Drayen didn't know much about the Nightmare Realm. That was the major problem he was facing. Whatever Etherion taught them was only for the sake of grinding. This was not the way of Nightbornes. They taught only what was enough for the students to become their slaves. Drayen wanted to know everything about Nightbornes. So he didn't concentrate on going for a hunt, sparring with Kael, or continuously absorbing cores. The first thing he wanted was information about the Nightmare Realm.
So he was heading to the bookstore. Previously, he wasn't even allowed to check some specific books because of their identity as Tellus people. Now it was different. He wanted to know more about the history of the Nightmare Realm—more about the Age of Quiet Night, the age which was revered in the Nightmare Realm so much.
Their inn was very close to the bookstore and marketplace. He was already at the bookshop.
It was a vast bookstore. From the outside, it was built using the grey stones popular in Rock Apple Town. It was called Zona's Bookstore. Beneath the name was a 'titan' stamp, which showed the affiliation of the store. This was unlike Houndswell, where the buildings were old.
He went inside. There were two floors full of books. The first floor had all kinds of books. Here, even Tellus people could look and buy. Rock Apple Town lived up to its name as a small trading hub. The variety of books far surpassed that of Houndswell Village's store.
He confidently stepped toward the second floor. At the door, a worker checked his ring before letting him inside.
Drayen asked, "I want to check about the Age of Quiet Night."
The worker pointed in a direction. "Look at that shelf, sir."
Drayen went in the pointed direction. There were many books related to the Age of Quiet Night. He flipped through some of them and checked their contents for a while.
"Sigh… as Kira told me, there are so many versions here for the same incidents."
There were many versions written by churches and temples according to their propaganda, kingdom-issued versions, and finally some researchers who believed in their own research.
Although he used Wing while flipping pages, he wanted to understand these books rather than just keep them in Wing's memory. So he chose to buy some books recommended by Kira.
Nightbornes and Awakening
Age of Quiet Night by Ray
He took these books and went to the counter. A small girl with glasses was looking after it. She had the aura of Rank 2. Drayen was surprised. She seemed barely sixteen or seventeen. She was the youngest Rank 2 he had seen. Anyway, people could hide their aura, so he wasn't completely sure—but she was still the first Rank 2 at that age he had encountered.
"Six cores," she said with her little lips.
Drayen handed over the cores and bought the books. These six Rank One cores were from their hunt that day. Rockskin boars were one of the few tainted creatures whose body parts were valued more than their cores. They had killed three boars and carved out their skins. Each skin had the value of two Rank One cores. They were easy to process, and many people liked them because they were flexible and had the strength of rock. The only downside was their weight. Even Drayen was surprised when he learned how much the rockskin could sell for. He had originally thought Shadow Hounds paid better.
Some time afterward, he returned to his room. He sat on his bed, flipping through the pages. He was very focused on every detail written. Although he wasn't a native and couldn't understand some parts, he tried his best. He could have used Wing to store everything in memory, but he wanted to understand it rather than just keep it stored.
The book he was reading was Nightbornes and Awakening.
This book explained how awakening happens in Nightmare Realm people. It was a new edition that also contained details about Tellus, making it convenient for Drayen to understand some complex things.
Drayen murmured, "So that's the reason. Huh."
Between awakenings in Nightmare Realm people and Tellus people, there were many differences. In the Nightmare Realm, the chances of awakening were high in contrast to Tellus. Tellus's current rate was one percent, while the Nightmare Realm had eighty percent.
Another thing to note was that when Nightmare Realm people awakened, they only experienced the Nightmare or some special dream about themselves—there was no soul transfer into another place.
The reason why Tellus people's souls get sucked into the Nightmare Realm during awakening was still being researched.
Researchers believed it was because Tellus wasn't fully connected, and to awaken, Tellus people needed the Nightmare Realm's power. So their souls were drawn into the Nightmare Realm when they awakened. According to them, as more portals form between the two worlds, many changes could happen, and Tellus would have more people who awaken.
This also explained why, when one person awakens, there is resonance with others near them, and why being near a portal can cause resonance phenomena that force awakenings, because the temporary portal manifested during awakening—or a permanent portal—provides the lure of Nightmare energy to non-awakeners.
Another important point was that there was no specific age for awakening. This applied to both Tellus and the Nightmare Realm, and awakening itself was completely random. However, it had been observed that the majority of individuals would awaken between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one.
He learned many other concepts in depth about the Nightmare Realm and Nightbornes.
Eventually, he reached one of the important sections in the book: You as a Nightborne.
It was an incredibly detailed and very valuable section. It discussed many things, but one of the most important topics was Nightflowers.
