Leon was more excited than nervous. He could end up anywhere in the Dream Realm, but he hoped to end up in an undocumented region — perhaps even Forgotten Shore.
After the Spell's greetings, Leon opened his eyes — only to find himself free falling, with nothing beneath him. He adjusted midair before hitting something cold and being pulled under. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness.
The pressure soon shifted around him. It wasn't solid ground, it was water. Without hesitation, he tried to swim upward, only to realize his sense of direction was completely disoriented. Struggling to position himself, Leon then used his Shadow Sense, barely understanding which way was up.
He forced himself upward, his lungs burning, cold seawater rushing into his mouth. He finally broke through the surface. To his surprise, everywhere he looked, he saw a dark, unending sea.
'Stormsea?'
Leon kept swimming, finding no land nearby. Eventually, he spotted a mass protruding from the seamless ocean. He swam toward it and climbed onto the red rock. He took a few deep breaths and began looking around. Above him stretched a black expanse — no moon, no stars, just a vast darkness covering the sky.
No matter how far he looked, he only saw the never-ending black ocean. He examined the rock he stood on — it was nearly five meters in diameter, and completely crimson in color. It almost resembled coral.
Leon sighed and turned to Noah.
"Well?"
Noah looked at him and smiled.
"You'll meet your friends, though I don't know how soon."
Leon nodded and turned back toward the vast sea.
"The Forgotten Shore."
He murmured under his breath.
***
The next morning, Leon saw the sea retreat. He couldn't hide his amazement, as the water sank away at all sides.
Leon wanted to get down and begin exploring. But before that, he thought it would be a good time to check on his memory.
Memories: [Crown of Ember]
He focused on the runes of the single memory he had.
[Crown of Ember]
Memory Rank: Awakened (Dormant)
Memory Type: Relic
Memory Description: [A faint fragment of divine flame once burned in the heart of a young maiden who longed for a family. She was raised an outsider, yet she continued to protect her people. She never kneeled, not even to the will of gods. She was fated to become a beacon of humanity. Yet her flame was extinguished by a cunning will unworthy of it.]
Enemies Slain [0/500]
Leon read the description on the crown as a sharp pain radiated through his chest. He summoned the crown and gripped it tightly.
But something caught the attention of Leon.
He narrowed his eyes as he read ahead.
Enchantments:
Pyric Ledger:
[Each death witnessed within a limited radius feeds the ember bound to this relic. The greater the loss of life, the greater its connection with fate, the stronger the flame it can unleash.]
Ember Charge: [300/1000]
Warmth of the Dead:
[The flame can mend flesh and mind, but only by burning the souls it has accumulated.]
Cinder Cataclysm:
[All stored souls are compressed into a single, irreversible release.]
Leon smiled. The crown could basically mirror Aurelia's abilities. Even her flaw it seemed. He then explained the crown's description and its enchantments to Noah, who was staring at the crimson crown curiously.
"You can see the enchantments?" Noah asked.
Leon nodded.
"Interesting. He needed a fragment of—"
Noah's voice cut out for a second.
"—to see that."
"What? The fragment of what?"
Noah looked at Leon calmly, clearly aware of his confusion.
"Don't worry about it. Just know that we're going to have a beautiful collection."
Leon was even more confused but didn't pry further. He wanted to know more but he understood Noah's limitations.
'Or is he really limited?'
The doubt gnawed at him. Was Noah truly suppressed or merely pretending?
This was the first time his voice had actually been cut off. Other times, he simply said he couldn't tell him anything.
He wanted to use his aspect ability to remove the Veil of Forgotten Truths. But two things stopped him from doing so.
The first, he was simply too weak to remove the Veil. After experimenting, he observed that Oathbound felt weaker compared to the Veil. It was also complex — much like the Fated attribute.
It was as though the Veil of Forgotten Truths were made up of multiple attributes, hidden beneath its surface.
He glanced at Noah. The second was Noah himself. Removing the Veil could potentially remove the limitation on his memory... or perhaps completely erase them. Acting rashly might even result in Noah's death. He did not know whether his Aspect Ghost was tied to the attribute, or to his own soul.
Leon then turned back to the sea, which was receding rapidly — as if it were trying to avoid the rising sun.
"So how come it has 300 charge?" Noah asked as he stood beside Leon, watching the darkness withdraw.
Leon remained silent for a while, thinking. The enchantment stated that it would scale based on the loss of life, and its connection with fate. He had never used the memory before, so the only remaining conclusion was—
"Aurelia..."
Noah slowly nodded. "No wonder our aspect is sacred. She must have become someone important."
'Our aspect?'
He knew Noah has confirmed earlier he had none of Leon's attributes. They had even tested it earlier with Oathbound. Leon had his doubts that perhaps Noah had his aspect and his flaw, but no solid evidence pointing to that.
Leon remained silent, as he let the crown vanish into a swirl of white sparks. As Noah explained that the sea retreated at dawn, and returned by dusk, Leon was climbing down the coral. When his feet touched the dark mud, he looked around the huge labyrinth.
