After knowing about finally reaching the human castle. Cassie looked so happy, and Neph was relieved. Sunny looked at them with a sad expression. Knowing that their journey is far from its end.
The trio camped on the hand of the statue, waiting for the dawn.
When the sun rose and the dark sea descended. The trio started climbing down the statue and started heading towards the tall wall of the dark city.
While getting closer. A roaring sound echoed in the area. Neph instantly got armed and was ready for what's about to come. Unlike Sunny, who chuckled with an amusement expression on his face.
Then, a rolling rock was rolling towards Sunny with a mouth full of sharp teeths. It tried bitting his leg off, but... nothing happened. The sharp teeths couldn't penetrate the leather boot.
Sunny looked at the creature with a weird look. On the other hand, Neph was clearly trying to hold back her laugh.
Sunny sighed and then stabbed Azure blade.
[You have slained an awakened monster: Rolling rock]
[Your shadow grows stronger]
[You have received a Memory: Ordinary Rock]
Sunny chuckled and said, "Turns out this creature is an awakened monster. Can you imagine that. And I also got a memory"
Neph was surprised by the fact that this pitiful creature was an awakened monster. He's theoretically on the same level as the carapace centurion.
"What kind of memory did you get?" Neph asked with curiosity
Sunny summoned the memory, and then a.....rock appeared on his hand?
Neph looked at the rock, and then back to Sunny, And then back to the rock.
"It's literally an ordinary rock. That's what it's called." Sunny said with amusement on his face. Clearly entertained by Neph's reaction.
"The dream realm sure is filled with weird things." Neph said with a sarcasm on her voice from the memory Sunny got.
A roaring voice then echoed again. Neph flinched and prepared her sword. But there was nothing in the area.
Sunny then started laughing uncontrollably on Neph. She looked at Sunny with confusion while still armed. "Why are you laughing?"
"Oh nothing, it's just funny that you got scared from this ordinary rock" Sunny said while trying to stop laughing.
While looking at the rock. Another roaring sound echoed and Neph flinched again. She then realized that the sounds were really coming from the rock. Her cheeks reddened from embarrassment.
On the other hand. Cassie was kinda left out and flinched on every roaring sound.
...
Later, they were right at the tall wall, which is at least 60 meters long. The trio started climbing it. Although Sunny was able to just move along the shadow and climb it easily, he wasn't alone. But it wasn't hard climbing the wall.
After they finally stood on top of the wall. Sunny looked at the distance. He saw the familiar scenery of the vast ruined city filled with nightmare creatures. And the big castle that stood on top of the highest hill.
"Sunny, what do you see?" Cassie asked him while brushing her clothes off from mud.
"I see a vast, ruined city built of weathered stone. And there are numerous monsters wandering its streets. Just like you said there would be."
"And there is a magnificent castle standing on a hill in the middle of the ruins. It looks like something out of a legend. lts walls are built from radiant white stone with tall towers and majestic spires piercing the sky. It stands above the city like a symbol of hope, the only thing in this hell that seems to be untouched by the darkness"
Sunny felt a bitter taste in his mouth with he spelled out hope. Hope could be a cruel thing, but it's also the reason why some people stay sane. And in this cursed land. Who knows who already lost hope. And accepted this harsh reality. And who is there still hoping that they'll make it back.
A wide smile appeared on Cassie's face.
"Yes! This is the castle I saw!"
Sunny looked at Cassie with a smile filled with pity.
"Anyway, the sunset is close, and we don't have enough time to reach the castle. We have to camp on the wall tonight. And we also haven't eaten a thing in a whole day."
Neph nodded on agreement and started preparing the fire. Sunny took out some of the meat he got from the corpse of the carapace demon.
After chatting for a while and finishing eating. The sun disappeared, and the dark sea rose again.
Cassie slept while Sunny and Neph were still awake.
"Go to sleep, Neph, I'll be in watch." But to his surprise, Neph sat beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder
[You have received a memory: Midnight Shard]
'Oh yeah, I totally forgot about' Sunny looked at Neph
"Why did you give it to me. You don't have to." Sunny asked, but he already knew her answer.
