Artemis awoke once again in the dead of night, it seemed constant in the otherworld. The brilliant white light in the sky continued pouring down onto the surface of the city, casting its radiant hues over the malformed palace structure, which sat as a hideous spire in the distance. A ruined piece of art, a brilliant thing which had once and still been warped grotesquely by time.
Where… where am I now…?
Beside him, curled up casually atop a bed of rubble, the red-haired woman sat, her arms nestled on stone perches, carefully studying a small black booklet.
Hearing him shift himself, she glanced up, noticing his confused expression. He had appeared underneath an alcove in the ruined courtyard, of course he would be confused.
"I moved you away from the water. It was cold, I was scared you would freeze. Was I wrong to do so?"
Artemis shook his head, carefully sitting up to face her.
Ah, she brought me here… this woman, she really didn't kill me. Maybe I was wrong to think she would? After all, I suppose I did save her life.
"No, no… that's alright. I would rather not spend a moment more in that water, not if I didn't have to."
A faint smile curled up her lips. "It's not that dangerous, you know. I had used this black water before, to heal some wounds I incurred running away from a certain monster. These stones that form fall off as soon as the wound has healed itself underneath, I assure you."
She raised her sleeve, illiciting Artemis's patient attention. Slowly, the fabric peeled back to reveal harsh, craggy scars like ridges on her flesh. Bright-pink, there were indentations of where something once had been, prints on her skin.
"I once figured out that the stone heals in the same way you did. I was attacked by another of those wolf-like beasts. Actually, that skeletal figure that herds them was someone who had been tailing me for some time. He was very… cruel. But that armoured Knight took care of him well, and then you took care of the Knight. Really, there is nothing more for me to be afraid of. Not that it really matters what I'm afraid of, anyway."
So they really aren't harmful… then she really did save my life.
I guess we're even now.
Returning to her booklet, she continued.
"I don't usually fear fighting monsters, even though I'm not very skilled in fighting. It's just hard to face a thing that you remember so brutally eviscerating your arm, isn't it?" She chuckled. When her expression became that exuberant, it was like her face lit up completely. Those freckles that littered her cheeks and nose like stars became just like that, wonderfully bright, and her smile was captivating, enamoring. It was bright, it was gorgeous, it was-
Artemis suddenly bit his lower lip, causing a thin stream of blood to spill from it down his chin. He had to remember who he was, not compensate for his years by losing himself in a dream.
He dutifully admired the woman, but he had been by himself in his reclusion the past two years. If he were presented with any woman, she might have looked to be the most beautiful he had ever seen, it likely didn't matter at all. But it was moreso the case that he shouldn't have been looking at any woman that way, not one that he had just met. It was scummy, dirtbaggish, wasn't it?
And he was a Noble. One of the very first things he had ever been taught was that it was quite rude to stare, to lose yourself in your thoughts and forget where your eyes wandered. It was demeaning of a person's character, even a slight to one's family name. He should have put that into practice, he only forgot for a moment who he was.
But thankfully, it looked like she hadn't noticed at all, too enamored by the black booklet in her hands.
So, to placate himself, he quickly switched the topic of conversation.
"What is that black booklet? You look at it in such awe, is it really that wonderful? I've read many stories, but I've never found them particularly captivating…"
She glanced up from her reading, and her genial expression seemed… not only exuberant, but passionate. It was the sort of thing that one would expect when asking a master craftsman about their trade, their brilliance that they longed to pour out onto one without knowledge of their craft. Her reaction was fervor.
"I like to observe things, study them, record them. It's a pleasure of mine. This book, it's all of my recordings. Drawings of plants, structures, creatures, and their notes and observations. Did you know this city has a broad depth of history? If only I were able to understand their language, I'm sure this booklet would have become more full than I could manage. I wish to discover all of its secrets, I'm sure I came to this city to do such a thing…"
"You can't remember?"
She shook her head. "I can't remember much at all. My name seems branded to my memories quite well, but my origin, my friends, family, who knows? How did I get here? Was I always here? I don't think it matters too much. How can I grieve or despair over something that I don't know exists?"