The labyrinth felt like an entirely different world, with its twisting dark paths, all he could see was red.
It was so large and complex — Leon had a mild headache trying to memorize the different pathways he used.
After walking for a couple hours, he noticed a monster in the distance — well technically a beast.
They were large, four-legged beasts. A human-like torso clad in thick chitinous armor, with two narrow eye slits with a vicious looking mouth.
Instead of hands the creature had two large pincers.
'Ugly.'
"Carapace Scavenger, an Awakened Beast." Noah said, narrowing his eyes at the creature.
Leon smiled as the beast noticed him. It produced an ugly sound with its mouth, while approaching him rapidly.
"Let's see what this can do."
Leon said as he summoned [Crown of Ember] again.
A red crown manifested on Leon's head as his gaze locked onto the Carapace Scavenger. The scavenger was closing in on Leon with great speed. As he activated his crown, he could feel heat permeate through his entire body.
His breaths felt warmer and he could feel wisps of flame around his fingertips. Leon raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Ember Charge: [300/1000]
Ember Charge: [290/1000]
A blast erupted beneath the scavenger, swallowing it in flame.
The scavenger gnashed its teeth and waved its pincers around. The sea of flames eventually disappeared, and Leon could see the scavenger still standing.
Its entire body was burnt, with smoke rising from the scavenger. Parts of its flesh were visible, while he could hear its piercing screech.
Noah whistled while Leon clicked his tongue and activated the crown once again.
Ember Charge: [290/1000]
Ember Charge: [190/1000]
The world turned white for a second. A violent bloom of fire swallowed the space between them. Leon underestimated the crown's capabilities and instantly consumed a hundred charge.
Instantly, he was thrust backward at an incredible speed. He could feel his body burn due to the heat.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[A new pattern has been completed.]
[Resonance Fragment acquired.]
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[You have received a Memory.]
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
He groaned as he groggily got up. His eyes adjusted to see again. When he looked toward where the scavenger had been, he saw nothing but ashes on the ground and a massive crater.
The nearby coral labyrinth was completely gone, giving way to a vast open field. There were no soul shards, no corpse of the scavengers.
'I caught more in the blast radius, huh.'
Noah's mouth was wide open. "Maybe don't waste your ember charge."
Leon winced in pain. His flesh had been singed by the blast. He looked at the memory runes.
Ember Charge: [193/1000]
'The deaths in the blast radius must have charged the crown again...'
He then looked at his runes.
Name: Leonar
True Name: -
Rank: Dreamer
Resonance Core: Dormant
Resonance Fragments: [2/1000]
'I gained one fragment, so is it when I kill them? But I killed three scavengers...'
Leon sighed, looking at the small crater he had just formed.
Suddenly, a dark smile appeared on his face as he began chuckling.
'Shall I just nuke the entire Forgotten Shore?'
Leon laughed as he imagined himself blowing everything apart.
Activating the crown again, he focused the flames on his body this time. Bright orange flames enveloped his entire body, concentrated near the burn marks and torn flesh all over him. The pain slowly dissipated as he could feel his skin being forged anew.
He then walked around the labyrinth, seeing multiple scavengers appear near the crater, attracted to the sound of the explosion. Hiding in the cover of the tall corals, he decided it wasn't worth trying to kill them all. He would simply waste the ember charge.
After a few hours of exploring around and finding nothing, he decided to head back. The pathways were too complex to memorize, and if he couldn't find a high point before dusk, he would drown in the vast darkness.
Multiple scavengers began swarming around the crater. He thought for a second and decided to retreat as the sun was setting. Jumping from coral to coral, he barely managed to avoid attracting the scavengers nearby, as even they scurried around, noticing the sun descending.
***
Far away, there was a statue of a knight. On top of this statue was a young man with black hair. He was looking down into the distance, remaining silent.
Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded as the young man flinched and turned toward the source of the noise.
He saw a cloud of smoke rise in the distance.
'What the hell?'
The young man then guided his shadow through the labyrinth as he wanted to investigate the explosion, but he soon realized it was beyond his capabilities to send the shadow that far.
'A nightmare creature?'
***
Leon spent most of the night trying to stay awake but found it difficult. He knew sleeping would be dangerous, as anything could happen at night.
Unfortunately, Unfaltering Will removed his fear of the unknown, leaving only pure logic keeping him up right now.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, Leon suddenly saw a dim orange light shine in the distance.
The light wasn't very bright, but in the darkness of the Forgotten Shore, it shone like a star in the night sky.
Leon furrowed his gaze as he contemplated the possibilities.
'More humans? Nightmare Creature trap?'
The next moment though, the light disappeared.
Leon let out a low hum. If he was stuck here, then there was a possibility that others were too. Noah had already confirmed that he would have an opportunity to meet Sunny and Cassie.
'Perhaps it was a flame setup by someone, and they put it out because it attracted a monster. But what monster would come out seeking light?'
