Rick was going about his usual day. Stay at the small bookstore he owned from sunrise to sunset, then go home to his wonderful wife.
He immediately felt warm as the thought of his wife struck him.
Being stuck on the Forgotten Shore was not easy. After spending almost five years here, he still wasn't used to it. Every day felt like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.
Somewhere in the second year, he met the most beautiful woman in his life, which changed his quiet frustration of being stuck on the Shore for so long.
Rick was one of the lucky ones. He was summoned very close to the Dark City, so getting to the castle was fairly easy.
His aspect was... interesting to say the least. He could swap the emotions of his target. Anger to sorrow, sorrow to disgust, so on and so forth. His targets needed to know the emotion first. So if a person was never happy in their life, he couldn't swap that out.
With the help of his aspect, hiding from Nightmare Creatures was doable. And that's what he did. Rick also managed to get a few soul shards along the way.
He got out of his house and stepped onto the streets of the Bright Castle. The streets had their usual noise. People strolled across — some were in a hurry, some had lost expressions on their faces, as though nothing they did really mattered, so they were simply satiating their boredom.
Rick wore a simple tunic, adorned with a belt around his waist, carrying his sword. His blue hair swayed in the evening wind, as he stepped forward.
His wife had not been home for a few days after she had gone for a hunting trip. He obviously thought this was not normal, since the party only had 3 members, and his wife wasn't that big of a fighter either.
He nodded to a few faces he recognized and kept walking forward. Eventually, he walked over to the shopkeeper a few blocks away, who was his friend.
The shopkeeper had his stall of fresh fruits on display. This was possible thanks to one of Kido's brilliant inventions. The fruits looked similar to apples, but had a more bitter taste.
"Hey, dude."
The shopkeeper noticed Rick and smiled. "Rick my man!"
They shook hands, and the shopkeeper tossed him a fruit. Rick caught it with ease, and took a bite.
'Bitter as usual...'
"Have you seen Diane?"
The shopkeeper thought for a while, but shook his head.
"She went on that hunting trip, right? Few days back?"
Rick sighed. "Four days."
"Haven't seen her since." He paused. "The two guys she went with — were they from Tessai's group?"
Rick took a bite of the fruit. "What makes you say that?"
"Just heard something."
Rick frowned. He knew the trip wasn't safe, he knew that the whole thing looked suspicious. But Diane insisted that they needed the money, and they weren't willing to accept Rick with them.
After Changing Star had begun taking over the outer settlement, Gunlaug had increased the price of staying inside the walls to 2 soul shards a week.
Why?
This seemed foolish. If there is competition, you're supposed to decrease the price. Or maybe there was some tactic behind it. But Rick couldn't care less. They had already made a somewhat comfortable living in the castle walls, and they didn't want to risk it for a woman who had shown up just last month.
After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper, he walked back to his house, his mood upset. He wanted to use his aspect to cheer up, but didn't feel like doing so.
Rick entered his house again, and sat down on a nearby chair. The house looked empty and dusty. The house was rather humble, with a single room, an open kitchen and space for a living room. It was expensive to buy houses in the castle walls, but they had somehow managed to save enough money.
His shoulders dropped, and Rick covered his face with his palms.
'Where are you Diane...'
"Greetings."
Rick flinched. He shot up from the chair and unsheathed his sword almost immediately. He looked around, but found no one. Rick swallowed, as he continued scanning the small room.
"Wh-Who's there?"
That's when a faint silhouette caught his eye. A young man with white hair slowly removed his hood, and appeared in front of him. It was as if he teleported!
Rick tightened the grip on his sword. His body shuddered, and the grip loosened, but he tried his best not to falter.
That was the fucking Mad Scythe!
He recognized him almost instantly. The white hair, the black eye-patch, the aura he emanated.
Rick's pupils dilated, as he let out a shaky breath.
He stared at the Mad Scythe and the fucker stared back!
He had to choose his words very carefully, or this would be the last of his days.
"Please," Rick said. "I don't have much, but I'll give you what I have."
The Mad Scythe expression remained unchanged. He slowly lowered his gaze.
'Damn it! Did that not work?'
"I am not here to rob you. Take a seat."
Rick's eyes twitched. "I'm sorry, but I think I'd be comfo—"
The Mad Scythe narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, and Rick was immediately on a chair the next second. Did he teleport? Probably... that speed was faster than Changing Star's puppy.
