The next few days were calm like a cold breeze in a summer day.
Not truly peaceful—nothing in the Dream realm ever was—but calm enough that the tension coiled inside their bodies slowly began to loosen.
They ate well.
They slept as much as their bodies demanded.
And for the first time since the storm, neither of them woke up expecting death waiting at arm's reach.
Alice's new "grim reaper", as she jokingly called the new soldier born from the corpse of the Carapace Centurion, proved… disturbingly efficient.
More than once, Caspian woke up to the faint sound of something wet hitting stone.
A dull thud.
Followed by silence.
Then—
The smell.
Fresh.
Metallic.
By the time he opened his eyes fully, one or two Carapace Scavengers would already lie at the edge of the cliff, their heads severed cleanly, their bodies twitching weakly as if confused about their own death.
Alice would still be half-asleep, curled under her distorted cloak, one arm lazily raised over her sleeping bag—
And behind her, the ugly reaper stood motionless, its weapon still dripping.
It became routine.
They hunted without moving.
Fed without effort.
Caspian, however, did not waste the opportunity.
While Alice rested and her legion worked, he trained.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Standing near the edge of the cliff, he summoned the River Blade.
At first, using the water from a puddle, it formed as usual—
A sword of flowing water, constantly shifting, its edge vibrating with subtle, relentless motion.
But then—
He decided to test it.
The Blood Pond stirred.
A thin stream of Ascended blood rose from its depths.
It flowed into his hand.
Into the blade.
The moment it touched—
The sword changed.
The fluid, transparent weapon darkened.
Deepened.
Its surface no longer reflected light the same way.
The movement inside the blade became heavier, denser, like a river turned into something far more violent.
Caspian narrowed his eyes.
Then swung.
The blade cut through a piece of rock he had placed in front of him.
Clean.
Effortless.
No resistance.
He exhaled slowly.
"…It works."
Ascended blood could elevate the River Blade.
Make it capable of harming creatures of its own rank perhaps.
That alone—
Was invaluable.
But—
There was a problem.
A big one.
Caspian held the blade still, observing it carefully.
Seconds passed.
Then—
Minutes.
Slowly…
The deep crimson color faded.
The density weakened.
The violent motion softened.
And eventually—
It returned to water.
Just water.
The blood… gone.
Consumed and wasted.
Caspian frowned.
"…Why?"
He repeated the process with awakened blood.
Again.
Same result.
Again.
Same result.
Each time, the blood lost its nature, reverting into ordinary water as if something inside the sword rejected it.
Or erased it.
Or…
Purified it.
"…This is inefficient."
"You could simply stop being stubborn, you know."
Caspian didn't even turn.
Velpam stood beside him.
Arms crossed.
Smiling like he had been there the entire time.
"You don't need that sword" he continued casually. "You can use my Aspect. Like you did during the academy interview."
He tilted his head slightly.
"At least that way… the blood won't get wasted."
Silence.
The wind moved gently across the cliffs.
Caspian's grip tightened slightly.
"I refuse."
Velpam's smile widened.
"Oh?"
"I won't accept that offer" Caspian said, voice calm but firm. "I won't give you the satisfaction of knowing that I need your Aspect."
His gaze hardened.
"Mine is enough."
A pause.
"…And it's mine."
Velpam stared at him for a moment.
Then—
Laughed softly.
"Suit yourself, murderer."
He stepped back, raising his hands dramatically, pressing his wrists together as if bound.
"If you ever need help…" he said with exaggerated humility "you can always count on your shadow slave."
He bowed slightly.
"Oh great master of Moonlight."
The sarcasm was so thick it almost felt physical.
Caspian didn't respond.
Velpam chuckled one last time—
And disappeared.
The wind filled the silence he left behind.
—
One morning, they were ready.
Fully recovered.
Bodies restored.
Minds steady.
Caspian stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down.
"…Time to move" he said.
Alice nodded.
Without hesitation.
They descended.
Carefully.
Step by step.
Leaving behind behind a place that had felt remotely safe.
And followed the Stargaze once more.
—
Days passed.
Then more.
The labyrinth changed, there were creatures that they haven't seen yet.
Caspian crouched over a fallen scavenger, pulling a faintly glowing shard from its body.
He turned.
And handed it to Alice.
She accepted it without a word, using it to summon another soldier for her legion.
"These ones are weaker" she noted.
Caspian shook his head.
"Not weaker."
"…We are stronger."
And they were.
