He enjoyed his soak in the tub. By the time he left the water was murky and brown and definitely not fit for drinking. There was a sheen layer of all the things that had coated his body since his last bath. Blood, dirt, sweat, and a vast variety of substances made with [Chimera] while testing his aspect. It was a good thing he took a nap in the rain or his smell might have caused Elena to throw him off the balcony!
He felt refreshed for the first time in a long long time and was currently wearing the [Mantle of The Drowned] since it was his most comfortable armor. He had given it the chance to finish mending in his soul in his long soak. After enjoying a refreshing chug of water he was also finally getting around to brushing his messy hair too. Elena was actually doing the combing part with yet another oddly mundane memory in the form of a brush. Gwin smiled wryly at the thought he had longer hair than her now by the looks of it.
Her delicate and skilled hands had made quick work of the mess. He enjoyed the feeling with his eyes closed, it was like getting preened like a bird. To be honest he only knew about that ancient behavior of waking world birds because of studying at the academy…but if they did still exist and he were one of them it would surely feel like this. The feeling of her fingertips on his scalp and in his hair was sopophoric. He nearly fell asleep again. He probably needed it though, his first nap had lasted the entire night from what he knew of what Elena told him but that wasn't enough to fully make up the sleep he owed his body. [Bestial Vitality] was already making the most even out of that little bit of rest, he could feel the weight of exhaustion growing less than before.
He sat on a stool in front of a desk made of pale wood. On her desk was a bronze mirror and a half spent candle. She stood behind him occasionally bumping into him. He paid attention to each occurrence with great focus. An old memory flashed in his mind. He slung his head back and met her eyes, or the silk ribbon covering them. He languidly moved his hands.
{I'm going to kill Gunlaug}
He scanned her features for a reaction. Her top lip rose a fraction.
"What? Why would you do that?"
Her voice was even.
{Do I need a reason to kill him?}
Her brush caught a knot of his hair.
"You know that's not what I meant. Changing Star already plans to do that, why would you need to get involved?"
{Because I'm going to kill her too.}
Her fingers stopped moving.
"Why? Better yet what makes you think you could kill either of them? You truly think you stand a chance against the legacy of the Immortal Flame clan and the ruler of the bright castle who possesses an impenetrable suit of armor? You do know what impenetrable means do you not?"
{I do.}
"Then do you plan to become the next bright lord?"
{I do.}
"Give up. You'll never beat them."
Gwin frowned.
{Why not? You've seen what I can do. My soul core is over halfway saturated already. With just a bit more time it'll be fully saturated.}
"It's not a matter of power. Even if you had a full soul core you'd never best them. It's a matter of what they have and what you don't."
Gwin stood from his stool and turned to meet her. She seemed to tower over him despite that.
{And what's that? I can shatter skulls and rip the spines right out of an abomination with my bare hands, you think I can't do the same for them?}
She crossed her arms.
"That's your problem, all might and no finesse. You solve everything with strength, it's why you've never beaten me. They have skill and talent engraved in their bones, you are just an ordinary person who is missing an arm in the real world. "
His fists balled.
{I've got more tricks than you know. We haven't fought since before we got to the castle. You'd be surprised. And it doesn't matter that I'm missing an arm when I have both right now.}
She sighed exasperatedly and pinched her brow.
"You shouldn't stick your head out unnecessarily. You already know Seishan's standing on all this. Just stick with us and ride this out. If anyone here has a chance of getting us back home it's Changing Star. Don't you want to make it back home? To see your mommy again?"
Gwin felt heat creep into his neck and cheeks.
{So that's what it is? You've already bet on Changing Star. Don't you realize what will happen if she gets her way?! If she makes any path out it will be with the body of every person here! How many corpses of the people you know do you think she'll step on to leave? What if you are one of those stepping stones instead of the one walking?}
Her voice got louder.
"That's my choice isn't then isn't it? I'm not like the rest of you. I'm a daughter of Ki Song, I've more skill in my pinky than the entirety of the outer settlement combined! There are only three people here who can even hope to match me! I will not be her stepping stone!"
Gwin snarled, his sharp teeth on full display. His hands were fast and angry. Was he on that list? He guessed not.
{How can you say that?! How would you even be able to live with yourself?!}
"Why wouldn't I? I'm not responsible for every sleeper here and neither is she! If they have what it takes to make it out they will! That's not my problem and it's not yours!"
She stept forward and jabbed a finger at his chest. There was a tinge of red on her face.
"Tell me Gwin, what's your great plan if you become the bright lord?! Will you open the gates and let everyone in so no one has to stay outside in their little huts shaking in their own piss? Will you read them bedtime stories so they can sleep at night? Will you pat their backs and tell them to rely on you? You couldn't even stop your own cohort from dying! How could you do the same for all of them?!"
Gwin's face dropped. He stopped scowling and looked her dead in her eyes.
{Keep them out of your mouth.}
A moment of silence passed. She sighed and fidgeted with her dress cuffs.
"I'm sorry, but you must understand what I'm saying. It's impossible to save everyone here!"
{Watch. Me. I'm going to kill a fallen abomination and use that to kill another, then another. I'll kill every nightmare creature in this damn shithole all by myself and give the shards out to the best of us. Then I'll march right up to that damn tower and rip that fucking terror apart myself!}
She didn't flinch, instead she met his eyes and scowled.
"No, you won't. Even if you somehow miraculously manage to beat Gunlaug and Changing Star someone will stand in your way. No matter how strong you are, people will stand against you. Will you be ready for all of the bloodshed that will follow? Your methods will dwindle us down and rely solely on the idea of you not getting ripped apart by one of those abominations and I've seen you half dead enough times to believe that's not a viable strategy. No one survives the dreamworld by themselves and the idea of even killing one fallen nightmare creature is frankly stupid! The sleepers of the forgotten shore will become cowardly and cathartic if you do it all for them! It's better to go with every soul here so that maybe a few of us can make it back home!"
Gwin's nostrils flared, his hands trembled slightly as he moved them slowly and deliberately.
{You are a monster}
"Am I? Or are you just a coward?"
He took a deep breath and counted to ten
"Tch."
Gwin clicked his tongue and sat back down. Elena came behind him and continued brushing his hair.
"Look…I'm just looking out for what is best for you. You've already given me your word to join clan Song, I just want to make sure you make it back to see that through. You have to look at things realistically."
His promise wouldn't mean anything if Changing Star used his corpse as a stepping stone! The heat didn't leave his face, what did she know? He was growing at a staggering pace due to the help of the crevice. He could pummel her in a fight now if he and Elena fought. His ideals weren't meaningless when he had enough strength to rip nightmare creatures apart with his bare hands!
If there was one thing he could rely on it was his own strength, people weren't worth a damn! If he wanted them to escape with him and not be left behind then he had to do something. That went for Elena too.
He was the only one who could do it, he was the only one in existence with a divine aspect after all…
If he couldn't, who could?