Author Note:
A problem I found that is clearly a plot hole is about the Zenith shard. In the wiki, it was said that Effie inherited the shard from the huntress in the Second Lord cohort, who was Effie's mentor, and in my ff, the huntress died along with the Second Lord before Faraam reached the bright castle by 8 months.
So, for now, think about it as the huntress gave Effie the Zenith shard before she left for the Crimson Spire and couldn't have the time to train Effie well.
I also fixed the chapters before.
***
"A rat recognizes its kin," the man spoke.
Sunny frowned for a second, then he understood what the man meant.
'He is from the outskirts as well.'
Sunny nodded his head, in his imagination at least. He didn't show it to the others, of course.
Now the remaining question is how did he know Nephis was a legacy?
Fortunately, he didn't need to ask, as Nephis had already beaten him to it.
"And how did you know I was a legacy?"
"Hmm... well, you have that look, that you see yourself as someone who was born for something great and all others are beneath you. Something typically you see in a legacy."
Nephis's face didn't change, still stoic as ever, as she didn't even care about what the man said. Well, if she did, she hid it well.
"And how would someone born in the outskirts know how a legacy looks?"
The man's smile remained the same; his face remained the same looking at Nephis's eyes, and then he chuckled.
"It seems I've let my tongue slip... very well, come in."
Sunny frowned, 'Suspicious.'
But they didn't move. Why? Well, they still don't know who the man is.
"You still haven't told us who you are," Sunny spoke.
The man frowned, then glanced at Effie, who had a big smile on her face as she found everything going on amusing.
"She shrugged her shoulders and asked, "What?"
The man just sighed, "I'm Faraam, right-hand man of Gunlaug and leader of the hunters and pathfinders, and also the minister of money."
The three of them looked at Effie with death glares, but not Cassie because she couldn't see and she couldn't give someone that look. The girl was just that pure.
"Look, I might have said that everyone in the castle is a bastard, and I still stand by that. This... bastard is less of a bastard than the others."
Faraam smiled. "Why, thank you."
Nephis was the first one to move, and the three followed, with Effie last closing the doors.
The three were guided to a table, with Effie jumping on the bed.
"So, how was the journey to the bright castle?"
"It... it was hard." It was Cassie who answered.
Faraam nodded his head.
"The poor three thought they would find a gate here." Effie spoke as she was lying on the bed.
"My condolences then," Faraam said, glancing at the three, "As you should've already known, there is no gate here."
Silence stretched for a few seconds.
Sunny spoke, breaking the silence, "What do you mean 'there is no gate here'?"
Faraam sat on the other side of the table, in front of Nephis.
"As I said, there is no gate 'here'."
"So you know where a gate is?" Nephis asked.
Faraam didn't speak; he just pointed at the window where a towering red building stood. The Crimson Spire.
"Stop it." The four of them glanced at Effie, who was sitting on the bed.
Faraam smirked. "Why?"
"Stop doing what you have done to us... Stop giving them hope."
Faraam didn't respond to her, as someone already did. It was Nephis.
"Miss Effie, from now on, this doesn't concern you." Nephis looked back at Faraam. "If you know where the gate is, why didn't you already try to leave?"
Faraam smiled, "The Spire is sealed; we can't enter even if we want to."
Sunny suddenly recalled something. It was Cassie's dream.
'In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads were guarding seven locks.' Sunny thought about it for a second. 'This must be what he meant.'
He then spoke, "And I suppose you don't know how to unseal it?"
Faraam shook his head. "We actually do."
Sunny didn't predict that at all.
"If you know how to unseal it, then why are you still stuck here..." Cassie asked.
The answer was obvious, actually, and Sunny could guess why.
Faraam sighed again. "To unseal the Crimson Spire, you must gather seven keys. That is what the second lord of the Bright Castle left before he died trying to enter the spire. In the past two and half years, I tried to figure out what the keys are exactly... and I figured it out."
Suddenly a dagger appeared in his hand. It wasn't like how a normal memory would be summoned.
"They are unique memories, called shards."
Sunny's eyes widened for a second, then his face returned to normal. But it was too late; Faraam noticed that, and Cassie... was looking at him.
Faraam didn't mention that and continued explaining. "Shards are unique memories to the Forgotten Shore and can be found nowhere other than here. We have three of them right now."
He pointed at the dagger in his hand. "One with me, the other with Effie, and the last one with the leader of the handmaidens. And we have found the whereabouts of two more. One below the Dark City in the Catacombs, and the other in the Hollow Mountains, somewhere with the dead body of the First Bright Lord."
"And why didn't you try to get them?"
Faraam glanced at Nephis. "For the Hollow Mountains it was nearly impossible to reach it. Nearly because the First Bright Lord did it, but we don't know how. As for the Catacombs, we did try, but we failed."
Effie remained silent.
Faraam then looked at Sunny, a smile on his face. "I suppose you have found one of the shards in your way here."
Sunny mentally sighed and then summoned a memory.
It was an austere tachi, between seventy and eighty centimeters long. It was forged out of the same bright, lustrous metal with a hilt made out of polished black wood.
Memory: [Midnight Shard]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Memory Description: [Forged from the shard of a fallen star, this stalwart blade is firm and unyielding. It favors those who are willing to fight to the last drop of blood and knows no surrender.]
Memory Tier: III.
Memory Enchantments: [Unbroken].
Enchantment Description: [This blade refuses to be broken, and thus is durable beyond reason. It will greatly enhance the power of its wielder when they are close to death, however only if the wielder is unwilling to surrender.]
Effie jumped at her feet as she saw the tachi.
Faraam laughed as he saw it. When he finally lost all hope, here they came, to rekindle his hope.
He stood up and went to a chest; inside, a large number of shards were inside. Sunny didn't even know how a chest could have that many shards inside, but he guessed that the chest was some kind of a memory.
Faraam took ten shards and gave them to the three.
"Normally I would give a newcomer two shards, but for showing me the tachi, here are four more." He then walked to the door. "You can go down and replace your shards with coins. An awakened shard equals ten coins, and an ascended one equals fifty. Beware of the gold digger in the reception; she likes to steal a lot.
The three stood up and walked to the door. Effie walked behind them.
Faraam glanced at Effie, "If you would, please guide them."
She nodded her head.
"It was nice meeting you all; I hope we meet again."
The three nodded their heads and left. Closing the door behind them.
...
..
"This is the last chance... I must talk to her..." Faraam muttered.
***