The further more they fought, the less dominant the Carapace Legion seemed.
Instead—
New threats emerged.
Centipede-like creatures, long and ugly,their bodies segmented into dozens of red twitching parts, moved in coordinated groups.
They clashed with scavengers frequently.
Fought.
Killed.
Devoured.
As if at war.
Elsewhere—
The ground itself became a threat.
Carnivorous worms hid beneath the mud, sensing vibrations.
Waiting for an ambush, luckily the Stargaze avoided it.
Then—
The flowers.
If they could even be called that.
Tall, fleshy stems crowned with wide, petal-like structures.
Beautiful perhaps—
Until they moved.
Their vines lashed out with terrifying speed, wrapping around prey, tightening, draining.
Blood disappearing into their bodies as they pulsed slowly.
Alive and Hungry.
Watching them, Caspian felt sick because it reminded it of him in a sense.
Everything—
Everything—
Was at least of the Awakened rank.
No exceptions.
No mercy.
And yet—
They survived.
They adapted.
They grew.
—
[Your Moonlight grows brighter.]
[And so your shadow grows deeper.]
Caspian exhaled softly.
A faint smile appearing on his face.
He summoned the runes.
—
[Moonlight Fragments: 283/1000]
—
"…Not bad."
Very good, actually.
Two weeks.
Two weeks since they left the cliffs.
And this was the result.
Alice's legion had grown as well.
Noticeably.
The losses from the Centurion battle had been replaced and improved.
Crab-like shield bearers stood among her ranks, their thick shells repurposed into living defenses.
And then—
The mount.
Caspian glanced at it briefly.
An unsettling creature.
Its body elongated with red chitin, its face resembling that of a horse made by insects parts, the body was supported by dozens of thin, twitching centipede-like legs.
It moved with unnatural smoothness, climbing surfaces as fast as the centipedes from which it was born.
Alice sat atop it comfortably.
Almost proudly.
"It's fast" she said once.
She wasn't wrong.
It allowed her to reposition instantly.
To retreat.
To survive.
That alone made it invaluable.
—
They moved southwest.
Following the Stargaze.
The labyrinth in that direction seemed… higher.
Elevated.
The ground more stable.
Which meant—
More resting spots.
Less risk of being swallowed in their sleep by some sea creature.
A small mercy.
—
Then—
Velpam spoke again.
But this time—
Not aloud.
Inside his mind.
"That damn shadow…"
Caspian froze slightly.
"…What?"
Velpam's voice sounded… irritated.
Uncomfortable.
"So damn uncomfortable…" he muttered. "It's like worms crawling under my skin."
Caspian frowned.
"…What shadow?"
A pause.
"…Since we left the cliffs" Velpam continued, ignoring the question "it's there every single day from sunrise to sunset."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"I wonder where it comes from…"
Caspian's eyes narrowed.
"…Velpam."
No answer.
Silence.
Whatever he had sensed—
Whatever he was talking about—
He wasn't willing to explain.
Or couldn't.
And for the first time—
Caspian felt something new for his shadow.
Not fear.
Not tension.
Not repulsiveness.
But—
Curiosity.
And unease.
—
The Stargaze pointed forward.
Unwavering.
Toward a distant landmark.
Impossible to miss.
Even from far away.
Caspian stared at it.
"…That's new."
Alice followed his gaze.
And blinked.
In the distance—
Something massive rose from the labyrinth.
A series of enormous, curved structures.
White.
Jagged.
Towering.
Like ribs.
No—
Like a spine.
The spine of something colossal.
A dead leviathan's corpse.
"…That's where we're going" Alice said quietly.
Caspian nodded.
"…Yeah."
—
That night—
When they stopped.
Caspian lay down, closing his eyes.
Trying to sleep.
But—
Something felt off as the night became strangely silent.
Faint.
Distant.
Almost imperceptible.
A heartbeat.
No—
More than one.
Three.
Three heartbeats.
Familiar somehow.
Caspian's eyes snapped open.
He sat up slightly.
Listening.
"…What…"
They were far away.
Very far.
Barely there.
And it dissapeared or it was covered by other sounds.
Like it had never been there.
Caspian remained still for a few seconds.
Then—
Shook his head slightly.
"…Just fatigue."
It had to be.
After everything—
It made sense.
Hallucinations.
His body was exhausted.
His mind strained.
There was no other explanation.
Right?
He lay back down.
Closed his eyes again.
And this time—
Sleep came.