Mordret quietly took a breath as the dark scene of a hidden room appeared before him. By his side, a beastly man stood, his hand quickly removed from his shoulder.
There was an interesting dissonance between how he was treated by Song and by Valor. Everyone from his old family's clan viewed him as a monster of an unknowable nature. After all, neither physical nor Soul damage managed to kill him, even as a mere Awakened.
They feared him, which was a nice feeling. He was able to stoke that fear a little while ago as he escaped from that damnable prison located on the Chained Isles. More than that he managed to become a Master. No doubt that the elders and higher-ups were in a fit trying to prepare countermeasures for him. None would work, of that he was certain.
Not because of any secret reason, but simply because in his heart, the hate that swelled was so profound that there was simply no way for any other living thing, whether human or Nightmare Creature to put him in a cage again.
Now that he was free, a fervor festered in him, especially now as he had just landed in Antarctica.
There were a few others waiting for him. Dire Fang was already stalking away, leaving the room with two other Masters and a few powerful Awakened.
Their eyes did not hold the same derision and detestation that those of Valor had, but there was still something similar there. A fear, or perhaps warriness.
This too was satisfying. Even the Saints held this look.
Though somewhere deep within him it was also a bit…disheartening.
He pushed the thought aside.
Instead, he turned to the odd man out. Princess Seishan was one of the other Masters, and indeed her presence, as well as her "Blood Sisters" made sense. She was the one who had prompted this early visit after all.
However the additional Master was confusing.
Mordret titled his head slightly, considering the man.
He appeared a powerful Master, but nothing too special among the Legacy Clans.
Seishan, noticing his intrigue, spoke first.
"This is Ascended Bast, he will act as a decoy for your presence. There is no doubt Valor will anticipate your arrival, so we thought to employ a red herring."
Bast nodded slightly to him. He appeared a rather calm, nonplussed man. Though that glimmer in his eye was still there.
Mordert said nothing to his pressence, only nodding back. He then turned back to Seishan and put on a warm smile.
"You are going to meet your fiance right away, I suspect. Would you mind if I tag along, I am quite interested to meet the 2nd wielder of a Divine Aspect."
Of course, he was well aware that the Shadow, Sunless, also held an Aspect of the same Rank. And though he was quite perturbed with the guy for foiling his plan at the end of the 2nd Nightmare, he also didn't have anything strictly against him. Therefore, he didn't offer any information on the man. At least so long as he remained neutral to this brewing conflict.
He also suspected Changing Star was of the same breed as them.
Though he did share this suspicion with Song, they had both agreed there was no way to prove this conclusively.
As such, it was agreed that this "Gehrman" and him were the only ones with such an Aspect.
Seishan's face contorted slightly and her body stiffened. Clearly, she minded very much that Mordret wanted to tag along. Still, she did not say so.
"By all means," she said in a stilted tone. "Though I would advise against going as yourself."
"Indeed, perhaps I could hitch a ride with one of these fine Awakend?" he asked. His voice had the tone of an innocent question, but the fear it brewed was anything but.
Each of the practiced Awakened had profound fear come over themselves.
"I'm sure my eye will do fine," Seishan said sternly. To her credit, she did not cower.
Mordret paused briefly, looking at her to see if she buckled under the pressure.
She didn't.
Mordret smiled again and nodded.
He turned slightly, looking about and noticing a large mirror propped against the wall. Of course, they had anticipated this. Mordret went over to it and activated his Ascended Ability. This was the access to the Mirror Realm.
Though the space was limited, he could store things safely in this place no one else could touch. It was utility ability, nothing nearly as terrifying as his Awakened Ability, which he now activated.
Suddenly, the light left Mordret's eyes, and he fell into the mirror, his Ascended body falling into the Mirror Realm, which quickly closed its entry. His body was stored, but Mordret himself was not.
His very nature had changed after gaining a Divine Aspect. It was an exaggterated shift similar to Seishan's own mutation. However, her grey skin and vampiric appearance was largely visual, his very being was changed.
Technically speaking, Mordret was not a human, he was a Reflection.
Connected inherently to every Reflection that exists in any realm. Though he existed in the physical plane, he was, in fact a tresspaser. The "true" Mordret ceased to exist after his Nightmare. This reflection took over as the actual "him". At least, he had after he had taken care of much of his Flaw.
He had trained himself not to think about his Flaw, as it was simultaneously a strength and the most vulnerable of weaknesses. After what he had done at the end of the 2nd Nightmare, it should be impossible for anyone to pry into his very being, let alone his mind. He had become immune to all forms of divination, after all.
Still, the habit persisted.
As he settled into a new reflection to house his being, an eerie silence covered the room, as did a formidable tension.
After all, Mordret was now in a position to kill Seishan if he so chose. This was the true terror of the Prince of Nothing, a further application of his Awakened ability, and it was what allowed him to kill those much stronger than him, and grow even more in strength.
After entering the eye of another, he could delve further, into their Soul themselves. There, in their Soul Sea, he would become a Reflection of them. He would be granted equal power and equal access to their Memories…as well as their Flaw. Then, after defeating his oponnet, Mordret took over their body.
At this point, he had effectively erased them, taking all their power and Memories. He had killed Masters in this way, even as an Awakened.
It was dangerous though, since if Mordret was defeated, he would die. A permenant death at that. Despite his unique immortaltiy this was a surefire way to end him.
Of course, his living meant that he had never lost, not once.
That was because of the simple fact that Mordret was better. He was a better fighter, he was more clever, and he had greater desire to kill his enemy. At the same time, he did not have to deal with the fear and confusion that invariably weakened them.
