Swinging open the grand doors of the shining castle, they released a shrill shriek that echoed throughout the fortress.
If I had planned to attack silently before, that plan had just gone out the window. Stepping inside, I noticed the reception hall was quite spacious; on the walls were enormous windows that allowed the nameless sunlight of the Forgotten Shore to pass through. Torches lit on the walls, despite the thousands of years that had passed since they were first kindled.
The place was covered in dust.
Moving cautiously, I passed through the only corridor leading to the throne room; my footsteps echoed through the silent halls.
Summoning the Leviathan's sword, it materialized in a matter of seconds. Stopping before the huge wooden doors, I swung them wide open.
Entering the throne room, I looked around; it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Once adapted to the darkness, I looked at the throne room where the nightmare creature resided.
Seated on a throne carved from a large white stone, in its seat was what appeared to be armor, gleaming, white in color, like a paladin.
The paladin stood up, drawing its sword; sunlight filtered through the huge windows, illuminating the hall.
I let out a sigh, sharpening all my senses to the maximum. I checked my Shard counter.
Shining Shards: [302/1000]
I had spent 400 to turn Raven into a shining shard and was thus severely weakened. However, that was no excuse; if I wanted to escape this hell, I had to kill it.
"After all, the essence of combat is murder." Upon saying those words, I felt a cold resolve to fight.
"Come, creature," I commanded.
Without waiting an instant, the paladin rushed at me like a battering ram; its greatsword descended with terrifying force. Leaping backward, I heard the sword impact the hall, causing the entire room to shake and the floor to be shattered by the devastating blow.
Upon landing, the paladin lunged again, swinging its sword vertically. Using the Leviathan's sword, I blocked the attack; I felt my bones tremble from the paladin's immense strength.
During the clash, I invoked the Midnight Shard. In a contest of physical strength, I would lose, but I was intelligent and the monster was not.
Grasping the hilt of the Midnight Shard, I swung it toward the paladin's helmet, who leaned to the side. The weapon's edge scraped the polished metal, sending sparks flying.
The paladin, upon dodging the attack, used its weapon's hilt to strike a blow against my Sun Priest's tunic.
Seeing this, I jumped back.
'This is a problem,' I thought, dismissing the Midnight Shard.
The paladin was, at the very least, a devil; its combat intelligence was high, as it could predict and counter the attack I had prepared.
'Yes, if only I had formed my second core, things would have been different. However, it's too late for regrets.'
Out of the corner of my eye, I observed the light, and an idea crossed my mind.
The paladin, without further delay, launched its attack, swinging its sword with unimaginable speed and precision.
On my part, I could barely keep up; my mind worked harder than ever. I used everything I had learned in these weeks traveling the Forgotten Shore, along with the training I had with Silver.
Thanks to practice, training, and my Gift for battle, I had not yet died in a fight against the monster.
However, despite all this, the monster was superior. Its power and technique were overwhelming for my current level.
My weapon clashed against the paladin's sword, without a millisecond to breathe. The slightest mistake would mean immediate death.
Our swords collided in a shower of sparks; our feet changed position seeking the best foothold. We attacked from different angles, making deceptive feints to gain advantages over each other.
The paladin attacked with its greatsword. Spotting an opening, I deflected it with my own sword, then attacked with my fist using all the strength I possessed at that moment. My fist collided with the armor's helmet, but only succeeded in breaking a few of my fingers.
The paladin remained unfazed; using a combat technique, it pushed me with its shoulder, sending me flying backward.
While under the light, I smiled.
I felt the Shroud begin to heal my broken fingers. Using my aspect ability, I grasped the light, transforming it into a brilliant spear.
Holding the spear, I hurled it with full force at the paladin. Just as it was about to block, I made the spear explode into a bright, scything light.
After blinding the enemy for an instant, I created a bow of light; after drawing it, I released an arrow of light that lodged directly into the helmet's slit, right where one of its eyes should be.
But nothing happened; there was no cry or sign of discomfort. In fact, the paladin was equally unmoved.
'Nonsense! That thing is blind!' I thought in shock.
The paladin, unconcerned by the arrow, stomped the ground with force, shooting forward like a projectile.
Raising my sword, I used it to block the paladin's sword; however, the result was disappointing.
My body was thrown like a ragdoll toward the walls on the other side of the hall. With a dull thud, I left cracks in the hard rock.
