An Unbiased Chronicle

Wyatt POV

Placing down a piano near a wall of their cathedral room, Wyatt turned his attention to Sunny.

"So what do you think Sunny? A near perfect result. Even the top brass of the Castle knows about me."

'(I can't say I have any complaints, but I thought we would give up once she noticed us. Who would've guessed you would use her senses against her.)'

"Ha. It was too easy."

Laying face down on their bed, both of them suddenly felt a bit confused.

'[What do we do now Sunny?]'

'(We could always get to working on Ascending the Shadow.)'

Groaning into the pillow, Wyatt thinks about the effort it took to Ascend Scurvy.

'[We don't have enough Soul Shards in our stash to Ascend Saint. It'll also take twice as long as Scurvy because she requires two hundred Shadow Fragments.]'

Sunny chose not to question the new name for their Shadow.

'(What if you used the Shards on Ascension instead of your book?)'

'[I'm playing the long con Sunny. I'm a mere chronicler making an unbiased report of the Forgotten Shore.]'

'(How is it a long con if it's unbiased?)'

'[Because I plan to make a few embellishments on our behalf.]'

'(Just a few?)'

'[If anyone interrogates you about what you did in the Academy and Forgotten Shore then you're gonna have a hell of a time trying to explain it with your Flaw. So I'm writing out these "Truths" in advance. "Everything I wrote is true." If anyone asks then tell them I said that. I think it's a great plan.]'

Sunny didn't answer.

Getting up Wyatt stretched a bit causing Sunny to wonder what was going on.

"I want you to fight Saint. No Scurvy defending you. No shadows on you. You can wear the Puppeteers Shroud for defense, but not the Mantle of the Underworld. You can use the Midnight Shard for offense, but nothing else. If you last for thirty seconds, you win, and we'll spend the next few weeks gathering Soul Shards and Ascending her. If you fail, you'll spend all of today sharpening your skills against her through battle."

Sunny spent a few seconds considering the aspects of the deal, and realized he was on the losing end of this deal. He also realized Wyatt didn't gain much in this deal. Especially considering he was well opposed to the pains of fighting.

This wouldn't have been suggested without good reason. Perhaps Sunny was never meant to win.

Taking control of the body, Sunny summoned the allowed Memories and mumbled something.

"we'll see about that"

'[I'll take that as a yes.]'

_______________________________________________________________

Kosimo POV

"My Lord, you have called for me?"

'What on earth could have happened. Another incident with Unknown?'

Kosimo was currently kneeling on one knee in front of Gunlaug's throne while looking down.

It had been a fair while since he had been back here. By his own estimates at least. He had expected to be called back more often considering his new position.

The death of a Pathfinder always left a massive gap, not only in terms of the position, but also the power and knowledge that was required to be one. This made Kosimo's swift ascension to a Pathfinder very anomalous.

It was the first time a Hunter had killed his own direct superior to take their position. Strangely enough, it was also the first time the replacement was considered more competent than the original.

The men under him, who should've lost their morale from seeing their old leader die, now had a higher morale than usual.

'[If Gunlaug had any worries about you as a Pathfinder, he would have made them clear immediately.]'

'What makes you so sure?'

'[It's the reasonable thing to do.]'

'Is he reasonable?'

"Kosimo" The booming voice came from the golden armor on the throne.

"I trust your preparations are going well for the capture of Unknown."

With this, Kosimo was at ease.

"They are my Lord. The blight will be gone when next we head out."

Despite losing their leader, they still had to keep undertaking the same route with no breaks.

The castle had to stay fed.

"Good. Before you leave, I have called on a few others. They will help you destroy Unknown."

Despite the promise of aid, Kosimo couldn't help but worry.

'Has the situation already deteriorated beyond his faith in my ability to repair it?'

"My Lord. Your generosity astounds me."

"Good because they have arrived."

As the door opened, six figures stepped through.

