Death Zone

This high into the foothills of the mountains, they didn't have to look long for a suitable shelter. In fact, they could have simply camped in the open.

The dark sea couldn't get to them anymore.

As the night descended and enveloped the world in the familiar veil of absolute darkness, Sunny volunteered to be the first one to stand watch. Gazing down the sloping surface of the rocky ground, he watched as the black water slowly rose from the distant crimson forest of the Labyrinth.

It crawled up the steep slope of the foothills, straining to devour as much of them as it could, but then stopped hundreds of meters away from the place where the cohort had made their camp and swayed gently, unable to move any further.

Just like the headless colossus had not been able to.

Looking at the powerless waves, Sunny finally allowed himself to believe that they were now outside of the Forgotten Shore.

Or, more precisely, at the very edge of it. In any case, the cursed sea was no longer a threat to them.

'How strange.'

Sunny had grown accustomed to living in the constant fear of this transient abyss. Even in the Dark City, he was constantly aware of its oppressive presence. No one was free of the frightening thoughts about what would happen if the seemingly unassailable wall of the city finally gave in and fell, opening the way to the flood of darkness.

But now, they were safe from it.

…For now.

With a sigh, Sunny summoned the Blood Blossom. An intricate pendant in the shape of a beautiful red flower soon appeared, hanging on a black thread around his neck. He admired it for a few short moments, and then hid the charm under his armor.

It was better to be safe than sorry. Relaxing now was not the brightest of ideas.

Yes, the dangers of the dark sea were now behind them. But he was ready to bet that actually escaping the clutches of the Forgotten Shore was not going to be that easy.

And who said that the place beyond this desolate hell was any better? With his luck, it was only going to be worse.

Consumed in thought, Sunny stared at the dark sea and waited.

***

In the morning, the members of the cohort prepared to start the search. But before they could get to it, Nephis suddenly stopped them and peered at the towering peaks that loomed above in a veil of mist.

There was a dark expression on her face.

After a while, Changing Star suddenly kneeled and picked up a large rock. Straining her muscles, she crushed it in her fist and then looked at the shards with an inquisitive look.

Finally, she threw the shattered pieces away and sighed.

A few seconds later, Nephis spoke in a heavy tone:

"...I know where we are."

What was that supposed to mean?

Echoing his thought, Effie scoffed.

"We all know where we are, princess. The southern edge of the Forgotten Shore, about two thousand kilometers away from the Dark City. No?"

Nephis shook her head and stood up.

"I mean I know where we are in the Dream Realm."

Everyone froze.

"What… what did you just say?"

The members of the cohort stared at her with their eyes opened wide. The words Changing Star had said hit them like a bolt of lightning.

She pointed at the draconian peaks and said, her voice even:pan da-nov el ,c`o`m

"We are north of the Hollow Mountains. I am sure of it."

'Hollow… mountains?'

The name rang a bell, but Sunny couldn't quite put his finger on where exactly he had heard it. Glancing at the other members of the cohort, he noticed that everyone shared the same expression — except for Caster, who seemed to know something. His face grew pale.

Nephis lingered for a few moments, and then explained:

"Human sphere of influence in the Dream Realms is not very large, but it has been slowly expanding for the last thirty years. There are three great Citadels, the most prosperous of which, Bastion, is ruled by the noble scions of the Valor clan. And numerous lesser ones."

Then, she grimaced.

"For a time, the allies and vassals of Clan Valor used to conquer one lesser Citadel after another, expanding human territory far into the north. But then their expansion in that direction stalled. Because they encountered Hollow Mountains."

'Oh… right. I think I heard that from teacher Julius. The northern border of the human territory is a wild place.'

Sunny frowned.

"Are these… Hollow Mountains very dangerous?"

Changing Star gritted her teeth.

"As dangerous as it gets. Actually, beyond that. The mountain chain stretches for thousands of kilometers, forming a whole region of its own. It is marked as a death zone. Even Saints don't come back from there alive."

Sunny shivered. Death zones were regions of the Dream Realm populated by Nightmare Creatures of the three highest ranks — Great, Cursed, and Unholy.

Since no human had survived the Fourth Nightmare yet, facing even the weakest of them was a death sentence to anyone below the Saint rank, and even Saints had only a slight chance of prevailing against a Great creature… let alone a Cursed one.

Somehow, Sunny managed to become one of the few people alive to slay a Great Devil. But he had only survived that encounter by pure luck — if not for his weird trait of possessing a Shadow Core instead of a Soul Core, the unborn spawn of the Vile Thieving Bird would have stolen his life force and killed him on the spot.

…And if Nephis was right, the Hollow Mountains were populated by many creatures of that caliber and higher.

Sunny sighed.

"So what you're telling us is that this place is even worse than the Forgotten Shore?"

Without having to say anything, Nephis simply nodded.

He smiled.

"Figures."

He had been right after all. Escaping the Forgotten Shore was simply impossible.

The only way out lay in the cursed Crimson Spire, and that…

That was where they were headed, whether he wanted to or not.

With a dark expression on his face, Sunny stared at the jagged peaks of the Hollow Mountains and said:

? n?? - ? o? ?? , ?`?`m "So… we are going there?"

Nephis lingered for a few moments, and then answered calmly:

"Let's hope not. We only need to get as far as the First Lord had gotten. That… that should be close to where we are right now."

Sunny looked at her and nodded.

"In that case, let's not waste any time. The sooner we return into the Labyrinth, the better."

'Gee. I never thought I would be impatient to return to that damned hellhole. You just never know what the future holds, huh?'