Arthur awoke slowly, feeling the faint warmth of a dying fire in front of him. For a few seconds, he simply remained still, allowing his senses to expand as the fog of sleep faded from his mind. Nothing moved nearby.
Across from him, Sunny was already awake, sitting with his back against the stone wall, eyes closed in concentration.
'He must be cycling essence,' Arthur thought.
Seconds of silence passed before Sunny opened his eyes. "You're awake," he said in a low voice.
Arthur gave a slight nod. "Any changes?"
Instead of answering immediately, one of Sunny's shadows detached itself and silently slid across the floor, disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel leading outside.
A few moments later, Sunny exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes.
"The storm isn't close," he said. "It's not near the others, but at least it's not close enough to reach us immediately."
Arthur allowed himself to relax just a fraction. "Then we move."
Both of them stood without wasting time. The fire was extinguished, and any traces of their presence were erased as thoroughly as possible. Neither wanted to risk leaving signs that could lead something—or someone—to find them.
They still didn't know all the enemies they might encounter in this area, and they weren't about to take chances.
Once outside, the cold air greeted them again, bringing with it that unnatural stillness that seemed to dominate the entire territory.
They stayed low, close to the ground. Although no tornadoes were immediately visible in the vicinity, both had learned that lesson the hard way.
If those storms really were nightmare creatures, then they could be spotted at any moment. Staying low minimized that risk as much as possible. Slowly, they began making their way toward the village they had seen the day before.
They didn't run, nor did they walk. They crawled.
Moving low over the uneven terrain, they used hills, depressions, and patches of tall grass as cover whenever possible. Every movement was measured, every step calculated.
Sunny kept one shadow extended ahead of them, constantly scouting, while the other two remained at their sides.
Minutes passed, then more minutes.
The village gradually grew closer—and then Sunny's shadow reached it. His expression darkened slightly.
Arthur noticed immediately. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice.
Sunny remained silent for a moment, observing the village through his shadow, then turned to look at him. "The village is completely destroyed."
Arthur frowned but didn't respond, choosing instead to press forward.
When they finally got close enough to see it directly, the confirmation unsettled him even more.
The village was in ruins.
Collapsed structures, shattered walls, broken beams scattered across the ground as if the entire place had been crushed by an overwhelming force—which it had.
Fortunately—and unfortunately—there were no bodies or signs of struggle.
On one hand, they had avoided seeing people crushed beneath the remains of buildings, but in a colder, more logical sense, that brought more complications.
Without the possibility of gathering information from the locals, they had no idea where the portal might be. Arthur still wasn't sure if people could be found inside the Relictombs; in theory, they shouldn't. If his reasoning that they were created by the Djinns was correct, and the Djinns were extinct, then there shouldn't be anyone… unless some Djinns had survived by hiding inside them?
It was a possibility—improbable, but possible.
At the same time, he only needed to recall one of the attributes he had received in his First Nightmare to dismiss the idea.
Attribute: [Djinn Descent]
Description: [You descend from those who sought to understand the world before dominating it. Their affinity with Aether was considered a threat, and for that, they were erased. From them, you did not inherit power, but the ability to feel what the world tries to hide.]
In that very description, the spell itself confirmed that the Djinns' existence had been erased. And if the spell was as omnipotent as everyone believed it to be, then if it said the Djinns were extinct, they were extinct.
Curiously, that same attribute had since changed to [Djinn].
Description: [You are a descendant of the Djinn race, known as the People of Life. Your blood preserves that heritage as a natural affinity with the deeper laws of the world.]
Now it no longer mentioned the fact that they were extinct—clearly because he was alive.
Thinking about all this made his mind wander back to his First Nightmare. In fact, this zone felt similar to the second one he had faced back then. There were many differences, of course, but in the end, the purpose was the same: defeat your enemies and find the portal.
Thinking about it further, all his experiences had been like that. Even though this current one was far more difficult than what he had faced before.
Was it because of Sunny's presence?
Was it because he was stronger than before?
Was there a connection between an individual's strength—and whether they were alone—and the difficulty of the zone they ended up in when entering?
Surely there had to be… otherwise, how could you explain that their enemies were damn tornadoes!?
With his thoughts on strength… he returned to the first doubt he'd had upon entering his First Nightmare.
How did they manage to wipe out a race that had the ability to control reality in such a way? Everything he could already do seemed like too much to him, and he was still just a Sleeper. What ranks had those Djinns been?
How many things could Grey have accomplished—who had been Sacred… A being of the Sacred rank was basically a minor deity. And if that deity could control reality through Aether? How powerful must he have been…
Arthur shuddered at the thought, which brought him back to the present.
Shaking his head to clear away those thoughts, he continued on toward the village. Now wasn't the time to ask questions that wouldn't help him.
They continued advancing carefully, staying low to the ground and avoiding exposed areas whenever possible. Their eyes constantly scanned the horizon for the slightest sign of movement in the sky.
The storms could appear at any moment, and neither of them wanted to find out if hiding inside a village would be enough to protect them. Given the state of the one ahead, they already knew the answer.