I fell to my knees, coughing up a mouthful of blood; I felt as if my entire body had been completely crushed.
Although my exterior body was fine, internally I had at least a few broken bones from the internal impact. External resistance is not the same as internal resistance.
Clenching my teeth, I watched as the paladin began to walk with slow steps in my direction.
'I have no choice but to get closer,' I thought, feeling how my body was incredibly battered and in pain.
I observed the arrow of light still protruding from the polished white armor's helmet.
Getting to my feet, I took a deep breath and charged at the paladin, brandishing the Leviathan's sword.
The paladin, however, sensing the attack, moved at the last instant, easily deflecting my attack with its sword, knocking me off my initial trajectory.
The paladin raised its armored fist, which glowed, and an instant later descended toward my head.
After the blow landed, my mind went blank for an instant. My vision blurred and the world spun.
Disoriented, I lunged at the paladin; my sole objective was the arrow of light that remained firmly lodged in the nightmare creature's head.
The paladin grabbed me by the garment I was wearing, slamming me forcefully to the ground. More blood came from my mouth, staining its pristine armor and my teeth.
I gave a bloody smile.
My hands grabbed the arrow.
"I win, son of a bitch." Using my innate ability, I manipulated the arrow's form into something truly enormous and explosive.
The paladin realized too late; it tried to kill me in a single move, but it was late.
The arrow transformed into a huge mass with incredibly sharp spikes that pierced through the entire skull and the junction of the spinal column with the skull.
I heard the sound of bone breaking.
In an act of vengeance, the armor grabbed me and threw me with a diabolical force toward the wall; my body collided with the wall, leaving another crack, from which small debris fell.
I felt something warm begin to run down my face; my vision was blurry and I could barely distinguish shapes.
I watched in horror as the paladin took one step, then another, then a third.
'Damn it! Just die already!' I thought, staring at the paladin.
Finally, my prayers were answered when the polished ivory armor began to rust at a terrible speed. The paladin couldn't take a fourth step before the armor simply fell to the floor in a shapeless heap of rust, which quickly turned to ashes.
The voice of the incantation finally whispered in my head.
[...You have slain a fallen Devil, Throne Room Paladin.]
[Your core grows stronger]
[You have obtained a Memory]
"Gods... I really did it..." I murmured softly with a small smile.
Moving slowly, I crawled across the floor in a titanic effort.
Reaching where the light filtered through the enormous windows, I lay on my back. I could feel the Sun Priest's Shroud beginning to heal my more mortal wounds.
I tilted my head to the side to avoid choking on the blood in my throat. I looked at the pile of ashes where the paladin had once been.
It was, without a doubt, a great opponent, but in the end, I was the victor. The only thing left behind were three somewhat shining shards.
"Not bad for killing something stronger than me while still a Sleeper." That was all I said before simply falling silent.
I was exhausted and absolutely everything hurt.
---
Time passed. After an hour or so, I finally sat up; the wound on my head had completely healed and my vision was no longer spinning or blurry.
Slowly getting to my feet, I approached the soul shards, crushing them. I felt part of the essence sent to my soul core, increasing its number.
Summoning the runes, I looked at the Memory I obtained.
Memory: Fragment of the Dawn
Memory Rank: Ascended
Memory Type: Utility.
Memory Description: [Created from a star that fell from the firmament, this crown empowers the Souls of its allies within a large area.]
"Well, well, it seems I really am the first Shining Lord... who would have thought?"
Dismissing the memory, I summoned Infinite Spring and dismissed my other memories; I needed to clean off all the blood and dirt I had.
After a shower of a few minutes, I summoned the Star Legion Light Armor, though only the clothing part without the actual armor, which consisted of dark clothes and polished silver metal boots.
Summoning the Leviathan's sword, I began to explore the castle; I was curious to know what was inside.
---
A few kilometers away from the walled city, a young man with silver hair, wearing black armor, watched his surroundings with concern.
'This is getting too complicated,' thought the young man, observing the crimson labyrinth. In the distance, he could see the imposing walls of a city, which was the only place that would be his salvation or his doom.
"Silver, what do we do? If we continue at this pace, we're going to lose more of our people. Our water and food supplies are running out too," said a girl of the same age, with short dark hair and eyes of the same color.
"I know that, Chloe," responded Silver, letting out a sigh.