The Mad Scythe similarly took a seat opposite to him.
"You must be worried."
Rick's jaw tightened. He straightened his back and looked toward the door.
'I can make it... right?'
"What do you want from me... sir?"
The Mad Scythe narrowed his eyes. "Your... wife."
Rick widened his eyes. His grip on the sword tightened again, and he felt all his fear disappear almost immediately.
"What?"
"I have news about her."
His sword lunged at the Mad Scythe without him even meaning to. The blade swooshed toward the madman's neck, and stopped just moments before it dug into the flesh.
The Mad Scythe didn't even bother defending. He just sat there, while Rick stopped himself.
"What did you do to her."
The Mad Scythe remained quiet for a while. He then slowly raised his hand and gestured for Rick to sit back down.
"You're smart. You should know this won't end well."
Rick realized then, that he was holding his sword against perhaps the strongest Sleeper on the Forgotten Shore. One who could fell Fallen Beasts with ease.
He slowly sat back down, but his eyes remained furious.
"What's her name?"
Rick clenched his fists tightly. "Diane."
The Mad Scythe nodded.
"Diane's dead."
What
Huh?
Before he could process what the Mad Scythe just said, the person stood up, and walked toward the room in their house.
Rick just sat there.
'Dead? What?'
Did Mad Scythe kill her? No. He wouldn't bother coming over and telling him this.
Why?
The Mad Scythe then walked out of the room, this time holding...
'No... please no...'
He was holding a person. The person had a long piece of cloth covering their entire body — from head to feet. He placed the body on the floor and shifted his gaze back to Rick.
"I'm afraid this is what I could find. She was killed by the two men who... well you probably know who."
The Mad Scythe walked forward and placed a hand on Rick's shoulder.
"Go ahead."
The madman then disappeared.
Rick stood there for a long time watching the piece of cloth covering the body. He stumbled off the chair and fell to the ground, crawling over to the body.
He slowly lifted the cloth, and yanked it off in one fell swoop.
'Diane...'
A blond woman lay there half-clothed. Many of it was torn near her lower hip and chest.
Her face had dried tears and blood everywhere. Her lips were swollen red, so were her eyes.
Her nails were broken in places, and her arms were wounded everywhere.
Her thighs, and her hips were...
He could tell.
She was raped.
Rick couldn't feel any anger because he was constantly switching it out for grief. He didn't want to feel anything, and this was the compromise.
He slowly cupped her face in his hands.
They had met by chance in the Bright Castle. They had gone on a few dates and eventually moved in together.
A few years later, he had proposed, and she said yes.
Rick covered her body with the cloth again.
He waited until well after midnight, when the streets were empty enough, and then slowly carried her body outside. A few people walked around here and there, but they averted their gaze almost immediately after seeing what Rick was holding.
He eventually reached the gates to the castle.
"Oho? What's this?"
"Sir, we will need to check what is up, please."
Two guards spoke up.
Rick didn't answer. He slowly reached for the sack of soul shards he had — the last ones.
He tossed it to the guards questioning him, and they immediately went quiet.
They opened the gates without another word, and Rick got out. He was looked at by many people, but no one really asked him what or why.
He just walked and walked. Eventually, he reached some random part of the Dark City, and slowly placed her down. The castle was behind him, and the dark city was everywhere.
How long had he walked? Why were there no Nightmare Creatures attacking him?
Using some of the debris lying around in nearby ruins, he began digging. It took a long time, but eventually, he did it.
He lifted the cloth, looking at her one last time, and then carried her with his bloody palms. He laid her down in the hole, and began pouring mud inside again.
After that, he sat beside her grave and looked up at the starless sky.
The two men. Should he go get revenge on them now?
What would it achieve exactly? Should he go for the roots of this, and kill the ones that made them capable of doing such things? Tessai...
Maybe not. Killing Tessai was near impossible, and that still wouldn't solve anything. Perhaps the real problem was Gunlaug.
Rick stared at the sky and slowly sighed.
"Are you there, Mad Scythe?"
There was silence for a while, but then a voice replied.
"Yes."
'No wonder no creatures attacked...'
He looked up, while tears slowly streamed down his face. He didn't know why he had randomly decided to check whether someone invisible was there, but he just felt like someone was there.
"Why..."
The Mad Scythe appeared in front of him again.
