Two days later we entered the dark city once again.
Surprisingly no one from the castle was here to ambush us.
When the morning came, we headed towards the cathedral.
The ruined streets of the cursed city surrounded us once more. After months spent in the Labyrinth, its monotone colors seemed strange and bizarre. There was nothing but dark stone and dust around, with rare islands of crimson leaves and moss growing through the rubble.
And swarms of terrifying Fallen Creatures, of course.
…It was nice to be home.
I caught myself thinking that this place was my home. Of course, it was a temporary one. My real home was in the outskirts and my family lived in it.
Speaking of which, they had never contacted me after I went to turn myself in as a nightmare spell carrier. Surprisingly I did not hate them, even if they were emotionally absent in my life, I never really needed them.
That was because I had my little sister of course. With her I thought I could live through everything. But now that she was gone, I did not know if I had a place to call home anymore.
'Home..'
I turned my gaze towards the cohort. A strange feeling settled in my chest, however I brushed it off with a scoff and turned my gaze away. We had more pressing matters to attend, the cohort was going to kill a fallen devil..
I was a bit doubtful of our abilities to take down a fallen devil as sleepers, however when Sunny explained the knights shortcomings, I was a bit more confident.
The devils weak point seemed to be its sword. If Sunny did not want to kill to himself we could have won this rather easily by making use of my aspect, but he insisted on having the kill to himself. So we were going to make it easier for the stone saint to get the kill.
***
The battle went well. Nobody was seriously injured, Sunny's echo was rather peculiar. Which I had seen firsthand. The echo was really great at fighting despite being an awakened monster.
Unfortunately for us, Sunny gained no echoes or memories. We did not even get to harvest its soul shards as Stone Saint.. swallowed them..? But anyways, we had paid Sunny back successfully.
As soon as the dawn came, bringing with it the mournful sound of retreating waves, except for Sunny the cohort left the cathedral.
"We will be out of this hellish place soon." Shashi told as she walked next to me. We were hanging behind the cohort.
"Yes.. we will."
Shashi had become a very close partner during our time in the forgotten shore. She was one of the two people who knew about my flaw too. My trust for her went deep.
Our days in forgotten shore were numbered.
The immortal lord of forgotten shore was going to see what a true immortal was capable of.
***
In the cold light of dawn, we were waiting for Sunny where we had greed to meet.
We were busy preparing for the last stretch of the way to the Bright Castle. All of us were calm and collected, not like the people who will be facing the wrath of the bright lord. But no one was fearful.
What kind of horror had they not faced already?
I saw Sunny land near us, he gave us a different look and muttered a "hey." I immediately noticed that he was in a dark mood.
Leaning on a stone wall, the huntress was enthusiastically gnawing on a juicy bone. Her white teeth were effortlessly crushing it into tiny pieces, which were then chewed and swallowed along with the marrow. Noticing Sunny, she smiled.
"Hey, doofus."
He gave her a nod and wanted to turn away, but then noticed a slight frown that appeared on Effie's face. Looking at him with a bit of uncertainty, she asked:
"Uh… you alright?"
Sunny was silent for a few moments, then smiled. Finally, he said in an even tone:
"I'm perfect."
'Fine my ass..'
With that Nephis and Sunny greeted each other and walked away. I narrowed my eyes a little. Nephis had promised me a wish as her apology and I already had something on my mind.
***
We finally returned to the outer settlements of the bright castle.
The slum itself was much the same, but the people populating it seemed different. Many of them were bruised and bandaged, but their eyes shone with the subtle light of hope that wasn't there or as strong before. That hope was contrasted against the suffocating feeling of tension that hung in the air. From time to time, someone would glance toward the castle and frown, a dark expression appearing on their face.
There were also graffiti drawn on the walls of the most derelict hovels, some of them depicting a shining star, some the image of a beautiful bronze spear.
'Effie has fans too now..?'
When the sentries saw who was approaching, their faces first became shocked, and then lighted up with intense jubilation.
People started to chant Nephis's and Effie's name. It seemed they were giving us a warm welcome.
In the crowd, there were a few faces that did not share in everyone's joy. They were the leaders of the outer settlement's hunting parties. The gazes they threw at Nephis were grim and full of meaning. She gave them a nod, letting the experienced hunters know that she understood the message they were trying to relay.
Then, Changing Star faced the inhabitants of the slum and took the bag that Effie handed her. Slowly unclasping it, she spoke, her calm voice effortlessly making the crowd grow silent.
