…Salvation was so close.
He could almost taste it, but only after he killed her.
Turning away from the dais, Sunny shook his head.
"That is a horrible plan. You want to travel around the Dream Realm, battling Nightmare Creatures? Fine. Let's do it together. We can try to go through the Hollow Mountains and reach the human Citadels on the other side. And that's just the south. With can also try north, east, and west, searching for an unclaimed Gateway. Two of us will have a better chance to survive. The two of us, together… it's better than being alone. Right?"
She hesitated for a long time, then closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was wistful and tired:
"...No. I can't. I can't let you stay, Sunny. Go! Go and meet your sister. There's something waiting for you in the real world, at least. All that's waiting for me is emptiness, bloodshed, and graves. If I return, the same thing that happened in the Bright Castle will repeat itself, over and over again, until there's nothing else. So go while you can."
The runes of the Gateway shimmered, as if on the verge of disappearing.
He gritted his teeth.
"...No."
Nephis opened her eyes and looked at him, a sense of sorrow appearing on her face.
"Leave me, Sunny. Please. Go."
He shook his head stubbornly.
Sunny had to kill her...
But could he really do it?
"I don't want to."
Changing Star was silent for a moment, looking at him with a pained expression.
And then she said, making his world crumble:
"Go… Lost from Light."
His eyes widened.
Deep within his soul, something moved and rose from slumber, triumphant. Unbreakable, eternal, irresistible. Complete, perfect, and sweet.
...Before Sunny could do anything, his vision was drowned by darkness. He had lost consciousness.
His body was going to fall on the ground, but someone caught him. It was a hooded figure, and Nephis knew who it was.
"Where were you till now, Wren?" She asked.
Wren lifted Sunny and put him on top of his shoulder. Using his free hand, he lifted off the hood of the plotter's cloak, the dull grey eyes of his looked at hers.
He smiled.
"I don't know, maybe trying to figure out what I was really doing all this time..." Wren paused, hesitating a little, but then eventually said it.
"Travel towards the edges of the hollow mountains, you will reach a vast desert, make sure to hide at night as ancient undead beings fight at that time. Anyway, you will find an ancient tree with two skeletons hanging on it, find them and say my name, surely they will help."
Wren turned around and prepared to leave; his words consisted only of important things, but...Nephis was confused as to why he was helping her.
And thus, she asked:
"Why...are you helping me?" Her voice sounded a little desperate. Nephis herself didn't know why her voice was like this; it was a strange and peculiar emotion.
Wren's steps halted, and then he sighed.
"Because I lost a bet." With that, he started to walk again, leaving behind a stunned Nephis while carrying Sunny on his shoulder.
***
Wren found himself in the endless space between dream and reality, all around him was nothing but a boundless black void, which was illuminated by a myriad of bright stars. Between those stars, countless strings of faint silver light were woven into a beautiful and inconceivably complex pattern.
This was the inner workings of the spell.
Wren wondered what these strings truly meant, if comparing them to a weave of a memory, then each star could be considered as a nexus that holds a pattern of strings, which resulted in the formation of an enchantment.
Then...
What was the enchantment of the spell?
Since Sunny was the holder of the lineage of Weaver, using the mark of abyss, Wren could also use the specialities of this forbidden lineage to a certain extent.
'If the spell is the creation of Weaver, who was the firstborn of the forgotten god, who are in a deep sleep...then was Weaver trying to stop them from waking up?'
He had no answer for this. Looking away from the spell's inner workings, he sighed.
These questions were important, true, but they could be answered in future. What Wren was more worried about was the present he was going to live in...
A present, where his sick actions had doomed the lives of not just the people from the forgotten shore but also of his friend... no...his three friends.
'Where did it go wrong? When I returned from the abyss? Or maybe it was afterwards...this is making me crazy, or am I crazy?'
His expression turned to one of sorrow.
'I don't think apologising would do anything...humans are very inconsistent in nature, a single action could lead them to stray away from the path. Staying away from their lives should be the best option. I need to work on myself.'
The once face of sorrow now returned to the value of courage and confidence, Wren was determined to face the challenges head on.
He had decided to seclude himself from the waking world's matters and stay locked for six months, training with the sword.
The melodious sound of the spell resounded in the black void.
[The Second Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
'It's time.'
Wren was about to awaken...
He was looking forward to it.
And then...
His heart started to beat chaotically.
It was a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling, each time his heart beat with such intensity, it was when he received a void fragment.
But this time it was too powerful.
Every fibre of his being was soon full of the mysterious energy. The familiar euphoric feeling overwhelmed him, washing over his mind like a warm wave.