Of course, just because he traveled into the reflection of an individuals eye, it did not mean he had to engage in a Soul Duel. He could do what he was doing now, simply existing there, perceiving everything that Seishan did.
It appeared that the others were waiting for Seishan to show some sign of losing herself, or perhaps to show evidence of Soul injuries.
Neither happened.
Everyone in this room knew that there was no way that he would ever do such a thing. He needed the Song Clans if he wanted his vengeance, and killing a princess was sure to bring him nothing but trouble, even if she would a uniquely powerful vessel.
"Right," Seishan said, her voice low. She started addressing each of them in turn, assigning them work to do. Mostly they were to correspond with the Government forces and those of the "New Workshop". However a pair of Blood Sisters followed Seishan as she left the secret room.
They appeared in a derelict, hidden tunnel. This was likely a relic of ancient times, an underground system of trains that had long been discontinued.
Such technology could only lead to catastrophe in the modern area. A single nearby Gate would cause a series of crashes and disasters as the electronics underwent glitches.
They continued on, their footsteps not causing a single sound. Soon, they appeared at an elevator. It had old cardboard nailed to the entrance, but it was not actually attached, the woman simply ducked under it and lifted a lever.
The device hummed to life, a quiet, warm light illuminating them as they rose to the city above.
It did not take long before they stepped out into a room similar to a fanciful study. After entering, Seishan turned and pushed a swung open bookshelf behind them, latching it closed.
Just like that they were in the Song Stronghold of Antarctica.
They continued on, stopping only moments to greet the people who bowed before Seishan and then continued on to their work.
Before leaving, Seishan summoned a Tool type Memory that appeared as a dark blue shawel, it's silk somehow portraying a swirling pattern. It's effect was instant and subtle. A rather standard Memory that would help hide her identity.
A leisurely pace was taken, and it bugged Mordret how long it took before they reached their destination. To his surprise, it was a restaurant.
It was a "hole in the wall" place that Mordret wasn't even sure was a place for food until they entered and were greeted by the welcoming atmosphere and a cheery host. The young man looked ecstatic to receive a customer.
Mordret fought the temptation to enter his eye and experience the strange mundane life that the host must lead. In the end, he convinced himself that the monotony of a minimum wage job was not worth the trouble.
Even so, he was terribly curious. He was not born in the Dream Realm – thank the gods, he wouldn't want anything to tie him to that abominable former teacher – but he didn't have any memories of the Waking World.
All he knew were the insides of the forts of Valor, and those looked identical to the interior of places in Bastion, only recently had he been able to enjoy true human society, and he found it exciting to learn about all the new things.
Things quickly changed however when Seishan said she was here to meet with someone. The host's body stiffened, and he ushered them forward.
Mordret's non-existent heart quickened. He knew what was coming, the first of the Divine Aspect Awakened to attain Transcendence. One who had defeated all his Nightmares by himself. What a terror he must be…no, he was a Titan by this point.
He dimly noted that this behavior was rather strange for him. He couldn't remember the last time meeting another person filled him with anticipation. Sunless had been curious, but that first meeting was nothing special. Ki Song and the other Saints were also not exciting, he knew exactly what they would be like, and they met his expectations perfectly.
This one though, he simply had no idea.
Some of the descriptors given to him were rather familiar, that was because they had been attributed to Mordret as well: "monster", "inhuman," "insane". What would that look like, he wondered.
They climbed up two levels in a cramped stairwell, the Blood Sisters trailing behind them showed only the barest amounts of displeasure at the low quality of the place.
When they reached the third level, it opened into a still cramped, but more beautiful seating area. Only a small handful of tables could be fitted, and one table of four near the window was occupied.
The Host stepped out of their way but did not get any closer, watching the man wairly.
The presence of a Saint was unmistakable, but it did seem somehow dulled, perhaps to not upset these poor mundane staff members.
Still, he was imposing. A lean and muscled figure underneath simple, mundane clothing. A grey button up shirt of high quality had it's sleeves rolled up, and tailored black pants and dress shoes made him look just like how a Legacy would after a party.
…There was one thing breaking that illusion, however.
That was the fact he was sipping from a large, orange-pink colored drink. He drank out of a straw too, and for some reason that baffled Mordret more than anything.
The man, Gehrman, turned at their approach and offered a smile. Mordret did not have access to Seishan's senses in this state, but he wondered if her heart was beating a little faster.
"Hey, long time no see," he said casually. The man then turned a bit and gave a nod to the Blood Sisters who each stiffly nodded back.
He did not get up to greet them, breaking formality immediately, and holding out the drink in his hand.
"Have you had this before, it's called a 'Sunrise Smoothie'. I have been trying a lot of different drinks lately, and this one is easily in the top 5."
Seishan hesitated for but a moment before taking the drink, elegantly sitting down and taking her spot across from him. The two Blood Sisters stood behind her, cramped beneath the chairs of the table beside them.
Seishan took a sip, and Mordret had a surprisingly strong urge to try some too.
The Princess did not look scanadalized drinking out of a straw, but Mordret got the impression she wasn't very familiar with it.
Her buddy shivered a bit as she handed it back.
"It's…good," Seishan said.
"A rave review." Gehrman said jokingly. Then he turned over a menu that was on the table and gestured for Seishan to take a look through.
"I already know what I want, so take your pick, its on me." Then he leaned a bit to look at the Awakened. "You gals order too, I'm sure your hungry." Then, in a chillingly casual moment he turned right back to Seishan and looked her in the eye.
Not her eyes but a singular eye. The one Mordret was inhabiting.
"As for whatever you are, feel free to get something as well. Though I'll imagine you'll have to get a different body if you want to enjoy the experience."