The Nightmare Spell had descended upon humanity after the Dark Ages, making countless, unaware people fall into a deep slumber, that would sometimes last forever. It could bestow True Names upon its carriers, narrate the story of slain creatures or past events, and give enhanced weapons, tools or amours, called Memories, when one killed a Nightmare creature.
The Spell recreated ancient occurrences and figures of the past and let people experience them in the deadly Nightmares, that allowed Awakened to raise in Rank by completing them.
An unanswered matter is whether the Spell is sentient, and the true nature of Nightmares and the ancient populations there.
Sunny believed very much that the Spell was, in fact, conscious.
'What are you insinuating, you wretch! All my workers have plenty of benefits! Aiko was paid more than enough, that swindler. Besides, Saint loves fighting, so I'm not exploiting her at all! And- and Fiend, that bastard, eats nearly as much as Effie! That's just inconceivable! He has to work to earn it!'
Sunny continued to list off excuses for another fifteen minutes: his subordinates obtained top notch Memories, safety, a fat salary, and someone to rely on. He had started out the Antarctica campaign by giving his company free equipment!
His mind devoid of more reasons, he sat on the bed. Why did the Spell give him such interest? Only because of his weaves? He had never heard off anybody being addressed by the Spell directly, mentioned in Memory and given an epithet- and a negative one, to boost!
He closed his eyes for a couple of minutes. His body felt weak and vulnerable, but he knew it was only because he had lost so many fragments in one go. In truth, he was one of the strongest Sleepers physically.
Then, the bed dissolved in a myriad of sparks, just as Sunny was lifting the piece of roof that was the entrance of his quarters.
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The light in the room was dim, and it had no way out to the starless dark sky. If it had, abominable horrors would've crawled out of their desolate territories to hunt the source and who had created it. That was why Nephis, Effie and Caster had killed a particularly sticky Awakened Monster, the Gust Loors. Nephis had no idea where the name came from, but hypothesized that their kind was distantly related to the Fallen Ones that had clashed with the Stone Saints, due to their similar shapes. There were many differences, too. For instance, the Loors' chitin carapace weren't nearly as durable as the Iron Spiders'. They were, however, endowed with a sticky liquid they shot out of their mouths to immobilize their victim.
The cohort had thus collected the sacks they conserved the liquid in. Then, said liquid was used in the making of scotch as glue. The plastic was replaced by Nightmare Creature leather. The scotch was essential in covering all the holes the walls had, and in implement a functioning window system. Most of the Bright Castle's rooms were equipped with curtains that didn't let any light out during the night, and even then, it was encouraged not to do any activity that required to see. On the other hand, none of the outskirt's hut could cut off the inside illuminations.
Nephis wasn't willing to lose any time during the night, unable to plan or talk properly, only because they couldn't see. What a coincidence it was that both Sunny and Cassie did not care for any such grievance. Either way, soon in every habitation- people wouldn't sleep on the ground anymore- would be installed such curtains, because that was her will.
Organising everything was a burden she could easily withstand, much lighter than it was to become soon.
'Where is Sunny?'
It had only been a couple of days, but she still missed him. When he hadn't contacted her in the morning she'd grown a little worried. She knew he was strong, but missing appointments wasn't like him. Nonetheless, he was also known for disappearing for months without a word…
So she had contacted him. A quite giggle escaped her lips as she thought back to their mental conversation. She didn't know what had possessed her: it was just that seeing-or rather, hearing- his reaction to her teasing made a special kind of warmth blossom inside her.
Bored, she summoned his runes.
Shadows: [Serpent] [Stone Saint.]
She smiled; he had managed to turn Saint into a Shadow again. Not that she had had any doubts.
She usually didn't read the description of his Memories, only when she knew they were given for slaying a dreadful foe, like the Serpent King. When alone in the Forgotten Shore and the Nightmare Desert, or in her Second Nightmare, they had been what kept her sain, a way to know of Sunny's whereabouts and perils. Now she could just ask him, but she was so bored she decided to read his new Memory's description. She'd ask about the [.?.] later.
[A greedy, rich and fat man…
… treacherous Lost From Light?]
'No way.'
Nephis conviction's to tear the Spell apart hardened. It was one thing to mention him in a description, but downright talking to him?
Only she and the people he cared about could treat him like that! Sunny was hers… with an absolute and unquestioned independence, of course.
Well, at least I can tease him later.
Do you have your lantern on at the moment?
No.
She answered, caught off guard by the sudden question. She was just reasting on her makeshift bed, and the runes glowed in the dark, visible only to her.
A moment later, the door creaked as it was opened. Nephis tensed and reached for a dagger, unwilling to summon a Memory. However, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Don't worry, it's me."
Nephis's muscles relaxed. Sunny carefully closed the door and ignited the lantern. A sea of sparks appeared in the room, coalescing into an elegant wooden bed.
Sunny dismissed the Puppeteer's Shroud, leaving himself with only his night garments, and plopped on the bed.
"Care to join me, Neph?"
Nephis stared at the scene wide-eyed for a moment, surprise slightly visible on her flawless face.
"Where did you get that bed."
It was the same bed he had in the Marvelous Mimic. Did that mean it came from the Forgotten Shore? She didn't reckon it being a Memory, though.
"Oh, this little thing here? It's from the priestess' quarters. I managed to turn it into a Memory! It takes a lot out of me, though. Also, I can't make Saint grow stronger by consuming Memories. But that's an issue for another time. Are you coming or not?"
Nephis smiled as she stood up and walked past him, sliding into the bed.
'It really is comfortable.'