"I am not good with words, so… please accept my gratitude, Dreamers of the Dark City. The past few months have been harsh on me and the members of my cohort, but they must have been equally as harsh on you. However, we have persevered. You here in these cursed ruins, and we out there in the ghastly depths of the Labyrinth. But all of it was not in vain."
With that, she took something from the bag and tossed it to the ground. Suddenly, a deathly silence settled over the crowd. Everyone was staring at the object laying on the stones, expressions of fear clearly written on many faces.
It was a terrifying, jagged black talon, which was as sharp and long as a sword.
And then, another one fell near it, and another, and another.
Eventually, thirty-eight of these dark blades lay in a pile in front of Nephis — thirty from the six front limbs of the Spire Messenger, and eight from the two hind ones.
Closing the bag, Nephis put it on her shoulder and said, her tone dark and piercing:
"Out there in the Labyrinth, we have fought and slew one of the cursed Messengers of the Crimson Spire. I bring you its claws as a gift, to become your weapons."
Stunned whispers ran through the crowd. The Messengers were both a symbol of terror and a symbol of hope to the people of the Dark City — terror because of their horrifying power and appetite, as well as their connection to the dreaded Spire, and hope because of the legends that once, a long time ago, a group of powerful Sleepers had managed to kill one.
Nephis lingered for a moment, and then sighed, a somber note appearing in her voice.
"Many years ago, we, those who were sent to the Forgotten Shore, weren't yet imprisoned by fear. Enthralled by the sin of those cowards who had forgotten that they are, first and forever, humans. Back then, there were people among us willing to risk their lives to conquer this hell. Escape it. The First Lord and his companions were the greatest of them. And now…"
Brilliant sparks of light suddenly appeared around her head like a sacred halo. Changing Star's eyes shined with pure white radiance, and, as the Crown of Dawn weaved itself from light and fell upon her head, she spoke.
"...I have brought his legacy back to the Dark City. This is the crown of the First Lord. We have retrieved it from a place of eternal darkness where he had fallen in battle. He died trying to find a way out of this cursed land for all of us to follow."
She paused for a moment and then said, her face illuminated by the brilliant white flames that burned in her furious eyes.
On her forehead, the single gem decorating the Dawn Shard shone with that brilliance, too.
Almost like a third eye.
"And with it, we will finish what he started!"
***
Soon the castle guards were coming to get Effie. I stretched my shoulder, however I suddenly felt a sharp pain on my back as someone slapped it. I immediately turned to look at them with a cold glare.
Shashi was smiling at me sheepishly.
"Don't get too excited yet. They haven't even arrived."
"You know.. you are actually very annoying." I said as I rubbed, or tried to rub my back where she hit.
"Oh come on, appreciate me a little. I am adding various colors to your life."
With a scoff I turned to walk away from her, however she sticked by my side.
Then, suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, drawing closer to the hall where all the people had gathered. A few moments later, its door was shattered, too, exploding into a shower of splinters along with the bits of stone that surrounded it.
A giant of a man walked into the hall, his mere presence making the entire space look tiny. Compared to him, even Effie seemed to be of average height. There was a morose expression on his face and a dark glint in his cold, cruel eyes.
The giant did not wear any armor, allowing his monumental muscles to strain the fabric of a sleeveless silk shirt.
It appeared that Tessai, the fearsome leader of the Castle Guard, had decided to welcome the cohort back to the Dark City himself. Neph's followers paled, their fiery indignation replaced by fear.
"Can I kill it?" I said in a low tone to Shashi as I observed the man.
"Nope."
Behind Tessai, a group of Guards, each wearing a sturdy armor and wielding Memory weapons, could be seen. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the robust figure of the tall huntress, and then, hateful smiles appeared on their faces. The Guards seemed very happy to finally find the woman accused of murdering their own.
The giant only glanced at Effie and then turned to Nephis. His deep, low voice resounded in the stone hall, sending shivers running through the hearts of many Sleepers gathered there.
"Changing Star. So you're alive after all."
She met his gaze and endured it without flinching.
"You must be Tessai. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The giant lingered before answering. The corner of his mouth twitched and slowly curled upward. Finally, he said:
"Oh, no. The pleasure is all mine."
Then, he raised his mighty arm and pointed at Effie.
"Lord Gunlaug has invited this one to the Castle, to face punishment for her crimes. You should have trained your dogs better, Changing Star. See what happens when they go around biting people?"
He lowered his hand and flexed his shoulders, then looked at her with a dark expression.
"Now. I would advise you rats to step aside and let me take that she-wolf with me."
Nephis crossed her arms and stared at the giant, cold sparks igniting in the depths of her calm grey eyes. A few moments later, she said evenly:
"...Or what?"