Something was wrong. The sky appeared to be turning red. Strange, it wasn't the time for sunset yet.
Nephis noticed it the moment she stepped out of the citadel, her silver eyes turning upward to assess the heavens. The afternoon sun hung pale and distant, its light filtering through clouds that moved in patterns too deliberate to be natural. There was a weight to the air—not oppressive, but present, like the moment before a storm breaks.
For some reason,it reminded her of the times when nightmare gates opens.The calm before the storm.
But that was impossible. No gates had been reported in weeks, and the proximity alarms would have sounded long before she felt anything. Yet the sensation persisted, a subtle wrongness that made her instincts prickle with unease. Something big was definitely about to take place. Something that the world might not be ready for.
Nephis filed the observation away and continued walking. Whatever it was, it would reveal itself in time. For now, she had more immediate concerns. She had a student to catch.
The journey to Song territory took less than an hour. The political tensions between the clans had eased somewhat in recent years, allowing for somewhat free movement between domains, especially for Saints. Surely just a simple visit wouldn't hurt.Still, Nephis was careful to observe proper protocol as she approached the outer perimeter of Ki Song's lands.
A Master stationed at the border recognized her immediately, bowing with the appropriate level of respect. "Lady Nephis. What brings you to Song territory?"
"I need to speak with someone. Should be relatively easy to find." Nephis replied, her tone polite but firm. "Rain. She trained under me before the war ended. It's a personal matter."
The Master hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "Of course. I'll have someone fetch her. Please wait for a while."
Nephis nodded before choosing to rest against a nearby tree. She stood rather than sat, her posture relaxed but ready. Looking up, she could see the strange sky continuing its unsettling dance.
Rain arrived within minutes, escorted by a Saint Nephis recognized as one of Ki Song's inner circle. Seishan. A forgotten shore survivor like her. The girl's eyes widened when she saw her former instructor.
"Lady Nephis!" Rain bowed quickly, deeply. "I wasn't expecting—is everything alright?"
"Walk with me," Nephis said, nodding her thanks to the Saint, waving her goodbye before guiding Rain toward the gardens.
Once they were somewhere away from the public eyes, Nephis spoke. "I need to ask you something important, Rain. And I need you to think carefully before you answer."
The mundane's expression shifted from surprise to concern. "Of course. What is it?"
"Do you remember the last few weeks clearly? Everything that happened, everyone you met with, every moment accounted for?"
The girl opened her mouth to respond, then paused. Her brow furrowed as she seemed to search her memory. "I... yes? I think so. Training, patrols.... Why do you ask?"
"Think harder," Nephis pressed gently. "Are there any gaps? Any moments where time seemed to skip or blur?"
Rain's confusion deepened, but she clearly took the question seriously. Several seconds passed in silence as she examined her own recollections. When she spoke again, her voice had lost some of its certainty.
"There... might be something. It's strange—I remember everything I should, but some of it feels distant. Like I'm remembering it through fog." She looked up at Nephis with worried eyes. "What's happening?"
"Something took our memories," Nephis said simply. "Mine, my cohort's, and yours. Something important enough that someone—or something—wanted us to forget."
"I don't know yet. But I know you were there, Rain. Whatever happened, you were part of it." Nephis placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I came to find you because I think together, we might be able to piece back yet another clue.Will you help me?"
"I..." Rain swallowed hard. "Yes. Of course. What do you need?"
"Come with me. My friends are waiting—you should have met some of them before. We're trying to understand what was taken from us." Nephis studied Rain's face. "Will you join us?"
Something flickered across Rain's expression—uncertainty, perhaps fear—but beneath it all was determination. The same quality Nephis had recognized when she first took the girl as a student.
"Yes," Rain said firmly. "I'll come."
As they turned to leave the gardens, Nephis's gaze dropped briefly to the ground. Rain's shadow stretched across the stone path, and for just a moment, it seemed to move independently of its owner. A subtle shift, barely perceptible, but enough to make Nephis's eyes narrow.
Strange. Was someone looking at her? Or maybe it was...just her imagination...
She said nothing. Not yet.
While Lady Fumbling Star was busy with collecting more evidence, something else was taking place. Something that might force both clans to unite. A cataclysm.
