An eerie boy — no older than seventeen — awoke sleepily as the sun began to creep above the horizon, spilling light into his room through an ajar window. As he sat up, long, light-brown hair tumbled over his face and down his back like the mane of lion. With a quiet exhale, he pushed his bangs back and revealed a striking pair of azure eyes. They pulsed in the darkness as pure, radiant whirlpools of crystalline light.
Nico rose to his feet.
"Just about a week now," he muttered, then summoned the under-armor of the [Silver Wraith] to cover his bare skin.
It shimmered into existence from a torrent of white sparks. A second or two later, a loose, midnight-colored tunic was wrapped around him, leaving a small portion of his chest exposed while the rest of his body remained shrouded. A pair of similar pants and black leather boots materialized alongside it. Black patterns were threaded into the collar, sleeves, and hems.
Taking a momentary glance at his small stone room tucked away within the Bright Castle, decorated by various trophies and small amenities he'd collected during his time here, he went to the separate, smaller bathroom to quickly wash up. Two pales of water and a few strips of cloth had been prepared by one of the Handmaidens for him, so he simply slipped his arms out of his tunic and let the fabric fall to his waist. Then, he dipped the cloth in the liquid and began to scrub his face and torso.
His mind wandered.
'I wonder what horrible task Harus is up to at this hour.'
The creepy butcher wasn't a common sight, but as one of Gunlaug's six lieutenants, it was hard not to run into him every now and again. Already, the man had left a deep impression on Nico. Of all the people in the Bright Castle he was the scariest. Not that Nico often felt fear. Honestly, unnerving was the more appropriate word in his case. Nothing besides the horrifying abominations outside the walls had earned that emotion from him.
Some had come close. Namely Seishan Song, the leader of the Handmaidens, when she had transformed in front of him and snarled, squeezing his throat in wrath. That... had been quite the misunderstanding.
Of course, the Bright Lord's armor had terrified him, now that he thought about it. Nothing could really beat that Echo's passive Ability, but Nico considered that cheating anyway, so he disregarded it.
That reminded him. It'd just been over a year now since the last solstice. He'd been pulled to the Forgotten Shore alongside hundreds of other Sleepers, but in the entire time since he hadn't received a single Echo. Dozens of Memories, naturally. But no Echo. He was bitter, yet as soon as the feeling crept up his chest, it vanished moments later. Like everything else, it didn't stick.
Exhaling as he felt cool water stream down his face and back, he skimmed through all the things he'd have to do today.
'I'll have to visit Kido and her Artisans soon. The newest rotation of plants needs to be shaped... I wonder if I can try and borrow a mixture of mine and Kido's essence to combine the properties. Although, that just might be above my purview as a Sleeper. Guiding hers is already strenuous enough.'
'Then there's Gemma. He'll want me to either join today's hunt or go chart the city for abominations,' he grumbled. 'I'm telling him to send one of his Pathfinders next time. My Aspect isn't even suited for stealth. Well, not really...'
He began to wipe his face dry.
'I wonder why there hasn't been any Sleepers this year aside from that murderer, Caster.'
Nico vividly remembered the theory someone had been proposing in the courtyard just the other day. One of the Castle Guard. He was saying how it all could be a cycle, and next year there would be more, and more, and more, until hundreds were arriving again. It was a... dreadful idea. If people kept dying at the same rate, then nobody would live long enough to bring new Sleepers in aside from maybe the strongest who could manage to stay hidden or survive in a small party.
Either way, there would be no more Bright Castle.
'It's whatever. By then, we'll have figured out something to deal with that, anyways.'
Nico's plans were coming along, albeit slowly. There was simply a lot to do in the Bright Castle at the moment. Being promoted to one of Gunlaug's lieutenants was a surprise, as well. Especially because he didn't really rule any one sector of his kingdom but aided as a powerful combatant or assistant to the Artisans instead. He was more like a hired hand than anything, but still, it had its perks. For one, he didn't need to pay tribute. He was actually getting paid instead. Every other day he received an awakened shard from the Bright Lord, which wasn't exactly a lot, but paired with what he earned simply by virtue of hunting, it was phenomenal. Plus, every spare Memory he sold was around ten shards. And he sold a lot.
