Screams of agony and war filled the battlefield; the great sleeper army has marched from the Dark City to the Crimson Spire, where the battle that will decide their fate is.
The Sleeper army barely withstood the first wave of Nightmare creatures. But after reigniting their morale with the help of Changing Star, the sleeper army didn't waver anymore and fought till their last breath.
From behind, the army's siege engines and archers were shooting everything they had.
But the battle wasn't only on land but also in the sky. Led by Kai who was flying above, the archers were fending off the Spiral Messengers. Even though the invisible iron net protected them, it didn't mean it was a perfect shield. Not at all.
The weight of the corpses of the nightmare creatures slowly but surely made the net groan, and soon it will fall, and with it the corpses will crush many sleepers under them.
On the frontlines led by Effie, the defenders were getting tired; their leaders were also starting to feel tired. And unlike the sleeper army, which have limited numbers... the monsters were endless.
But their saint has finally joined them. Nephis of the Immortal Flame raised her sword and screamed, and so did the sleepers; with their morale higher than ever, the sleeper army launched a counterattack.
As long as Changing Star fought for their salvation, how could they give up? As long as her light was there to banish the darkness, how could they lose hope?
That was why no monster had managed to break through the remnants of the first two lines and reach the archers.
As for Faraam... he cut the neck of an awakened beast without any difficulty. It was already near death anyway.
He was at the back of the sleeper army, in front of the third line, where the archers and siege weapons are positioned.
He watched as sleepers died, pierced, cut, crushed, or torn to pieces like paper.
It's true with his help, especially with the [Formless Ichor], he could take care of a whole wing alone... it was just not the time to use it.
He simply watched as the sleepers died; well, it's not like he can do anything, and even if he could, he wouldn't. Why would he care for them anyway? They will die soon.
Suddenly, the sound of something snapping was heard above the battlefield as a spiral messenger broke through the iron net.
Faraam clicked his tongue as he watched Kai kill one of them, only for him to be attacked by another one with no way to escape.
At the last moment, something flashed through the air and collided with the black beak of the Messenger, throwing it slightly off course. That gave Kai the fraction of a second he was praying for.
Twisting his body, he allowed the beak to pass mere centimeters away from it, crashed into the side of the Messenger and bounced off of it, then stumbled away through the clouds.
***
On the other side, Effie was pinned down by the frenzied nightmare creatures; their teeth sank inside her flesh.
She had already lost hope as she accepted death.
'This... is... the end, I guess...'
Through the blurry dark fog, Effie suddenly saw a radiant figure approach.
She smiled.
'Is that you, Princess? Ah, I hate to admit it… but I… don't… think... I can...'
It was getting hard to form thoughts. Effie sighed, then closed her eyes, ready to give in to the comfort of oblivion.
But then, two cool hands softly touched her face, and purifying white flames rolled through her body, bringing the pain and the agony away.
***
Left on the top of the tall mound of crimson coral, Cassie stood alone in the darkness.
Now that the Quiet Dancer had left her side, she was back to her previous self.
Lost.
Weak.
Frightened.
Utterly helpless.
The oppressive nothingness surrounded her from all sides.
But that nothingness was full of sound.
It swelled with the deafening cacophony of the nightmare horde's onslaught. Cassie heard howls, growling, inhuman screams, shrieks, and the scraping of chitin.
She heard the clangor of steel and the sound of flesh being ripped apart.
She also heard countless human voices calling out to any kind of deity that could save them. Full of fury, agony, bravery, fear, resolve, sorrow, strength, helplessness, hope, faith, despair, and disbelief.
She heard them dying.
Standing above it all, Cassie shivered. She wanted to press her hands against her ears, but didn't.
…Her terrible vision was coming true.
Only there was no golden serpent that would drench the world in red...
And she was back to being lost in the darkness.
Suddenly a gust of wind rustled her beautiful blond hair.
She flinched, and slowly turned to face the wind.
A moment later, her face paled, and her lips moved slightly.
'No!'
Left alone, away from the battle and anyone who could have heard her, Cassie closed her eyes and whispered into the nothingness:
"A storm… there is a storm…"
***
In the bloodied battlefield the dark water has risen enough to the knees of the sleeper army, making it hard for them to move and coordinate well. And with a storm coming, all sleepers should've felt the despair of the situation. Yet they didn't.
Illuminated by the radiant light of Changing Star, not one of them tried to run.
Instead, they stalwartly stood their ground and fought. Some were smiling, and some were even singing.
…As more and more of them fell, forever disappearing under the cold surface of the cursed sea, the black water kept rising.
But suddenly everything changed. An almost imperceptible ripple ran across the surface of the black water. A gust of cold wind blew over the Forgotten Shore, sending a shiver running through the hearts of countless creatures.