Thousands of kilometers away, in the heart of Clan Valor's stronghold, Anvil stood alone in his chamber. He was just about to get to forging when something else grabbed his attention.
The Sovereign's domain extended like an invisible web throughout Valor territories, a manifestation of his will so vast and powerful that it touched every corner of his clan's influence. He maintained it as naturally as breathing, a constant awareness of everything that occurred within his realm.
Which was why he noticed immediately when something pressed back.
Anvil's eyes snapped open, his irises blazing in the fairly dim chamber. He extended his senses outward, searching for the source of the intrusion. It wasn't an attack—not exactly. More like a probe, a gentle pressure testing the boundaries of his domain.
Someone—something—was feeling for weaknesses.
He rose to his full, imposing height and concentrated his will, pushing back against the foreign presence. For a moment, he thought he almost had it, could almost identify the source.
Then it slipped away like water through his fingers. Strange. Another sovereign...? No...He would have immediately known if that was the case... But who could be powerful enough to slip by unnoticed.
Pauses
Only one answer came to his mind.
.
.
.
.
A DAEMON.
Anvil's jaw tightened. Daemon or not, whatever it was...it was definitely skilled enough to evade even a Sovereign's scrutiny. That alone made it dangerous.
He summoned a memory used for communication before immediately yelling out orders to his most trusted Saints. "This is Anvil. All Masters and Saints are to increase their vigilance immediately. Something is probing our domain's boundaries. I want eyes on every major city, every citadel every strategic location. Report any anomalies directly to me."
A chorus of acknowledgments came through, his people responding with the efficiency he expected. Anvil allowed himself a moment of satisfaction—Valor's strength lay not just in individual power, but in coordination and discipline.
Still, unease gnawed at him. In all his years as Sovereign, he had never encountered a presence quite like this. Subtle yet unmistakable. Present yet unidentifiable.
He would need to investigate personally.
Anvil wasn't the only one.
On the other side,in the Song Domain, Ki Song sat in her private study, surrounded by dolls and reports from across her territory.
The Sovereign of Song was known for her information network, her careful cultivation of knowledge and influence. She prided herself on knowing everything that transpired within her realm, often before her own Saints were aware of it.
Which made the current situation particularly troubling.
She felt it like a discordant note in a perfect symphony—a presence that shouldn't exist, pressing against the edges of her domain. Not aggressively, but persistently, as though testing her defenses or simply announcing its existence.
Ki Song set down the report she'd been reading and closed her eyes, focusing entirely on her domain. The presence was definitely there, undeniable once she concentrated on it. But tracking it was like trying to catch smoke—the moment she thought she had it pinpointed, it shifted elsewhere.
"Interesting," she murmured to herself.
Another Sovereign would have announced themselves properly. A daemon would have been far less subtle. This was something else entirely—something new, or something very old that had remained hidden until now.
She activated her own communication network, her voice calm but carrying an edge of steel. "All Saints and Masters, this is Ki Song. Increase surveillance across all territories. Watch for unusual Dream Realm activity, unexpected domain manifestations, or any other anomalies. I want reports within the hour."
Her subordinates responded immediately, and Ki Song allowed herself a small smile. Unlike Valor's martial discipline, Song's strength lay in information and adaptability. Whatever this presence was, her people would find it.
But even as she gave her orders, a small part of her wondered if they were already too late.
Nephis led Rain through the corridors of the citadel, moving with the easy confidence of someone who had long since memorized every passage. They arrived at a chamber her cohort had claimed as their own—large enough for comfortable gathering, but private enough for sensitive discussions.
Jet stood near the window, her dark eyes turning as they entered. Cassie sat in a chair by the table, her blind gaze somehow still managing to track their arrival with uncanny accuracy. Kai lounged against the wall, offering a warm smile, while Effie sprawled across a couch with her characteristic lack of formality.
"Everyone," Nephis said, "this is Rain. Meet my student."
"Ah! Look who it is!" Effie sat up, grinning. "We've heard about you. Nephis doesn't take just anyone under her wing."
Rain's cheeks reddened slightly. "I—thank you. It's an honor to meet all of you."
"Come, sit," Cassie said gently, her voice carrying that strange familiar tone like they always have known each other. "We have much to discuss."
