Aisling woke up.
He mechanically brought a hand to his face, blocking the bothersome sunlight out of pure habit.
Though he realized at once how useless the gesture was.
A run-down, rustic, fragile-looking ceiling fixed itself in his sight.
It took him a few moments to process what was happening, remembering how he had entered the giant red crab and been impaled from every side.
After that, all his Memories were a blur.
He examined his body.
He felt great, and his limbs were whole; he had no trouble moving.
He even felt his strength had increased.
I’m incomplete in some Aspect.
When I suffer serious wounds, my body rebuilds itself through the flesh of others.
I can’t grow stronger from consuming people alone; I need to suffer to strengthen the core of my power, my own body.
That way, through reconstruction, my body grows stronger.
His body kept giving him surprises.
But the more he discovered, the less he wanted to know.
He didn’t like the direction his Aspect was taking.
If he returned to the waking world, how could he live?
He sat up on the pitiful attempt at a bed, which wasn’t bad at all compared to sleeping on cold stone for weeks; he could even compare it to his makeshift beds back in the slums.
Though he wasn’t focused on those thoughts.
The hut was very small; the little bed only took up a quarter of the whole space.
Where’s Sei?
He was about to step out when he ran into Seishan at the entrance.
“Are you okay?” Aisling asked quickly.
“That’s my question; you were impaled through your whole body.
No one would survive wounds like that.”
Seeing Aisling at the edge of death had made her shudder, causing an oppressive ache in her chest.
She was grateful she wasn’t normal, able to recover from mortal wounds.
I can hear my sisters mocking me as they meddle in things that don’t concern them.
As an adopted girl turned princess of one of the greatest clans of the human domain, it was shameful not to be able to control herself.
She knew how she had to act to survive, and yet she was acting outside her role.
Seishan knew she was beginning to trust Aisling, which led her to worry about him.
She’d even had to resort to inhuman methods to calm the hunger and pull Aisling back from the edge of death.
Aisling looked at the surroundings.
This hut was very well stocked: it had tools, comforts, food reserves, and was maintained with great care.
He looked at his hands, brimming with energy and strength; a chilling glint shone in his eyes.
“Sei, did someone die?” Aisling said, sniffing lightly.
“It smells like blood.”
Seishan nodded.
“I killed the Dreamer who lived here.”
In her thoughts, it wasn’t worth the risk of hiding it from Aisling, knowing that a single piece of information compromised the pact they’d made, and not knowing how he’d react either way.
“I understand.” Aisling smiled.
“You’re cruel.
Thank you.”
Seishan narrowed her eyes, pressed her lips together, but said nothing.
* * *
Seishan proceeded to explain the general situation in the Dark City and the Bright Castle.
There was no way out of the Forgotten Shore, the region of the Dream Realm where they found themselves.
“Everything gets more complicated by the second.”
Aisling let out a small laugh and turned to the beautiful princess.
“What’s the plan?”
Seishan studied his features, the same features that didn’t change no matter the situation, that trusted not in her, but in her guidance.
“Will you follow my orders?”
“We’re taking responsibility, remember?”
“How could I forget…
Let’s see what this place has in store for us.”
“Before anything else, sit down.”
Aisling, who had been pacing around the hut, sat down at once on the bed.
Seishan continued.
“Right now, the Lord of the Bright Castle is recruiting new talent among the newly arrived Dreamers who fell into the Forgotten Shore during the winter solstice.
After going through a period of rampant anarchy, he needs to lay the foundations of his own reign so it doesn’t collapse from a gentle breeze. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
We’ll have plenty of opportunities to understand his internal structure and act according to how things align with what we expect.”
“Do you want to eliminate the Lord of the Bright Castle?” Aisling pointed out.
“No; as far as possible, we shouldn’t interfere in internal matters.
Which brings me to the next point” — Seishan pointed at him with some reluctance — “you are not permitted to speak or act against others.”
“How extreme.
Are you worried my flowery tongue will touch everyone’s hearts?”
“Exactly.
I don’t want unnecessary trouble, not until I fully understand the nature of this place.
We’ll start by exploring the margins, where the outcasts are.” Seishan’s gaze turned colder.
“Keep a low profile.”
Aisling grew intrigued, sensing Seishan’s feelings with a wonderful depth.
Fear of what it would mean to give in to circumstance?
No; she’s not afraid.
It’s a sense of duty, or something more.
The previous lords already tried to conquer the portal and find an exit.
What other, more sensible option could that Gunlaug person take?
If returning is unviable, wanting to stay is better.
I’m surprised that, without meaning to apply the art of a clever princess, she’s looking for other ways.
Aisling nodded excitedly, smiling at Cian on his shoulder.
“Let’s see what awaits us in this place.”
* * *
They went out to explore the terrifying Dark City.
“Not bad at all.”
Aisling walked through the slums a few steps behind Seishan.
Seishan insisted he stay close, but Aisling was very eager about how he’d adapt to such a place; an eagerness more expectant than worried, which didn’t have to concern him.
All the dwellings in the slums were so ruined that the dirt diluted the faint scent of human.
He was about to make a comment to Seishan when, turning to look at her, he noticed how she frowned at the sight of two young girls embracing each other, seeking comfort for their despair in one another.
Seishan didn’t show the typical disgust he was used to; it was much deeper, much sadder.
They spent several days exploring without drawing much attention.
Aisling kept quiet while reviewing a certain Memory he had recently obtained.
[Fox Mask]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Level: II.
Memory Type: Tool.
