Many days had passed since that lazy evening.
A month later, the sun disappeared over the horizon in a land faraway from Ravenheart. This area of the Dream Realm — a treacherous, rocky region deemed the border between the Song Domain and the ever-impenetrable Death Zones that lay beyond — was called the Moonriver Plain. Its skies were rich with twinkling stars. Three ethereal moons loomed far above, each an obelisk of pale light that, together, illuminated the rolling hills and deep canyons below.
Four Awakened were voyaging through this perilous region. They travelled far during the dim light of day. They slew monsters by the dozen, wielding terrible and wonderous powers that defied reason. And as they burrowed deeper into the scarred land, sheltered from the cold by long-forgotten ruins, they made steady progress towards their new Citadel.
***
Gemma was tending the fire. He poked and prodded the crackling wood — a usually scarce resource in this area if not for Nico's Awakened Ability. The embers flashed every time he blew on it, and hanging above by a spit was a pot of monster stew he was brewing.
The former Hunter glanced around. Kido was closest to him, sitting on an upturned piece of stone that had once belonged to a stele of unknown origin. She was leaned close to the fire, enjoying the warmth against her skin. Wrapped around her body was a hide armor with strange furs around her collar, forearms, and shins. It had two enchantments. One made her figure much harder to ascertain with the senses, and the other made her movements a lot swifter. She wielded a bow now, and every now and then Gemma wondered how he had managed to survive so long on the Forgotten Shore without her protective arrows.
Farther away, sitting atop a fallen, mutilated statue, Seishan was gazing into the distance, bathed in moonlight. She was wearing sparse armor like Kido, but hers was stark black and made from leather. It had dark steel plating in some areas like her shoulders and knees, and left certain others exposed to her stormy-gray skin. She carried no weapon with her; her transformation made her the weapon itself, and the predatory strength she wielded went far beyond what was typical of a normal Awakened.
Gemma knew the Blood Sister well enough on the Forgotten Shore, but only after sharing this arduous journey together had he really begun to understand her. She was regal, cunning, and ultimately a reliable battle partner. She cared about Nico as if he was her own sibling. She extended more than enough courtesy to both himself and Kido.
All in all, he very much enjoyed her presence among them.
Then there was Nico. Somehow, he was youngest and the strongest. He was their leader, too, and he wore that dull, engraved silver armor he always had. His skin had taken on a much lighter, much more pale hue. His deep blue eyes were now pale and luminescent, not quite icy but bordering the color. Whenever Gemma's gaze landed on him he felt… very emotional.
Nico's weapon of choice was still his mace, though it often ended up wrapped in a searing white flame far more imposing than the weapon itself. It was a Memory called [Nameless Sun], and when combined with his unnatural four cores and five times strength… well, Gemma was hard-pressed to believe he wasn't strong enough to take on all three of his fellow party members without breaking a sweat.
He could probably even trample Ascended.
After watching him for a couple moments, Gemma went back to stirring the pot and lost himself in cooking. His scale mail armor gleamed dark green in the light, and his sleeveless arms boasted powerful muscles. The Ascended glaive that Nico had owned before now belonged to Gemma, resting idly at his side. He had traded half of the soul shards he would gain from this trip to purchase it.
The soup was eventually ready not long later, and they gathered around the now-dim fire to eat.
There wasn't much chatter, but after Kido had swallowed a giant chunk of tender meat, she decided to ask:
"Hey, Nico, where's that Spirit of yours?" She pointed her spoon at him. "I don't know what kind of plan you have, but now that we're in the Moonriver Plain it might be for the best that you keep it around. The battles have been getting tougher."
Nico paused, then placed his bowl down. "I cannot. My Spirit is still in Ravenheart at the moment." His lips curled upwards into a faint half-smile. "Are you scared, Kido? Worry not. There's a reason why I've been hanging back and letting Gemma and Seishan take most of the glory."
Seishan grinned wryly beside him. "And why is that?"
He shrugged plainly. "To make sure that this group will still function if I am not at my full power. Because, after all, we need teamwork more than just one powerful combatant. As such, I plan to lend you all one of my soul roots. Unlike me, it won't make you physically stronger, but it will make your soul twice as fierce and voluminous. I'm sure the effect will achieve similar results."
Gemma's hands itched at the thought of his own body so much more capable. "Oh, and when were you planning to enact this secret plan of yours?"
Nico's palm rose, and three glowing roots emerged. "Just about now, if you'd allow me."
Kido shivered.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Gemma's brow rose. Kido caught his gaze, then mumbled sheepishly:
"You know how Nico used to help me with my experiments, Gemma. It's so creepy at first…"
He winced.
"Infuse me," Seishan said readily, her arm extended and palm facing upwards.
Nico nodded. Two roots winded upwards with surprising speed and length, fully connecting to both Seishan and Kido before separating from his palm and disappearing into their bodies. Both shivered for a second, and both men locked eyes after that.