They arranged themselves around the table, Rain settling in somewhat nervously between Nephis and Effie. For a moment, no one spoke, as though they were all trying to find the right words to begin a rather impossible conversation.
Finally, Jet broke the silence. "Rain, Nephis has probably told you about our memory gaps. What she might not have mentioned is how specific they are. We all remember the same blank period—"
"And it's not natural memory loss," Kai added. "It's like magical. Like someone went into our minds and cut out specific pieces while leaving everything else intact."
Rain nodded slowly. "Lady Nephis explained some of this. But I don't understand—why would someone do that? What could have happened that was so important it needed to be erased?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Effie said, her usual humor subdued. "But here's the really weird part—we all feel like someone's missing. Like there should be another person here, but we can't remember who."
Cassie tilted her head slightly, her sightless eyes seeming to look past Rain rather than at her. "It's like a hole in the shape of a person. Every time we talk about this, I can almost see them, but then the image slips away."
Rain frowned, trying to process this information. "You mean... there was another member of your cohort? Someone you all knew?"
"We think so," Nephis said carefully. "But it's more than that. This person wasn't just with us—they were central to whatever happened. Important enough that removing them from our memories created this gap."
The conversation continued, each member of the cohort sharing their experiences and theories. Jet spoke about the frustration of knowing something crucial was missing but being unable to grasp it. Kai described dreams where he could sense someone's presence but never see their face. Effie admitted to finding herself setting out an extra plate at meals before realizing her mistake.
Rain listened intently, occasionally offering her own fragmented recollections. She described the same fog-like quality to certain memories, the same sense that something didn't quite add up. But she had no clearer picture than they did.
As the discussion wore on, Nephis found her attention drawn elsewhere. Rain's shadow.
It was behaving strangely. At first, she'd thought it was just a trick of the light, but the longer she watched, the more certain she became. The shadow moved independently—subtle shifts that didn't match Rain's movements. And more than that, it seemed... aware.
Several times, Nephis caught the shadow's orientation shifting toward her, as though it was looking at her despite having no eyes. It lingered on her face, on her hands, tracking her movements with an attention that was distinctly unnatural.
Rain seemed oblivious to it, focused on the conversation and clearly trying to be helpful. But the shadow beneath her was anything but oblivious.
Nephis waited until there was a natural lull in the discussion before speaking. "Rain," she said gently, "I need to ask you about something else."
The girl looked up, curious. "What is it?"
"Your shadow." Nephis kept her voice calm, non-accusatory. "It's not behaving normally."
Rain went very still. The others turned to look at her, then at her shadow, which suddenly seemed darker than it should be in the well-lit room.
"I don't know what you mean," Rain said quietly, but her voice carried a tremor of uncertainty.
"Rain." Nephis leaned forward slightly. "I've been watching it since we met in the gardens. It moves on its own. It watches things—watches me specifically. And I think you've noticed it too."
The girl's hands clenched in her lap. For a long moment, she said nothing, her gaze fixed on the table. Then, so quietly they almost missed it, she whispered, "I thought I was going crazy."
Cassie's expression softened. "You're not crazy, Rain. Tell us what you've experienced."
Rain took a shaky breath. "It started a few weeks ago. At first, I thought it was just paranoia—you know how shadows can seem to move when you're tired or distracted. But then it kept happening. My shadow would shift when I was standing still. It would stretch in directions that didn't match the light source."
She looked up at them, and there were tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. "And sometimes... sometimes I swear it watches me. Like there's someone inside it, looking out. I hear whispers too, but I can never make out the words. I thought—I thought maybe the Dream Realm had damaged something in me. That I was hallucinating."
"You're not hallucinating," Jet said firmly. She'd been studying the shadow with the intensity of someone analyzing an opponent. "There's definitely something there. Something alive."
As if responding to being noticed, the shadow rippled. It was a subtle movement, but unmistakable—like a pool of dark water disturbed by an unseen current.
Nephis felt something click in her mind. The shadow watching her. The missing person from their memories. The surgical removal of specific recollections. Rain being part of their forgotten experience.
"It's connected," she said aloud. "The shadow and our missing memories. They have to be."
"How?" Kai asked, but his tone suggested he was already reaching the same conclusion.
"I don't know yet. But think about it—Rain was with us during the blank period. Her shadow starts acting strangely around the same time. We all feel like someone's missing, like there's a person-shaped hole in our memories. And now that shadow is watching us, specifically watching me."