For weeks, the Dream Kingdom had given them no respite; in an enormous coral labyrinth, where he had to fight those shell scavengers, until he obtained armor. Once he got armor, he could advance quickly through the crimson labyrinth until he encountered another Sleeper, and then they kept finding more and more, forming a cohort of about 20 people. However, of those twenty, only 15 remained, including himself.
Five had died to buy time, which pained him deeply.
"We need to find a high place before night falls and the dark sea returns. Tomorrow we'll make a final push toward the walls of that city; it might be our only chance to find a door and get out of this hell."
Chloe nodded and went to the rest of the exhausted Sleepers.
They lifted their tired bodies and began to march toward a large coral high enough to spend the night.
Silver, as always, went ahead, summoning his tachi sword, which was an Awakened third-level Memory he obtained from killing a fallen beast.
As they advanced, Silver thought of his best friend, Lucian.
'I'm sure he must be back in the waking world by now. While I'm still stuck in this place,' he thought to himself.
He had no doubt that his friend, that lover of that earthy drink, would be enjoying a cup of coffee and eating food from the academy cafeteria.
The thought made him laugh a little.
By the time afternoon arrived, the group of 15 Sleepers reached their objective. They quickly lit a campfire, preparing scavenger meat.
Silver sat away from the group of Sleepers, watching the sun of the Forgotten Coast begin to set.
Hearing footsteps, he turned his head, seeing Chloe.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Various things. Essentially, how to reach that city faster and how to get out of this place," Silver responded simply.
Chloe sat beside her friend.
"You told me about your friend before, but what is he like?" she asked with interest.
"Hmm... Well, he's a coffee lover, also has a peculiar sense of humor. Oh, he's also strong, not as strong as me, but he is strong."
"Do you think he might have fallen into this place?"
"I don't know, but I hope not; this place is hell, even for the Dream Kingdom," he responded.
Chloe nodded, agreeing with that statement.
"Do you think we'll get out of here, Silver?"
"We will, all of us. You have a family to return to, and the others do too; even I have things to do and achieve. This place won't kill me."
Chloe didn't respond.
"Lady Chloe, Sir Silver King, the food is ready," reported a Sleeper.
Silver stood up, heading to eat a little. Tomorrow would be a long day for surviving and reaching the city.
---
After searching the castle, I didn't find anything really interesting; well, except for the Underworld's armament, an Ascended sixth-level Memory, though it was very heavy to use.
"I wonder if Nether is truly history's greatest simp," I murmured while sitting on the stone throne.
From what I knew, Nether, the Prince of the Underworld, had an obsession with the Storm Goddess, to the point of building thousands of statues in her image.
"Uhm. Better leave that for later." Looking out the window, I noticed the sun beginning to set; soon it would be night and the nightmare creatures would come out to kill each other.
Getting to my feet, I dismissed the Star Legion Armor. And, in its place, I summoned the Sun Priest's Shroud, which had been repaired and cleaned in my sea of souls.
Feeling the comfortable fabric, I felt a little better and more relieved.
Leaving the castle, I summoned Raven; the enormous 10-meter raven materialized.
A noticeable difference was that, without a doubt, its size increased after turning it into a shining shard.
"Well, Raven, let's go hunting. Dad needs to develop a second soul core," I said, looking at Raven, who spread its wings, saying something like "Count on me," or something like that; I don't really understand raven language.
Climbing onto its back, Raven took off toward the ruined city, beginning a one-sided massacre against beasts and monsters.
The ones that were devils, I let Raven handle; after all, it was an Awakened devil.
[You have slain...]
[You have slain...]
[You have slain...]
I brandished the Leviathan's sword, cutting down another Awakened monster, strengthening my core.
After clearing the area and telling Raven to watch that nothing else approached, I began to collect the shards and crush them.
The number of shards increased rapidly, strengthening me. Moving to a different area, this time with creatures of devil rank, Raven set them on fire, killing them in a matter of minutes.
[You have slain an Awakened Devil, Shade Walker]
[You have obtained a memory]
'Oh, that's new.'
While Raven continued burning every monster, I checked the new Memory.
Memory: [Black Mask]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Description: [Walking among the silent and dark streets, his presence blurred and diminished.]
I frowned looking at the Memory. It was a smooth black mask, with two holes for the eyes. Dismissing the memory, I looked down, seeing the corpses of the monsters covered by black flames.
