Chapter 7

Soon after entering the city, I separated from the caravan, kingdom knight David Luzemberg gave me a reward for helping him with the dark guild, although he didn't think it was necessary, but I was broke, after all Oshibana Town is known as a railway city, it is a city centered on a train station, only reason to use a caravan was to feel the adventure, but a train is more convenient.

Ah, this air makes me nostalgic, I'm going to look for a gun shop, my sword is pretty worn out, it would be nice to buy another one, but first I'll walk around the city and later I'll go to the store."

After walking around the city, Zafir went to the weapons store, the city is not big and has nothing attractive, entering the store he was looking for something interesting, the store had several types of weapons, be it: swords, axes, knives, spears, halberds, etc.

But he had a sword that caught his attention, it was on the glass counter showing, it was in the middle, very beautiful and just looking at it I want to buy it.

The instant I looked at her, feeling my heart flutter, feeling my mind a little dizzy and a husky voice resonating in my mind.

Then there was an elderly man of short stature, with a long beard and white hair, but with a robust body.

"Good afternoon young man, my name is Asfold Zuke, would you like something?"

"Good afternoon, my name is Zafir Olívin, I'm looking for a good sword, and I noticed a sword on your counter, you're not afraid that your swords will be stolen."

"Oh, wouldn't you be here to rob me, young man?"'

"N-Not ever"

"Okay, I believe you, in my youth I was once a guild mage, and this counter contains an enchantment, even an S-class mage would have a hard time destroying it."

"Let's get back to the subject, from what I've seen you're interested in "The Epiphany", it's a rare sword, created from a Dragon Lord named "Demodras"

Despite the frenzied personality of the Dragons, even the most ignorant would always stop baffled at the sight of their leader, Demodras, who is said to pulverize his own race under his infernal flame to earn respect for wicked behavior. It is also worth mentioning its powerful waves of fire that would destroy the densest forest in seconds and are capable, say the few who were able to see and survive, to set the seas on fire. For some reason, Demodras rests in the deep caverns of the Plains of Havoc where, according to some scholars, he rests embraced by the heat of hell. Others say that in reality he is not a Dragon, but a transformed Demon that feeds on the magma that expels volcanoes and is able to fire it at will. Whatever the reality, Demodras is a pretty strong enemy that makes use of his rather cunning Dragon intelligence, can kill in seconds and cook the perfect dinner to satiate his volcanic hunger.

"It's the legend that when the sword bearer has a strong connection with it, he can hear his voice, if it's true I don't know."

"And you must be wondering how to protect this sword from any kind of threats, that's simple, Force! my magic is special, I may not be the strongest, but few can compete with me in terms of survivability."

Plains of Havoc has always been one of the most feared places in the world, and even today, it's not good to be careless when venturing into the region. The famous Plains of Havoc, according to legends and stories, were formerly called Fair Plains, and it was a place dominated by the legendary Nightmare Knights, also known as Dreamwalkers, who had several posts and camps in the region.

Nightmare Knights learned the art of having vivid dreams from the ancient elves, but one thing differed from the elves: they had bad precognitive dreams, while the elves' dreams were always good. In this way, they increasingly began to understand how the forces of evil worked to seize power from the surface of the continent, and as they began to delve deeper and deeper into these secrets, many ended up joining the side of the evil forces. This was the case with the Necromancer King Goshnar, whose original name was Falnus. Goshnar was the father of Ferumbra, the mother of the well-known mage Ferumbras.

The Nightmare Knights are an ancient order of knights who have many rumors surrounding their existence and their ultimate demise. They were originally formed to defeat the lord of the undead known as Goshnar, once they saw Goshnar plotting in their dreams.

Their main base of operations was located in a monastery east of the Plains of Havoc temple. They trained and practiced their techniques with the strongest monsters found in the place. They also built Knightwatch Tower as an outpost to store equipment and travel to other places on the continent using the Path of Dreams (better known as magic forcefields).

The entire order of Nightmare Knights was structured around the interpretation of dreams and the art of "Dreamwalking," which was taught by Teshial. All paths were connected by the Chamber of Dreams, which is the passage through Hugo's prison, hidden by the long path below the abandoned monastery in Plains of Havoc.

The only way to enter the mysterious order of Nightmare Knights is to pass the "Dream Challenge." The entrance to this challenge is in a secret pickhole below the monastery. It consists of riddles and acts of courage designed to test the cunning and knowledge of the participants.

The Nightmare Knights were also the keepers of the plains' secrets. They built a base below the Tomb of Goshnar and above the Well of Life, the so-called "Sanctuary of Wonders". Goshnar's Grave is accessible through a hole in the catacombs below Necromant House.

The Nightmare Knights' fate was foretold after the war with Goshnar, and was sealed when the Ruthless Seven wanted to capture the Halls of Dreams in the Dream Realm. The Dreammaster, who was the eldest of the order and keeper of the Dreamwalking's secrets, was lost in the Dream Realm after the Ruthless Seven captured the last Hall of Dreams. The Knights' Dream Chamber was their only hope of survival, but they were unable to retrieve it, so they were separated.

The last of the Nightmare Knights is a teacher located in the dream realm, although you can find many in the form of a ghost in the old place they once inhabited.