Seishan, the leader of the Handmaidens. Tessai, the leader of the Guards. Gemma, the leader of the Hunters and Kosimo's direct superior. Kido, the leader of the Artisans. Stev, owner of the Memory Market. And... the child from the last meeting. Harper his name might've been.

Walking up to Gemma he gave a large bow.

"Hello sir."

Gemma stares at his newest Pathfinder with little emotion.

"You may relax, we simply want your knowledge to aid in our search."

Gunlaug's voice resounded from the front.

"What a touching reunion. Now Seishan, you have some explaining to do."

"How is it, that a wanted criminal, waltzed onto castle grounds, tore out a wall, and stole a piano while you watched."

'Oh my, what a story. Please Seishan. Tell me how you lost so I can beat him.'

What followed was a regaling tale of how Seishan gloriously stood for the defense of the castle and the honor of her Lord. Mentioning many times how she was both too weak to do anything and strong enough to single handedly defend the castle, even when two highly powerful Echoes were unleashed.

If Kosimo were in Gunlaug's place then she would have already been executed for failure, but it seems the double speak was enough to confuse the man and convince him that she truly had exceeded expectations.

She did bring up one useful piece of information and that was Unknown's  new ability to see the Aspect Abilities of other people. It leads him to wonder if Unknown saw his Aspect, or perhaps even his Flaw.

Aspect: [Bulwark of the Mind]

Aspect Description: [A Powerful defense surrounds you which guarantees a safe and steady mind.]

'Perhaps he did or perhaps he didn't. Not as though I particularly tried to hide that ability.'

What intrigued everyone was when Seishan mentioned that Unknown implied he used to live in a democratic country. If true, this guaranteed that he was born before the Dark Times. After all, the four quadrants, and the exclave in South America, more or less functioned under one government, which could certainly not be considered democratic.

This wasn't enough to determine Unknowns home country, so more questions were asked.

"Why did he mention that he was born in a democratic country?" Tessai asked.

Seishan thought for a moment and only said:

"As I look back, it was really for no particular reason. He could've easily avoided mentioning that."

Kido gave a quick laugh before noticing all eyes were on her.

"Sorry, sorry. It just reminded me of something my great-grandpa said. 'How can you tell if someone was from the United States... They'll tell you.' He fought in the Dark Times and would tell me stories of what the various people he met were like."

If this information were true, then Kosimo had an idea. On the outside however, he played it as though this information was worthless.

"What good does it do us to know where he is from? We need to deal with this threat. If I'm not mistaken we will be dealing with another soon."

Gunlaug looked down on him from his throne, and even Kosimo felt a tinge of fear from the pressure emanating from him. Trying to push onward he was interrupted by Tessai who clearly took offense to Kosimo stepping over his jurisdiction.

"There has been wo-"

"My lord, the guards have informed me that a lady called Nephis is trying to stir up trouble within the outer settlement."

Gunlaug menacingly turned his head and nearly growled at Tessai.

"And you can't put a stop to it?"

Full of both a bold confidence and an odd hesitance Tessai looked toward Seishan.

"She claims to be from the Immortal Flame Clan..."

'What!'

"And..."

"Spit it out!" Gunlaug bellowed.

"She claims to have a True Name."

The room went silent.

'Is "Unknown" working with her?' was a thought that crossed everyone's mind. Before anyone could ask, Harper spoke up.

"I can confirm they came together."

Resting his head on his chin, Gunlaug gave one last order.

"I want everyone except for Tessai and Gemma to leave."

With a bow everyone responded at the same time.

"Yes Sir!"

____________________________________________________

'You two understand what I want, yes?'

'[Yes, we need to set Unknown and Changing Star against the Castle. At which point we swoop in and take over Gunlaug's position.]'

'(If we're lucky, then antagonizing Unknown will be very simple. According to the history books, the Prelude War happened midway through his country's history. There's a good chance he will at least recognize this country's symbol. But we should be discreet. We don't need anyone noticing that we were the ones that messed with the status quo.)'

