The fortress looked as though it had been pulled from the very caverns themselves, its towers and battlements carved from rock and stone, with numerous medieval weapons lining its steep walls. There was only one way through, and that was the steel gate which to their fortune, was already open.
It was an arch that went through itself, sturdy and weathered, its edges uneven from age and wear. Hanging just above the entryway was a metal, gridded gate made of sharpened iron bars that descended from above. The sharp ends of the hanging just above the ground, ready to drop and seal off the passage.
Quickly crossing through to the other end, led them to a concerning sight.
"What?"
A castle courtyard lay in ruin, its once-proud stone floor shattered and scarred by deep craters from some long lost battle. Broken masonry and splintered wood littered the ground, while weeds crept through cracks where a terrible force had torn the earth apart.
Blackened walls loomed overhead, silent witnesses to the chaos that had once raged here as a tattered banner laid weakly—its blue colours long faded, but its story still clinging to the stones.
Further in the distance just a short walk away, was the main castle itself in a disappointing state. Its ruins rose from the ground like the bones of a long-dead giant, its grey stone walls cracked and hollowed by the passage of time. Once tall towers now stood half-collapsed, and its main gate hung crooked on its rusted hinges, one side half opened, and the other missing entirely.
'Bob, do you remember any of this?'
The former king himself seemed too stunned to even speak.
'There's ruin from the inside, but the outside seems perfectly fine. And there's water too even though this place had mostly been dry.'
Despite the entire outside being infested with Night Sleepers, their number here seemed to be non existent too.
'There is something seriously wrong with this place.'
Epsilon started to advance further ahead, but Ki Song held still, her eyes darting around in confusion. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly she forgot her own words as they came out in a jumbled mess.
Quickly walking back, he grabbed her by the wrist before walking advancing once again.
"I...I.."
'Maybe bringing her along was a bad idea...'
**
The inside of the castle was a bit more disappointing, as it was but a former shell of its old glory. The grand hall, once bright with firelight and banners, lay in shadow and silence, its floor littered with fallen beams and cracked flagstones.
Dust hung thick in the air, glimmering faintly in the thin shafts of light that pierced through the broken roof, while the walls were covered in soot and time, their old tapestries rotted to tatters, leaving only faint outlines of forgotten battles.
Lining the corridor stood stone knights, life-sized and solemn, their armour carved in exquisite detail but dulled by centuries of neglect. Cracks ran through their faces and chests, and a few had lost their swords or shields to the rubble at their feet.
They seemed to watch the ruins in silence, guardians of nothing but dust and memory.
'Alright. Now where the heck is that Jin Of.. that thing you promised!'
Quietly, Bob emerged out of Epsilons body. He wandered around the empty halls for a moment, almost lost while taking in the atmosphere of his decrepit castle.
Before he had been relying on faint feelings to recall certain things, but now that he was here in person, fragmented memories of the past came crawling back to him, and with them, even more emotions.
Trumpets sounded through the streets, their music ringing clear as colourful banners fluttered from every window. The people lined the cobblestone road, cheering and waving as the celebration passed. Children darted between the crowds, laughing as they chased ribbons and petals tossed into the air, their laughter rising above the music like birdsong.
The king watched them with a rare, quiet smile. From his high seat upon a white horse draped in silk, he saw faces alight with hope: farmers, merchants, soldiers, and mothers all united in celebration. For once, the weight of his crown seemed lighter, the burdens of rule softened by the sight of his people's happiness.
As the parade wound on through the city gates, the king lifted his hand in blessing, and the cheers rose like a tide around him; a chorus of love, loyalty, and life that filled his heart more than any throne ever could.
Those smiles, those long distant happy days... they were all gone now. He was all that was left, and he couldn't even cry about it.
Epsilon could feel his sadness.
'I'd never considered his situation from his perspective have I? Waking up with nothing.'
Feeling bad, he asked,
"Did you have anyone that you missed?"
The spirit stirred for a moment, contemplating the past.
"Yes, there was one. A servant, but also a close friend."
He paused suddenly, before quickly retracting those words.
"No.. he was more like a father to me. His name was also Bob funnily enough. Maybe that's why it felt familiar to me at first."
Epsilon could subtly hear his voice trembling.
"Enough of me anyhow. Let's get back to work."
He began to drift up ahead, slowly but surely recalling the structure and familiarity of his fortress. Although it had long since aged out of its prime, it was just as he remembered it.
Their footsteps echoed softly through the hollow halls, each step stirring centuries of dust into the cold air. The corridors wound like a maze, their stone walls dark and damp, lined with the faded remnants of once-grand tapestries.
Until eventually, they arrived.
Another open archway cut into a large room, revealing tall stone pillars that lined the hall, their surfaces cracked and veined with age, reaching up to a ceiling that had long since crumbled in places.
Fragments of shattered marble and torn banners littered the floor, as each breath stirred a faint cloud of dust that shimmered in the still air. At the far end, raised upon a fractured dais, sat the throne. A massive seat of marble and gold, worn smooth and colourless with time. Its once-polished surface was buried beneath layers of dust and cobwebs, the symbols of its former glory barely visible.
'A throne room?'
Epsilon took one step forwards, and immediately, he could feel Ki Songs hand tug harshly at his collar. She dragged him back forcefully as he fell to the ground, and landed harshly on his back.
Simultaneously, a stone grey sword blurred past his face as it slammed right into the ground, lightly digging into it.
Epsilon grabbed his own neck quickly, checking if it was still attached to his head. And to his pleasure it was.
"AHH!"
The faint sound of rock grinding instantly broke the silence, as a stone hand suddenly emerged and grabbed onto the archway. Its sheer grip, shattered its surface, as its whole body eventually came into view.
Standing before them was one of the many stone knights, except this one was living.