Seishan couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the figure standing before her. She could easily tell he was much younger than her, yet despite his youth, he possessed an undeniable, strong presence that would even make Awakened and Masters hesitate.
Something about him felt unsettling—an ominous sensation of being trapped with something unknown and dangerous hiding beneath a normal appearance.
For a moment, she wondered if this was truly necessary, but she immediately crushed that thought.
There was no time for doubt. She had been trapped on this Shore for nearly a decade. The only reason she had joined Gunlaug was for temporary survival.
Now, someone much stronger had arrived, with enough determination to act regardless of the consequences and his own safety, declaring that he would get everyone out of this city. This ignited a small spark of hope within her.
So, she would bet everything on this move.
...
Shade waited patiently, not interrupting the Lady of Song's train of thought.
Both he and Uriel were naturally curious; they had always been that way.
They didn't care about following the rules of what was morally good or bad. If something caught their attention enough, they did it without hesitation.
Their actions were undoubtedly changing the already-written fate, and he wondered how much more would change.
Would fate try to eliminate him—a variable outside its threads?
Would it send an unavoidable catastrophe?
He was truly curious and wanted to know.
After a minute, Shade finally decided to break the tense silence.
"Miss Seishan, if you're not going to say anything, then I'll take my leave," said Shade, turning to walk into the darkness. However, Seishan finally spoke.
"Wait," said the Song, making Shade look at her.
"Let's form an alliance," she finally said.
"And what kind of alliance would this be?" asked Shade.
"We both know you need information, and I am your only reliable source of information inside the castle."
"Oh, interesting. But let me tell you, Seishan, I already know everything I need to know. Even more than you. Did you know that the previous two cohorts that tried to reach the portal failed?"
Seishan looked at Shade with an unaltered expression.
"That's common knowledge."
Shade smiled more broadly.
"True, but they truly failed because they didn't have what was needed to access the Crimson Spire."
"And what would that be?"
"Oh, if I tell you, then it won't be fun anymore. I know you hate Tessai, that you're with Gunlaug only for your benefit and that of your maidens. Though you don't show it, you're desperate to leave the Forgotten Shore."
Seishan said nothing, but Shade felt her growing frustration and anger with each word he spoke, which was the truth.
"I am your only salvation from this place. Or am I wrong?"
Seishan remained silent, confirming Shade's words.
"So, under this premise, I hold all the cards in my favor."
"Then what do you want? If you agreed to meet with me, it's because you want something, right?"
Shade nodded amusedly.
"That's true," he said, looking at the Song daughter.
"No matter how strong or intelligent one is, one cannot survive alone in the Dream Realm. And to leave this place, I need numbers," said Shade.
Seishan's eyes widened slightly before she realized Shade's plan.
"You... you plan to use them all," said Seishan, her voice not hiding her surprise.
Shade applauded.
"Excellent. You caught on very quickly. You're very intelligent, daughter of the Song clan. Truly worthy of the Beast God lineage," said Shade, his eyes glowing even brighter in the darkness of the wall.
"What are you really planning? What do you hope to gain from all this?"
"Who knows? Maybe I'll find out later," Shade responded.
"I'll tell you a bit of my plan. I'm going to kill Gunlaug, Tessai, and his hunters to take control of this castle and create a single front. I'll challenge the tower; many will die, and others will live. Does that sound interesting?" asked Shade.
Seishan said nothing; in fact, she had no words for the plan Shade was executing.
"Why are you telling me all this? You know I could ruin your plans, right?"
"You won't, and you can't. Even if you tell him, even if you tell Gunlaug about my plans, I will inevitably do it. I promised salvation, didn't I? This is my salvation; this is the salvation of the Dark Lord."
"You're insane."
"My True Name is the Lord of Darkness. To begin with, I was never really sane. Now, daughter of Ki Song, I'll ask you one question: are you with me or against me?"
"Are you threatening me?" Seishan's voice sounded cold, so cold that anyone would be frightened, but not Shade.
He was darkness; he lived in it; he was what hid in its depths.
"Threat, not threat—take it as you will. Just give me an answer," said Shade.
In response to his words, the darkness grew deeper, and the night air grew colder.
Neither of them looked away from the other for tense minutes until Seishan clicked her tongue.
"Fine, I'll join you," said the Blood Maiden.
Shade's expression changed to an amiable and amused one.
"Excellent. Since we'll be allies, it's only fair to share information. So, I'll tell you something interesting," said Shade, looking at Seishan.
"To leave this place, we need to gather the seven fragments. You have one of them, and Athena has another. Only five are missing. By gathering all seven, we obtain seven keys that unlock the doors of the Crimson Spire and seal the Dark Sea. Now, it's up to you to believe me or not."
"What do you want in exchange for revealing this?" asked Seishan.
"Two simple things. First, a meeting with Genma and Kido, and second, the map drawn by the first Bright Lord. Simple enough, right?" asked Shade.
Seishan frowned before nodding.
"I can do that."
"Good, it was a pleasure chatting with you. See you another time."
Saying that, Shade returned to the shadows, merging with them and disappearing as if he had never been there.
Seishan felt the pressure in the place vanish as that sleeper left.
'He's dangerous,' thought Seishan, reaching a conclusion about Uriel. That boy would undoubtedly become stronger and more troublesome as he advanced and ascended.
He was an anomaly that didn't follow the rules and acted as he wished, when he wished. And the worst part was that he was too intelligent. He knew what she would say and what she would offer. The whole time, she had been dancing in the palm of his hand just because it seemed fun to him.
Undoubtedly, once she left the Forgotten Shore, she would have to inform her mother about this sleeper.
...
Shade emerged from the shadows of one of the ruins, heading toward the house where he stayed, which had been largely repaired and turned into a base for his team.
