Some distance away from the colossal corpse, they discovered a lonely grave.
The weathered stone marker had long since eroded, leaving no name behind, but none of them doubted who rested beneath it.
It had to belong to one of the companions who had followed the first Bright Lord to the Forgotten Shore.
As they stood before the grave in silence, Sunny noticed Cassie stiffen.
Her breathing became uneven.
Without saying a word, he caught Nephis’ attention with a glance.
Nephis immediately stepped beside the blind girl.
“Cassie?” Cassie’s face had gone deathly pale.
Her lips trembled before she finally spoke.
“The mist…” she whispered.
“We have to get underground before the mist arrives.
If we don’t…” She swallowed.
“…all of us will die.” Nephis didn’t hesitate.
Turning around, she issued orders immediately.
“Sunny, Night, Orren.
Find the entrance to the mine.” “Already found it.” Orren answered so casually that everyone turned toward him.
“It happens to be within the range of my Aspect Ability.” He pointed toward a rocky outcrop hidden behind thick vegetation.
“Follow me.” With Orren leading the way, the hidden entrance was found within minutes.
The group slipped into the abandoned mine just as the gray mist began creeping across the mountainside behind them.
The tunnels stretched deep beneath the earth.
After winding through countless narrow passages, they eventually arrived in a vast circular cavern.
At its center stood an ancient stone well.
Descending into its depths, they continued walking through darkness until they discovered an abandoned campsite left by those who had passed this way long ago.
By then, judging from how much time had passed, night should have fallen outside.
Deciding not to push their luck, the cohort rested there until morning.
After several more hours of walking the next day, they finally reached the underground river.
Dark waters flowed silently beneath a blanket of pale mist.
An old wooden boat rested against the shore, as though patiently waiting for them.
Before anyone stepped aboard, Cassie reminded them one last time.
“Close your eyes.
No matter what you hear…
don’t open them.” Everyone obeyed.
Everyone except Orren experienced the familiar unease brought by the mist.
His Attribute, Mist-Touched, made the fog feel strangely…
familiar.
Not welcoming.
Not friendly.
Simply familiar.
As though he had crossed paths with it once before.
The boat drifted silently across the river.
Time seemed to lose all meaning.
Then, from somewhere within the endless white haze, a voice echoed softly.
It was neither male nor female.
Nor did it seem to come from any particular direction.
It merely…
existed.
“…He seems familiar.” The words were quiet.
Yet every hair on Orren’s body stood on end.
Those three words sent a chill racing down Orren’s spine, as though an ancient presence had suddenly turned its gaze upon him.
Even though Nephis had already sealed his eyes with wax and wrapped a strip of cloth around them, he squeezed them shut even tighter.
At the same time, he forcefully suppressed his Aspect Ability, shutting down even its passive effect.
For the first time since awakening his Aspect, he willingly severed his awareness of the world around him.
He was afraid.
Afraid that even the slightest glimpse of something hidden within the mist would be enough to condemn him.
Time lost all meaning after that.
At some point, he felt someone tug on the rope connecting the group.
‘We arrived already?’ He had no idea how much time had passed.
Only after they stepped onto solid ground did Orren slowly allow his Aspect Ability to awaken again.
The familiar awareness of his surroundings returned, informing him that they had crossed the Dark River.
Ahead lay a sprawling maze of ancient stone corridors.
Sunny guided them through the labyrinth with practiced caution, and after walking for some time, Orren instinctively became aware of something waiting ahead.
A skeleton.
‘So…
that was the First Bright Lord.’ Even before they reached the other side, his Aspect had already revealed the lifeless remains resting there.
One by one, they peeled away the blindfolds and removed the wax from their eyes and ears.
The cave was silent, its ancient air carrying the weight of countless forgotten years.
Orren’s gaze settled on the lonely corpse.
Only a single thought surfaced in his mind.
‘…Will I end up the same way?’ While Nephis and Sunny argued over something, Orren had already walked ahead of the group.
