Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie stood before the overwheilming presence before them.
It was a White, pale being, with a dark exoskeleton and a Silver cape drooping its shoulder.
Its eyes were black, deeper than any abyss yet still as expresive as any normal human.
Nephis and Sunny drew their swords, while Cassie dropped to her knees.
"We fucked up big time"
Sunny drew a hiss of cold air, looking at the Pure Vessel before him.
However, contrary to their expectation, the Vessel did not draw the Gigantic nail hanging from its back, instead, it planted it in the ashen soil, and started stretching. The overwheilming Aura of pure insanity seemingly dissapearing into thin air.
"Oh, Finaly, at long last, Freedom."
The Vessel looked at the shaken cohort, before adressing himself.
"I forgot to introduce myself, sorry, staying alone without human interaction for years is not really nourishing for one's mental state, is it ?"
"You can call me Zero."
Seeing that Zero didn't directly attack them, the cohort relaxed a little.
"Where are we ? Who are you ? What is this accursed shore you spoke of ? How can we go back to the waking world ? Where is the nearest Gateway ? How did you even get chained up there ?"
Facing this barrage of question, Zero didn't know which question he should answer first.
"Hold on, on question at a time"
Sunny nodded, his eyes still full of suspicion.
"Well, to answer your first question, The place we are in is called the Forgotten Shore, an area of the Dream Realm."
"I am an awakened that came here a few years ago, I don't have any ways to remember it exactly, but not counting Leap years, its been around Fifteen years. Exactly 5475 days"
"As for how we can leave this place ?"
Zero stared at the Sleepers.
"That's the neat part"
"We don't"
—————————————
Fifteen years ago,
Zero, Kora and Arhan barely survived the clutches of a Fallen Demon.
After several grueling days of travel, they arrived in the Dark City, meeting up with multiple other Awakened that had made it there.
Yet they each went their own separate ways.
Kora established the Hunters, a sleeper army made of those he rallied under his wings. They were essentially responsible of Pest Infestation—Killing every Nightmare Creature in sight, leaving the Dark City free of almost all abominations.
Arhan established The Hounds, thanks to his charisma and great leadership abilities, he quickly gained the trust of his peers, Together, they hunted Awakened that broke the Law of their Head Quaters, the innermost palace of the Dark City.
The Bright Palace.
Arhan created laws—A desesperatly needed Order in this chaotic shore.
They also searched for other sleeper stranded on the forgotten shores.
As for Zero ?
Well, he searched for a way to dodge that damn place.
However, Fate had other plans…
——————————————
Sunny shouted at Zero.
"What do you mean by this !? I always knew we shouldn't have freed you !"
Zero reassured the twink.
"Calm down, I said that because you are too late"
Sunny and Nephis looked at Zero, confused, while Cassie simply waited at the side.
It was already a miracle Nephis hadn't drawn her sword.
"First,The forgotten shore is behind the Hollow mountains.
"Second,the gateway was destroyed."
"…"
Silence.
"D-Does that mean…W-We're stuck here ?"
Cassie said, with a shaking voice, on the verge of tears.
Zero looked at her with a solemn gaze, and then said:
"Basically, yes. The only way is to get out of here is completing the second nightmare."
Sunny immediatly raged,
"That's Impossible! No sleeper in History has completed the second nightmare !"
"I knew you were up to no good. Damnation !"
Before Sunny could draw his sword, Nephis stopped him.
"There is a way to complete the second nightmare"
Immediatly, Their attention were all on Zero.
Zero sighed, a visible trace of regret flashing through his eyes.
"Exactly Fourteen years ago, Me and my cohort attempted an assault on the crimson spire, to escape the Forgotten Shore, we failed partially, and lost one of ours. The majority probably escaped."
He looked at them solemnly, before asking:
"Have you perhaps heard of an awakened with the True Name, "The Steel"? "
Nephis immediatly perked up at the name.
"That's the name of the current strongest Master in all NQSC, or even the whole world! He single handedly reduced the amount of Nightmare Creature outbreaks by 20% ! He survived a Deadly first nightmare along his companions, Holy Spirit, Angel of Stars, and Living Forge
They're the strongest Cohort of Humanity"!"
Nephis shouted, her voice thick with excitement.
She looked all like a fan girl.
Even Cassie was fired up, like two autistic people the moment their subject of interest was touched upon.
Sunny rolled his eyes at their antics, he didn't understand what was so incredible about that Cohort.
'They're overhyped' He lampooned to himself.
Zero, albeit a bit confused with the sudden exhilaration from these two, suddenly asked.
"Wait, is there no, "King of Chaos" among them ?"
Nephis shook her head, she had never heard that name before.
Zero showed a melancholic look, his face betraying a profound sense of anguish, before muttering to himself.
"So they failed after all…"
Nephis, still fired up from the mention of her idols, failed to realize something that Sunny immediatly knew.
"How do you even know them ? You said u came here fifteen years ago, while they rose up to prominence as awakened 14 years ago, that's a year gap, you shouldn't know about them"
He asked, suspicion dripping from his voice.
"Well, the thing is, They were part of my Cohort, I was one of the two who didn't escape."
Silence. So silent you could hear a pin drop.
Nephis dumbfounded, immediatly questioned him.
"Wait, for real ?!"
"For real."
Nephis paused, before flushing red.
"SO THAT MEAN YOU PERSONALLY KNEW THEM ?!"
"Yeah"
Nephis was bubbling from autism, before Sunny lightly tapped her shoulder.
"It ain't that big of a deal"
Nephis looked at him as if he had killed her entire familly.
"NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL ?! The Steel is the coolest awakened on the planet, bar none! You tell me this isn't that big of a deel !?"
Before it could escalate further, however, Zero stopped them.
"Enough, now, our priority isn't its arguing about them"
Before they could respond, he took a bell from the interior of his cloak, and lightly chimed it.
A light rumble was heard, then, the ashen soil beneath them churned, and in an instant…
"We must go, to the Ruined Dark City."
The Bell Beast had arrived.
(end of chapter)
——————————
Bell beast, my beloved.
2nd nightmare coming soon; start deciphering the Poem lol