"You don't feel lost?"
"Why would I feel lost? I'm in the very depths of my purpose— to explore."
She suddenly extended her hand towards him, beckoning his to grasp at it.
"My name is Ruffliette. It's nice to meet you."
He took her head, smiling as pleasantly as one who had just been eviscerated could.
"My name is Artemis. It's nice to meet you too."
Artemis suddenly caught sight of something that shook his body to its very core. He felt chills rush up his spine, a sudden gnawing urge to jump up and fight alleviating a bit of his weakness, some sense of adrenaline that begged for his survival.
Standing atop a nearby building, Artemis saw a flickering silhouette.
This lone shadow, its terribly thin visage, it stared directly at him. It had a pair of sickening bright-yellow eyes, pupils glaring in the darkness.
Another monster!? So soon!?
Seeing anxiety suddenly flush his face, Ruffliette followed his gaze, eventually settling on the figure standing high above them.
"The shadow… he won't harm you…" Ruffliette said with a plaintive smile. "He follows me… but he doesn't do anything at all… he just observes… ah, sorry. It must have terrified you, I should have mentioned it sooner. Although, you had been awake for only a few moments, so there really wasn't ample time to-"
She tends to ramble on, doesn't she?
Well, if she says it's fine…
…I'll trust her word. Why would she save me only to lie to me to deliberately put me in danger…?
He relaxed himself slightly, although he still wanted to keep watch of the shadow.
But why would such a creature want to follow and observe her? Is it something particular about her that causes this? Maybe... it's just been waiting for the right opportunity to strike...
Its very presence sent shivers down Artemis's spine. But it didn't attack, it didn't move in the slightest, not towards him, not even in place. It only stood, and it only watched. If it really did suddenly attack, Artemis might not see it coming until it had injured him. After all, what was a better assassin moving through the shadows than a shadow itself?
Besides that, there was a blinding light in the distance, a bright-golden radiance that seemed to illuminate the farthest part of the abandoned city. A dark tower pierced the stormy sky high above, a wall twice as tall as the city stretching out from the fortress he currently resided in towards a hopeful lighthouse high above the terror of the city.
He suddenly came to a realisation.
Shadows… brilliant light… a red-haired woman.
All the circumstances of my dream are present. Won't this shadow act to obscure me from her as she heads towards this light?
Artemis turned towards Ruffliette, slowly trying to regain his balance as he got to his feet. The tenebrous shadows had suddenly begun to surround them as the bright-white light in the night sky repositioned itself farther towards the horizon.
"Do you ever have strange dreams?"
"I don't often dream at all, Mr. Artemis."
She doesn't dream at all? Don't all people dream? Is this related to her memory loss, does her inability to remember her past also tarnish her with the inability to dream…?
How cruel…
I wished to ask her if she knew of the circumstances of my dream, if she had dreamt of something similar, even. But it seems I am the only one aware of these strange sights. Perhaps I am the only one who is even real in this mysterious otherworld.
Then I wonder what this dream of mine means at all? Why did I experience it for so long? What brought me to this place, when I had been in my bedroom only moments prior?
He shook his head, smiling understandingly, wanting to give off the vibe that it didn't matter at all. If it were him, wouldn't he feel ashamed talking about something he experiences that isn't quite normal? He didn't want her to feel awkward for having mentioned it.
But perhaps even then, he was already over-thinking things.
"Never mind it, it was a silly question."
"Why ask it?"
As he approached an answer, the words hanging at the edge of his tongue, he suddenly felt a sharp pain relieve him of his motives. It surged through his head, shaking his brain and making his skull feel as if it were to burst and shatter. He simply couldn't contain himself, couldn't act as if everything was normal.
Lark was demanding the effectuation of the contract's terms.
For using the Daemonic Spirit's ability when fighting against the Hollow Armour, he would now have to consume a thing that is or was once living. This gluttonous Spirit demanded so, at the cost of significant pain until it was realised.
Otherwise, he would become the thing promised to be consumed.