With that Alpha sent the details of the flag to Kosimo.

'I see. Well, if it doesn't work we can always try something else.'

_________________________________________

Wyatt POV

Sunny was currently getting beaten up by Saint. Although his strength at least let him give off the impression of a respectable fight for the few seconds he could hold his ground.

Wyatt could feel every scratch, bruise, and cut that was being inflicted on Sunny, and he hated every moment.

It wasn't that he didn't like the growth Sunny was undergoing. He simply hated the fact that he could only passively watch while also paying the price for each of Sunny's mistakes.

So he did what he could to avoid that needless suffering. He hid in his Soul Sea. He wouldn't feel Sunny's pain in there, but time moved so slowly there that he would have to stay for longer than he was in any mood to.

This need for distraction led to him to pick up his pen and start writing again.

[[ I knew not what these "Cardinals" were, although my own experiences and his previous sentiments led me to a conclusion. They were the high ranking members of an order that worshiped this demon. The thought disgusted me but I played along for the sake of learning more.

I asked what a Cardinal was and he looked at me with confusion, or at least seemed that way from the long silence.

"You truly do not know? I shall explain it to you then. The Cardinals are the four beings that serve the Demon of Fate. Each one chosen personally by Weaver. I plead that you show me the mask you have received for me to determine which Cardinal he has selected you to replace."

I did as he said. As I write this I realize how strange it was for him to know of my mask. Perhaps he too was a high ranking member of the order.

After pulling it out, I saw Azarax's jaw drop.

He looked at it for a split second before coming to a conclusion.

"You are the Cardinal commonly referred to as, The Anchor. Usually considered the second most powerful Cardinal. It's purpose is to keep the Weave functioning during times of great tumult."

At this, Azarax had scowled and worried greatly.

"Another Anchor. I see. The last one was created thousands of years ago. You there! Little Boy! What could the outside world have been going through to necessitate another Anchor? Answer me!"

I chose to keep silent.

I had then chosen to ask about Noctis. They had plenty to say about the man.

Azarax began spinning together a tale.

"Noctis was the great-grandson of the Goddess of the Moon. His power was greatest under the Moon, and he was rightly named "Blessed of the Moon". I had visited the man once and was astonished at his presence.

After seeing him, I felt an urge to duel him. Once under the sun, and once under the moon. I managed to win once, but could only draw against him in the second battle."

I was impressed and dubious. It is difficult to simply look past the fact that your target is directly related to a goddess. I avoided that topic as well considering I did not have any interest in this 'goddess'.

I turned to face the other skeleton and he gave me very useful information on the Demon.

"Weaver had a younger sister. Her name was Hope. The Demon of Desire. Her kingdom was prosperous. The people loved her. The people worshiped her. To worship a demon was unacceptable to the Gods. With the Sun God making two shackles, each God except for one also made one immortal shackle to keep Hope in check.

These seven shackles were called the Chain Lords. Noctis was the Chain Lord of the Moon."

The skeleton stopped for a second before finally looking up to the sky.

"And Praise Be To The Great Noctis! The Oars of the Spell."

I switched the topic to the gods when I saw that it would quickly become fanaticism over what was clearly another cardinal. I at least understood now why the Weaver chose to have me meet Noctis.

"You mean to tell me there are seven gods? Who are they?"

Now the skeleton was even more confused, but answered my questions nonetheless.

"They are the Sun god, the War God, Storm god, the Beast god, the Heart god, the Shadow god and the Forgotten God."

I wanted to know more about the Forgotten God but he then told me that the Forgotten God was the origin of both the six other gods and the seven demons.

I couldn't understand at all what he said but he then said that the demons were the flaws of the gods. That the Weaver was the oldest. Then he sung me a song. I will write what I remember here but I was too consumed by dread when listening to try properly remembering the song. I hope someone smarter than me will make sense of this.