He'd killed his fair share of humans, which earned him a bit of fragments, too.
Faintly exasperated at the thought, Nico pulled his arms through the sleeves of his tunic and summoned his runes.
Name: Nico.
True Name: Eternal Dawn.
He stared blankly at his True Name for a moment, sour thoughts coming to his mind as he reflected back on how he'd earned it. The emotions slipped away quickly.
He focused on the runes again:
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Monster.
Soul Cores: [2/7].
Soul Fragments: [225/2000].
He felt both a fleeting pang of pride and disappointment after reading the runes. It was great that he was a Monster, of course, but also irritating how far he had to go to become a Demon. If only he knew all that time he would have such a long road ahead of him, he wouldn't have taken so long. Still, it wasn't like he was slacking. A couple hundred past a thousand fragments was nothing to scoff at. It meant that for the last year, he had absorbed around a shard and a half a day. Of course, a lot more had come in the latter half, when he began selling Memories and became a lieutenant. It was impressive how far he'd come.
It was also no small help for his Dormant Ability, too.
Nico continued reading:
Memories: [Hollowed Horn], [Silver Wraith], [Mourning Star], [Wilted Dagger], [Song of Steel], [...], [...], ...
Echoes: —
'It seems to be about time I sell my spare Memories. None of them really offer anything of interest. Although the Song of Steel might be interesting. I don't remember seeing it.'
He peered at its runes:
Memory: Song of Steel.
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Tier: II.
Memory Type: Charm.
Memory Description: [A radiant priestess was imprisoned in the tallest of towers, her body its unwilling vessel. Eternity passed as she wept, and now only this remnant of her song remains.]
He regarded the description with intrigue. A charm based of songs or cries. It could be a special kind of mind attack.
'I hope I don't have to sing.'
With a thought he summoned the Memory. A swirl of white sparks surrounded his wrists, and a moment later a pair of silver bands were hanging from them, thick and engraved, occasional holes dotting its surface that looked similar to those that a flute would have.
Nico put his hand out in front of him, a whisper sounding when he did. It teetered on the edge of his mind like an unreachable itch, undeniably there, yet out of grasp.
He brought his other hand to it and felt the cool silver metal of the bracelet, then swung his hand forward as fast as he could. This time, a low whine came from the garment, and he felt the world tilt slightly, his vision blurring. Fog rushed into his mind and his thoughts slowed to a crawl. When he stopped his swing, a shriek echoed from within the band, and then everything slowly returned to normal.
He dismissed the charm.
'I wonder what I had killed to earn this one. I doubt it has any other enchantment, but this one seems powerful enough.'
Satisfied with his new charm, Nico began to continue mulling over his runes, viewing his Attributes and Aspect next, when a respectful knock sounded from the other side of his room's door.
He turned his head, furrowed his brows for a moment, then stepped out the bathroom, sweeping his half-dried bangs out of his face.
'A visitor this early in the morning?'
Nico briefly considered who might've arrived. Not many people dared bother him, and there also weren't many allowed this far into the Bright Castle's interior. There were always the other lieutenants and more prominent members of the Host like the Pathfinders or Handmaidens, though.
Nico twisted the handle and cracked open the door, eyes falling upon a beautiful woman dressed in a simple white tunic. A Handmaiden. Her eyes wavered when she met his gaze, then quickly flickered away.
"What?" Nico asked dryly.
She shifted awkwardly from one foot to another.
"Lord Gunlaug requested your presence, Sir Nico..."
He frowned. The Bright Lord needed his presence? There weren't many times that had happened, and none of them had been at all pleasant business aside from when he'd been promoted to his new station.
As his thoughts turned grim, he sensed the poor girl's unease and discomfort radiating from her body like a foul odor. It seeped out from her soul, and Nico felt himself drawn to it. There was respect — reverence, even — in her mind. People like him were untouchable figures to the rest of them — an intentional effect of Gunlaug's rule. However, he could tell she was also uncomfortable because of his lack of response and stoic expression.