Upon reaching it, they decided to split up slightly to investigate different structures while maintaining a safe distance from each other.
For a long while, they found nothing.
They searched house after house, moving cautiously among the collapsed structures that seemed to have been abandoned for centuries. Most buildings were too damaged to offer clear clues about who had lived there or what had happened.
The walls that remained standing were cracked, and the rest had collapsed outright, roofs caved in on themselves. In some places, the remains of wooden furniture had been reduced to little more than unrecognizable fragments, warped by time or by the force that had destroyed the village.
Arthur examined several structures that seemed to have served different functions. Some had simple layouts with just one or two interior spaces. Others appeared to have been used for storing tools or materials, though most of the objects that might have confirmed that theory had disappeared or were too deteriorated to identify.
In one partially collapsed structure, he found what appeared to have been a reinforced wooden shelf, sturdy enough to have supported considerable weight. Now it was split in two, buried under a thick layer of dust.
In another house, only the foundations and a few fragments of wall remained.
Everything seemed… ancient. Not simply abandoned, but forgotten. Time had erased too many details.
While the history of civilizations that existed before the spell descended upon Earth was almost nonexistent, in all the books and reports he had read in his life, none described anything like this.
Not because the structures or tools they could identify were strange. Rather, because there was no trace of technology.
Sunny, for his part, moved with the same meticulous patience, checking every corner without showing any sign of hurry. His shadows slid across broken surfaces, exploring places he couldn't physically reach.
An hour passed, then another. Progress was slow and frustrating.
Several times, they thought they had found something useful, only to discover it was nothing more than the remains of common structures or unrecognizable materials reduced to dust.
Even the tools that occasionally appeared were too damaged to offer any relevant information.
No symbols. No writings. No objects that stood out from the rest.
It was as if the place had been emptied before being destroyed… or as if whatever had destroyed it had left nothing intact.
The sky remained clear for the moment, but both knew that could change at any instant. It was the calm before the storm—literally.
Still, they continued. There weren't many other options.
Eventually, Arthur inspected what seemed to have been a storage building. Judging by the remains, those who had lived there had relied on simple tools and materials. Primitive, or perhaps just ancient. There was no way to know.
Meanwhile, Sunny moved among the remains of what looked like a small house.
Broken beams formed unstable angles above him, and part of another building had collapsed completely on top, crushing most of the original structure. Even so, something caught his attention.
His Shadow Sense detected a space that shouldn't exist.
He stood still, extending his Shadow Sense further, and slowly one of his shadows entered deep among the debris, slipping through the narrow gaps between broken wood and stone.
Then he felt it again: a hollow space beneath. Though it was too small to mean much, it was also the only thing different he had managed to find in hours.
Sunny immediately sent a pulse through the memory to Arthur, and a few minutes later, both were standing in what remained of the house.
"What did you find?" Arthur asked in a low voice.
Sunny pointed toward the ground beneath the rubble.
"There's something underneath," he said. "Stairs… or at least what's left of them."
Arthur's eyes sharpened slightly. Without wasting time, they both began moving the rubble as silently as possible. It wasn't easy.
Broken beams, heavy stones, compacted earth—the collapse of the adjacent house had buried most of the structure.
It took them quite a while. Longer than either would have liked. But eventually, they uncovered it.
A wooden door embedded in the ground. It was damaged, cracked across its surface, but still intact enough to open.
They exchanged a glance, and then Arthur slowly lifted it.
Below, a narrow descent was revealed, disappearing into the darkness. Unfortunately, their luck ended there.
The passage had collapsed. Large sections of stone and earth completely blocked the way just a few meters down.
Arthur frowned. "Try sending your shadow," he said.
Sunny nodded and sent one of his shadows slithering down through the small gaps between the debris.
It descended several meters but then stopped.
"I can't see beyond this point," Sunny murmured. "Something is completely blocking the way."
He called the shadow back.
And then— the wind began to pick up.
Both of them froze, their eyes widening at the same time as that feeling returned. That instinctive terror.
They didn't need words. They moved immediately, scrambling out of the destroyed house and looking toward the horizon—and there it was.
One of the tornadoes was heading straight for the village. Too close.
Sunny barely had time to wonder how it had gotten so close without them noticing when he heard Arthur shout beside him.
"Move!"
They both turned to flee—
—or at least tried to.
At the last possible moment, Arthur remembered the partially collapsed passage they had just uncovered. Without hesitation, he threw himself inside. It was a risky move, but judging by how well the trapdoor had held even after two houses had collapsed on top of it, he decided to take his chances.
Sunny, however, wasn't as fortunate. As he tried to follow, he suddenly felt his feet lift off the ground.
The wind's force was already too strong. Moving toward the passage was impossible.
Clicking his tongue, Sunny immediately wrapped his three shadows around his body and launched himself in the opposite direction. If he couldn't reach shelter, then he needed distance. Fast.
The tornado shifted direction and headed straight for him.
"Of course it does," Sunny muttered through clenched teeth.
'Damn [Fated]!'
