint of profound sorrow in Cassie's voice, but then it disappeared, and the blind young woman smiled:
"So, now… I guess we know enough to make a decision about whether or not to support Noctis in his war against the rest of the Chain Lords."
He frowned, and then said in a grim tone:
"There is one thing we don't know, though. Something that can potentially change everything. Mordret… what is his goal? What is he going to do when the four Chain Lords go to war?
Cassie hesitated and slowly shook her head.
"That I don't know. He must have realized the nature of the Nightmare's conflict himself, by now… or maybe he had always known it, through means that none of us can even guess about. He was the one who had sought out this Seed, put the idea of seeking out the knives into our heads, and manipulated us into bringing him here, after all. No matter what his goal is, though… I doubt that he just wants to become a Master. He is here for something else, as well."
Sunny remained silent for a bit, then let out a frustrated growl and turned away.
"Alright, then. I guess it is time to choose our fate…"
Chapter 688: Big Decision
No one spoke for a while, before Effie finally broke the silence:
"...I mean, it is not much of a choice, is it? Sure, going against three immortal Saints does not seem like a picnic. But we already know that they had been defeated in the end, somehow, so it is not impossible to do. And we don't even know what the alternative is. How do we ensure that Hope doesn't escape her prison? Kill Noctis? That would only delay the inevitable, since this whole damned place is already on the verge of collapse because of her influence. That Hope… she is scary…"
She hesitated for a moment, then asked with a bit of confusion:
"To be honest, I am not even sure what she is. What kind of a demon is powerful enough to drive a whole region mad? Is she Unholy?"
Sunny sighed, then massaged his temples.
"...No. If anything, she is Divine. She is also not a demon… she is a daemon. Daemons were… lesser deities, of sorts, who are said to have created themselves. They appeared out of nowhere, possessing powers that were similar to those of the gods, but different. The Spell has a weird tendency to never mention the word "daemon", though… for some reason. In any case, it seems that the gods and the daemons eventually had a big, terrible war… and Hope's imprisonment and escape were a prelude to that war, I think."
Effie listened to him without any particular expression, then said listlessly.
"Oh, well in that case... that just proves my point! Trying to keep a thing like her in chains… ah, doesn't killing three immortal Saint suddenly seem easy, in comparison?"
Kai moved slightly, and then, his hoarse voice suddenly resounded in the stone room:
"I think we are looking at it wrong. The question is not what should we do… it is what should be done, don't you think? Yes, there is no particular way in which a Nightmare has to be resolved… but that doesn't mean that some resolutions cannot be right, and some cannot be wrong. This land has been turned into hell by Hope, who is trying to escape her chains. Until she is released, that will not change."
He leaned forward, frowned, and added somberly:
"The Red Colosseum, the Ivory City… and all across the ruins of her kingdom, madness reigns, turning humans into wicked perversions of themselves. Sure, we can win by prolonging it. But should we? Would we be at peace with such a conclusion? You can call me naive, but I think that although the Spell does not dictate what the challengers do in the Nightmare, it still matters why we do it. We are still responsible for our actions, and their consequences. So, I think that we need to do what is right."
Sunny glanced at him and then asked, his voice harsh:
"Whose to say what is right? How do you know that by releasing Hope, we won't be dooming everyone living here to an instant death? A thousand years in chains… personally, I would have been a bit angry..."
Kai lingered for a moment, then shook his head.
"You are right, I might not know what is right. But I do know what is wrong. And what I saw here was deeply, deeply wrong."
Sunny stared at him for a bit, then shrugged.
"Well, it's not like I disagree. In fact, I hate this place with a passion. I don't really care if Hope simply kills everyone, either… as far as I'm concerned, the bastards deserve it."
He waited for a few moments, then turned to Cassie.
"What about you? You've been terribly quiet."
The blind young woman hesitated for a while, then spoke evenly:
"I am… willing to do whatever you decide. I'll trust your judgment, Sunny."
He frowned, studying her face with a dark expression.