Effie sat up straighter. "You think the missing person is... in Rain's shadow?"
"Or connected to it somehow," Nephis said. She turned back to Rain. "Have you noticed if the shadow reacts to specific things? People, places, conversations?"
Rain thought carefully. "It seems more active when I'm around... people I know you worked with, Lady Nephis. And it was particularly restless today when you came to find me. Like it was—" She paused, searching for words. "—like it was excited? Or maybe anxious?"
"Because it recognizes me," Nephis murmured. "Because whoever or whatever is in that shadow knows me. Knows all of us."
The implications hung heavy in the air. They were so close to understanding, yet the final piece remained frustratingly out of reach.
The cohort was just about to relax after that dreadful conversation when they paused. Before anyone could voice their thoughts, they all felt it.
It has begun. The Crimson Convergence.
A moment later, the world outside the windows turned crimson.
Master Jet was at the glass in an instant, her expression darkening. "That's not natural."
They all moved to look, crowding around the windows to witness what was happening to the sky. The pale afternoon sun had been replaced by a deep, blood-red glow. Clouds roiled with unnatural violence, moving in patterns that suggested intelligence rather than weather.
And beneath it all, Nephis felt that same wrongness she'd noticed earlier, amplified a thousandfold.
"Nightmare gates," Cassie whispered, her voice trembling as her prophetic vision clearly showing her something the others couldn't see. "Multiple gates. All across the world. They're—" Her face went pale. "They're opening...It can't be...TIER 6. There are at least 3 of them!!"
"That's impossible," Kai said, but his voice lacked conviction.
It wasn't impossible. They all could feel it. It was happening.
In the space between realms, where reality frayed and dreams took form, something ancient stirred. It opened it's eyes.
[REDACTED] known as [REDACTED] moved through the fabric of existence with the ease of one who had [REDACTED] it himself. [ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR]
"Spell," he whispered, his voice carrying across dimensions. "Open the gates. Let the fuel gather."
And the Nightmare Spell, that ancient entity of unknown origin and terrible purpose, obeyed.
The alarm horns began to go haywire throughout the citadel, their wailing cutting through the crimson twilight. But these weren't the standard warnings—these were the emergency protocols reserved for extinction-level threats.
Nephis's communication artifact flared to life. Morgan's voice came through, strained with urgency. "All Saints to the northern barrier immediately! We have three—no, four—tier six gates manifesting simultaneously. Clan Song has been notified too.This is a coordinated event!"
"We're moving," Nephis responded, already heading for the door. She looked back at Rain. "Stay close to us. Don't leave our sight."
The girl nodded, her face pale but determined.
It was for more convenient to bring the young girl with them. Who knows what could have happened if she had stayed alone.
They rushed through the citadel's corridors, joining the stream of Masters and Saints mobilizing for war. The air hummed with power as awakened warriors summoned their memories, preparing for battle against whatever horrors would emerge from those gates.
As they reached the battlements, Nephis saw it—and her breath caught in her throat.
On the horizon, massive nightmare gates had torn through reality itself. Not the usual kind of rifts, but enormous crimson wounds in the fabric of space. Three of them, each easily a hundred meters tall, pulsing with malevolent energy that made even the air around them shimmer and distort.
And they weren't alone. Reports were flooding in from across the world—Valor territories, Song domains, even the untamed lands. Everywhere, tier six gates were opening simultaneously.
Before Nephis could respond, she felt it—a presence that made her soul sea tremble. Two presences, actually, approaching with impossible speed.
Anvil materialized first, his domain blazing like a second sun as the Sovereign of Valor arrived on the battlefield. His massive form radiated power, sharp eyes surveying the gates with cold calculation.
Moments later, Ki Song appeared, her arrival far more subtle but no less impactful. The Song's Sovereign domain pressed against Anvil's, two incomprehensible forces existing in the same space without conflict—a testament to their temporary alliance.
"Sovereigns," Morgan breathed, and Nephis could hear the relief in her voice. If both Sovereigns were here, surely they could handle this.
"All Saints and Masters, form defensive perimeters," Anvil's voice boomed across the battlefield, carrying with unnatural clarity. "When the gates open, we end this quickly."