"(The gods will fall)...

(The one who sleeps will devour his children and us all)...

(The forgotten will be remembered)...

(We will dream the nightmare of the Forgotten God)"

I was terrified of this information and he told me there was nothing I could do but serve the Weaver to prevent this future. I quickly had to switch the topic back to the Cardinals when I realized I did not have enough information.

"You stated earlier there were four Cardinals. Who are the remaining two, and what is the relation between the four?"

"There are indeed four, and I'm guessing you've figured out Noctis was another."

The skeleton seemed proud.

"The other two are the Rowers, and they are the weaker of the four. I'm assuming you've understood most of it by now so I will leave you off with a word of advice before I can no longer speak with you. The mask you have now is a powerful one. The most powerful one in fact, and the most rare. It has already given you its power so it does not matter what you do with it. All else will be explained by Weaver in due time."

Knowing that this would end up just like my meeting with the Weaver, I ask for at least the skeleton's name and his crime that landed him such a punishment. He smirks lightly and says.

"My name, yes. I had one, I think. Eurys... Eurys of the Nine. I was imprisoned quite unjustly, I only tried to kill a god."

The light from his eyes went out and he then went limp.

I sat there trying to figure out what the relationship should have been between the Cardinals. I was certainly not as smart as he thought, or perhaps I was simply tired, so it took a while. I believe I understand it now.

The Oars, the Anchor, and the Rowers. Each translating to their own role. Noctis, as the oar, is responsible for the propulsion of the Weave, or more likely, the Spell.

The two Rowers make sure the oars fulfill their use, but likely receive their directions straight from the Weaver. They serve their role as middle managers and would be more or less useless without the other Cardinals.

The Anchor is at the same time the most and second most powerful Cardinal. It is used so rarely that if a choice were to be made, the Anchor would be discarded first, but it is also necessary. It can stop the Weave no matter how hard the Rowers row and no matter what the Oar does. It keeps the Weave steady during deadly storms and when it is used it takes immense efforts from all three to get the Weave functioning again.

Or at least, this is my speculation from what I have learned. I have drank water, rested and will now continue on my journey. I fear for my life both a lot more and just a bit less. After all, if I am so important, then I can't simply die. Perhaps I was protected in my fight against the Great Devil. This is once again baseless speculation. If the Forgotten God is real then I will cross that bridge when I get there.

At the very least, I hope to meet Noctis, or a Rower, maybe they could clear up my confusions.]]

After putting the pen down, Wyatt took a deep breath and realized that the world he now lived in was immensely terrifying. The bit with the Forgotten God was speculation, but Eurys in the novel did say something about a Forgotten God. If it was even a little true then perhaps instead of helping Weaver, he should help the real protagonist a bit more.

'Look at me getting scared because of what I just wrote. I feel silly.'

'Might as well go all in on the silliness while I still can.'

Standing up from the ground, he quickly started doing some cool poses.

"You dare look down on me, young Whispering Blade. You should show more respect. For wherever I go death follows. I am the bastard son of Fate and the observer of your lives. An impudent brat such as yourself should not mess with forces beyond you. Ahh but it is too late now. What a pity."

"...pffthahahaha!"

Beside himself with joy he decided to go back and see how Sunny was doing. Though not before 'practicing' his speech a bit more.

However, him being now aware of the outside world was an unexpected boon. It made him aware of a very shocking development.

'[Sunny can you stop for a second?]'

"STOP!"

Almost instantly, Saint stopped her barrage of attacks and went into a seemingly passive stance that Wyatt knew not to mess with.

"What's wrong?"

'[Do you see the top of the Castle.]'

It only took a few seconds to get a response.

"They changed the flag a bit. Do you recognize it."

The change was small, and although the flag looked relatively normal. In a corner was a yellow painted hammer and sickle.

'[That right there Sunny, is the symbol of the U.S.S.R.]'

