Uriel was walking with Cassie through the streets of the ruined city. Neither of them spoke, maintaining a tranquil silence for several minutes.
Finally, Uriel decided to break the silence.
"What did you want to talk about?" he asked.
Cassie didn't respond immediately. Her face tightened slightly before she sighed—a tired sigh, as if from someone who had experienced too much.
"Do you know what my Aspect is?" Cassie asked.
"I have an idea. You're an oracle, right?"
"Yes. I can vaguely see fate and prophecies," Cassie said. "I can also see others' attributes... but not yours, Uriel. Everything about you is strange. I can't see you."
"You are blind, you know," he said with a raised eyebrow, stating the obvious.
Cassie let out an amused laugh.
"I don't mean my lack of sight. I mean something else. I can't see your attributes. You're like a huge black blot to me."
"That's curious. Maybe it's because my attributes are linked to True Darkness."
"True Darkness?" she asked, curious.
"Yes. Unlike shadows, Darkness is deeper and more dominant... and it doesn't like being watched too closely."
"I see. So that's why."
"Yes. Have you had any prophecies? Or do you know what I'm really planning?" Uriel asked, looking at Cassie.
"Yes. I know you plan to gather the seven fragments of the seven heroes. You plan to lead a battle against countless Nightmare Creatures and reach the portal," Cassie said.
"But that's not the point. The prophecy I had... was about you."
Uriel frowned.
'That shouldn't be possible. We're not supposed to be part of fate. We came from a completely different world, far from the influence of this universe's destiny,' Shade said.
'I'm a bit lost here too,' Uriel replied.
"What kind of prophecy?"
Cassie sighed, stopping and staring at Uriel with an expression hard to describe—a mix of emotions crossing her doll-like face.
"At first, I saw infinite darkness sealed behind seven locks. Something immense stirred within the darkness. I felt that if I looked directly at it, I'd lose my mind. As I watched in terror, the seven seals broke one after another until only one remained... and then that seal shattered too.
Then I saw a human castle at night. A lone star shone in the black sky, and under its light, the castle was suddenly consumed by fire, with a river of blood flowing through its halls. I saw the corpse of a golden-armored figure sitting on a throne; a burly man whose head was severed in one swing; a slave man dying at the hands of a treacherous shadow; a woman with a bronze spear drowning in a tide of monsters; an archer trying to pierce the sky with his arrows; and a woman who summoned a hell of flames.
In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads guarded seven locks. And at the top... was an immeasurable, terrifying darkness that shattered a dying angel and devoured the hungry shadows. When I saw that scene, I felt as if everything important to me had been ripped away. I felt so much sorrow, pain, and rage that what little sanity I had left seemed to vanish. That's when I woke up."
Cassie finished her prophecy in a solemn tone.
Uriel fell silent. The prophecy had changed too much from its original version—especially the last part.
Its meaning was incredibly clear to him.
'So that's the price for changing fate,' Shade said.
'Every action has a reaction,' Uriel thought.
Now he understood the looks the trio had given him when they found him in the Dark City. They knew what would happen—the meaning of those words.
Uriel sighed, then began to laugh in amusement.
"Oh, gods, this is really good," Uriel said, confusing Cassie.
"Why are you laughing? Do you understand what will happen at the end of this journey?" Cassie asked.
"Yes, I know. I'll end up fighting Nephis and Sunny, and they'll lose terribly. But don't worry, Cass. I know what I have to do."
Cassie made a surprised expression.
"I see. You'll pay the price," the girl said.
"That's right. Cassie, I want you to do something for me. When everyone reaches the portal, I want you to return to the waking world without hesitation."
Cassie clenched her hands into fists.
"There should be another way. You were the first friend I made at the Academy. I'd be dead if not for you. Even now, after two months, you gave me this armor with the enchantments I needed to survive. I owe you so much... and I don't want you to stay here in this cursed place."
Uriel placed his hand on Cassie's head.
"Don't worry, and stop overthinking with that little head of yours. I'm Uriel, the Lord of Darkness, the most powerful sleeper in the world. A place like the Dream Realm won't kill me. You'll see—when we meet again, I'll be even cooler than I am now. That's a promise." Uriel smiled widely.
Cassie hugged Uriel, taking the dark-haired boy by surprise. After a few seconds—and insistence from Shade in his mind—he awkwardly returned the hug. The embrace lasted a few moments before they separated.
"Alright, let's head back. It's time to gather the missing fragments and leave this place."
"Yes," the girl said, sounding more animated than before.
The duo returned to the outer settlement. That same night, Uriel gathered everyone to inform them of one last journey to the Hollow Mountains. Thanks to Cassie, they knew their transportation would arrive in five days, but they had to be at the right place at the right time—she would be their guide.
After everyone agreed, they began to prepare.
Uriel left Scarlet in charge of the settlement while he was away. They knew Gunlaug would simply wait for their return to settle things once and for all.
Uriel asked the sleepers in the settlement to give him their most useless memories, which they happily did.
After gathering about two hundred Awakened memories of the first and second levels, he gave them to Sunny, who in his opinion looked like a child who had received the best gift of his life.
Uriel also decided to check out his cheat ability.
When night fell on the Forgotten Shore, Uriel entered his sea of souls, where Shade was waiting. They fist-bumped in greeting.
"You know, this place is really dark. We can barely feel our four Soul Cores," Shade remarked.
"That's true," Uriel said.
He summoned the Echo of the Abandoned Knight, which appeared before them in a statue-like posture.
Uriel approached and touched the knight. Immediately, runes appeared before them.
[Do you wish to convert the Echo into a Dark Soldier?]
"Yes."
Uriel and Shade watched curiously as darkness advanced over the Abandoned Knight, enveloping its body like a black vortex.
For a few seconds, the vortex remained before dissipating.
Uriel immediately summoned the runes.
...
Name: Abandoned Knight
Dark Rank: Awakened
Darkness Class: Devil
Dark Fragment Attributes: [Master Swordsman] [Mantle of Darkness] [Mark of Darkness] [Unbreakable]
Dark Fragment Description: [The Dark Knight was created by the Lord of Darkness in the infinite darkness of the Forgotten Shore.]
[Dark Fragments: 0/400]
...
"400? Isn't that too much?" Shade asked.
"It is too much. Why?"
Uriel summoned a simple, useless memory and gave it to his Dark Knight.
[Your memory has been destroyed.]
"Oh, its counter increased by 1. So it eats memories," Uriel said with a frown.
"I hope it's worth it." Uriel dismissed the knight, letting it disappear as it had appeared.