When night fell, the atmosphere around the group of seven was somber. Everyone was silent, lost in their own thoughts and disheartened by the truth Effie had told them.
Sunny approached Nephis and asked, in a low voice just for the two of them:
"What do you think? It seems there is no way out." His voice was low and somber, seemingly emotionless after such a revelation.
Nephis remained silent for a long while, and just when Sunny thought there would be no response, she spoke:
"We will find a way to get out of here, no matter what it takes to achieve it." It seemed she would not give up for anything. Her voice, full of a new determination, seemed to relieve Sunny a bit.
"I'm sure you'll find a way," he said, supporting Nephis and subtly indicating that he would be with her.
They spent the night in the tower and the day arrived, dissipating the sound of the black waters crashing against the wall all night.
Before leaving the safe refuge of the granite tower, Effie gave them a list of instructions:
"Follow me. Listen to everything I say. Make no noise. Do not bleed. Do not think too much. Some of the creatures out there can hear loud thoughts, others can sense strong emotions. So don't do it, don't feel fear either."
Sunny, Isaac, and Ludwin looked at Effie puzzled, after all, how were they supposed to control what they felt?
"What? You've never tried solving math equations in your head to impress a charming lady? Just do the same."
When Sunny and Isaac's faces turned red, Effie smiled and turned to the rest.
"You three, try not to feel fear. Doofus, try not to get too excited. If it's too much to walk behind me, just tell the others to give you a slap."
Isaac and Sunny looked at each other for a second, perhaps both irritated by how she called them, and Sunny said through clenched teeth:
"That... won't be a problem."
Effie looked at them for a second, blinked, and then said, with a playful tone:
"Oh, I see, I see. You swing the other way?"
'What is that supposed to mean?' both thought, confused by what Effie said, but both felt it was something bad.
Making sure they understood her instructions, the hunter turned around and rolled the enormous granite slab that blocked the tower's exit to the side. Her thin muscles tensed and moved under her olive skin, creating a picturesque sight.
Surprised, everyone watched as the hunter did this and stared longer than necessary.
Jonathan was especially dazed. Despite maturing a bit through his journey in this world, he was still a healthy 17-year-old boy, so something inside him stirred at the sight of the hunter.
Effie turned her head, noticing all the stares, and asked:
"Do you like what you see?"
Sunny responded automatically while the others looked away.
"Yes... uh... wait, no! I mean, that's not why I was looking. How are you so strong?"
Everyone looked at him, amused by the situation.
"Oh, that. That's my aspect ability. It's a strong physical enhancement in every sense."
Sasha looked at Effie with a new light. Although she and Ludwin had similar abilities, she believed it was very rare to find someone else with similar abilities, and it seemed hers was as strong as theirs.
"I also have an all-around enhancement ability. It's rare to find another woman with such an aspect. By the way, Ludwin also has an enhancement in that sense, it's really fascinating to find others with similar abilities." Sasha seemed excited, for some reason.
Effie looked in the direction of Ludwin and Sasha, also appearing amused at the prospect of two people as strong as her.
"Hey, after we reach the castle, let's arm wrestle! I want to see who's the strongest."
Both seemed to agree and Effie finally led them outside.
After a moment, they finally entered the ruined city.
The city stretched out like a maze of broken and long-fallen stones.
Effie guided the tense sleepers through this desolate and silent city with gray skies above.
Fortunately for the group, being tense and cautious of any danger prevented them from thinking about the terrible feeling of not being able to return to the waking world.
As Effie had said, the journey was slow and they had to be careful with many monsters along the way. Sometimes they took detours that looped around, and other times they entered holes that came out on the other side of some destroyed structure to avoid the creatures.
Jonathan and Sunny offered their senses to help with the journey, but the hunter refused since the monsters here could sense Sunny's shadow sight or the scrutiny of their souls through Jonathan.
The journey was strange, to say the least. Sometimes Effie led them behind rocks in silence, but other times she took them through wide or narrow streets without bothering to hide them. Sometimes they even climbed onto rooftops and walked over them or jumped across large gaps in various places.
Everyone was surprised to discover that the houses that remained intact or mostly well-preserved were in excellent shape and seemed to have been abandoned only a few days ago, not thousands of years as they should be.
It also became clear that Effie knew the entire place like the back of her hand and it was her personal hunting ground, as wherever they went, they could see things she had prepared in advance and her marks.
Everyone gained a renewed respect for the attractive hunter who was guiding them through this cursed city.
One thing to note is that Jonathan had sensed an awakened beast that was following them all through the shadows. He didn't bother mentioning it since he controlled it within minutes. His range of control had now increased significantly.
Currently, Jonathan could control the souls of his targets within a radius of 209 meters. In the city of Gunlaug, he could easily take control of everything, making its tyrant his puppet, but that would complicate the story and Nephis' plans, so he would only do it at the end of this new arc of the novel.
Jonathan also wouldn't keep the monsters of this city; he already had in mind whom he wanted as puppets.
Quickening his pace and catching up to Effie, he whispered something in her ear, and they stopped for a moment in a hideout behind a large rock.
"Can you repeat what you just said?" Effie said, seeming surprised and somewhat curious about the event.
"Sure. An awakened beast was following us the whole time, but it's not dangerous, in fact, I turned it into an echo just a while ago."
After a few seconds, an ugly creature with eight legs emerged from the shadows. Its legs ended in sharp claws that curved slightly, its head bore sharp teeth protruding from the sides of its snout, and its tail was adorned with black, iron-like spikes.
The ugly creature approached the cohort and stood before Jonathan, who created a dagger and stabbed it in the head.
[You have killed an awakened beast, Corrupt Umbra]
[Your soul is wrapped with more threads]
Jonathan bent down and picked a awakened soul core from the creature's chest and placed it in a bag he carried.
"How did you make that thing let itself be killed?" Effie asked, curious and puzzled by such an occurrence.
"What else can I say, it's my aspect ability."
Sunny and the rest seemed surprised by his casual mention of the ability he possessed. The same reaction they had when Sasha carelessly revealed that two in their group focused on enhancement.
"Anyway, I won't say more, but we should move. I can sense several souls surrounding these places. But they haven't noticed we're here."
After that, they kept walking and the hours passed quickly. Jonathan also didn't miss the look Sunny gave Nephis and Cassia with a smile before looking ahead again.
Soon, as the sun began to set toward the horizon, they finally arrived at the base of the hill on which the magnificent castle stood.