Nightflowers were special flowers with varying abilities. They formed naturally and could not be reproduced or planted artificially.
Every flower had incredible effects and prowess.
Drayen's eyes shined as he read, Talent-Increasing Nightflower.
Talent-Increasing Nightflower—this was one of the top ten Nightflowers that existed in the world. One of the rarest flowers. Even the environment it grew in was random and not fixed. It could grow in any environment and was completely unpredictable.
The effect was that it could increase the talent grade of a bloodline.
Drayen, who had thirty-two bloodlines, craved this the most. If he had this flower, and if he could make all his bloodlines King Grade, wouldn't he have the greatest potential ever with non-conflicting bloodlines? He wouldn't need to worry about anything then. He was sure he could reach the top.
But it wasn't easy to obtain. According to the information, they weren't available in marketplaces. He could only get this flower through luck.
There were also other Nightflowers that were useful for a Nightborne.
There was also the Essence-Producing Nightflower. Unlike the Talent-Increasing Nightflower, which didn't have any grades, it had grades. It came in many ranks corresponding to Nightborne ranks.
When used, it would immediately refill the essence of a Nightborne. A Nightborne needed eight hours or four hours to automatically refill Nightmare Essence, but by using this flower, the Nightmare Essence could be fully restored instantly. The only limitation was rank compatibility. If you were Rank One, you had to use a Rank One Essence-Producing Nightflower. If you were Rank Two, you had to use a Rank Two Essence-Producing Nightflower.
Although it also couldn't be created artificially, it wasn't as rare as the Talent-Increasing Nightflower. If an environment suitable for these Nightflowers was created, there would be increased chances of them being born in that area. So overall, it was a commonly used Nightflower that could be bought in marketplaces, although it was quite costly. There were other Nightflowers listed in the book that were also useful for a Nightborne.
He let out a long sigh after completing this book.
He didn't linger on it and opened the next book instead: Age of Quiet Night by Ray.
#"Age of Quiet Night, as the name suggests, is an era where many things became quiet many eras ago. All we can tell are a few details about the Age of Quiet Night and create some mythical stories about that era.
The Age of Quiet Night was also called the Era of Eight Supremes, due to the rule of the Eight Supremes and the first Nightbornes being born into the world.
I am a mere researcher—a mortal—trying to find information about the eight eternal beings. I could be wrong, and many facts could have already turned to dust. But this is what I truly believe, rather than adding any political propaganda to it."
— Ray#
Drayen didn't believe in the author's note.
But as he began reading the book, he started to feel that the author, Ray, wasn't trying to make the Supremes look great or divine. He wasn't trying to lean into politics or mythical stories either. Most of the book focused on facts rather than exaggeration. Instead of portraying the Eight Beings as immortal gods, Ray was more interested in their history during the Age of Quiet Night.
Drayen remembered one of the stories about the Eight Supremes that he had read in the temple version while casually flipping through it:
#"Three hundred years ago, the tainted had become the worst nightmare of the people. They had formed massive armies and had become a great catastrophe. Wherever they went, they caused death. There was almost no hope. Then the supreme goddess Ilana blessed the land of Ilanate with her presence. Ilana the Great Supreme created walls around the Kingdom of Ilanate, protecting the people from all tainted. Ilana declared, 'My people, I wanted to save all of humanity, but I am incapable. All beyond the walls are already corrupted. They have been tainted in the heart. Beyond these walls are not humans—they are tainted monsters.'"#
Drayen gave a cold chuckle as he remembered that line from the temple's version. This was unrelated to the Age of Quiet Night, which was hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of years ago. Yet this account was added at the end of the book, stating that the Kingdom of Ilanate had been blessed by Ilana three hundred years ago. It was clear they wanted to instill hostility toward people outside the kingdom by using Ilana's name.
But Ray didn't touch on these facts at all. After all, there was a risk of being banned if he stated them outright. He had cleverly ignored many of the mythical stories and instead focused on what he believed were the original facts.
For example, he talked mostly about the eight moons of the Nightmare Realm.
Drayen closed the book after finishing it completely. It was already late into the night, and Kael was snoring. He went toward the window, looking at the purple moon.
"So according to Ray, all moons are tied to the Eight Supremes."
Each moon in the Nightmare Realm stayed for sixty days, alternating between the eight moons. After a few days, the purple moon would fade, and the gold moon would appear.
"To be able to even influence the moons themselves… just how strong were they?" Drayen murmured.
I should first concentrate on finding that rare Talent-Increasing Nightflower, he thought, shaking his head and clearing away all other thoughts. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
But the thoughts kept storming nonstop.
He didn't waste time, knowing it would be difficult to sleep tonight. He took one core from the pouch and started absorbing it.