After ordering Raven to descend, I began to collect the soul shards, while Raven fought against some winged creatures that were monsters unaffected by Raven's presence.
Whistling a tune, I crushed the cores one after another.
Shining Shards: [552/1000]
And the counter continued to increase.
---
The rest of the night unfolded in the exact same pattern: Raven burned the monsters, once dead I received shards, and then I collected the shards to become stronger.
Also obtaining useless memories that I fed to Raven to strengthen it and help it ascend.
When the sun rose, I took several sips from the water bottle.
I looked at five shards in my hand.
"Well, here goes nothing."
Murmuring that, I crushed the shards, managing to gather the thousand shards.
Immediately, I felt an intense pain, as if something extremely hot were piercing my chest. The agony was intense and painful.
After a few minutes, the pain ceased and I checked my runes.
---
Name: Lucian
True Name: Morning Star.
Rank: Dreamer
Class: Monster
Shining Shards: [0/2000]
Memories: [Sun Priest's Shroud] [Blue Sword] [Leviathan's Sword] [Infinite Spring] [Midnight Shard] [Gravedigger's Shovel] [Spider's Spear] [Drunkard's Canteen] [Right Path Necklace] [Black Mask] [Walker's Armor] [Hound's Bow] [Replica Quiver]
Echoes: [Raven]
Attributes: [Son of the Stars] [Destined] [Dreamspawn] [Light] [Divinity's Flame] [Fire]
Aspect: Shining Shard.
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Ability: Light-Bearer.
Aspect Ability Description: You can shape light and banish shadows.
Flaw: Unchanged.
---
I dismissed the runes and invoked the "Right Path" Memory; the black necklace materialized around my neck and I closed my eyes. A moment later, the necklace reacted; I felt a mental tug pulling me southward.
"Is he really here?" I said aloud.
Summoning Raven, which had fully recovered, I instructed it to fly south.
Once it soared into the sky, it began to fly rapidly, leaving the dark city in the opposite direction of the enormous and colossal crater, heading straight toward the crimson coral labyrinth.
After about 30 minutes of flight, I felt another tug from the Memory, indicating they were very close.
Looking down, I noticed figures, who were advancing while fighting steel spiders.
"Raven, burn the spiders," I ordered.
Letting out a cry of affirmation, Raven dove down, preparing the dark flames.
---
Silver cursed under his breath while cutting down another spider. Even though they knew about the spiders and took precautions, they had been surrounded from all sides.
They had lost another Sleeper to a larger spider that was the leader.
"Chloe!" Silver shouted forcefully.
The black-haired girl, who was brandishing a blue spear, didn't respond, cutting down several spiders.
"Take the rest and get out of here. I'll stay to buy time," ordered Silver.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes.One kilometer ahead is the exit from their territory; if you lead them, they can reach the city without problems."
"But what about you?"
"Don't worry about me,"he responded while moving at high speed, cutting down a spider that was about to eliminate another Sleeper.
"Stand and fight," he ordered before moving to another location.
"Sleepers, listen. We have to advance now," ordered Chloe.
The Sleepers looked at the black-haired girl, following her order, preparing to leave the area in a deadly run.
However, before they had even advanced 50 meters, a sudden surge of flames cut off their path.
Chloe cursed upon seeing a nightmare creature flying overhead. By its size, she could tell it was a devil.
She clenched her teeth.
"Shit," was what came out of her mouth. They had no chance of killing a devil, especially a flying one.
Silver tightly gripped the hilt of his tachi, watching as the devil released a sea of flames; however, he noticed something strange.
The devil wasn't attacking them; its flames were focused solely on the steel spiders.
The devil, after creating a ring of fire, landed in the middle of the ring. The Sleepers gathered, preparing their weapons, ready to fight or flee.
Silver was in front of the group, along with Chloe.
The atmosphere was tense and no one moved.
Silver looked at the devil with a tense face. When he was about to order the attack, a calm voice that sounded incredibly familiar resonated clearly in his ears.
"It's been a while, Silver."
Silver froze upon hearing that voice. Slowly, his expression ceased being tense, becoming extremely happy.
He saw how, from the devil's back, Lucian descended, wearing a smile of relief and happiness on his face.
"Hello, Lucian. I'm glad to see you."