"Why? You don't have an opinion?"
Cassie remained silent for a bit, then simply shook her head.
'Damnation.'
He knew, of course, why the blind girl was reluctant to speak. She must have seen something… a glimpse of the future that she did not want to share, knowing that it would affect their thinking, possibly informing the very event she wanted to happen… or wished to avoid.
Her own opinion was already compromised by that knowledge, and so, Cassie had decided to remove herself from the decision completely. It seemed as though she had grown wary of her visions, and the consequences of acting on them, after the Forgotten Shore.
'Damned oracles...'
Sunny sighed, then glanced at Effie and Kai.
"Well, then there is not much to discuss. The two of you are keen to join Noctis, and... I guess I am too. He might be a madman, but at least he is a madman we know. And, uh… I also sort of like the guy. Despite the fact that he is a dishonest, lying, conniving, crazy, dastardly cheat. No one is perfect, you know?"
Effie giggled.
"Wow, it's almost as if he's reminding me of someone. Huh, now who might that be…"
Then, she grinned at Sunny and asked:
"That's settled, then. So… should we go and deliver the good news to that dastardly cheat? You know… about how he doesn't need to kill us and put our souls into home appliances?"
She seemed like she was ready to go, but Sunny stopped her with a hesitant gesture.
This next part… he had thought about it a lot, not knowing if it was the right thing to do, or a giant mistake. He was still not sure, but had a feeling that the decision he had made in the end was a correct one.
At least it felt that way.
In any case, there was no going back...
Sunny remained silent for a bit, and then glanced at his friends with a tense expression.
"Before we do… there is something I need to tell you."
Effie and Kai stared at him with slight surprise written on their faces, while Cassie's eyebrows suddenly flew up.
She already knew what was about to happen, of course.
Kai looked at him and smiled.
"Oh? What is it?"
Sunny sighed, turned away, then faced them and shrugged.
"Ah, it's nothing too serious. Just… well… to tell you the truth…"
He gripped the emerald amulet tighter, and said:
"My Flaw is that I can't lie. I have a True Name, which I received in my First Nightmare. My Aspect is of the Divine Rank. I have three Soul Cores… uh, actually, Shadow Cores… which technically makes me a demon. Hence this ugly body. I have already unlocked my Aspect's Legacy. I inherited the lineage of one of the seven daemons. Oh, and also… how do I say this... I might be Lord Mongrel? Sorry about that one, Kai…"
Chapter 689: Trust
Effie, who was already standing up to leave, froze, then slowly sat back down. Kai dropped his wooden mask to the floor and stared at him with wide eyes. Even Cassie seemed a bit stunned, despite knowing most of the things he had just said already.
A deathly silence settle in the room, and Sunny found himself being pierced by two dumbfounded gazes.
He scratched his neck, then coughed awkwardly and looked away.
"Yeah… that's more or less all that I wanted to say…"
Of course, the decision to reveal these secrets to his friends had not been an easy one. In fact, it went against everything that Sunny believed in… every instinct in his body screamed that he was making a terrible mistake.
But instinct was not always the best advisor. Otherwise, what was the point of having intelligence and the ability to think about your decisions?
The fact of the matter was that Sunny had already done irreparable damage to his relationships once because of his untrusting nature. Back on the Forgotten Shore, he had kept his secrets a little bit too well, failing to understand how his deceptiveness would make others perceive him.
Sure, he had a reason to behave the way he had… and yes, he had never really lied to his allies, simply withholding or manipulating the information a little to keep himself safe.
But the others did not know about his reasons. All they knew was that their trust was never returned fully, and that he was full of secrets, discrepancies, and insidiously subtle ways to keep those secrets to himself. Sunny had never explained himself… and in the absence of an explanation, the misunderstanding was bound to inevitably take its place, perhaps to dire results.
Who knew… if had been more open with Nephis, she might have not considered him a liar, absorbing that false perception into her own forming self. Would things have ended differently, then?
