The warmth of the improvised shelter was barely enough to dispel the frigid atmosphere of the night, but the conversation taking place within its bounds was enough to keep any air of tranquility tense.
In the quiet of that space, Ashfall kept his gaze fixed on Priscilla after having recounted to her in meticulous detail everything he had done after managing to escape the agonizing Forgotten Shore.
Every word, every stretch of his journey, and every danger evaded sounded like an epic impossible to assimilate for anyone who had not walked among the shadows of the ruins.
Priscilla, upon hearing all of it, remained completely astonished. Her expression shifted between disbelief and a contained amazement she could not fully conceal. She brought a hand to her chin and began looking at Ash, murmuring things to herself, processing the magnitude of the events under her breath:
"Crossing Hollow mountains... stealing food directly from a demon's home... and on top of that taking a bunch of dolls in the process..." she whispered, shaking her head slightly as if trying to fit together the pieces of a grotesque puzzle.
Ash smirked, watching his companion's reaction with a mix of serenity and amusement.
"I know it might be quite hard to believe," he said, adjusting his posture and letting his voice sound firm, "but it's the absolute truth. Every step of that journey happened exactly as I told you."
Priscilla let out a long sigh and looked him directly in the eyes, surrendering to the evidence of Ash's temperament.
"I believe you," she finally admitted, shrugging. "At this point, there are too many crazy and deranged things in the current world. The Dream Kingdom has taught us that sanity is relative. So your story, even though it sounds deranged, fits right in with all the madness that surrounds us daily."
Ash nodded silently at her words. However, the jovial nuance of his face disappeared in an instant.
His posture turned rigid and his expression turned severe, marking the end of the casual conversation.
"Now then, there's something else you should know," Ash began, with a much more serious tone. "My true motives for wanting to challenge the Second Nightmare are not simply advancing in rank or seeking the glory that many pursue. The reality is that I need souls. I need a large quantity of them to continue my experiments, and the only place where I could get them on the necessary scale would be inside a Nightmare."
Priscilla blinked repeatedly, visibly thrown off by the declaration. The mere mention of manipulating or collecting that which constituted the basic essence of living beings bordered on taboo.
"Souls?" she asked, frowning in confusion. "Ash, the souls of abominations and the fallen are things that simply disappear into nothingness as soon as they die. They dissolve, they break... How the hell could you dare to trap them?"
"I have a method to do it," Ash responded coldly, without offering further explanations about the exact nature of his abilities or the artifacts he intended to use.
"An efficient and controlled method. That's why I'm asking you directly: knowing all this, do you accept coming with me?"
Priscilla fell silent for a few seconds, weighing the weight of the proposal, the madness of the endeavor, and the dangerous ambition of the man before her. Finally, she let out a small resigned laugh.
"I said yes, and I keep my word," she declared firmly. "But let's be realistic, Ash. We need more people. Just the two of us won't be enough to challenge a Second Nightmare and come out alive. It would be guaranteed suicide."
Ash tilted his head, considering the woman's words. It was a practical and accurate assessment.
"Do you have some candidates in mind?" he asked.
Priscilla nodded immediately, demonstrating that she had already been thinking about the structure of a possible squad.
"Indeed. There's one in particular that I know is actively preparing to challenge his Second Nightmare. His Aspect is quite useful, versatile in combat, and would give us the tactical support we lack. If we manage to convince him, our chances will increase considerably."
"That will do," Ash nodded. "We'd need to be at least five or six in total to guarantee success, distribute the combat load, and gather enough information about the terrain before making any hasty decisions inside the nightmare."
Priscilla looked at him with renewed curiosity and posed the crucial question that determined the entire plan:
"You speak with a lot of confidence... Do you happen to know where there's an active Seed?"
Ash nodded slowly, closing his eyes for a brief instant to concentrate on the invisible currents fluctuating in the environment.
"Yes," he affirmed upon opening them. "I can feel it clearly. There's a category-two Nightmare Seed not far from our position. Its presence is undeniable."
Suddenly, the atmosphere inside the shelter changed drastically. The air turned heavy, soaked with a murderous intent that belonged to neither of the two. The ground trembled slightly with a subtle but uninterrupted vibration.
Ash stood up in a fluid motion, extending his right hand to summon his sword. The black, sharpened metal materialized amid sparks of dark light, emitting a low hum as its owner took the hilt.
"Apparently," Ash said, looking toward the gloom outside, "some abominations are beginning to gather around us. They've located us."
Priscilla sighed again, but this time she unsheathed her own weapon with an ease that revealed years of training and survival instinct. A sharp smile drew itself on her lips.
"I suppose the rest is over," Priscilla said. "Let's go kill some of those things. I could really use a good distraction to clear my head from so much tactical talk."
Without wasting a single second, Ash concentrated his essence and summoned his Echo. Amid a flash of dark energy and electromagnetic sparks, the enormous Black Steel Raven materialized in the air, emitting a metallic screech that resonated throughout the area and cut through the silence of the night.
"Attack," Ash ordered with an icy voice, pointing toward the underbrush.
The raven spread its majestic polished metal wings, raising a gust of freezing air, and dove headfirst into the density of the forest like a living projectile. Seconds later, the sound of flesh being torn apart and the roar of several corrupted creatures resonated among the trees.
Ash and Priscilla launched themselves immediately behind the beast, plunging into the gloom of the forest. The night, which until a moment ago harbored plans of ambition and revealed secrets, transformed at once into a chaotic battlefield where steel, magic, and blood once again dictated the rules.