The wind tugged violently at his body, trying to tear him from the ground. Debris began to rise around him—stones and fragments of wood spinning wildly in the air.
Instead of running in a straight line, Sunny moved erratically, constantly changing direction, using the terrain to break the wind's pull.
He thought about summoning Serpent, but the tornado was already too close for that to work.
He continued sliding down small slopes, rounding hills, and cutting through narrow depressions where the current weakened slightly.
Several times, he felt his feet lift off the ground. Several times, he barely managed to recover his balance. His entire body tensed under the pressure, but slowly… the pull began to weaken.
That was when he truly saw it. To the east, descending a gentle slope, lay another village—but something about it was strange even from a distance. It didn't seem to be in ruins, nor did it seem abandoned. It simply… didn't fit.
Still, Sunny didn't stop to analyze it too much. He kept moving in that direction, guided by a feeling that was hard to describe. Something told him he had to get there.
He continued without pausing, keeping his eyes fixed on the cluster of structures that gradually became more defined. He kept going until eventually, he crossed an invisible threshold.
The wind abruptly lost its strength.
Sunny stumbled a few steps before stopping completely. Gasping, he turned around, utterly confused.
The tornado was still there, but it wasn't advancing. It just spun at the edge of the terrain, as if an invisible barrier prevented it from approaching.
Sunny watched it with a raised eyebrow for several seconds, trying to comprehend what he was seeing.
Then he looked back toward the village. Up close, the strangeness was even more pronounced.
What he had initially taken for a simple village… clearly was not.
The structures that spread out before him were too large, too elaborate, too refined to belong to an ordinary settlement.
Broad streets extended in multiple directions, wide enough to allow several PTVs to pass simultaneously without difficulty. The buildings lining them were not simple houses of wood or rough stone like the ones in the destroyed villages they had explored before.
Many were built of light, smooth materials, similar to marble, softly reflecting the light from the gray sky.
Tall towers rose in the distance, their surfaces adorned with elegant patterns that seemed too complex to have been carved with primitive tools. Even the smaller structures possessed details indicating a level of development far superior to anything else he had seen in this region.
Everything conveyed a sense of order, of purpose—a silent grandeur.
It wasn't a village. It was a city—and a very large one at that.
It stretched for kilometers in every direction, so vast that trying to find anything specific inside it would be an impossible task.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone.
Three shadows slid from his body, separating in different directions and moving swiftly through the empty streets.
At the same time, he summoned Saint and Serpent. The two shadows took form beside him, waiting silently for orders.
Sunny considered advancing cautiously, moving between buildings and avoiding exposure, as he had done so far—but something in the atmosphere told him it wasn't necessary.
The city was… empty. Completely empty. He couldn't sense any presence through his Shadow Sense, so he decided to trust that instinct.
Hours passed slowly.
He explored houses, towers, larger structures that seemed to have served important functions in the past. Nothing.
The rooms were empty, but not looted. Objects remained in their places, covered in layers of dust accumulated over an incalculable amount of time.
Everything seemed to have been left behind suddenly. As if those who had lived there had been forced to leave without taking anything with them.
Sunny climbed to the top of several tall buildings to observe the city from above. From that height, the phenomenon was even more evident. An invisible perimeter completely surrounded the place. The wind behaved strangely near the boundary, as if something prevented the storms from crossing inward.
But that only raised more questions.
If the tornadoes couldn't enter…
Why was the city abandoned?
Why had no one stayed?
Had they fled?
Or had something worse happened?
An uncomfortable thought crossed his mind. Perhaps the people who had lived there… were now the same creatures roaming the territory in the form of tornadoes.
Sunny frowned slightly.
He had no way of knowing, and for now, no way to confirm it—nor did he want to.
After hours of searching without results, he chose a random house and decided to stop there for the moment. That was when his stomach emitted a low sound—impossible to ignore.
Sunny sighed.
Only then did he fully grasp the situation he was in. Arthur had all the food supplies.
While Sunny was used to sleeping hungry after years of living in the outskirts… it wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat. He knew he could survive quite a while on just water, but if he didn't find anything during that time…
He preferred not to think about it.
Summoning Endless Spring, he drank greedily, letting the cool liquid ease the discomfort in his stomach. Tomorrow, he would search for food. Maybe there would be provisions somewhere.
Canned food, hidden storage. —Something— There had to be something.
Besides finding the damn reason why that damned [Fated] had insisted so much on him following Arthur into the Relictombs.
Otherwise, Sunny would have to end up testing the [???] enchantment on Weaver's Mask. That wasn't a comforting thought. What could the hidden enchantment on the Daemon of Fate's mask do? See the threads of Fate?
'Shit… I shouldn't have thought that!'
Trying to forget the mistake he'd made, he lay down on the bed he had chosen. The mattress was surprisingly comfortable.
Not as much as the one in the cathedral… still. But it was better than sleeping on cardboard or solid rock, which was what he had been used to his whole life.
Closing his eyes, he forced himself to sleep. When he woke up, he would explore the area and find some way to guide Arthur to him.