"Be ready for anything," Ki Song added, her melodious voice somehow reaching everyone present. "These gates are not natural. Someone has called them into being."
A minute passed by before all hell broke out.
The gates pulsed once more—and then they opened.
Nightmare creatures poured forth like a unending tide. Not the usual scattered emergence, but a coordinated flood
Beasts, fallen monsters, corrupted titans—hundreds of them, thousands, an endless stream of nightmares given flesh.
The battle began instantly.
Saints engaged the strongest creatures, their powers lighting up the crimson sky. Masters barely hanging on by coordinating their attacks against the fallen horrors, working in practiced formations. The two Sovereigns moved through the battlefield like forces of nature, their domains crushing lesser nightmares by mere proximity.
Nephis summoned her sword, white flames erupting along its length as she dove into combat.
Beside her, Effie's spear found the heart of a fallen tyrant, while Kai's incredible speed allowed him to strike and vanish before enemies could retaliate. Jet moved like liquid shadow, her blade finding weakness after weakness. Good thing her flaw was practically made for such a situation. Cassie remained back, choosing to observe and help the masters. Not like she could do much on the frontlines.
Rain fought nearby, her technique refined but clearly terrified by the scale of the battle. Nephis kept one eye on her student, ready to intervene if needed. Thankfully most of the chaos was upfront.
For several minutes, it seemed manageable. Terrible, yes, but manageable. The concentrated might of two clans' strongest warriors, led by two Sovereigns, was slowly pushing back the nightmare tide.
Then everything stopped.
The nightmare creatures froze mid-attack. All of them, simultaneously, as though responding to an unheard command stared back at the gates.
Something far worse had emerged.
The Guardians. They have arrived.
Three of them, one from each tier six gate—towering abominations that dwarfed even the largest nightmare creatures. Their forms were nightmares made manifest, each unique in its horror. One resembled a massive serpent wreathed in black flames, its scales reflecting the crimson sky. Another was a titan of twisted flesh and bone, humanoid but wrong in every proportion. The third defied easy description, a writhing mass of tentacles and eyes that seemed to exist in multiple dimensions simultaneously.
The battlefield fell silent for a heartbeat as every warrior felt the oppressive weight of their presence.
"Look out!" Morgan's voice cracked slightly. "The Guardians—"
"I see them," Anvil growled. His domain expanded, pressing against the nearest Guardian—the serpent—with crushing force. "All forces, focus on containment! Do not let them reach the civilian centers!"
(While I'd love to describe the Guardians properly,I do have to move the story forward. Apologies!)
Ki Song moved to engage the titan, her domain weaving around it like invisible chains. "These are not ordinary Guardians. They've been enhanced. Corrupted beyond their normal state."
The battle intensified to a fever pitch. Saints threw themselves against the Guardians in coordinated strikes, their legendary powers barely scratching the monsters' defenses. Masters worked to keep the lesser nightmares from overwhelming their positions while the Sovereigns engaged in battles that shook the very ground.
Nephis found herself leading a strike team against the serpent's exposed flank, her white flames carving through its scales even as it regenerated almost as quickly. Jet appeared beside her, her blade finding the gaps in its armor with surgical precision. Effie's spear pinned one of its many limbs, allowing Kai to deliver devastating strikes to its joints.
Blood—both crimson nightmare essence and red human blood—stained the earth. Warriors fell, were healed, fell again. The Guardians were beyond anything most of them had faced, requiring every ounce of skill and power they possessed.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours. Anvil's domain blazed brighter as he pushed the serpent back, his raw power finally beginning to overwhelm its defenses. Ki Song had managed to bind the titan, her control over her domain allowing her to restrict its movements enough for her Saints to land critical blows.
The third Guardian, the writhing mass, proved the most difficult. Its multi-dimensional nature made it nearly impossible to predict, its attacks coming from angles that shouldn't exist. It took the combined efforts of both clans' strongest Saints to even slow it down.
But they were winning. Slowly, painfully, they were winning.
Nephis could see it in the way the serpent's movements grew sluggish, in how the titan's regeneration couldn't keep pace with the damage it was sustaining. Even the impossible Guardian was beginning to falter under the relentless assault.
Victory was within reach.
Then everything stopped.