Thinking about it for a second, Sunny felt worried.

"How did they figure out where you're from?"

Wyatt exploded.

'[I'M FROM THE USA NOT THE USSR- sorry. I just thought what they were doing was kinda funny. They want to bring the Cold War back. I'm happy to play along. I would like to ask for some of your time to prepare though.]'

"Okay."

'[And I'd also need ten Soul Shards.]

"Oka-Huh?"

_____________________________________________

Inside Effie's chimney Wyatt knocked to make his presence known.

"What are you doing in my chimney again doofus? I have a door."

Stepping out and looking around, Wyatt realized that she also had guests.

"Hey Nephis, Hey Cassie, Hey Caster, Hey Kai. And Hello Effie. I've come to bargain. I will trade a Soul Shard, to anyone who can get me paints with the colors red and blue."

Nephis was the first to respond in an mildly confused tone.

"Wh-What?"

Caster for his part, figured it out almost immediately.

"Hahaha. I was wondering why they changed the flag. Now it all makes sense."

Everyone was now looking at Caster and wondered what exactly made sense here.

"My apologies for laughing at you... Wyatt I believe your name is. The rest of you might not have seen it but about an hour ago, the Castle placed a flag with a symbol of the Soviet Union on the very top of the bell tower."

The realization hit Cassie as well once Caster finished his sentence. She quickly turned to face Wyatt.

"Does that mean you plan to make your own United States flag?"

'It would be really cool so I can't miss this chance.'

"Yes. I can't just let it slide like this. I would go there and fight him, but there are still a few things I need to collect before I feel confident in beating him."

Effie didn't appreciate the fact that he seemed to be underestimating Gunlaug. She knew a good many people who had died by his hand no matter how prepared they were.

"Whoa Whoa Whoa. Confidence is good but if you plan on beating him then you need a lot more than just a few Memories."

"Of course. I already have most of a plan prepared for it. All I need is a functional government, a Dormant Aspect Legacy, a few thousand Awakened Soul Shards, an Ascended Crown, ideally a Transcendent Echo, a Supreme Soul Shard, a Sacred Aspect, and a Divine Memory of the Seventh Tier."

Everyone went silent for a few seconds.

"Are you that arrogant or are you just joking?" Effie asked.

"Well he's definitely not joking." Kai said, rubbing his hands in his face.

Everyone went silent again.

'(Is this really what you need?)'

'[Yes.]'

'(Was adding every possible Rank really necessary?)'

'[Yes.]'

Nephis finally responded, not nearly as shaken as the others.

"I see. Would you like some help?" Nephis asked.

"How curious. You seem like the only one here willing to support me. Do you truly think I'm capable of gathering the ingredients of our escape?"

Nephis chose to ask a question of her own.

"How long will it take?"

"Give me six months."

"Good, I can build a government in that time. I'm assuming by 'Sacred Aspect', you meant Cassie. If she's willing she'll help then that requirement should be fulfilled. You'll have to get the Supreme Soul Shard and the Divine Memory yourself."

'She's not even questioning it. I wish the rest of them were like that.'

'Wait, does she not know I killed a Great Devil?'

"I would be grateful to Cassie for her help. The government however, is something I want to create myself. If you could help me with finding the Crown and collecting the Soul Shards then that would be a big boon. I have a plan for everything. We can meet in a few days to talk about the details."

Nephis wasn't done.

"I'll build my own government, It will be far greater than yours. I have some experience after all."

"..." Wyatt was in shock at this rare display of competition with Nephis.

"Perhaps I should give you the Crown. I wonder how Queen Nephis will act towards her people."

"Far better than King Wyatt would."

"Ptui. King? You mean President. Besides, I'm too busy to be a leader. I'll have someone else do it."

"How silly. Now I can't tell if you're joking or not. It doesn't matter, I suppose. You came here for paint, didn't you?"

Caster spoke up after this.