Gemma chuckled sheepishly, then gave a nod. The same process happened to him, and a foreign presence invaded his mind instantly. There was a hungry, devouring sensation when the root first entered. It felt like he was going to be consumed inside out, every drop of his essence used to feed this invader. Then, the root reached his Soul Core — he felt it when his entire body tremored. It coiled round. It became a part of him, and suddenly the feeling vanished, replaced by a rush of power that reached every corner of his being.
"W-woah…" he muttered, squeezing his fists and circulating his essence with flawless efficiency. It was like the root not only empowered him, but aided the flow of his soul through his body. "Damn… Nico, I thought this was only supposed to make us stronger, not… more skilled, I guess? I don't know how to explain it."
The young man shrugged, leaning forward a little and reopening his book. "My soul roots have had the ability to shape essence since I was a Sleeper. Its ability to efficiently use it is far defter than your own now that I'm an Awakened." He wrote something down with a manifested pen. "I should also be able to recharge you all now, so anytime you're running I'll replenish your cores."
He snapped the book shut, then scooted down from his seat to lean against a nearby stone.
"We still have a couple days to go before reaching Clan Sorrow's citadel in the south. Get some rest soon, and make sure to familiarize yourself with that new strength before the battles to come."
***
Kido woke up the next morning in a very good mood. The power bestowed to her last night made her feel energized, and since she was the first to rise, she decided to watch the rest of them sleep as she subtly removed all traces of their presence from the ancient ruins.
Still besides the fire, Gemma snored quietly, his head lolled back in a chilling arch that definitely didn't look healthy. Gods know he was going to get some kind of injury.
'Not that anything like that would ever last for him…'
She smiled a bit, then tilted his head onto his shoulder anyway.
Nico slept like a dead man. He didn't move, twitch, or snore. He didn't make a sound and his face was perfectly straight. If not for the almost unnoticeable upward heave of his chest from beneath his armor, Kido might've thought he had silently perished during the night.
'That can't be normal…' she grumbled internally, squinting as if to see if he really was asleep or not. 'Whatever.'
Sadly, before Kido made an astute observation of Seishan, the young princess was waking up, the light of dawn falling in just the way to reach her eyes.
'Was that intentional?'
Kido squinted.
Seishan was a very punctual lady, so it wouldn't be all too surprising.
***
The cohort set out not ten minutes later. They ate a few bars of easily constructed snack food that Nico could manifest without consuming too much essence, then started trekking southeast looking for a certain ravine that could take them all the way down to the delta. Conversation was ample — Gemma and Seishan also seemed to be in a pleasant mood — and only Nico was remaining relatively quiet. His gaze was faraway, and Kido remembered that her question last night hadn't exactly gotten answered.
"Hey, Nico," she began. "What is your Spirit doing all the way back at Ravenheart while you're here?"
There was silence for a moment.
"Studying," he answered plainly. "I have a lot to learn about the inner workings of the soul, and while I am away it can continue without me."
Kido hummed thoughtfully. Seishan cast a half-glance at the two.
Nico continued:
"I'm considering the creation of Memories. Or, more accurately, of enchanted items of my own design. The sort of sorcery the Spell uses to create Memories is far beyond me at the current moment, so I'm experimenting in the dark."
Gemma's eyes widened. "I didn't even consider that you could make something like that…"
Kido, an Artisan at heart, hummed and placed a finger on her chin. She asked:
"What kind of sorcery does the Spell even use?"
Nico's lips curved into a small smile. "It's a wondrous one. It uses condensed soul essence as strands, and if I had to give a name to the kind of shape it knots into I'd say it's like a spiderweb or a ball of yarn. There's some hidden meaning in the way each strand overlaps and twists around the other, but I just don't have the innate aptitude to understand it."
He held out a hand. "The most I could do is replicate it, but even that is challenging." His hand lit up, and a strangely glowing ball of essence like a miniature Soul Core appeared in his palm. "The sorcery I intend to create is similar, but more attuned to my own natural talents. It's a combination of my Dormant and Awakened Ability." The orb in his hand dissipated, and a perfectly circular glass ball landed in his open palm. It was cool to the touch. "There are, of course, other types of sorcery like the common runic one and the very act of naming itself, but none are really capable of making the types of creations I need." Something shifted, and the ball began to light up, glowing faintly without any sign of heat.
"I want to construct something like a soul core itself."
Seishan took a momentary glance at the construct, then cracked her neck and cut through the silence:
"As wonderful as that is, little brother, we have company." Her body stretched, bones elongating and armor enlarging to make room for the monster her Dormant Ability made her. "I suggest preparing," Seishan growled, her newly crimson eyes and vertical pupils scanning the open plain of rocks for signs of the enemy she had detected.
Gemma and Kido almost immediately shifted into a battle stance. The former carefully nocked an arrow and took her position next to Nico, while the later grew double his height and gripped the [Wrathful Crescent] with both hands.