Regardless, currently, Sunny knew both the Aspects… and, more importantly, the Flaws of every member of the cohort. But they couldn't say the same. They revealed their weaknesses to him, but he held on to his own, failing to reciprocate this trust.
For now, everything seemed fine… but that one-sided nature of their friendship was bound to fester in the future, and the small crack it created could grow in size, eventually destroying it.
Plus… even Mordret knew his secrets. It would have been silly if the Prince of Nothing did, but Effie and Kai did not. Not to mention dangerous…
So, Sunny decided to take a leap of faith and put his trust in his friends. It had been a long time coming, anyway… but, damnation!
Why did being honest with people feel so… disgusting?
'What a loathsome sensation… curses, I'm all itchy…'
…After a full minute of stunned silence, Effie finally spoke, her voice sounding uncharacteristically tame:
"Now… hold on, wait a minute…"
She raised her small hand and showed one finger.
"Your Flaw… we sort of already had a general idea, after spending so much time with you. It is still… wait, you can't lie at all? What?"
Sunny shrugged.
"I can't say a lie aloud, and I am compelled to answer any question asked of me truthfully, or at least to the best of my ability."
He expected some sort of spicy question to follow immediately, but Effie remained silent, showing just how bewildered she was. Even her usual mischievousness disappeared. Instead, the little girl simply raised a second finger.
"...Alright. The True Name… we sort of figured that out, too. You seemed reluctant to share it, for some reason, so Kai and I did not press."
Sunny let out a heavy sigh, hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to speak:
"That… has to do with an Innate Ability of my Aspect. If certain conditions are met, it can make me vulnerable to those who know my True Name. That is why I kept it a secret… and also put a lot of effort into appearing as weak and pathetic as possible, so that no one would even suspect that a weakling like me could possess a True Name."
His face grew a bit dim.
"Being considered a weakling is generally great, because it makes enemies underestimate you. I'm more than fine with people thinking little of me. But… uh… after I started pretending, things got out of hand really fast…"
Effie blinked a couple of times, remained silent for a moment, and raised a third finger.
"Well, I guess that explains a few things. Now, about Lord Mongrel — we knew, of course! I mean, it was sort of obvious…"
At that point, both Kai and Cassie turned to her and spoke simultaneously. Kai seemed even more surprised than before:
"What?! I didn't know!"
...Cassie, meanwhile, seemed a bit confused. She asked hesitantly:
"Uh… I am sorry, but who is Lord Mongrel?"
Effie stared at them with a funny expression.
"What do you mean, you did not know? You were the one who helped him buy that armor!"
Kai opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again:
"...Wait, what armor? I helped… the stone armor from the Memory Market? That dusty, ugly thing? No, it's not the same! The material is completely different! The fit, the design… Mongrel's armor is very chic! Not at all like that cumbersome stone clunker!"
Sunny covered his face, then said somberly:
"The stone changes to a stonelike metal due to an enchantment… it was just broken and required an Awakened to activate the restoration process. As for the fit, you do remember that Memories adjust themselves to accommodate the owner's body, right? Hell… now that I have a tail, even it is armored when I summon the Mantle."
The young man stared at him with a lost expression, then leaned back on his chair.
"Oh… uh… I see, then. But, I mean... no, never mind..."
Sunny massaged his temples.
"I never meant for Mongrel to get famous. I just wanted to practice swordsmanship in the Dreamscape, and all good aliases were already taken. Who knew that a damned broadcaster would spread the clip of me dispatching him everywhere on the network? Oh, gods… and things only got worse after that..."
Effie looked at him, then at her three fingers, then made a little fist.
"But the rest… a Divine Aspect?! What?! Do those even exist?! Three soul cores?! A daemon's lineage… what even is that?! And what is next, are you going to tell us that you have a Divine Memory, or something?!"
The little girl let out a nervous giggle and mockingly shook her head.
Sunny stared at her for a bit, then cautiously cleared his throat.
"Ah, well… actually… I have two…"