"You know why."
Rick looked back at the Mad Scythe again.
"Because of the two men? Tessai? or is Gunlaug the root to all of this..."
The Mad Scythe took in a deep breath.
"You are rather quick to process grief. Or maybe you didn't."
"She went because we needed the soul shards," he said quietly. "Because two was too much." He pressed his hand flat against the ground. "She went because I let her."
Mad Scythe kneeled down.
"Doesn't matter. Because the problem isn't someone. It's you people."
"Us?"
The Mad Scythe nodded.
"You've surrendered."
Rick let out a chuckle.
"Surrender? We never had a chance. You are strong, you can fight. What can people like us do to Gunlaug?"
Rick knew he was being delusional. Not only had he completely accepted that Mad Scythe had nothing to do with his wife's death, but he even began talking with him.
No.
There was nothing to question. The evidence was all there. The two suspicious men, Mad Scythe talking to him equally, even though he could kill Rick in just a second.
"You've surrendered—"
Rick looked back at the Mad Scythe, whose eyes were cold.
"—to the Forgotten Shore."
"The... shore?"
Of course. What he meant was that people like Rick had given up trying to get out of the Forgotten Shore.
He remembered when he still wanted to go back home. To his brother who was probably still waiting. To his parents who were probably worried.
But after a while, he had given up. He had lost hope. That's when he found Diane. They two bonded over the shared hopelessness of being stuck in a Death Zone.
He was coping.
Rick clenched his fists.
Of course... If he had not given up hope like Changing Star, perhaps he would have gone out to hunt more. They wouldn't be poor, and Diane wouldn't have had to die.
Perhaps, he could've even joined the outer settlement. He knew it wasn't that bad. But his lack of decision-making led to this... to her getting defiled on some random part of the Dream Realm.
"What does it matter now," he said. "She's gone."
"Which is why it matters." The Mad Scythe leaned forward slightly. "You're one person. You're sitting in the dark beside a grave and you're asking why, and the answer is that the system that killed her, kills people every day."
He paused, and then continued.
"Imagine how many Dianes have to die each week, just because Gunlaug has the power, and everyone else doesn't question it."
The Mad Scythe tilted his head.
"Which is why, we need to get people out of here."
Rick looked back at the Mad Scythe. He wasn't mad at all, he was just insane.
"How? How do you expect someone as weak as me..."
The Mad Scythe slowly smiled.
"Do you know how many people inside the castle walls feel exactly what you're feeling right now?"
The wind blew across his face, and the quiet of the dark city felt eerie and deafening.
"How many people like that do you think are in there? If you stand up, one more person will. If ten stand, then a hundred will. That's what it means to fight."
"You're saying..."
The Mad Scythe narrowed his eyes.
"That's right. Everyone on this shore has family waiting outside. I will promise you that I can get everyone on the Forgotten Shore back to the Waking Realm. None of this is normal, and none of you should accept it."
The Mad Scythe's red crown slowly glowed, and Rick felt all his soreness disappear. His body glowed in bright orange flames.
"Stand up and fight."
He held out his hand.
"The only effective solution against evil and violent people is good people more skilled in violence."
Rick slowly grabbed his arm and stood up. He also felt a Memory being transferred to him.
It was a sword.
"My name is Leon," the Mad Scythe said.
"Rick."
***
The weeks that followed were the strangest of Rick's five years on the Forgotten Shore.
Mad Scythe had introduced himself as Leon, and given him a dozen soul shards to get back into the castle.
It wasn't clear why, but Leon wanted to raise his secret rebellion inside the Bright Castle and not the outer settlement. Well it was pretty clear... Changing Star. Or as the Mad Scythe liked to call her, Auti— White-haired demon.
Rick went around trying to find people like him — broken and hopeless, and tried to reignite the hopes in their heart again. The castle was full of them.
He found them in the market, in the guard rotations, in the eating halls. People who had lost their friends, their loved ones, the version of themselves that knew how to laugh.
He didn't make speeches. He just started conversations — he talked about his brother, about what he missed.
Leon made sure to provide Rick with plenty of soul shards to bribe, encourage, and spend.
He and Leon spent weeks trying to gather up a group. Rick eventually found out that Leon had connections to Seishan, and even Kido.
Leon would visit less frequently, but he did visit once a week at least. They were somewhat friends now?
Leon was looking over documents for the group of rebels Rick and he had managed to win over.