"Yes, of course," Nico said, and his helmet manifested from a cloud of sparks. "But, I think I'll leave the runts to you three."
Kido shot him an aggrieved glare. Gemma's eyelid twitched, his feet digging into the stone. "Enough playing around, Nico!"
Indeed, it was quite uncharacteristic of him to not at least notify them of the enemy's rank and class before combat. After all, with such a potent scouting ability, it would be quite odd not to use it to the fullest. They had slain many enemies by simply singling out the strongest and weakest foes and constructing a plan to deal with them before they even revealed themselves.
Nico paused for a single moment. Then, he took a step back. "Have your senses dulled, Gemma? These foes are well within your ability—for now."
The ground he had just been standing above rumbled briefly before exploding outwards in tiny chunks. The dirt beneath scattered, and a large pair of mandibles snapped through the air, closing just in front of Nico's visor with a sickening, but ultimately empty, crunch. The slimy, worm-like body the head was connected to wriggled and pulsed, attempting to reposition after its failed sneak attack and retreat back into the ground. Before Nico even needed to think about it escaping, Gemma's glaive swept backwards with a single hand, decapitating the Monster in a rain of blood as his other arm swelled three — then four — times its normal size to catch another that had attempted lunging from beneath the dirt to attack him.
The former Hunter's mad grin returned, and the Awakened Monster squirmed desperately against his hold. One empowered squeeze was all it took to extinguish its futile struggle. Nico used the opportunity to extend a portion of Gemma's soul root from his body, absorbing all the essence he could from the dead Nightmare Creature.
Gemma's pupils dilated as he no doubt received a flood of essence and multiple Soul Fragments. He laughed madly, retracting his glaive and dodging out the way as another worm burst from the ground. In fact, nearly a dozen had, encircling them.
"Fine, this is a worthy trade-off!" Gemma bellowed.
The cohort grouped together. Gemma, Seishan, and Nico formed a loose triangle around Kido as the archer let an arrow snap at one of the worms. It hardly reacted, and the silver projectile embedded into its body. It definitely wasn't a lethal shot, but in the next moment the arrow boiled, large spikes exploding from the tip and growing through the worm's length easily. Within a second it was collapsed over, deceased.
The other worms charged.
Seishan dodged the mandibles of two, ducking under and tearing both heads off with a single swipe of her arms. As a third one appeared down the center, her jaw unhinged, serrated teeth tearing open its throat with a nasty squelch. The wound wept blood, and as it turned around to continue fighting, three other Monsters also converged alongside it.
The ensuing combat was a mess of screeches, gore, and viscera, and by the end Seishan was left untouched, while the burrowing Nightmare Creatures only continued to bleed — profusely, endlessly.
Their carcasses hit the ground devoid of life before she ever had to finish them off.
Her gaze turned towards where Gemma, Nico, and Kido were fighting, and instantly the wounds they had created on their foes noticeably exacerbated. Rivers of dark ichor poured onto the earth. Bodies toppled, slamming down one after another. The cohort regrouped together just after three quarters of them had fallen, and it was then that the ground shook angrily.
Something large — larger than the pack of Monsters — was approaching.
Nico finally announced:
"It's an Awakened Tyrant."
The earth underneath them splintered angrily, and the cohort dashed out of the way just as the massive creature rocketed upwards. The Tyrant had five insectoid heads, each sporting a powerful set of mandibles and beady black eyes. Its main body was large and ovular, covered in a patchwork of cracked chitin and exposed gray flesh. Six crab-like legs fractured the rock as it crawled out to fight, and Nico realized this creature was probably more used to fighting above ground than below.
Two Demons — larger worms with four small legs and two heads — crawled out alongside the Tyrant, flanking its right and left.
Gemma's grin faltered for a moment.
"They're of no threat. Half their number are dead, and the rest are dying," Nico assured. "You three are capable of handling the Demons together." His gaze turned to the Tyrant. It watched as its servants crawled forward, content to wait until Nico's cohort were fully engaged to attack. "I'll take the Tyrant."
There were a couple nods of affirmation as he dashed forward, summoning the flames of the [Nameless Sun] to encase the [Mourning Star]. His one remaining soul root wrapped around it, too. The Tyrant's six heads instantly flickered towards him, and, sensing the danger, it sent the Demons to dispatch him immediately. The four remaining Monsters crawled forward to stall his cohort.
But there was no stopping Nico now. He was an Awakened, and because of that, he didn't need to hit anybody to trigger the enchantment of his mace. The [Nameless Sun]'s devouring flames were unstoppable in his hands.
The Tyrant realized far too late the futility of its effort.
Nico pointed the glowing weapon at the encroaching threat, watched the brilliant flames of the [Nameless Sun] sink into the weapon's head, then covered one of his ears as the ensuing explosion devoured the world.