Zero, arhan and kora were standing right at the End of the "Island" the was formed around the Soul Devouring Tree.
It had been around three days since that incident, and they got their explanation.
Basically, Kora's Flaw [Catastroph], was more than just not being able to eat properly.
The flaw made it so that he would accumulate "Madness", and when it got too high, it manifested outwardly.
That was the reason for Kora's outbreak.
Now that that was resolved, the wanted to go explore for a landmark. From what Zero had learned, Gateways to the real world appeared at those location frequently.
However, just as they were going to set off, A prompt from the Nightmare Spell gave quite a fright to Zero.
[You have Gained an Attribute]
Attribute Name: [Seeker of the Divine Shadow]
Attribute Description :[ The inheritor of The phony—The god of Shadows as he calls himself— will appear at Your location soon. Your first mission as my Apostle is to catch that vile spawn of shade and take back my a portion of my Authority.
You are not allowed to leave the forgotten shore before achieving this goal.
The Following rewards are: Charms (Quick focus, Sharp Shadow) and The Crystal Heart.
Here's an advance payment, because I pay my workers well.
Good luck.
—Your Patron, The lord of Shades.]
"…"
Zero looked expressionlessly at the attribute description.
"Uhm, Zero, are you alright ? What are you doing staring at the air like that"
The voice of the worried brats echoe'd behind him.
Why did this look like a cheap plot-device in a shitty novel ?
After gathering his thoughts, he felt he had Some understanding of the predicament the lord of shade was in.
(AN:sorry for a sort of an info dump coming)
"He" had lost some his Authorities.
For a True God, the loss of Authorities was a crippling injury. An authority represented One of the core powers of a God.
A power constructed of three things.
Symbolism, Authority, and Uniqueness.
Symbolism was what represented a God.
For example, if the God of shadows lost his authority of Shadows, then he could substitute a part of it temporarily by using the power of his symbolysm, albeit weakly.
The lord of shades must be the same. Escpecially since compared to the Ancient Murals depicting a Four eyed God he had discovered in his cult, "He" had only three pairs of eyes.
The loss of a pair must've "Symbolized" his loss over his shadow authority.
However, one thought lingered.
What could've made something as strong as "Him" lose one of his authorities ?"
(AN/ End of Info dump)
Well, either way, he was in for a long time here.
The Inheritor of shadows could appear anytime, escpecially considering the time frame of a God.
It could be as short as a year or as long as a few decade.
'Well, either way, not like telling it to these two will change anything. The search for the gateway might as well take a decade.'
Just as he was about to reply to his worried new compagnions, he fel something tugging at the back of his mind.
It told him to…To Focus.
As to not alert his friends, he stealthily moblized his Soul. Immediatly, he felt a cool sensation spread around his body.
All the little scratches and Injuries he had suffered since he came to The Forgotten shore had been healed.
This was the Gift offered by The Lord of Shades.
One of the drawbacks, however, was that he was unable to move while focusing.
Well, the two tee
After sorting out his thought, he replied to the worried sleepers next to him.
"Nah, nothing, just got lost in my own thoughts."
However, it seemed Arhan wasn't buying it.
"Are you sure ? You weren't moving for a second."
"Yeah just had an idea."
"What kind of Idea, Zero ?"
"Nothing, its stupid."
"No, don't worry, we'd never think you were stupid, just tell us."
"It's nothing."
Arhan seemed to be tired from arguing. He simply looked at Zero, With a suspicious gaze.
And with that, the set off on their journey, unaware that this would become a tale for the next generation.
————————————
(Stella and Audrey Pov)
"Fucking Dogshit"
Imagine being enslaved by a strangely cute Bat- Spider- Vampire hybrid.
Yeah, not your average day in the dream realm.
But that was the predicament Audrey and Stella found themselves in.
Right after they appeared on the top of a rose corral, that strange being, accompagniated by another starved sleeper, decided to take them under his large wings.
Strangely, the nightmare creature didn't kill them, and instead took them along.
Before they could even ready themselves to fight, they felt the incontrolable impulse to follow it.
And be forced to become unpaid Workers.
Work that consisted of engraving a strange Title in rock, and sculpt the statue of a strange Bug like being.
A strange day indeed for sleepers.
What gave them the creeps, tough, was that the nightmare creature didn't kill them, and after the Fortunate death of their comrade, even lightened their workload.
They had to be careful not to develop StockHolmes syndrom tough.
They were currently sitting on top of the Bat Beast's back, flying toward random directions.
"Uhm, Audrey."
The Browned haired girl started talking to her Blonde friend.
"Yes?"
"Is that a city in the horizon, or am I tripping from all the Hellish workload we had to bear ?"
There was indeed a Black stop in the Horizon, and they were moving toward it.
"I think we're both tripping"
That, was a city. No doubt. It had a Bit of a victorian era building style, with old, cracked building. If one had some Aspect helping in the Optical department, they could've seen beast occuping the outer layer, crowling like maggots.
And they were moving toward it, To spread the brillance of the strange beast's "Lord."
This was going to be a pain in the ass.
—————————————————
(In the Dark city.)
In a Cathedral long abandoned, Countless nightmare creatures seemed to crawl around.
They clumb on the Chimney, crawled in between the walls, shamelessly rammed into every door.
Yet something even weirder was happening.
The number of bells in that cathedral was… Exaggerated.
There was a shit ton of bells in there.
Everywhere, in every room, every tile of the floor. Even on the roof.
They were bells.
And on the altar previously used to hold the Sacrifices for the Dead Gods, lied a Pale beast.
A Pale, lizard-like beast.
A beast sleeping on bells.
The Bell Beast was sad.
Those… Creatures around it, were so stupid.
The didn't have an inch of Sentience.
Even tough they worshipped it like their god, their was no thought behind their actions.
The bell beast was lonely.
It longed for its Lady.
The lady in Crimson, wielding Silk and Needle as "Her" weapons.
The Progenitor of the New Hunters.
The Silky wyrm.
The child of The pale civilization and The Beast,
The inheritor of the Weavers.
The bell beast had forgotten all but this title. It didn't know, but it had been separated from "her".
But The Bell Beast knew in its heart, that "She" would come back.
From silk and Soul, "She" would rise, and show The Bell beast her Salvation.
After all, what is a Steed without its King .
And so, The Beast waited.
Waited, and waited again.
Without forgetting to tell its minions to gather more bells of course.
——————————————
Hi guys. I'm back.
This chapter was more of a Transitional one. And the First Cohort is finaly going to gather at the Dark City.
Poor girls, forced into Slavery by the Sexy child.
Anyway, I want to write but I feel like I'm losing it.
I feel edgy as fuck.
I feel like its been so long since I've felt something that wasn't boredom or annoyment.
Really feels like shit.
Maybe its because I finished LoTM. Obviously the reason.
SOMEONE RECOMMENT ME A NOVEL IN THE COMMENTS.
Anyway, gonna go study. Ima bomb the test bro. Didn't go to class for two weeks since I went on a trip to france for personal reason.
These fuckers didn't send me the lesson, god fuck their ass.
So matter of fact is, I'm royally cooked.
anyway, Thanks for the support. BYYEEEEEEEEE