The Bright Castle went through several phases before becoming the safe, hopeful refuge for Dreamers in the Forgotten Shore.
Years earlier, when Gunlaug claimed the castle, he consolidated his authority in a way that would allow no opposition, nor gave any hint of taking a road back to the waking world.
The best course was to stay and not waste life on an impossible goal.
There was no choosing, because choice would only destroy the fragile and murder the strong.
They simply had to make do with keeping their lives.
Through the castle’s hallways, a hooded figure walked with a firm step.
His appearance made anyone feel pressured, causing them to step aside and clear his path; even the guards and scouts avoided him with furrowed brows.
Reaching a certain area of the castle, the atmosphere changed.
The young female Dreamers moved with mechanical efficiency.
On seeing the hooded figure, unlike the rest of the castle, the Handmaidens bowed politely and returned to their work.
They tried to hide their emotions, but couldn’t help looking relieved by his presence.
The hooded figure wore a white fragmented mask with only two gaps for the eyes.
As he moved, it revealed a suit of dark plate armor and gauntlets with reinforced knuckles shaped like claws.
This figure was known as the Spectre of the Handmaidens.
He held the second spot in the category of most dangerous types you didn’t want to run into, just below Harus — more for the mystery surrounding him and his rare appearances.
In each one, his mere presence caused feelings of distrust in anyone, except the Handmaidens, for whom he was a protective wall, known as Seishan’s hound.
Felise was a beautiful Handmaiden with black hair in Seishan’s service.
Several weeks ago she had arrived at the Forgotten Shore alongside her friend, Sid, with whom she had shared a bond at the academy before entering the Dream Realm.
They had managed to pay the tribute to stay inside the castle for a few weeks, but when the decisive moment came, Felise chose to become a Handmaiden and Sid chose the hard life outside the castle.
Felise wanted to help her friend, so she risked sneaking food out of the castle to give her in secret, well aware of the risk.
That same night, she slipped out with that same intention, not knowing that someone was following her out of simple curiosity.
When she looked back to check, she found the Spectre’s figure tilting his head at her actions, at very close range.
Felise’s breath caught and she went noticeably pale.
She had just arrived at the Bright Castle; she had heard of the Spectre of the Handmaidens’ reputation and knew he was loyal to Seishan, but that didn’t change the fact that he operated under the castle’s rules.
Besides, he gave her an unknown sense of rejection that kept her from seeing him as an ally.
“I…
I…”
She couldn’t even speak, afraid that the next word would be her last.
“Are you scared?
Sorry; your behavior was out of the ordinary.
In a castle full of such rigid types, you piqued my curiosity.”
“…”
Felise felt she shouldn’t listen to his words; she was surprised because she’d believed the Spectre was mute.
Everyone believed it.
“You…
you speak?”
As if he’d realized his mistake, the Spectre brought his hand to his head.
“I made an error; I shouldn’t talk.
This’ll be our secret, all right?
We both know things we shouldn’t.
So…”
The Spectre brought a finger to where his lips would be.
“Don’t tell Sei; she’ll be angry with me.
Do you understand?”
Felise hesitated for a moment and nodded, feeling the fear fade slightly.
“Perfect.
I’ll let you get on with your business.”
The Spectre vanished into the darkness, leaving the Handmaiden bewildered.
* * *
A tall young woman with brown hair and bronzed skin stumbled at each step.
She had barely survived the labyrinth before being wounded and managing to find the Bright Castle.
Entering the Dark City, she could only curse her luck at finding even uglier Nightmare Creatures than the ones before.
She hadn’t even had a chance to hide when a Nightmare Creature loomed over her.
A sigh escaped her, more irritated at how it was ending than afraid or horrified of being killed.
“Damn monster.”
She had no strength left in her body and deeply regretted it; she wouldn’t get to enjoy life the way she’d always wanted.
The creature let out a perverse growl and leaped with its maw open, ready to swallow her in one bite.
The Dreamer didn’t close her eyes, didn’t scream for help.
She simply waited for her imminent death.
Just as the creature was about to reach her, a shadow enveloped her.
She looked with wide eyes at a figure planted in front of her, holding the creature’s maw open, preventing the lethal bite.
The figure wore a tattered cloak with ash-grey hair peeking out.
The creature growled, annoyed at being interrupted; even so, it couldn’t do anything.
The hooded figure only had to open his arms, twisting the mouth and separating the jaw from the creature’s head.
Letting out a pained growl without half its mouth, it lunged with more ferocity, raising horrible claws stained with blood.
The figure moved slightly, using his forearm to deflect the claw, closing the distance and ending up almost beneath the creature.
Throwing a punch, he completely destroyed the creature’s head, leaving the body inert.
“You’re lucky; I was just coming back and I found you.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“What the…
hell?”
The ash-grey-haired hooded figure crouched to the Dreamer’s level.
“You look intact; it didn’t go too badly for you.
My name is Aisling.
What’s yours?”
The Dreamer looked at him for a moment, not believing that the first thing this man wanted was her name and not to get out of that place immediately.
Though seeing how easily he’d torn that creature apart, he seemed like a true expert.
“Me…?
Call me Effie.”
“What a nice name.
Can you walk?”
Effie was tempted to say no, out of pure curiosity about what he’d do.
She pushed those thoughts aside and felt a little amused by the situation.
“Could this be my predestined encounter with my prince, or were you just waiting for the right moment to rescue me and make a good impression?”
Aisling smiled.
“I was watching you; I thought for a moment about whether to leave you or save you.
If I saved you, there was a chance more creatures would come, which would force me to give you false hope and you’d die thinking I was a scoundrel.
If I left you to die, it would’ve been simpler: I wouldn’t see you die and I’d just forget it.
Lucky for you, I think everyone deserves a chance.”