The nightmare creatures froze mid-attack. All of them, simultaneously, as though responding to an unheard command. Everyone paused, weapons raised, confused by the sudden cessation.
The Gate Guardians, those massive terrors that had required Sovereigns to combat, went still. The serpent's jaws hung open mid-strike. The titan's fist stopped centimeters from crushing a group of Masters. Even the multi-dimensional horror ceased its writhing, its countless eyes all focusing on some distant point.
"What—" Effie began, but her voice died in her throat.
And then they began to dissolve.
Not dying—Nephis had seen enough death to know the difference. They were being unmade. Their forms came apart like ash in wind, breaking down into millions upon millions ofcrimson particles that hung in the air like bloody snow.
The Gate Guardians disintegrated first, their massive forms reduced to clouds of red dust that drifted upward. Then the lesser nightmares followed, every single creature breaking down simultaneously into that same crimson essence.
"What in the Dream Realm..." Effie lowered her spear, staring in disbelief.
The battlefield, which moments ago had been filled with nightmares and death, now contained only warriors standing in stunned silence, surrounded by floating clouds of red dust that glittered in the strange light.
Anvil's domain flared as he tried to understand what was happening. "This is wrong. Someone is taking them. Consuming them."
Ki Song's expression had gone from composed to genuinely alarmed. "Not someone. Something. I can feel it—there's a presence here. Vast. Ancient. It's using the creatures as—"
"Fuel...,"Cassie whispered, her face sheet-white. "It's using them as fuel for something."
The crimson dust began to coalesce, drawn upward and inward toward a single point in the sky. It formed a massive sphere of condensed essence, pulsing with power that made Nephis's soul sea ache just to look at. All the nightmare creatures—thousands of them, including the three Gate Guardians—compressed into a single point of concentrated energy.
And then the light came.
It started in the center of the sphere—white, pure, searing. Then it expanded, spreading outward in all directions with impossible speed. Not destructive, not burning, but claiming. Wherever the light touched, reality seemed to pause.
"Defensive formations!" Anvil commanded, his domain surging to create a barrier.
It didn't matter.
The light hit them like a wave of pure force. Nephis felt herself lifted off her feet, though there was no wind, no physical impact. The world went white, then silent, then—
—nothing...
.
.
.
.
.
When awareness returned, Nephis found herself in darkness.
Not the darkness of night, but an absolute absence of light. She tried to summon her flames, to illuminate her surroundings, but—
Nothing happened.
Her soul sea was there. She could feel it, sense her memories within it, but when she reached for them, tried to manifest them, they remained frustratingly intangible. It was like trying to grasp water—present but impossible to hold.
"Nephis?" Cassie's voice came from nearby, shaken. "I can't—my aspect isn't responding."
"Same here," Kai called out from another direction. "What is this place?"
Gradually, Nephis's eyes adjusted enough to make out vague shapes in the darkness. They were in an enormous chamber—impossibly large, its walls barely visible as distant shadows. Too dark. And they weren't alone.
Figures surrounded them. Dozens, maybe hundreds. Saints from both Valor and Song, some Masters she recognized, and—
"My domain," Anvil's voice cut through the confusion, and for the first time Nephis could remember, the king of Valor sounded uncertain. "I can't access it. It's there, but I can't use it."
"Nor can I," Ki Song confirmed, her usual composure cracking slightly. "We've been... reduced. Stripped of our power,it seems.."
Panic rippled through the gathered awakened. Saints trying and failing to use their abilities. Masters finding their most powerful memories locked away. Even the Sovereigns, rendered no more capable than anyone else.
Then someone noticed it. There was some kind of ominous red glow coming from somewhere.
Two massive shapes, symmetrical and unmistakable, hanging in what might have been a ceiling or might have been the sky itself. Masks. Each one was enormous, stretching hundreds of meters across, positioned on opposite sides of the vast chamber like twin guardians or twin judges.
Only a few people out of the gathered bunch realized what they were currently seeing.
WEAVER'S MASKS.
And they were filled with crimson light.
The same red dust that the nightmare creatures had become pulsed and flowed within the hollow eyes and mouth of each mask, clearly visible even in the oppressive darkness. The essence swirled like liquid fire, contained within those ancient, terrible visages—a reservoir of condensed power drawn from thousands of nightmares, including the three Gate Guardians.