"I happen to know a guy. Blue and red shouldn't be too hard."

"Great, here's the Soul Shard. Would you mind getting it for me? I have a secret identity to keep."

"No worries. This should be enough to buy plenty of paint. I'll be headed off now."

"Thank you."

'[Nice guy.]'

'(Ha.)'

From behind him he felt a tug on his shirt. It was from Cassie who had stayed strangely quiet this whole time.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure."

"In private."

'(Did something happen?)'

'[I don't know]'

"Can everyone leave for a moment? Me and Cassie need to talk."

_______________________________

Back in the Cathedral Wyatt was pondering what Cassie had said.

'(Are you sure this vision isn't something we have to worry about right now?)'

'[It's probably not something that we have to worry about, not now at least. Beyond that I can't say.]'

'(You can't say because of your Flaw?)'

'[That, and also because I myself am not sure. Although I do know exactly what Creature she was talking about.]'

This surprised Sunny.

'(Really? All she said was that it was cold, dark, and that Nephis froze into an icicle when fighting against it. Is that really enough information to figure it out?)'

'[It is odd that Nephis, with the word Star in her True Name, would be struggling against something cold and dark. Even odder that she could start freezing. Unless you think differently.]'

'(You mean that it's something hugely powerful?)'

'[When I narrow it down like that there aren't many options. So I think I know who she was fighting against.]'

'(Okay, who was she fighting against?)'

'[A Corrupted Creature of course. I even know its abilities.]'

'A the fact that its a Titan, but the pain from my Flaw is already seeping in.'

'(...)'

'(Is that why you didn't tell Cassie?)'

'[Yes.]'

Grabbing nine Soul Shards, Wyatt pulled out his legacy and quickly formed nine pages which he promptly took out. He wondered if Sunny managed to take a peek at what he had written but he had hoped not as he planned to give it to Sunny at the end of their journey together.

Using the [Thread Ball] Memory he had acquired from the Memory market, he quickly sewed the pages together into one large flag shaped rectangle. With a bit of artistic creativity and finger painting, he made something that could pass off as a flag and let it sit on top of the Cathedral while sticking a sword into the highest point for use as a flagpole.

Knowing that this would not be enough, he tore the pommel of the sword and tied his only Transcendent Soul Shard right above the flag. He hoped that Gunlaug would notice and do the same to give him an excuse to use his Supreme Soul Shard, but he doubted Gunlaug had a Soul Shard of that level. If he did, it would have been absorbed long ago.

With his base of operation now clearly marked, he had finally crossed the line from a mere annoyance, to rebellion against the Castle.

The flag also gave him an unfathomable motivation. Not out of patriotism, but because every second he wasn't working to get stronger than his opponents, a noose was tightening around his neck.

Step 1 was to find people to work for him. This meant that step .5 was to find people. And this meant that step .25 was carving a path between the Castle and the Cathedral. Which meant that step .1 was strengthening Saint.

Knowing time was of the essence Wyatt made a boldly decisive move and after asking Sunny, and holding the dagger and the flagpole sword for himself, he sacrificed every Memory he got from the Hunters.

As the most important fighters of the Castle, they had astonishingly powerful loot, and merely a minute later Saint absorbed everything and came out more than halfway on the path of Ascension. Wyatt even tried to get Saint to absorb the pages but she wouldn't. Even though the pages acted like Memories and could even be summoned individually, he guessed there was a significant difference between his Legacy, and normal Memories.

'Still, it almost feels like cheating. It feels amazing.'

"Sunny, I feel like fighting something."

'(What hair-brained scheme did you come up with this time?)'

'[Do you remember how we spent some time with Effie when we first came into the Dark City?]

'(How could I forget, you asked a lot of questions.)'

'[One of them was about the catacombs.]'

Sunny saw where this was going.

'(Even you aren't that insane.)'

'[Sunny, I have three great reasons why we need to go down there as soon as possible.]