"Well, I already have a good weapon, unlike yours, Sunny. And also, someone as strong as you're need a good weapon. Isn't that right? " Neph said while a smile appeared on her face and was tilting her head while looking at him.
"Thanks, Neph. I'll make sure to cherish it"
A little blush appeared on her face as she shifted her gaze towards the castle. Her expression changed to a little frown, and then she looked at Sunny.
"Sunny, why don't you seem happy about the fact that we finally reached our destination?"
"Me? Of course I'm happy" Sunny said awkwardly.
"Liar" Sunny was surprised and looked at Neph
"You do know that my flaw doesn't make me lie, Right?" Sunny asked with confusion. But inside, he was surprised. Neph wasn't supposed to be able to identify his lies yet. What has changed exactly.
"I know, Sunny. But that doesn't mean that it's the whole truth, right? You could twist some of the truth by just changing some words. You're happy, but it isn't because we can get back. Right?" Neph said while still looking at the distance.
Sunny was surprised by how fast Neph had changed from his first life. He pondered for a while. And then said:
"Well, you're right, Neph. I'm not happy about that. But let me ask you this question, Neph. Do you think we have really reached the end of our journey?"
Neph frowned and thought for a while. "No, I don't think we have reached the end yet"
Sunny smirked. "Well, Neph. I'm sure you have realized it before. But there doesn't seem to be any information about this place, right? So what does that mean? Surely it isn't that we are the first people that have been thrown in this land. Cassie's vision clearly showed that there were many humans."
"So, what does that mean? It means that the gate hasn't been found yet. Or maybe it has been found. But it's rather in a dangerous place. And I can already guess that it's in that damned crimson spire."
After hearing Sunny, Neph's expression didn't change much. She has already thought about it before and came to the same conclusion. But she was denying it. Sticking to hope. But what Sunny said now broke all the fake hope she had.
Sunny looked at Neph for a while. A hurtful expression on his face. Then said, "You should go to sleep now. We have to reach the castle tomorrow." Neph slowly nodded and then went to sleep next to Cassie.
Sunny looked at her for a while, and then he looked at the crimson spire, the place that left a deep impression on him. That strange building has always implanted some unknown fear in Sunny's mind.
But now, Sunny wasn't afraid at all from it. Instead, he looked at it with hatred. That place is where he became Neph's slave. It was from that day that their relationship has changed. But Sunny wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He won't leave her behind. He won't leave anyone behind.
After a while, Sunny's shadow came back after scanning the area. Unsurprisingly, Effie wasn't there. Which is understandable since they arrived five weeks earlier than his first life. But Sunny sent his shadow for another reason.
He looked at Neph and Cassie, and when he was sure they're asleep, he summoned Carapace Echo and ordered him to watch them.
Sunny was planning on hunting today and getting some soul shards. Some for their stay in the castle. And some to buy the mantle of the underworld.
He already found two hordes of blood fiends of 4 and 5. Which was enough for him. He then sinked in the shadows and went down the wall. It didn't take him much time to reach the ground. He looked around him and then continued.
Sunny was sneaking on the first horde. His improved shadow abilities makes him impossible to detect.
Sunny summoned the midnight shard and wrapped his shadow around him. He felt a huge increase in his power. Sunny was certain that now. He's as strong as Effie in raw strength.
With a fast slash. Sunny cuts off the head of two blood fiends
[You have slain an awakened monster, Blood Fiend.]
[Your shadow grows stronger]
When the last two realized his existence. He had already cut their heads off.
[You have slain an awakened monster, Blood Fiend.]
[Your shadow grows stronger]
[You have received an echo : blood fiend]
Sunny's eyes widened. He didn't expect his little hunting session would get him an Echo.
But Sunny quickly started going to the other horde after taking the 8 cores left by this horde. He was going to check the new echo when he gets back.
...
Sunny was now back at the camp. And it seemed no one realized that he was gone for a moment. Sunny was able to take down the second horde easily. He lured half of the horde away and killed them. And then he killed the left part.