The masks seemed to watch them all, empty yet aware, their crimson-filled features creating an effect that was both beautiful and deeply unsettling.
"Fuel," Jet said quietly. "Just like Cassie said. All those creatures... they're up there. Stored. Waiting to be used."
"But for what?" someone asked.
No one had an answer.
The chamber descended into controlled chaos. Warriors trying to understand their situation, Sovereigns attempting to reassert control, Saints calling out to find their companions in the darkness.
Nephis found her cohort and Rain, gathering them close. "Stay together. Whatever this is, we face it as—" She stopped.
The air had changed. That same presence she'd felt when the light took them, vast and ancient and utterly alien, had returned. But this time, it brought something else.
More light.
Brilliant white light erupted in five separate points throughout the massive chamber, and with each flash came new arrivals. But these weren't nightmare creatures or more awakened from the Waking World.
These were people. Figures stepping out of light as though crossing from one room to another.
The first figure made both Sovereigns visibly tense.
He was tall, powerfully built, with a presence that immediately commanded attention. His armor was ancient in style, from an era long past, but the power radiating from him was unmistakable. Another Sovereign. But not from their time.
"Another sovereign..."Anvil breathed, and there was something like awe in his voice. "Someone from... centuries ago?"
The ancient Sovereign surveyed the chamber with eyes that had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations. "Dead? Perhaps. But death is... negotiable, it seems." Before his gaze fell on Anvil and Ki Song. "Young Sovereigns.. This doesn't surprise me... This place.. This mysterious place...Is truly beyond our understanding.."
Before anyone could respond, the second figure appeared—a woman with Daeron's eyes and an aura of barely contained power. Windflower. She carried herself with the grace of someone who had commanded respect through both her lineage and her own formidable abilities. She looked around the chamber with curiosity rather than alarm, as though being summoned from death was merely an interesting development.
The third and fourth arrivals came together—a man and woman, both carrying themselves with the bearing of those who had shaped history. Noctis, his silver hair catching what little light existed, surveyed the chamber with cool calculation. His eyes were sharp, analytical, the gaze of someone who was good planning and ruthless execution. Yet, still smiling like always.
Beside him, Solvane stood,her beauty matched only by the danger she radiated. There was a cruel amusement in her expression, as though she found their collective confusion entertaining.
"The Ebony Tower," Cassie whispered. "These are the people from the sec—" She stopped, but Nephis understood. These were figures from the second nightmare.
The fifth and final arrival made even the ancient dead pause.
She appeared wreathed in starlight, her presence carrying a weight of authority that transcended mortality. Ananke, Priestess of the Nightmare Spell.
Her eyes, when they opened, contained depths that suggested she saw far more than the physical world—past, present, future, all laid bare before her gaze.
"Welcome," she said, her voice carrying to every corner of the massive chamber without effort. "The forgotten and the living, the dead and those who wish they were. You have been gathered for a purpose."
"For whhat purpose?" Ki Song politely inquired, though even she seemed diminished in the presence of these ancient powers. "What is this place? And who are you?"
Ananke smiled gently. "I am Ananke. A priestess of the nightmare spell. Our job was to protect the spell when it was in its infancy. As for why we are here? I am not so sure myself. Perhaps it's a gift. A chance to witness the truth that was stolen from you. Beyond that, even I don't know anything."
She raised one hand, and the darkness above them suddenly blazed with light.
A screen materialized—enormous, spanning what might have been kilometers, hovering in the space between the two crimson-filled masks. And on that screen appeared an image that made Nephis's heart stop.
A face.
A young man, lean and dark-haired, with eyes that held far too much knowledge for his apparent age. His expression was guarded, defensive, the look of someone who had learned early that the world was not kind to the weak.
And suddenly, impossibly, Nephis knew that face. Knew it with a certainty that transcended memory, that bypassed whatever had been done to their minds.
This was the missing piece.
The forgotten.
This was the person who should have been with them, whose absence had left that person-shaped hole in their memories.
Behind Rain, her shadow writhed and surged, darkness spreading across the floor as though trying to reach the screen. And within that shadow, something—someone—screamed silently, desperately trying to break free.
"Well,let us begin," Ananke said, and the screen flared to life. History is about to unfold...again.