"Legend has it that there was a letter from one of the last Nightmare Knights, which read:

I tried to discover the secrets of my ancestors, but I failed. The damn dragons fool me! I escaped, but I know I'm mortally wounded. Even if I could get out of here I would never reach Knightwatch Tower to use its secrets for resupply. Now that Camdrek is dead I'll never be able to open it... It's too hot, my eyesight is fading... May the gods forgive my failure..."

"If you try to venture into that region one day you may find the bodies of several old elders around the Plains of Havoc. Legend says that there are three bodies in the giant spider's hole, one contains a book with lore concerning the hours. Nightmare Knights endings."

"Sir, why are you telling me all this? I'm a stranger, is it okay to say all this to someone you just met?"

"It's all fate, as soon as you walked through the door, I noticed the sword reacting to you. I haven't conquered anything in my life, so I want to pass the sword to you, I want to see your name echo across the continent."

"Mr Asfold, I appreciate your trust, I won't be a hypocrite, after hearing the whole story, I feel more urge than ever to get this sword, in addition, I feel the sword ringing in my ears and it said: "I WILL SET THE WORLD ON FIRE!"; "I WILL PROTECT MY BROOD!".

On hearing what I said, Mr Asfold was very excited. "HAHAHAHA, I was right, you are the chosen one, young man, I hope you can take this sword in hand, I was born in this city and retired here, decide to spend the rest of my life here, so it's hard to find someone suitable for " The Epiphany".

"Mr Asfold, could you tell me a little about Magic Forcefield and Dreamwalk?"

"I don't know much about them, but I'll tell you what I know."

"The ability to dreamwalk was first conceived by the Teshial. It consists of appearing and hiding oneself from others around one. It also addresses the development of consciousness through dreams. Prior to the Teshial, dreams were considered very mysterious and uncontrollable. This caste elven mystic discovered what the "Curtain of Consciousness" is, a thin barrier between the unconscious and the conscious Dream Realm.As elves became more aware of their dreams, they were able to interpret them and make predictions accordingly, as well as wandering through the dreams of others.

Dreamwalking is a very complex form of Dream Magic. It allows you to consciously walk between the Dream Realm and can even change it. To "walk" you must have a focused and clear mind. Thoughts must be controlled, otherwise your dream could consume you. Walking freely through the Dream Realm is dangerous, so the elder of the Nightmare Knights has developed specific paths through the dream world that lead to a certain destination. These paths became known as Dreampaths. All paths are connected to the Chamber of Dreams, which acts as a controlled entrance/exit to the Dream Realm. The Nightmare Knights have become renowned for using their knowledge of dreams to fight an imminent threat. When the Ruthless Seven eventually invaded his dreams, their forces took over every path in the realm that the Knights used. Using their own dreams against them, the demons were able to find and destroy the Nightmare Knights.

However... they say that the last Dream Master, who had already taught the Knights the art of Dreamwalking, still lives somewhere in the Dream Realm, but since the realm has no end, it's almost impossible to find him... at least that there is a way there.

The vacuum that was created in the Necromant House was a failed attempt to create a path to the Pits of Inferno, which accidentally created an entrance to a remote part of the Dream Realm. It's of no use except to quickly get out of the Plains of Havoc."

They also have seven extremely trusted members who take care of plans in a place known as Demon Forge. We know them only as Ruthless Seven Minions.

The Ruthless Seven are the plots of archdemons who follow Zathroth's orders. Demon Overlords obey your wishes.

Each of the Ruthless Seven represents an infernal circle. Each one has a kind of "evil" that can happen. Fire, despair, plague, curse, destruction, lies and undead.

The Ruthless Seven learned the lost art of dreamwalking and mastered all the key points of finding the Nightmare Knights. Thus they nearly annihilated the ancient order of knights. Before being eliminated, they created a labyrinth beneath the Plains of Havoc, within the Pits of Inferno itself, where they had built an outpost. In this labyrinth there is a throne for each of the Ruthless Seven, each with a small essence of these evil demons.

They are:

Apocalypse, total destruction

Ashfalor, Urgith's right hand. The general of the undead mobs.

Bazir, the great imposter, lord of lies

Infernatil, the incendiary of hell

Pumin, the Lord of Despair

Tafariel, the curse lover

Verminor, the Plague Lord

Uman Zathroth, along with Fardos are the first powerful entities to appear in the void. They are also called Elder Gods. Uman Zathroth is made up of two unequal halves linked to eternity. Even though the two halves are just one god, each part has its own mind and is completely independent of the other.

"On the other hand, "Magic Forcefield" is a type of space magic that creates magical portals that will teleport you to a place you are familiar with, it is necessary to record the coordinates with a spell. Portals cannot be moved, but can only be destroyed using space magic ."

"Mr Asfold, by any chance you... Excuse me, I was about to ask something icovinient, thank you very much, I'm sure I will become a famous person and you will see my name resound across the continent."

"It's getting late, I'm on my way out, tomorrow I have some things to do, Mr. Asfold, when I leave town I'll come to say goodbye, see you soon."

Leaving the store, Zafir went to an apartment he rented.

Today was a special day, a lot of information, an ordinary day, I would buy just one sword, one day I will go to this place, although I have no idea where it is.

Arriving home, Zafir went to take a shower and then sat on the bed with his sword in his hand."

"Getting a mighty sword like you for free, but I know it's not as simple to wield a sword like you,"

Roooor...

Feeling the Roar in his mind, Zafir smiled and then put the sword in its scabbard and lay down.