Memory Description: [A curious fox, hunted for its beauty, learned to hide from the gazes of others.
It covered its face so as not to be hunted, and stripped away its senses so as not to be tempted by mere curiosity.]
Memory Enchantments: [Fragmented Mask] [Dulled Senses]
[Fragmented Mask]: You can move fragments of the mask to cover any part of the face.
[Dulled Senses]: The fragments can only dull the senses they cover.
He hadn’t obtained this Memory from any Nightmare Creature; Seishan had given it to him personally.
Before leaving the hut, Aisling had told Seishan about his Enemy of the World attribute and how it caused natural disgust, along with his repulsion toward normal food and his temptation toward other humans.
While Seishan handled the investigating, he acted as a silent, protective follower.
He covered his hair with a cloak while masking the lower half of his face, dulling his sense of smell whenever the moment required it.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t be around others without dulling his senses; the marginalized Dreamers reeked, and it didn’t bother him to talk a little.
He was more concerned with finding a sustainable food source, though thanks to Seishan he could focus better on other things.
Either way, he didn’t think they’d escape that place so soon.
He confirmed more about his abilities.
When interacting with others, he had two options: use the mask and the cloak, or be himself.
With the mask and cloak, he was silent, and the dislike turned into deep distrust and a bit of fear.
With his dull ash-grey hair out in the open, Dreamers hoped he wouldn’t approach or speak to them.
But the first impressions of each interaction never overlapped.
With the mask they felt distrust, and without it, disdain.
Though of course, that only held if those identities were kept separate, suspecting a different reaction would occur if anyone discovered both were the same person.
On to the matter of the Bright Castle.
Gunlaug, known as the Golden Serpent, possessed terrible power that couldn’t be taken lightly.
Many still remembered how he conquered the Bright Castle amid the chaos, wearing his golden armor alongside his now-lieutenants, forming what was called the Host.
His lieutenants consisted mainly of three men: Tessai, the commander of Gunlaug’s forces; Harus, as the executioner; and Gemma, the leader of the consolidated hunters and scouts.
While Tessai led the troops and Gemma had the most experienced under his command, only Harus had no one under his command. Get faster updates on g.com.
But that didn’t make him any easier to deal with.
Gunlaug, Tessai, Harus, Gemma.
I don’t want to run into any of them; still…
the journey is exciting.
* * *
At that moment they were outside the murdered Dreamer’s hut.
Aisling strained to defend himself against Seishan’s dancing fists.
Seishan moved with the fluidity so characteristic of her demeanor.
She seemed so delicate on the surface, but her fists struck vital points with terrifying precision.
If it were anyone else, they’d surely die.
Every minute, Seishan registered several flaws in her mind that she didn’t hesitate to attack, growing more merciless and faster.
Not out of malice or a desire to make Aisling suffer unnecessarily — though part of her might have wanted exactly that.
He’d asked her himself not to hold back in her teaching.
Seishan followed his words without easing up on her strikes, weighing certain thoughts.
I’ll fall behind…
Seishan was deeply anxious.
No matter how much blood she made him cough up, no matter if she broke a bone, his eyes never left her.
This isn’t learning in the proper sense of the word; this is adaptation.
He doesn’t learn through experience or imitation; he’s stealing what I taught him, adapting it to his own body, and moving on to the next thing.
It’s frightening because it’s inefficient and requires extreme clarity.
Changing her stance, she caught Aisling’s arm, sliding her own around it.
She gave him no time to react when her knee rose to press against his elbow.
Trapped between her arm and her leg, Seishan only applied pressure to break it, like a fragile branch.
She didn’t stop when her other leg rose into the air; she kicked him and brought him down.
Aisling didn’t get up and shook his broken arm.
“Time out.”
“Good; we’re done for today.
I have a few things to say about what comes next.”
Having gathered information, which also wasn’t too hard to extract, they decided to act while Gunlaug’s reign was still very unstable, which led to the next step, mentioned by Seishan:
“We’re joining the Bright Castle.”
“Oh…
Sure.”
Seishan frowned at Aisling’s response.
She had expected more — much more resistance from someone so peculiar with such a clear sense of self.
Every day I need to change how I perceive him.
If I fall behind, I won’t be able to understand anything…
It’s easier to deal with someone capable and intelligent.
Even a madman wouldn’t be bad.
Aisling is…
different.
Aisling kept training with Seishan, but with a slight shift.
He began training in hand-to-hand combat.
After nearly dying again, he realized he needed to change his fighting approach and focus on his greatest weapon: his own body.
It was also at Seishan’s suggestion, but she mentioned it implying something more.
His Aspect made him hard to kill; he had good skills and resources to exploit during exploration and to flee if necessary.
But his offense lagged behind his capabilities.
He needed to learn how to use his best resource, as well as deepen his understanding of his Aspect.
When he told her how he’d had to use his bare hands to destroy the pearl inside the giant crab, Seishan’s expression didn’t change; she only…
sighed.
After being brutally beaten and broken in countless ways during training, he stayed on the ground resting while Seishan kept talking.
“Tomorrow we head straight for the Bright Castle.
You’ll play the role of my protector; you can act as you see fit, just don’t talk.”
“Perfect; I already packed my doll.”
To Aisling, that place felt comfortable, even if it was dangerous.
Nightmare Creatures roamed the Dark City; in fact, one had besieged them the night before.
Comfort, complacency.
Aisling liked it.
Maybe in a few years he’d change his mind, but, until then, I’ll keep following that princess’s orders.