'(Are any of them worth our life?)'

'[The Divine Memory Is Down There!]'

The outburst caused a little shy chuckle to come from Wyatt as he fixed his statement.

'[or at least, the first step to finding it is.]'

Sunny gave it a moment of thought before relenting slightly.

'(What are the other two reasons?)'

'[It would be a convenient method of escaping the Dark City if we can clear out the boss of the catacombs. That guy is the only real threat.]'

Sunny did have to wonder what Wyatt would consider a "Real Threat". It had to at least be strong enough to defend all that territory by itself.

'[It would barely be an inconvenience as there is only a Fallen Tyrant and its minions guarding that place.]'

'(this guy is genuinely sick in the head)' Sunny whispered, probably to himself. Wyatt heard that and chose to ignore it, even finding it a bit funny.

He had no intention of fighting the Lord of the Dead immediately but knew it had to be done soon.

Their situation was no longer one of leisure, and that was where the third reason came in.

A Fallen Beast died trying to eat Sunny in the Novel due to Weaver's blood, thereby giving Sunny a useful Ascended Memory.

The [Blood Arrow] was eventually given to Kai because Sunny couldn't use a bow, but it was not the weapon's attack power, but the enchantments that Wyatt was after.

A weapon that could replenish blood by stealing from the enemy was bound to be useful for him who always seemed in short supply. Even though neither Sunny nor Wyatt could use a bow, who said they couldn't just stab an enemy with an arrow and steal its blood.

Thanks to the enhanced version of Weaver's Blood, the Beast would go down even easier, and the Memory could be used for a nice power boost.

'[There is a Memory there. One that is useful for us. Please trust me when I say that we are well prepared to get at least this Memory, and with little risk as well.]'

Sunny was still quite against it, but for all the risks of living in the Dream Realm, he had rarely been led astray by Wyatt. And Wyatt was usually quite honest when discussing these matters.

'(What else do we have?)' Sunny asked like a pouty child.

'[If you agree, then I will be sure to Ascend Saint before we go.]'

'(DEAL!)'

'(You should've started with that.)'

Now that he had, for all intents and purposes, secured passage to the outside world. He recited something he had been saving up for moments like these. He made sure to pull his coolest pose

"Once we are through with this desolate hell, who will dare to stare us down. You, the rightful Heir of Death, and I, the bastard Son of Fate. Wherever we go, ruin shall follow."

It caused his flaw to activate but he simply waited it out until Sunny said:

'(What are you, an eighth-grader?)'

A loud laugh resounded from a little room in a cathedral.

_______________________________________

Morgan POV

"Tell me, Sir Gilead, the details of your training with my dear niece. Actually spare me the details. Tell me how on earth you lost."

"My abilities were lacking. I can offer no excuses."

"Spare me the humility as well and tell me how you lost."

Morgan spoke up with a sly smile.

"Uncle, isn't it possible that I won fairly?"

"We both know why you won so you needn't act." Whispering Blade said, shutting her down quickly.

'Hmph, it was still a win against a Saint.'

Gilead used the opportunity to answer Madoc's question.

"Yes, while sparring I noticed something strange, although I couldn't quite place my finger on it. I spent so long thinking that I even allowed myself to be caught off guard by Morgan's sneak attack. She pushed my sword out of my hand, and as I tried to summon a new weapon, I found myself unable to. She used this opportunity to put me in a situation where I had to surrender. It was entirely my loss."

"It appears in the weeks I have been gone, a few notable events have occurred...

Morgan. You confirmed that Changing Star is still alive in the dream realm along with Caster."

"Yes. There also appear to be three more people who have been stuck this time."

"So I take it to mean that one of the others to survive was the Song assassin."

Sir Gilead was currently looking at them contemptuously. He, as one of the Favored Saints of Clan Valor knew just what they were planning to do to the only daughter of Broken Sword.

