Standing amidst the black flames, Eirwen lifted his gaze to the radiant white star hanging in the endless, cloudless sky.
His Soul Sea remained unchanged -vast, dark and evil, yet still heavenly. Even Leviathan, towering and majestic as ever, was there, watching him in silence, fingers intertwined at his waist.
"In an hour, you will finally enter Cocytus with four other Dreamers," Leviathan's calm voice echoed through his Soul, drowning out even the roaring black flames around him.
The world seemed to mute itself whenever he spoke. Either out of respect or fear.
"Who's the fourth one?" Eirwen raised a brow before summoning [Hydra's Choice], his lovely weapon.
Spinning the longsword in his grip with ease, he stepped into a battle stance. The silver blade caught the flickering black flames, reflecting their wild, dark dance while greedily drinking in the light from the radiant star above. The quirks of the material it was made out of.
Leviathan lifted his hand, tracing the air with his index and middle finger, effortlessly summoning an enemy for Eirwen to fight. His expression held a hint of boredom, laced with a bit of annoyance.
Eirwen paid no attention to his companion's sour and serious mood, his focus locked onto the creature as it took shape before him. It appeared out of a black pentagram on the floor, exactly like the one he saw in his first Trial.
A massive, grey mantis stood before him, its dragon-like wings twitching as if eager to take flight. Its scythe-like arms gleamed under the star's light. Its maw, lined with four razor-sharp mandibles, parted slightly, revealing fangs that looked less like teeth and more like jagged daggers.
"The fourth child's name is Eliot," Leviathan said -his voice sharp and firm- as he took a step back, giving Eirwen space.
The monstrous mantis immediately lunged, its scythes cutting through the air with a shrill, metallic hiss.
Not wasting a single second, Eirwen shifted his grip, his second hand wrapping tightly around the hilt of his Memory. With a sharp and fluid motion he shot the blade upward, meeting the descending scythes head-on.
A deafening clang rang out as metal clashed against chitin, sparks scattering into the black flames around them.
Leviathan observed the battle with mild interest, his voice deafening every other sound as he continued, "He carries a fragment of Gadrel's Soul within him. Thus why I can trace him."
Eirwen's eyes were steady as he faced the mantis, knowing it was there solely to sharpen his sword skills. His hand-to-hand combat was already refined to its peak for his physique, and he had spent countless hours studying his claws. For the past month, however, his focus had been entirely on perfecting the longsword and other weapons.
"Gadrel?" Eirwen asked, easily deflecting the mantis's attacks. At one point, he moved his left arm behind his back, fully concentrating on using the sword with just his right. The silver longsword, though long, was as light as a feather in his grip.
Leviathan nodded, his gaze sharp as he observed the fight -Eirwen's movements fluid and graceful, stepping back and forth almost like he was fencing with the creature. "Yes, just as you carry my Soul within you, he carries Gadrel's," he explained, his tone tinged with mild dissatisfaction at Eirwen's lack of wrath as he fought.
"Gadrel is a Fallen," the mysterious figure added, his hand moving through the air to further strengthen the gigantic mantis, which already towered two full heads taller than Eirwen. "He was the Angel who descended from the first circle alongside his brothers and sisters, bringing with them secret knowledge. The knowledge of how to become stronger than their predecessors."
Eirwen listened intently, his focus sharp on both the voice and the fight. He'd be lying if he said the history of the Underworld didn't bother him in any way. After finishing the two books Leviathan had provided, he found himself rather immersed in their bloody and grotesque affairs. Most of them at the back of his mind, waiting for the right moment to resurface.
"Shit," he cursed as one of the scythes slipped past his defenses, cutting across his chest. But of course the wound immediately closed, the parted flesh knitting back together in an instant.
Gripping his sword tighter, Eirwen recalled the way Leviathan fought. With a titanic surge of power, he whipped his hand up from below, cutting his enemies carapace. As the blade reached its peak, he swung it in a half-circle to the right, redirecting the attack and slicing through the mantis' mandibles with speed far too superior for it to react to.
The creature shrieked, thrashing desperately at him, but Eirwen remained more or less calm -which was getting harder each time the creature grazed him- deflecting each strike with precision. Sparks flew from the blows, the sound of metal clashing echoing in his Soul Sea.
"Anyway, Eliot's strength lies in his mastery of weapons. Just as Gadrel was a master of weapons, so is that boy," Leviathan continued, conjuring a chair to sit on leisurely, watching the battle with disinterest.
"And why exactly will he be useful again? I also have mastery over pretty much every weapon," Eirwen groaned, stepping to the side and swinging his sword to behead the creature, but it dodged by a hair's breadth.
Leviathan shook his head, crossing one leg over the other. "Because of his connection to the Fallen. Plus, he's naturally strong. I'm sure the boy will be useful."
Spitting a curse, Eirwen let the sword fall from his grip. But instead of hitting the ground, it remained suspended in mid-air.
This was one of the Enchantments his Memory possessed. Not only could it shift into any shape he desired, but it could also respond to his thoughts and fly. Of course, both Enchantments drained a significant portion of his Essence, so he rarely used them.
"Whatever, just make sure you don't fall into a bloodydamn slumber like that one time at the Fissure," he muttered, letting the sword slice through the air like a missile, aimed straight at the beast.
Eirwen meanwhile summoned his claws and charged forward, attacking the mantis from two sides at once. He was like a wild beast now -something Leviathan found far more enjoyable than his fencing style-, thrashing at the massive insect with relentless ferocity.
Leviathan shook his head, placing his hands on his knee as he spoke, "Once we enter Cocytus, I will be able to extend my influence much more. At least, that is what I assume, child."
"Why so unsure?" Eirwen groaned, huffing as he sliced through his enemy, green blood oozing from its wounds.
But Leviathan didn't answer, only watching in silence as Eirwen finished off the opponent.
---
"Alright, lads," Gale's voice boomed through the large room they were in, waiting for the moment they've been waiting for, "I wish you immense luck, but I'm sure you'll manage just fine."
"Raijin, Seraphiel, your uncle is busy, so he won't be able to visit. Eirwen, your father is too busy making money. God bless this man and his cash…" He whispered the last part before clapping his hands together and leaning against the wall behind him. "Anyway, I've never seen Dreamers as strong as you four. Your cores are saturated, Merlin and I gave you a ton of solid Memories an-"
Eirwen yawned, leaning back against the expensive sleeping pod he'd bought a month ago in preparation, copying Gale. 'If only he knew where we're actually going,' he thought, the realization hitting him suddenly.
He was heading toward a dangerous damn place. Sure, he wasn't alone, and Leviathan was with him too, but still, there was this strange, unexplainable spark flickering in his mind.
Was it excitement or fear?
But before Eirwen could dive deeper into his thoughts, Gale's loud voice interrupted his running thoughts, "Alright, get into the damn pots and come back as soon as possible!"
Gale shifted slightly, as if about to step toward them, but something held him back. His expression was painted with clear worry as the four Dreamers climbed into the pots and powered them on.
'Let's fucking do this,' Eirwen thought, closing his eyes.
The last thing he heard before drifting off to sleep was Leviathan's amused hum -his real voice echoing in his mind instead of the usual countless whispers and shouts.
…
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Eirwen!]