He looked down at her and stepped into the vast hall, closing the door quietly behind him.
"Leave me."
The Handmaiden practically scurried away.
Nico watched her leave for a moment, then began walking in the opposite direction, further into the keep. Dozens of burning scones lit his way forward. His steps were muffled by a scarlet carpet underfoot, and his tunic fluttered slightly, its soft colors a stark contrast to the white, chiseled stone walls.
The walk was pleasant; about as tranquil as it could get within the coffin of the Forgotten Shore. Nothing sounded in the hall except for the sound of his steps and slow breathing. A sweet scent emitted by the burning candles filled the air, and it was cool.
Eventually, Nico returned to his runes. There would be a couple minutes or so before he reached the dungeon.
'Better to review them now rather than after he sends me off. Let's see...'
Attributes: [Empath], [Specter], [Flame of Divinity], [Godheart].
Nico grimaced when he saw the first and last Attributes but read them all anyways.
[Empath] Attribute Description: [Winter's storm bestows no blessings, but for you, Blessed of the Heart, one. Shaped by endless cold, emotions call to you, yearning to be heard; to be understood.]
[Specter] Attribute Description: [In the divine crucible, nothing becomes something, and all becomes one. Spirit, soul, flesh — nothing separates your being.]
His musing stalled on the second Attribute. Despite the cryptic poetry, it was mostly clear, and having his soul bound to his body meant always revealing his own soul to enemies. Luckily, it wasn't impossible to manage. A good set of armor would keep him relatively safe. Only deep cuts that bled his essence would truly harm him since he could intuitively control it if he used his Dormant Ability.
The most vulnerable part of [Specter] was that it exposed his Soul Cores to enemies, but since his body and soul was blessed with the lineage of Heart God, it was more resilient than it had any right to be.
The pain was exquisite, but not anything he couldn't handle.
His eyes darkened as he glossed over the third Attribute and read the last one:
[Godheart] Attribute Description: [You have inherited the lineage of Heart God.]
He sighed. Even though it was the most powerful Attribute that he had by far, it still made him uncomfortable. There were too many memories tied to it. Ones that he preferred not to revisit and clawed at his mind like gnarled scabs, refusing to heal yet suppressed all the same.
Luckily, before the tension grew, the emotions slipped from him freely and he viewed the string of runes in a new light. So many things had been possible thanks to that lineage. His soul was nigh indestructible because of how strongly it was empowered, and his essence was vastly fiercer too. It allowed him to intrinsically sense souls like a hound, and Nightmare Creatures even more so due to their vile nature. Same with Memories, although he could only discern tiers and rank, and not enchantments. Added to that, his body healed especially fast, mind attacks struggled against him, and there was still more he couldn't quite discover as well.
'Anyways.'
Aspect: [World Tree].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a powerful spirit of heart — always hungry, always growing, always reaching.]
His Aspect. Nico had worked so, so hard for it during the First Trial. Well, all his trials, if he thought about it in a different way. It was probably the reason why he could form multiple Soul Cores. Maybe if he ever met another person with a Divine Aspect, he'd know the truth. Nothing made him swell with pride more than reading these runes, even if the description was slightly ominous. It was just too glorious.
'If only the Spell was always as merciful. It just had to send me here.'
Nico continued reading:
Aspect Abilities: [Soul Roots].
[Soul Roots] Ability Description: [The roots of your soul can empower and shape soul essence.]
Arguably, his Dormant Ability was the most important tool Nico had. The ability to shape essence was instrumental to how he had survived so well here. Nobody could fight with the same strength, finesse, or speed as him without having an Aspect tailored for it.
If he used the augmentation, it not only doubled the potency of his essence, but his body as well since [Specter] fused them together. Now that he was a Monster that gap was even wider because he could carry two augmentations. And since he could shape souls, it meant he could harm them while empowered, too. Although he had to shift one of his roots to a Memory unless he wanted to fight bare-handed.
Before Nico could quite reach the end of his runes, where his Flaw and Innate Ability were tucked away, he approached the obsidian doors of the Bright Lord's underground dungeon.