"Say, Leon. Why do any of this? Why not directly challenge Gunlaug?"
Leon leaned back and sighed.
"Because if I go sit on that throne, I will just be another Bright Lord."
Rick understood what that meant... Or maybe he didn't. But in the end, Leon's goal was to free the people from the Shore, not rule them.
He also remembered the time he had asked Leon about Changing Star.
"You have something against Changing Star, don't you?" he said.
"She nearly killed me once, just trying to pay back the favor." He said pleasantly.
It was obvious why, since she beat his as— since she defeated him in a duel once, where Leon wasn't at full strength.
At least half of the Bright Castle was now secret followers of the Mad Scythe.
The rebellion had grown quite large, and it had taken months to get to this point.
Leon would go around the entire place, scarring some corrupted vile men, and saving others; he had gained quite a good reputation by now.
Maintaining secrecy was the utmost priority, so Leon had one simple rule. Two, actually.
"First rule of the rebellion. You do not talk about the rebellion."
"Second rule of the rebellion. You DO NOT talk about the rebellion."
Everyone understood the meaning. If you had to recruit someone, make sure it's discreet and confirmed. If not, then just pray that the Mad Scythe doesn't find you.
The gatherings began slowly, and then exponentially became bigger. The lists grew. The mood in the castle shifted.
Leon stood at the front of the room one evening, and looked at the faces turned toward him. Rick stood beside him, with a few others.
Leon began speaking in a calm, but loud tone.
"How much longer will you stand for the tyranny of the Nightmare Spell?"
"This isn't about Gunlaug, or the weekly soul shard fee you have to pay."
Rick looked down at the young men and women, some had fear in their eyes, some had excitement.
"You don't come here because I graciously give out soul shards for your stay here, for your food here, and for anything else you request — Memories, armor, weapons."
Leon shook his head.
"You are here because we are the ones who will change this place. We are the ones who will free ourselves not from the ruler of the Bright Castle, but from the Death Zone itself."
Leon raised his hand with a clenched fist and yelled:
"So rise! Be brave and step forth. There is family waiting for you outside. Stop accepting your reality and steady yourselves. This is just the beginning."
Everyone cheered and yelled praises.
"Free us, Mad Scythe!"
"Changing Who? We have our lord Scythe with us!"
"You are looking handsome with that eye-patch sir!"
Rick smiled, but Leon expression remained grim.
"Lord Scythe? How is this different from Saint Nephis?"
A voice said, inaudible to everyone but Leon. Not even Rick could hear it.
***
Rick let out a slow breath and walked around a warehouse of the rebellion. A young women walked toward him and bowed down.
"Sir, the supplies are as planned. Nearly everyone in the army is armed. We are waiting for the leader's orders."
Rick nodded.
"The leader is not coming back for a few months."
The woman froze. "W-what?"
He smiled.
"Don't worry. He is just going on a long journey to obtain something, to kill Gunlaug. He is expected to be back in a few days."
The woman slowly smiled and nodded. "Of course, sir. We also have a few new recruits."
"Recruits? I thought I told you not to accept someone new so close to the final battle."
She lowered her head.
"It was actually quite sudden, sir. They claimed to be sent by the leader himself, and they had a few crates of food and supplies, much larger than usual. They even knew all the right code words, so..."
"Crates of food and..."
Rick narrowed his eyes.
'This...'
The building shook. There was an explosion nearby, somewhere not too far away.
And then another explosion sounded, this time closer by. And then...
The ground shook, as flames engulfed the building they were in. Rick fell, trying to balance himself, as he eyed around the building.
A large explosion hit the building he was in.
***
In the Bright Hall, Gunlaug looked outside the windows and saw three to four different explosions all around.
"Most of the infiltration attempts failed," Tessai said. He was looking at the map of the Bright Castle with a smirk across his face. "But today we found the gap."
Gunlaug slowly nodded, taking in the scenery.
"Where is Harus."
Tessai frowned. "He said he found the eye-patch travelling outside the walls, but that was already months ago."
Gunlaug was quiet.
"So he's dead."
Tessai chuckled nervously. "My lord, I don't thin—"
He then shut up, and slowly lowered his gaze.
"No matter. The plan continues. Gather the remaining lieutenants."
Tessai nodded and exited the room.
Gunlaug sighed slowly.
"So it begins."