Chapter 15

In the grey light of morning, they abandoned the tall hill and ventured west, retracing their steps from yesterday. Knowing the path, the small party made quick progress.

Nephis and Kiyotaka was walking in front, their swords ready to strike at any moment. A bit behind them was Sunny. This time, the responsibility of holding the golden rope and guiding Cassie along was entrusted to him.

Of course, the actual person... creature?.. leading them was Sunny's shadow. It scouted ahead, carefully observing the labyrinth for signs of danger.

The labyrinth was just as it was before, confusing and seemingly endless. Crimson blades of "coral" protruded from the black mud, creating a vast, tangled forest.

As they progressed through the labyrinth, they occasionally stumbled upon Scavangers, fighting them if their numbers were low, and circling around them if their numbers were high.

As the sun aproached its zenith, they decided to rest a little and distribute soul shards among themselves. To the surprise of Nephis, both Kiyotaka and Sunny refused . Looking at them strangely she asked .

"Dont you..want to get stronger?"

Sunny grinned .

"Leave it to yourself, you are fighting force of our party, you need them more that scout like me does!, Also , consider it a trade! I will give you all my sould shards in jourbey to castle inexchange for you teaching me!"

Nephis was silebf for a moment before nodding at Sunny and looking at Kiyotaka.

Kiyotaka spoke .

"I dont need them, leave it to yourslef"

The silver-haired girl looked at him with confusion.

"Why? your role is important as mine, we need you to get stronger."

Kiyotaka answered.

"i want you to teach me to your fighting style too"

She remained confused but didnt press futher .

As days passed, they moved closer to west , with Nephis teaching Sunny and Kiyotaka Immortal Flame Clabs swordsmanship . Kiyotaka was a quick learner as he was already sword expert . Sunny, on the other hand , was spending time swinging his sword vertically 1000 times.

Ayano's quick learning capabilities surprised Nephis and made her pleased . Due to that, she would often give him a free time , and focus on Sunny.

Ayanokouji didnt waste his free time as he talked with Cassie on how to fight while blinded. He talked about his experience in the underground tunnel and how he navigated through darkness using 3D Visualization in his mind .

Cassie was clearly excited as she gradually learned how to visualize . She was very smart girl and her Flaw made her only more desparate to learn .

Like that , time passed. On the tenth day from their "reunion" they Cassie again saw a dream, but this time there was worry displayed on her face .

Shivering a little she spoke.

"At first, I saw a... a boundless darkness locked behind seven seals. Something vast was churning in the darkness. I felt like if I directly saw it, I would lose my mind. As I watched, terrified, the seals broke one after another, until only one remained. And then that seal broke, too."

She trembled a little.

"After that... I don't know. It was as though my mind shattered into a thousand shards, each shard reflecting its own image. Most of them were dark and scary. Some I have already forgotten. The other..."

Cassie fell silent, remembering.

"I saw the human castle again. Only this time, it was at night. There was a lonely star burning in the black skies, and under its light, the castle was suddenly consumed by fire, with rivers of blood flowing down its halls. I saw a corpse in a golden armor sitting on a throne; a woman with a bronze spear drowning in a tide of monsters; an archer trying to pierce the falling sky with his arrows; a knight turning mad and slaugthering everything in his way"

Finally, she looked up, her face full of horror.

"In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads were guarding seven locks. And at the top, a... a dying angel was being consumed by hungry shadows. When I saw the angel bleed, I suddenly felt as though... as though something so precious that it can't be described with words was taken from me.

Her voice became quieter.

"Then, I felt so much sorrow, pain and rage that what little remained of my sanity seemed to disappear. That was when I woke up... I think."

Kiyotaka silently analyzed, trying to make sense of Cassies words.

'A knight that went mad, a shadow consuming the Angel'

Sighing deeply to himself he looked towards the west with profound gaze.