Beneath the physical changes that his body was undergoing to become better, stronger, more perfect… was another, subtle, but equally incredible change.
It was happening to his vast soul.
Which raised a deep question in his mind...
Why was his soul so vast?
Perhaps it was because he was being of void? Not that he had an answer for it, but...right now, he was looking forward to the ability he was going to unseal.
The Spell spoke again, filling him with anticipation.
[Awakening Aspect Ability…]
[...Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Lightning of Niflheim.]
Wren was about to open his runes, but it seemed that spell had something more for him.
[You have taken a step towards divinity.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
'I have what?'
But before Wren could glance at the changes in his runes, the Spell suddenly whispered into his ear:
[Wake Up, Wren!]
***
On one of the underground levels of the Academy hospital complex, in a small room that was filled with the massive rectangle of the dream pod and various pieces of medical equipment, a delicate girl with pale blond hair was sleeping beneath the transparent glass lid, her face surrounded by wisps of cold vapor.
Suddenly, a series of lights ignited on the surface of the pod, and the medical machinery in the room came to life, producing various noises.
A few moments later, the girl opened her striking blue eyes and screamed.
…On a top floor of a private care facility in the center of a city, in a spacious room with tall windows and a luxurious interior, a state-of-the-art sleeping pod stood silently, bathed in sunlight. An attending nurse sat in a comfortable chair beside it, monitoring the vital signs of a beautiful young man who slumbered inside.
For the past three years, there had not been a single minute when the young man was left alone. His pod was surrounded by fresh flowers, and someone was always there to keep watch.
For three years, the flowers and nurses came and went, but the young man had remained the same. Nothing about him ever changed.
Suddenly, the nurse opened her eyes wide.
A second later, the sleeping pod shone with bright light. Its lid swiftly slid sideways and hid in a special housing slot.
The figure inside was slowly raising in the air, as if pulled up by an invisible force. The beautiful young man was… levitating.
The nurse remained motionless for a few seconds, stunned. Then, she hastily ran to the panel on the wall and pressed a call button.
…In a small apartment in one of the less prestigious areas of the city, in a tiny room, a tall young woman was lying in an old and barely functioning pod. This one was possibly the last representative of its model, taken out of production a long time ago. Still, it seemed like the most luxurious thing in the apartment, by far.
The door of the room was open, letting in the sound of a news broadcast. A pleasant and confident tone was currently saying:
"...unusual number of Awakenings! Dear viewers, we… we are currently receiving a report from our correspondents, and will be able to update you on this event shortly. The representatives of the great Legacy Clans, meanwhile…"
Suddenly, the sound of the broadcast was cut out, replaced by a heavy, hopeless silence.
Soon, the sound of tentative steps could be heard, approaching the room where the pod stood.
Just a second later, however, a fist slammed into the armored glass of its lid from inside, sending a net of cracks through it.
...In a small government facility, cracks started to appear on one of the sleeping pods. When it shattered, an unimaginable amount of darkness flowed out.
Coming out of it was a man with dark black hair with glossy eyes and pale skin, his figure was straight and tall.
…Back in the Academy, in a room identical to the first one, the lights suddenly blinked and then went out. It was now shrouded in absolute darkness.
Something crashed down with a thunderous noise, and then, a pained human voice hissed:
"Damnation!"
A moment later, the lights came back, revealing the figure of a lithe young man with pale skin and dark hair standing near an overturned medical monitor.
There was a disoriented, confused expression on his face.
The lid of the sleeping pod was still closed.
However, it was empty.
…And a few hundred meters away, hidden even deeper underground, there was another room.
This one was slightly bigger, and much better guarded, than all the others.
In it stood a simple sleeping pod.
Beneath its transparent lid, a young woman with ivory skin and long silver hair slept, undisturbed by anything.
Despite the growing commotion outside, inside the tranquil room, it was quiet and peaceful.
Nothing changed.
The pod did not shine with bright lights, the medical equipment remained silent.
Imprisoned in the glass coffin of the sleeping pod, the young woman continued to dream, as if cursed to remain in her nightmares forever.
Watching over it was a deep darkness, whispering something before it faded away.
"May the Abyss be with you."
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With this, the forgotten shore arc has ended. A little rushed ig, but what can I do? Most writers just don't get past this arc, so maybe early, but still a milestone for me.
Also, like, tell me, if I should focus on sunny or wren's pov or maybe something else a interaction or a timeskip.
Anything you like.
Do tell me.
May the Abyss be with you.