Ash lay on the ground with an empty expression. The Pale Needle had disappeared, having returned to his sea of souls, and he held only the Sword of Seven, still drenched in blood.
Although all his wounds had closed and his energy was fully restored, mentally he felt incredibly exhausted.
He felt as if he had been grabbed and smashed hundreds of times against the same concrete wall.
Ash heard a voice that made him frown.
"Time to leave. Gather your strength! We're almost there!"
Ash slowly stood up, as did the surviving sleepers, who were exhausted. Those in better condition helped those in worse shape.
Soon, the sleepers advanced with Ash, Sunny, and Nephis at the front of the group of over a hundred sleepers.
Nephis looked at Sunny and said:
"Thank you. For ringing that bell. And... for everything."
Sunny looked at Nephis for a moment and then shrugged.
"You don't need to thank me. We're allies. Aren't we?"
Ash looked at both of them with a raised eyebrow but said nothing, remaining silent.
They changed their unique destination quickly toward the portal, which was near the top of the crimson spire's interior.
They crossed the coral barrier inside the spire. In the center, they observed a pool containing the cursed ocean within, where faint ripples occurred as if it wanted to break free from its prison.
"Where's the portal, Ash?" asked Sunny.
"Above," he replied, lifting his gaze.
Sunny did the same and then cursed under his breath.
Hidden in the darkness, Ash observed countless coral golems staring blankly into the distance without expression. They were very similar to the bone creatures, except they were made of pure coral and their bodies were much less resistant.
Ash easily noted that there were tens of thousands of them. After all, the crimson spire was of titanic size, so containing tens of thousands wasn't so far-fetched.
"We'll climb up there," he said, pointing to the twisted coral pillars, wide and strong enough to support the weight of several people without collapsing.
Ash lifted his gaze and not an instant later stepped back, letting a ray of light pierce through the ceiling, annihilating the darkness.
Nephis's warning came a second before. A new ray of light emerged and then another, forcing everyone to hide in the shadows.
Guided by the light, the coral golems reacted, launching themselves forward toward where the dreaming army hid.
Ash didn't move. He checked his runes and cursed at what he read.
Attribute: [Soul Conduit]
'Damn demon spell that created you,' he thought, annoyed.
He lacked the destined attribute and yet had obtained this one. Of course, he could leave, but he knew that if he did, everything would end the same.
Ash thought about it for a few moments before sighing.
'Seems like in the end, it will take me longer,' he thought to himself. 'Though this is better.'
Coming out of his thoughts, he heard Sunny's voice.
"Follow me!" he said, making the sleepers look at him and, without a word, begin running behind that boy.
Ash expected this and simply stayed behind. He was quite good at going unnoticed, so no one realized he wouldn't be in the running crowd.
Watching the army ascend, Ash observed a coral golem that lunged at him. Ash grabbed it by the head and smashed it against the ground. He had to admit it was quite resistant.
"Curious... you have no soul, but you do have spirit," he said as his innate soul guide ability tried to sense the golem's soul, but it lacked one he could damage.
They were mere echoes without will, like puppets.
Feeling his sea of souls, Ash put a theory to the test. Feeling Thrill, he extracted it from its seal, grabbed it firmly, and using Soul Guide, sent it into the golem.
The golem shook violently until it went still shortly after.
Then the golem moved, trying to grab Ash's head, but he destroyed the golem's neck, then smashed its coral chest with his boot, feeling Thrill return to his interior. A wave of emanations and wild rage invaded him instantly, feeling them fight for dominance, with Thrill gaining ground.
Entering his sea of souls, Ash witnessed two entities — one born from his own soul and the other still gestating — fighting to consume each other and strengthen themselves.
Using his control over his sea of souls and the mist, he trapped Thrill back inside its sphere. It became more furious than before at being imprisoned again.
"Calm down for a while," he said with an indifferent voice, then looked toward where he felt the other presence — weak, influencing him toward massacre and wild bloodlust.
"And then I'll deal with you," he said before leaving his sea of souls.
Upon exiting, he began to ascend the twisted corals, feeling the sleepers quickly passing into the waking world in rapid succession. Elsewhere, he felt Sunny and Caster fighting while Nephis dealt with the Fallen Terror.
Ash summoned the mist field and began his ascent. It took him a few minutes to reach where he observed Caster's corpse.
He gave it only an indifferent glance before continuing toward where the portal was.
Ash kept advancing until he reached the top of the tower.
Upon reaching the top, he observed a vast chamber. It had a large circular opening in the center, allowing sunlight to penetrate easily, illuminating the vast structure.