His eyes turned black, a sign that Uriel had taken back control.
'Hey, you were awesome back there, no doubt,' Uriel said mentally.
'Thanks, that performance deserved an Oscar. Did you also notice my line, "This is the salvation of the Dark Lord"? That phrase was brilliant.'
Uriel smiled.
'That's true, it was brilliant,' replied Uriel.
'So, when do we take Gunlaug and his followers off the board?' asked Shade.
'Soon. For now, let's focus on bringing Kido and Genma to our side. With them, we can kill Gunlaug and Tessai. When those three arrive, we'll head to the Hollow Mountains to get the two fragments, and then the Fallen Terror.'
'These will definitely be eventful months,' said Shade.
'Of course they will,' said Uriel.
...
[You have killed a Fallen beast, Spire Messenger.]
[You have obtained a memory.]
'Finally, it's dead,' thought Uriel, looking at the corpse of the griffin-like monster lying dead on the ground.
Exactly one month had passed since his conversation with Seishan, and she had joined his side.
She had also kept her word, providing him with the map of all the statues' locations, as well as arranging a meeting with Genma, one of Gunlaug's lieutenants, and Kido, the castle's artisan.
Both had agreed to join his side upon hearing his plan to leave the Forgotten Shore.
They accepted because they were tired of this place and just wanted to return to the waking world after a decade.
Now that he had gained the support of three of Gunlaug's lieutenants, all he needed was to gather the fragments.
Kido offered him her invention, which he used to weaken the Lord of the Undead. And now he had killed the Spire Messenger in the northern part, obtaining the Moonlight Fragment.
A light yawn escaped Uriel's mouth. He summoned his runes.
...
Name: Uriel
True Name: Lord of Darkness.
Soul Core: Monster
Fragment of Darkness: [1296/2000]
Aspect: Dark Lord
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Ability: [Shaper]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Innate Ability: Dark Body.
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Darkness] [Dark Flame] [Extra Carapace] [Dream Spawn]
Memories: [Night Mantle] [Eclipse Claw] [Dark Vault] [Blue Lance] [Sword of the Night] [Infernal Armor] [Blood Flower] [Dark Mask] [Hunter's Bow] [Comfortable Chair] [Black Rope] [Armor of the Four Senses] [Aqua Pearl] [Blood Arrow] [Ice Shard] [Moonlight Fragment]
Flaw: [Dual Mind]
...
Uriel had developed his second core and would soon obtain a third core to become a Demon. According to his calculations and the number of monsters he killed, he would achieve his third core within two weeks.
To his slight annoyance, Gunlaug hadn't made an open move yet. Of course, he sent his hunters to cause fights and create excuses, but it wasn't time yet. More than a simple skirmish was needed for a fight between them.
He had obtained the Blood Flower dust, capable of growing by feeding on its victim's blood, which guaranteed his victory by breaking his Transcendent armor.
When Uriel exited the giant skull, he advanced through the ruins of the Dark City until he reached the outer settlement, which had changed enormously in just a few weeks.
Most of the sleepers were equipped with Awakened armor and weapons obtained during the daily hunts, both day and night.
Everyone had gained real combat experience and was on their way to saturating their cores.
Uriel took out an apple and began eating it.
Heading to the base that served as his house, he entered as the nameless sun rose.
Upon reaching the table, he saw that he was the last to arrive. Caster, Scarlet, and Effie were already waiting.
"Well, look who finally showed up," said Effie.
"Come on, Effie, did you miss me that much?" he asked just as teasingly.
"A little," the woman admitted with an amused smile.
"Do you two always do this?" asked Scarlet.
"Come on, it's not that big a deal," said Uriel.
"It's better to focus on what we'll do from now on," said Caster in his usual affable tone.
"Yes, yes," said Uriel, taking out the map from his Dark Vault.
"I already got the memory we need," he said, pointing to the skull.
"Did you kill a Fallen beast by yourself?" asked Effie.
"I don't know why you're surprised. I've killed demons before, so a Fallen beast is just a simple game for me."
"Only for you, you little monster."
"Thanks for the compliment," he said amusedly.
"So, which ones are missing?" asked Caster.
"We're missing four. I already have the Moonlight Fragment, Effie has the Dawn Fragment, and someone already has the Sun Fragment," said Uriel.
"So, only the Midnight Fragment, the Twilight Fragment, the Dusk Fragment, and the Zenith Fragment remain," said Scarlet.
"Correct. If we gather these seven, we'll get the key to our freedom. Although before that, we'll have to massacre an army of Nightmare Creatures protecting the Spire."
"Speaking of that, do you at least know their ranks?"
"The vast majority are Awakened monsters, some beasts, and maybe several demons, but nothing beyond that," Uriel paused. "Everyone is working hard to get soul fragments and memories for the fight."
"I still don't know how you get all this information."
"I have my methods," he responded.
"Uriel, where will we get the other fragments?" asked Scarlet.
"Good question. The Zenith Fragment we'll get by killing the Fallen Tyrant, Lord of the Undead. The other two, we'll have to travel for a few months to a not-so-nice place where the other two are."
"And what about the fourth one?"
"No need to worry about that; it'll surely appear," he said nonchalantly.
"Well, that's all for today's meeting," said Uriel, putting away the map.
Caster stood up and left the room, followed by Effie and then Scarlet, leaving him alone.
'We need to get the key that leads to the temple where Weaver's Mask is.'
'When we have the third core, we'll go for the mask. Hey, let's switch for a few hours. I'm tired and want to rest a bit.'
'Fine, it's been a while since I went out.'
Uriel closed his eyes and opened them a moment later; his eyes were red.
Shade stood up and stretched.
'Good, let's hunt,' he said, activating his innate ability, passing through the walls, and heading toward the ruins to locate and eliminate Nightmare Creatures.