Effie regretted having said what she’d said.
He’s a weirdo.
“Thanks…
I guess.
Are you going to help me or not?”
“Of course.
Do you need me to carry you, or would you like to lend me an arm or leg so I can drag you?”
“Ah…
How about you lift me — I still have legs.”
“Oh…
That works for me.”
Walking through the Dark City, Effie held onto Aisling to move.
They stopped in a few spots in silence, avoiding ugly creatures, and kept taking turns until they arrived in front of the Bright Castle.
“What do you think?
A bit ostentatious, I must say.”
“That…
I’d say so.”
Aisling picked a random abandoned hut and put Effie inside.
“Done, goodbye.”
Effie just watched Aisling turn around and completely vanish, utterly stunned.
“Wait!”
Aisling’s head poked back into the entrance with a clear question painted on his face.
“Did you lose something?”
“How am I supposed to lose anything when I don’t have anything?!”
“True…
you’re very intelligent.”
Effie blinked, thinking she’d misheard.
“That’s not quite the right response.”
“Another one?”
“By chance, are you crazy?”
“Me?
I don’t think so.
I’m reasonable.”
Effie didn’t want to believe that this five-year-old child had saved her, when moments before he’d torn a creature apart with ease.
“At least tell me what’s going on with this place, because everything looks so desolate and…
lost.”
Looking at Aisling’s ordinary face, she didn’t know what to say.
She could clearly see all the people living in horrible conditions while the ash-haired young man gave them a glance and kept walking.
She could see a clear distinction between how Aisling moved and the wretches in the slums; one person wandering freely and others chained to their circumstances.
Aisling told her what he could, or simply what he felt like saying, and looked at Effie with a smile.
“You’re very intelligent; you’ll last longer than the rest.”
Effie’s eyes went wide.
It was strange to be praised for her intelligence when she’d received an Aspect related to physical strengthening, though it’s not like she could brag about it with her wounds.
“Thanks…
I guess.”
Aisling laughed.
“Better not; you might not last long.”
Effie sighed.
And so, the years passed in a blur.
* * *
A young man of fragile appearance, with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes.
A small young man.
Born in the slums, he faced his First Nightmare amid betrayals and managed to obtain a divine-rank Aspect.
At that moment he woke up, finding Master Jet keeping watch in case he failed and turned into a Nightmare Creature.
The young man got a little lost looking at his body, having the bad luck of a Flaw that forced him to reveal things he didn’t wish to admit.
Master Jet looked at him without much humor and asked:
“What are you looking at?”
To which the young man simply replied:
“Your chest.”
The young man realized his mistake and was slapped hard; had he not been strapped down by the arms, he would have fallen.
This young man is Sunless, or Sunny to his friends, whom fate loves very much and who cannot lie.
We wish him luck on his journey.
Master Jet sighed, having a déjà vu of a certain young man with dirty ash-grey hair.
I know how to control my hits now…
I think if I hit that ash-haired guy hard and he still held out, this one should be able to survive with that head of his…
After everything you said, will you come back?
It’d surely be fun if I saw you again.
* * *
When the time came for little Sunless — or Sunny to his friends — he found himself stranded in the Forgotten Shore during the winter solstice, in the company of two beautiful female Dreamers who hadn’t tried to kill him, at least not yet.
While they slept in peace and quiet, the blind girl of the group, Cassie, with a natural affinity for fate, had a vision.
Waking up with screams and panic, alerting Sunny and Nephis.
She took a moment to breathe and sort out her chaotic thoughts, recounting what she had glimpsed in her vision:
“At first, I saw a…
an infinite darkness locked behind seven seals.
Something immense stirred in the darkness.
I felt that if I looked at it directly, I’d lose my mind.
As I watched in terror, the seals broke one after another, until only one remained.
And then that seal also broke.
After that…
I don’t know.”
“It was as if my mind shattered into a thousand fragments, each reflecting its own image.
Most were dark and terrifying.
Some I’ve already forgotten.
The rest…”
“I saw the human castle again.
Only this time it was night.
A lone star shone in the black sky, and in its light the castle was suddenly consumed by fire, with rivers of blood flowing through its halls.
I saw a corpse in golden armor seated on a throne; a woman with a bronze spear drowning in a tide of monsters; an archer trying to pierce the falling sky with his arrows.”
“In the end, I saw a colossal and terrifying Crimson Spire.
At its base, seven severed heads guarded seven locks.
And at its peak, a…
a dying angel was being consumed by hungry shadows.
When I saw the angel bleed, I suddenly felt as if…
as if something incredibly precious had been torn from me, something that can’t be put into words.”
“Then I felt such sorrow, pain, and rage that what little sanity I had left seemed to vanish.
That was when I woke up…
I think.”
Finishing her vision, Cassie fell silent, leaving the two of them thoughtful, herself also lost in thought.
Something…
unreadable.
What is this fragment I can’t express…?
Every time I try to reach it, it only pulls away.
But…
it doesn’t make me anxious.
I can’t know what that fleeting fragment says, and trying to even glance at it makes me tremble.
It’s terrifying, but I can’t help feeling relief when I look at it…
It’s something despicable, but I want to stay close to it…
Just…
what is it…?
Who is it…?
* * *
The small group went through great difficulties.
They faced shell-covered Nightmare Creatures from small to large; they escaped from a tree that devoured their souls, building a boat from what they found; they crossed a dark sea full of horrors, some more complete than others; they arrived at the Dark City hoping to return to the waking world, being greeted by a very tall Dreamer huntress; they found out they couldn’t go back, they felt depressed for a bit; the huntress offered encouragement and they crossed the Dark City.
Ready to face the adventures that seemed to have no end in the Forgotten Shore, eight years after Gunlaug, Lord of the Bright Castle, became its ruler.