Ash noticed traces of crimson coral that had disappeared due to the unleashed sunlight. In the sky, the nameless sun shone with intensity, like a star that blazes before going out forever.
Shaking his head, he advanced, observing two people.
The first was Changing Star, and the second was Lost from Light. Both had serious faces, as if they might fight at any moment.
Ash heard a question.
"What happened to everyone else?" asked Sunny, looking at Nephis.
Ash emerged from the mist and replied in Nephis's place.
"Everyone has left, just like you two," said Ash, making both Sunny and Nephis look at him with wide eyes.
"Didn't you leave?" asked Sunny.
"No," replied Ash, rolling his eyes.
"Tell me something, Sunny. Do you have something called a Soul Conduit?" asked Ash.
Sunny was silent for a moment, then replied: "Yes."
"I see. And you, Nephis?" asked Ash, making Nephis narrow her eyes, trying to guess what he was planning.
Ash didn't need an answer; that almost minuscule action from Nephis answered for her.
"Why are you asking that?" asked Sunny.
"Just..." Ash closed his mouth and then sighed, shaking his head.
"No... it doesn't matter anymore," he said as beside him, a storm of sparks materialized, from which emerged an enormous, imposing steel raven, and beside it, the figure of a demonic knight in armor holding a great sword.
"Raven. Knight. Restrain them and throw them into the portal," Ash ordered his echoes.
Sunny summoned Midnight Fragment, and Nephis held the lunar fragment, which became surrounded by flames.
"What does this mean?" asked Nephis.
Ash didn't respond, remaining silent.
His two echoes launched themselves at the humans, each taking an opponent.
Since they were ascended echoes, both of devil rank, two sleepers couldn't handle them, no matter how strong they were. That was demonstrated when, after a short battle, both Sunny and Nephis were reduced to the ground, unable to move; their weapons had returned to their sea of souls.
A tremor shook the crimson spire as cracks began to form.
"Why are you doing this? Was this your plan all along?" asked Sunny, angry.
"I suppose you feel betrayed," said Ash, lowering himself to Sunny's level. His yellow eyes were calm.
"It's understandable for someone like you. But you're giving me too much credit. I'm just doing what benefits my own interests. That's all," he said as the Black Knight grabbed Sunny and threw him toward the portal. Sunny tried to break free and fight but disappeared in a flash of light, leaving only Nephis and Ash.
"Are you going to kill me, Ash?"
"Oh, no. You said it yourself in the Dark City. If I wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead long ago."
"Then why this?"
"You're intelligent, Nephis. You must already know what that attribute does. Anyway, I want you to deliver a message to Cassie." Ash paused for a moment.
"Tell Cassie that I really tried to follow her advice." Ash looked at the black steel raven, which grabbed Nephis with its claws, sending her toward the portal as it began to glow. Nephis stood up, looking at Ash.
"Don't die," said Changing Star in a serious tone.
"I don't plan to. Until we meet again, Changing Star," he said, turning around, letting Nephis leave.
And so, the portal deactivated, leaving Ash alone in a dead, dark land.
Looking at the raven, Ash mounted its back and set off toward the Dark City. He needed to kill the remaining abominations.
---
In a heavily guarded underground room, a young boy with ash-gray hair slept peacefully inside a transparent machine that kept him alive.
The room was quiet and silent; the hum of machinery created a faint background noise, along with the sound of one medical device or another.
A young woman with blonde hair and completely blind blue eyes remained silent beside the capsule, her delicate hand resting on the transparent glass where the young boy lay.
That young woman was none other than Cassie.
Cassie let out a sigh.
"You're a fool, Ashfall... you knew this would happen, and yet you kept going. You weren't selfish, not even once," Cassie murmured in the empty room, her other hand resting on the hilt of a rapier.
Cassie tightened her grip on the rapier.
"Until we meet again. I hope that this time, you'll actually tell me a good story," were her last words as she left that room.
---
Ashfall.
His existence was strange. Diffuse.
Like a vivid dream that, upon opening your eyes, slips through the fingers of memory. While you looked at him, he was real. Tangible. Important.
But it was enough to look away…
And something inside you began to forget him.
Not his face.
Not his voice.
But his weight in your life.
As if the world itself conspired to erase him, to soften his footprint until it became nothing.
Perhaps that was his destiny.
Not to be remembered.
But to be felt… for an instant.
And to disappear.
Because there are existences that do not seek to endure, but to touch something deep and leave before breaking it.
Because there are people who do not live to be eternal, but to become an echo… that only some manage to hear.
And perhaps, just perhaps…
Forgetting is not a cruel ending.
But the purest way to preserve a dream.
That was the true meaning of his name…
Dream of Oblivion.
[End of Volumen]