He also was one of the few who knew the truth about what happened to Broken Sword. To betray a friend like that was horrid, and to go after their child was worse.

He was stuck between a rock and a hard place however and had trouble figuring out if it was worth betraying your allies because your leader betrayed theirs.

Unable to come to a conclusion he just walked away. He muttered something on the way out which anyone with Awakened senses would have heard.

"Your whole family stinks of something awful."

Letting him go, Morgan finally answered.

"The assassin from Song died early. It is actually the two who originally had the worst, and the second worst rankings."

Madoc showed a hint of surprise at this.

"The girl with the Sacred Aspect is alive? If I remember correctly, she told us her Aspect ability in hopes of us aiding her. If only her Flaw were not so crippling we would have been glad."

"It can't be as crippling as we thought." Morgan mentioned, acknowledging that often, only the strong Sleepers were able to survive staying stuck in the Dream Realm. The thousands of Sleepers that were stuck often had death strike those who were weak before their own Solstice.

Then Morgan remembered that before the solstice, Changing Star had made two friends. Suspiciously both of these friends also found themselves stuck. She had chalked it up to Cassia's foresight but the investigation's she ordered showed that it was the other friend, Sunless, who brought the trio together with a brazenness that almost made her shudder.

This was chalked up to mere coincidence as in both cases, he did not appear to particularly seek out either one.

According to a Professor, Sunless mentioned that his ability involved being able to stay awake at all times. This was found to be likely when it was found he truly never slept.

His activities at night consisted of some mixture of training and walking around the Academy grounds. The cameras usually have trouble catching him at night as he appears to go near-invisible when covered in darkness. Curiously he also played piano which almost no one from the outskirts does.

According to Professor Julius who taught him one on one for a month, Sunless made modifications to his own course of wilderness survival and traded out core concepts like basic denominations of common Nightmare Creatures for more niche concepts like traveling in rough terrain, swimming, and mapping.

Out of curiosity, she cross-referenced current survivors of those who were stuck and found that those with Aspects related to these more niche areas were more likely to survive.

To top it off, Sunless also trained directly under Professor Rock and practiced various grapples and styles that were designed to be more effective against humans than monsters. Considering the incessant propaganda of the government, where Awakened must focus on fighting monsters, it wasn't common for Sleepers to train especially in human versus human combat. Unless of course Sunless was planning to become a professional Dreamscape Dueler.

As the coincidences kept piling up in her mind, she looked toward her uncle and pulled out a private report she had saved on her communicator.

Handing it over to her Whispering Blade, she finally broke the silence that had been building.

"I would recommend worrying about Changing Star's other friend. A young man named Sunless who quickly rose through the rankings of the Academy in his one month stay there."

As Madoc scrolled through the report he opened a video recorded by night vision cameras that showed a dark room and a strength measuring machine in the middle. The next moment an invisible force struck the machine and a score of twelve was recorded.

"Solid score. Is this Sunless? Does he hold an Aspect that makes him invisible?" Madoc wondered, seemingly proud of someone having an Aspect similar to his.

"We cannot confirm his Aspect as he has never told anyone the details, however he does become invisible in darkness."

"How Interesti-" Madoc's words were cut short as the machine was struck again and the score nearly doubled to twenty two. His gaze suddenly became a little sharper and he asked Morgan a question.

"What was the score of Caster?"

"Twenty one."

"...I see."

Right after he finished, the machine was struck one last time and showed a devastating score of thirty six. This time all humor was gone from the Saint's eyes and he suddenly asked another question.

"What was the highest recorded score for Sleepers of the Academy?"

"Thirty"

"That score was held by Dire Fang, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes."

Whispering Blade suddenly seemed tired and he pressed his palm against his forehead.

"Leave. I will finish this report and if I deem it necessary then I will send it to you father."

"Understood."

As she left the room and found nobody around, a smirk made its way onto her face.

'Young Sunless, please come out soon. I can't wait to fight against you.'

End Chapter 24