He stopped just outside the monster’s territory, careful not to cross into it, and expanded the range of his Aspect Ability.
Almost instantly, the information returned to him.
A Spire Messenger.
Without wasting a second, he summoned his charms, his new sword, his armor, his wings, and finally the mask.
By the time the others caught up, Orren had already finished preparing.
He raised a hand, signaling everyone to stay quiet before speaking in a low voice.
“It’s a Spire Messenger.” The mood immediately turned heavy.
Even though they had already resolved themselves to fight a Fallen Monster, hearing its identity still made everyone hesitate.
One after another, memories appeared in their hands as they steeled themselves for the coming battle.
Nephis summoned the Dawn Shard, and the moment its radiance spread across the cavern, Orren felt several of his Memories strengthen.
His Awakened armor rose to the Ascended Rank, and the charms hanging from his belt became noticeably more potent as well.
The enhancement stopped there.
The Dawn Shard could only elevate a Memory by a single rank, and never beyond Ascended.
His sword, wings, and mask had already surpassed that threshold, leaving them unaffected.
Orren studied the cavern one last time before quietly laying out his plan.
“The cave is large enough for me to maneuver in the air, so I’ll keep the Messenger occupied from above.
Effie, Sunny’s shadow, and Draco will engage it head-on.
Kai will provide ranged support while staying close to Cassie, and the rest of you should circle around and attack whenever an opening appears.” Although he addressed everyone, his eyes settled on Nephis.
She was the leader of the cohort, and the final decision was hers.
After considering it for only a moment, Nephis nodded.
“We’ll do it your way.
But remember—before anyone lands the killing blow, they have to touch the statue.” Everyone acknowledged her reminder.
None of them had forgotten why they were here.
Defeating the Spire Messenger mattered, but obtaining the Dusk Shard mattered even more.
The moment they stepped into the cavern, the Spire Messenger noticed them.
It let out a piercing screech and lunged forward, intending to strike before the intruders could react.
Unfortunately for it, someone was even faster.
With a single beat of his wings, Orren shot across the cavern like a black streak.
His white blade flashed through the air, carving a deep gash across the monster’s right wing before it had even left the ground.
The cut didn’t sever the wing completely, but it was deep enough to cripple its flight.
Just like that, the battle began.
Draco, Effie, and Sunny’s shadow immediately engaged the Fallen Monster head-on, drawing its attention while the rest of the cohort attacked from every direction.
Amidst the chaos, Sunny dashed straight for the ancient statue.
Touching it came before everything else—only then could he claim the Dusk Shard if he landed the killing blow.
High above the battlefield, Orren circled through the cavern, diving in only when necessary.
Every now and then he would slash at the Messenger before soaring back into the air, never committing fully to the fight.
His true focus wasn’t on killing the monster.
It was on making sure none of his companions died.
By now, he was confident he could defeat the Fallen Monster by himself.
After all, he had already slain a Fallen Devil months ago.
But the cohort still needed experience.
They would never survive what awaited them if he solved every battle on their behalf.
So he held back, intervening only whenever someone was about to suffer a fatal blow.
Even so, the Spire Messenger was still a Fallen Monster.
Despite fighting at a numerical disadvantage, it wounded nearly everyone before finally beginning to falter.
Armor was dented, weapons chipped, and more than one member of the cohort was bleeding by the end of the battle.
Sunny noticed Caster subtly positioning himself closer to the statue, clearly intending to claim the final hit and obtain the Dusk Shard.
Refusing to let that happen, he seized the first opening he found and drove his weapon into the Messenger’s exposed weak point.
The monstrous hybrid let out one final shriek before collapsing to the stone floor.
As everyone caught their breath, Nephis walked over to Orren.
“You held back quite a bit.” “I did,” Orren admitted without denying it.
“I’m pretty sure none of you want me to spoon-feed every battle.” For a brief moment, Nephis simply looked at him before giving a small nod.
“…Thank you.” Without another word, she turned and walked away.
Behind his mask, Orren smiled faintly.
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