He smiled darkly, summoning the [Crown of Ember]
Raising his hand, he prepared himself to greet the abomination from the depths.
"Don't, we don't know what creature exists down there."
Leon didn't put his hand down, as he turned toward the direction where he heard Noah's voice.
"That light is where you'll find Changing Star." Noah added.
Leon stayed silent for a moment. He sighed and put his hand down.
Although he did not need any sort of gesture to activate the crown, he still felt it was cooler to do so.
"Alright." He grunted.
But the very next moment...
Ember Charge: [193/1000]
Ember Charge: [173/1000]
A small explosion occurred some distance from him. The blast sent waves of heat, and a blinding flash of light across the sea.
'Here we go.'
Although he knew that the sea monster could possibly kill him, his attribute simply enhanced his curiosity, dulling down his thinking. In his mind, he just had to see the creature.
'I'm sure it will be alright...'
Noah shouted nervously. "Close your eyes, fool!"
Leon ignored him, anticipating the arrival of the creature attracted to light.
"Do it now or I'll never help you!"
Leon frowned. He may have wanted to see what the creature was — but he needed Noah's knowledge a lot more. Even though Noah was suspicious, he had never lied till now.
Attending the academy, making Cassie his ally, explaining various things about the two realms — was all thanks to Noah. Even if Noah had remembered reading the novel, his memory felt perfect, being able to remember even the smallest lines. It was as though Noah had retained his aspect, but none of his flaws.
Leon scoffed as he closed his eyes.
He waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened.
Growing annoyed, he opened his eyes and turned to Noah,
"Well this was disappointi—
Before he could finish speaking, however, Leon felt a sharp shift in the air. It was subtle, but definitely different. Leon smiled, as he heard the water part behind him. Before he nearly turned around, Noah interrupted his movement.
"Don't. Turn."
Leon froze as he continued staring at Noah.
Naturally, he didn't freeze because Noah ordered him to, or because he was afraid of the creature behind him — but because something far more interesting was happening right in front of him.
Noah's face was pale. His eyes widened as his entire body shook.
'No way... he can feel fear?'
Leon continued to observe Noah's reaction. But then he heard a voice quite familiar, but also different.
"You can turn back now"
The voice said in a sweet tone.
'Is that...my voice?'
Leon did not turn back, trying to respect Noah's wishes.
He proceeded to close his eyes as the foreign voice continued to tempt him to open them. Leon activated his innate ability. He used shadow sense to sense the creature's shadow.
Except he couldn't find it.
Leon thought that the absence of light caused it not to have a shadow. Except something was wrong — as if the creature didn't have a shadow at all.
Summoning the crown on his head, he prepared himself to fight the creature.
"LOOK AT ME"
The creature seemed restless now.
The foreign voice shouted, but Leon remained indifferent. He felt sleepy.
He simply stood there, eyes closed.
He tried using shadow sense again, but there was still no shadow.
"Noah. What do you see?" Leon asked impatiently.
He didn't hear a reply.
Even the voice addressing him seemed to hesitate, as though it hadn't expected his lack of panic.
Leon frowned.
'Can the creature harm Noah?'
He could hear the creature moving around the platform, circling around him — studying him.
Strange squelching noises sounded around him. The creature continued to circle around Leon for a while before shifting its position again.
"ሠቹልህቹዪ"
This time, there was another voice speaking in a language he couldn't recognize. His ears immediately burst, blood pouring out. Leon fell down, clutching his head.
"AGHH!"
He screamed in agony, his eyes still shut.
"ቻልነርጎክልፕጎክፏ"
The voice sounded again. Except it was not Leon's voice. The voice sounded dry, as if it had not been used in years. It felt older than language itself.
Pain echoed through his mind, as Leon's screams echoed through the vast emptiness.
Eventually, his screams died down, and everything fell silent.
He fell unconscious.
The creature moved toward Leon, to grab him. But it paused.
It hovered over him, as though its body was being pushed away from him. Leon's silver dimly lit up.
"Dr-ea-m...Spa-wn..."
Another change in voice. The only one to observe this, was perhaps Noah only.
Right then, the sea rumbled. It was descending back down again. The creature immediately dove back into the water, without Leon.
The sun was already rising.
***
Some time ago...
Somewhere far away, a young man with pale eyes, Sunny, was stirred awake by his shadow.
He saw a bright orange light shining in the distance. He kept staring at the light.
'A nightmare creature?'
But the light soon disappeared.
He was deep in thought before a loud explosion caught his attention.
He turned back to see a flash of bright light in the complete opposite direction as the orange light.
He had to decide which direction to go toward.
Sunny exhaled.
"Yeah… what do you think?" he asked looking at his shadow.
The shadow simply shrugged.
Sunny kept thinking about what to do next.
'Would a nightmare creature really cause so many explosions as a trap? If anything the bright orange light feels deadlier.'
Sunny thought for a long while before eventually deciding on where to go.
He pointed at a direction and spoke to his shadow.
"Alright, we'll go that way first."
'Both look dangerous anyway.'