Finally, it was time for the group to depart from the underground city, and hopefully for good. Everyone except Cassius at least.
Strangely, the boy had chosen to remain behind. Although he hadn't stuck with the group for long, he said that he didn't want to drag them down by being slow.
Smile Of Heaven of course, was not happy about this.
"If that's the only issue, then forget about it. You can come with us."
"You're simply too kind, but I really don't want to be a burden. I'd rather die here alone than get you all killed because of me."
Despite how much she pleaded, there was simply no changing his mind.
"That doesn't mean I've completely given up though. If you guys don't come back in the next week, then I'll assume you've made it to the surface. After that, I will leave this place too. In the meantime though, I'll try figure out how to open that daunting door."
Investigating it hadn't really been the groups main focus, because if it were shut up on purpose, then it was probably for a really good reason. There were no coincidences in the dream realm, so who knows? Maybe there was something beyond those doors that should never be free.
But what was Cassius supposed to do? Wait and die here on his own? He had to try something.
But it wasn't like that was his only plan. If the path through the Chimera forest did happen to be a dead end, then the group would have to turn around anyway and come back. At that point, opening that door would be their only hope.
"Anyways, the next time we'll all meet, it will be in the waking world... hopefully. I'll be seeing you guys soon."
Epsilon raised up his hand with a gentle smile on his face,
"When we get out, lets share a proper meal."
Cassius's eyes widened, but then he smirked. Raising his own hand, their palms met with a sharp, defiant slap.
**
Travelling back through the city, the cohort of Epsilon, Ki Song, and Smile Of Heaven became dutifully quiet. Although they didn't need too, being close to this many Nightmare creatures was naturally uncomfortable, so they kept quiet to at least reassure themselves.
Until Bob's loud mouth went and broke it.
"Hey Epsilon! Let's go over there! There are goodies hiding there! Trustttt Me! It's my old castle, so I should know."
Manifesting another one of his laughably small hands, he pointed at the stone castle in the far distance. On closer look, it seemed to be the centre of this whole place.
Epsilon glanced at it briefly, before giving it a concerning look.
"Hey? You two never told me about something like that being here?"
Ki Song glanced over at it too, but just passed the question over to Smile Of Heaven.
"Haven't you scouted this area multiple times before, Gracia?"
The floating sword tilted its blade in her direction.
"Yeah, but I never saw it either... how strange. Maybe we should check it out just in case? There could be something good in there like Bob is saying."
"Right.. don't aim that at me."
Due to the Light that Smile Of Heaven emitted, she had to merge herself with her sword to not attract the attention of the black figures as they started calling them. Although she was much slower than before, she was capable of attacking at a moments notice.
Epsilon looked over at the dark ethereal spirit, whose singular eye was glowing innocently with a glint of shimmer. Of course, he found it suspicious.
"We shouldn't detour too much, Cassius is waiting on us. The sooner we get out, the better."
Clicking its nonexistent tongue, Bob grumbled. Convincing Epsilon to go to his castle was a failure. However, that didn't mean there wasn't a way to make him turn back.
'Victory comes to those who wait...'
The group continued their silent march towards the exit, but then Epsilon recalled something strange in that conversation with Bob.
"Since when were you two on a first name basis anyway?"
When it came to holders of True Names, it was common courtesy to call them by it. In the rare cases where you wouldn't call them that, it was if they were a close friend or even family. Ki Song hadn't been particularly close to her, or rather anyone since before coming to the dream realm so the first name basis was a bit weird.
Despite being teammates, even Epsilon called her by her true name too, sometimes.
"She forced me too. If I call her anything else, she throws a fit."
"You too Epsilon! Call me Gracia, not that stupid true name. I know you've been calling me it again."
Well it seems their time together in the last week had resolved that.
**
After traveling to the edge of the city, Ki Song led them both to a small passageway that was cut into a wall. Peering inside it, he could see a stone spiraling staircase that seemed to last forever.
It reminded Epsilon of his first Nightmare.
Ki Song already took the first few steps going down it, while Smile Of Heaven quickly floated through. Just before he could step inside, he suddenly froze.
His chest suddenly tightened,
He then recalled a faint memory, that was clouded in a haze.
He was on his knees, paralyzed from fear with his eyes locked on the divine creature before him. It was glowing white, with a faint humanoid figure taking form right at the centre, bleeding rivers of golden ichor as its screams echoed throughout the caves.
His eyes burned, he tried to close them, but he refused. He tried to raise his arms to cover them, but he refused. He tried to look away, but he refused. He tried to call for Nero, but he refused.
'I don't... I...'
He couldn't do anything. Not stand up, nor run away, or even scream. Everything he tried to do, he ended up doing the exact opposite, and when he tried to do that instead, nothing happened.
It didn't quite feel like he was rebelling against himself either, but more like his mind was constantly switching from one thought to another, as if his own indecisiveness had been ramped up to a thousand.
In other words, his decisions to act were completely his, and yet they weren't.
Even worse, it was not the dying figure before him that scared him the most, but the creature that was right behind him instead. He could feel it, only a couple inches away, its size unfathomable, and yet so small. He couldn't tell, but that wasn't important. All that mattered was that it was there, and he was the one who did this to indescribable creature in front of him.
'What will it do? What can I do?'
Nothing. Nothing at all.
Darkness shifted and scattered before gathering as a small dagger before him, solidifying as it suspended itself in the air.
The figure behind him called out,
"Take it."
His voice possessed an unbearable weight that pressed right down the into the marrow of Epsilons bones. Its words weren't just that either, but they were like laws. Absolute and undeniable laws. Laws that stitched itself into Epsilons being.
Without him even understanding it, his own arms moved willingly and obediently. They reached out and grabbed the dagger that radiated with a particular coldness.
And then, the demon gave its next orders.
"Kill her."
Obediently, Epsilon rose from the ground, confused by his own action. He took several steps forwards as he approached the radiant being. Each step, he could feel his own heart beating, and a terror coursing through every inch of his body. He thought he would burst from the sheer amount.
Standing right over it, Epsilon raised the dagger above his head. Before he did anything though, he swore he heard it whisper something,
"...Don't forget... Your promise."
His arms swiftly fell down.. and then..
and then...
[Y..ou.. have.. slain...]
[..ou... ha..e ..me..ory.]
[..Nig... con...]
"Nero? Where did you go? Why didn't you.."
**
Epsilon woke up in a cold sweat, his breath ragged, shallow like he'd been running through a fire. Sweat clung to his skin, cold and slick as it slid down onto the icy wooden floor.
Quickly gripping his own face, he could feel himself alive.
He could feel his own actions again.
He screamed.
And just a few moments later, he could feel a hand grip tightly around his. It pulled his own hand from his face, allowing him to see the two spirits surrounding him. Quickly, his rapid breathing calmed down, and his sense of reality gradually returned.
With a worried expression, Ki Song asked,
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine.. What happened? Where are we?"
"You passed out right before we went down, so I had to drag you inside this building. It's only been around 30 minutes."
Epsilon huffed. Arising, he quickly got out of bed,
"We need to get back."
He walked over to the exit, now with a strange, unreadable expression. It was the kind that didn't shift, with no trace of emotion. Just a quiet, rigid mask.
Before he could walk through though, Smile Of Heaven blocked his path.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine, let's go."
His voice was now stiff. There was no emotion in it, as if he was too tired to even display annoyance or dissatisfaction.
Moving his hand, he gently pushed the white spirit aside. Rather than being confused that she was touched, she uttered something that made Epsilon freeze.
"But you were crying."