And after a few moments the world shuddered, and the Forgotten Shore trembled.
The terrible storm seemed to have ended as suddenly as it had appeared, dissipating into nothingness like a fragile mirage.
Even the Nightmare Creatures attacking them stumbled and paused for a moment, staring at the sky.
…And then, the dark veil of clouds was broken by a blindingly bright ray of sunlight.
As soon as it happened, the restless black water stopped rising and then flowed in reverse.
The cursed sea was retreating toward the Crimson Spire.
Faraam looked at the Crimson Spire; the shadow rat has succeeded in opening the spire. And now the only thing remaining was to enter.
But suddenly blood started dropping from his face. Faraam touched his face and then looked at his hand... his nose was bleeding.
'Ah... fuck.'
He looked at the sky... at the sun. It sure was brighter than ever...
A moment later, a clear ringing of a silver bell spread across the Labyrinth, rolling over the remains of the Dreamer Army.
Faraam didn't even register the ringing of the bell... He just ran for his life toward the Crimson Spire.
"Run! Run toward the Crimson Spire if you want to live!"
At first they didn't move, but after the order of Changing Star, they too ran.
Faraam was the third to reach the spire after Sunless and Kai, and soon many followed.
And finally, after the last to enter, Changing Star holding Cassia, the sleeper army released their breath.
Faraam looked around, his eyes scanning the sleeper army. Only around two hundred sleepers have survived the battle. They were injured and tired, and some were at the brink of death.
'They will do enough...' he thought.
Changing Star was peering into the growing brightness that drowned the Forgotten Shore. By now, the light of day outside was almost blinding. On her face, there was a strangely thoughtful expression.
She turned around and raised her head, looking in the direction of the Spire's tip.
After a while, she frowned, and then faced the surviving humans. Her calm voice echoed in the darkness of the ancient tower:
"It's time to go. Gather your strength. We are almost there!"
Passing through coral golems, dodging rays of soul-destroying light, and hiding in the shadows. The sleeper army climbed up toward the gateway that would deliver their freedom.
But not everything went well. The Saint Changing Star has decided to fight the Fallen Terror, so the sleeper army can escape.
Thanks to the sacrifice of Changing Star, the sleeper army ascended without any problems.
Faraam took the charge with Sunny to guide the sleeper army. And soon they reached the gateway.
In the darkness, a vast balcony was built into the wall of the tower, reaching almost to the center of the gargantuan structure. On its surface, broken pillars of marble were overgrown by the ever-present streaks of crimson coral. They led to a circular dais, with a wide iron ring submerged into its stone surface.
Around the ring, a beautiful pattern of runes was shimmering with familiar light. They were just like those runes that every Awakened had seen countless times when communicating with the Spell.
But the sleeper army didn't immediately rush to the gateway, as only one could pass at a time.
And from behind, they were still being attacked.
Faraam ordered one of the sleepers in the front to enter; it was one of the handmaidens. And soon another followed; it was also another handmaiden.
Seeing the sleeper army holding on, Sunless stepped away and went searching for someone.
Finally Faraam watched as the last handmaiden enter the gateway... it was Seishan.
As another sleeper walked toward the gateway, tears gushed from his eyes; he would finally go back to his family, to his girlfriend... to his world.
But the sleeper wondered about something... 'Why is the world upside down...?'
The sleeper army watched as the head of the sleeper rolled on the ground.
They all looked at the man responsible for this.
'Ah... the feeling of soul essence entering my body... how much I've waited for this moment.'
Behind him a being materialized from thin air. It was a centaur; its hide was the color of gold, its upper body was covered by Spartan armor, and its head was hidden behind a helmet with horsehair.
"Traitors... all of you." Faraam spoke as the sleeper army was stunned by what happened. "After betraying my lord, you dare hope to leave this place alive?"
The sleeper army looked at Faraam with fear as golden liquid covered his body. A fear that reminded them of the tyrant.
"Not in my presence!"
The golden liquid covered his body, turning into armor.
"I swear upon my lord's name, the Third Lord of the Bright Castle, Gunlaug, that I shall declare my judgment upon you, you traitors!"
Kai listened as every word leaving Faraam's mouth was a lie.
Cassie fell into deep despair as she witnessed the things she feared happen.
'It was inevitable... Fate is inevitable.'
Curved swords emerged in both his hands.
"Hear my judgment! None shall pass! None shall live! All shall die! This is my judgment upon you, you traitors!"
And then Faraam launched at the sleeper army... and thus the Massacre of the Crimson Spire began.
***
I summarized 22 chapters in a single 1.8k-word chapter. Anyway, tomorrow is the volume end, and with it, the forgotten shore too.