The only reason why Sunny could take out many of them easily was because of his improved skills and strength and the little strength gap between dormants and awakeneds
Sunny summoned his runes and checked them
***
Name: Sunless
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer
Shadow Core: Dormant
Shadow Fragments: [416/1000]
Attributes: [Chain Breaker], [Ember of Divinity], [Shadow Mongrel], [Blood weave], [Shadow devour]
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud] [Azure blade] [Midnight Shard] [Ordinary Rock]
Echoes: [Carapace Scavenger], [Blood Fiend]
Shadows: [Soul Serpent].
Aspect: [Shadow Mongrel].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control].
Flaw: [Clear Conscience]
***
He concentrated on his new echo
Echo: blood Fiend
Echo Rank: Awakened
Echo Class: monster
Echo attributes: [Blood hunger], [Blood fangs]
Blood hunger attribute description: [born from blood. The blood fiend becomes stronger the more blood that surrounded him]
'Interesting, it's kinda like the blood blossom memory'
Blood fangs attribute description: [any attack dealt by Fiend's fangs causes a bleed effect, and the injury doesn't get healed normally]
Sunny eyes widened a little.'Wait a minute. That's actually pretty good.' Sunny summoned blood fiend and looked at him.
The creature was about one meter high. It skin is pale red. With a head bigger than its own body. And sharp, long nails coming from its fingers.
'I'll put him to the test later' Sunny dismissed blood fiend and laid down near the girls.
...
Thump...
Thump...
THUMP...
Sunny suddenly got up with a horrored scream. Both Cassie and Neph who were already awake. Flinched from the loud scream that was filled with horror.
Neph looked at Sunny with a worried look.
"Sunny, what happened?" When she tried to calm Sunny, she saw that his body was sweating and trembling uncontrollably.
Neph hugged Sunny tightly. "Sunny, it's okay it's okay we're here for you." Neph body also started shaking a little. What could make him tremble like this?
'Is it because of that tree' this thought crossed Neph's mind. 'But no one should dream in the dream realm. Even if it's nightmares.'
Cassie looked with concerns, and some tears started forming in her eyes. She felt the true horror in Sunny's scream. But she doesn't know what to do to calm him down. She was hopeless, useless. Her partner that took care of her and Neph was trembling in horror now, and she doesn't even know what to do.
Luckily, Sunny started calming down. And looked at himself and then looked at Neph and Cassie. He saw their worried expression and tears?
More importantly, Sunny looked at himself. And he was sweating and shivering.
'Why?'
'Why!'
'Why did that nightmare appear again?! And why was it so... realistic!?'
'But, why would I dream about it again? No, would it even be considered a dream anymore? Sleepers can't dream. So... could it be a.... vision?'
After calming down a bit, Sunny was lost in his thoughts. Unconsciously ignoring the worried girls.
His thoughts were cut off by a punch on his shoulder.
"Hey, that hurts." He turned to look at Neph. And his eyes widened as he finally realized that Neph looked at him with worried anger from ignoring them, and tears were falling on from Cassie's eyes, and he could see that Neph was holding back her tears too.
"Mind explaining yourself. Why were you like this" Neph asked angrily, but deep inside, there was a worried tone in her voice.
"I just had a terrible nightmare." Sunny said while patting his shoulder from Neph's punch.
"What do you mean just a nightmare? Sleepers can't dream! Sunny. And what kind of nightmare would make someone scream like this." Neph protested. Cassie kept silent as she was waiting for his response, too, with tears still falling from her eyes.
"Well, the dream realm is weird. Maybe sometimes Sleepers see nightmares. As for what kind of nightmare it is. I don't know, its weird." Sunny said while looking down.
"What is that nightm-"
"Neph, please don't ask me about it. I don't wanna talk about it." Sunny cut Neph off before she continued her question.
Neph looked at Sunny with hurtful expression and just bit her lip. She didn't continue asking, knowing that Sunny didn't want to talk about it. But Neph was hurt by this fact. Why don't he talk about it with her, or Cassie. Why was he just keeping it to himself.
Weirdly, Sunny got up like nothing happened. Like he didn't wake up screaming in horror. "Anyway, let's start heading towards the castle. My shadow has discovered a save path already."
Neph and Cassie kept silent. And didn't bring the subject again.
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Working on the next chapter. Stay tuned ;)