Mordret slashed the woman's throat open, buried the knife into her neck, and watched with an emotionless expression as her body fell to the floor and white mist poured out of her neck. He gripped the handle of the knife and yanked it out of her neck, making the steady stream of nothing pour out quicker.
From outside, a young man could be seen approaching the window at a leisurely pace, with a relaxed expression. As he reached the house, he glanced at the shattered window, then his gaze swept past Mordret as he slowly inspected the house inside, his gaze stopping momentarily.
He clearly caught a glimpse of one of the arms of the corpses in the kitchen. His gaze continued to roam the interior before coming to stare at the body that bled out on the floor at the front door. Finally, his gaze landed on Mordret, and he raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's no way to greet your former teacher. But I'm willing to forgive such a thing; it's water under the bridge."
He pointed past Mordret and offered a friendly smile.
"You've been busy, boy. You should do something about those bodies because if I can see them from here, then someone else definitely will."
Suddenly, the creature sighed as he stepped away from the window and disappeared from his view, heading elsewhere. Soon, Mordret watched as the front door twisted and was pushed open, revealing the young man, the creature currently used as an avatar. His figure took up the narrow door frame as he stood there with his hands clasped behind his back. Mordret trembled not with fear but with hatred.
"Call it hatred, call it whatever you want, I can still sense your fear beneath it all, boy."
"How are you here, wretch?"
The abomination smiled.
"My reflection is a world-famous astronaut with a devout following of people who practically worship him. They were already completely devoted to this inferior version of me, taking control of their bodies. It's a shame I can't devour them, well, I can, but I would rather not eat glass shards, especially since the others have no ranks."
"Speaking of ranks, the sorcerer believes your lesser half can kill you to become flawless and defy the law of imperfection to reach natural supremacy. I admit, I was surprised when your lesser half met him here shortly after you left him here 15 years ago. I always thought Weaver's high priest of the nightmare spell was the unholy titan that is currently with me on the moon."
Mordret's lips curled into a frown.
"What sorcerer? What are you talking about, foul creature?"
The abomination ignored him and continued to speak as his smile widened.
"But it won't work, you can repair a broken mirror, but it will still have cracks, and in this case, those cracks will be in your mind because your memories will be fragmented. That is because you and your lesser half have lived completely different lives after you put him here. Do you understand me, boy? Even if he succeeds in doing so, you will never be whole, no matter if you're a complete person or not. You cannot reach supremacy, so it would be best to give up, or I could kill you right now and get one nuisance out of the way."
Mordret smiled darkly.
"What is it that the Changing Star always says? If it is my will, who dares to stop me? Yes, that's right. Besides, you can't kill me, can you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be running your mouth. I'm convinced that you either like to hear yourself talk or that you like to ramble when you're scared."
The abomination raised an eyebrow.
"Scared? Scared of what, boy? Death cannot stop me. You can't kill an idea."
Mordret shook his head.
"You're afraid of something else in here, something far more terrible than the special reflection that is the castellan. Perhaps another reflection Mirage left in case something happened to the castellan."
The friendly yet unsettling smile that was plastered on the dreamspawn's face slightly dimmed, and Mordret knew he struck a nerve as his golden eyes became slightly colder. It gave him immense satisfaction to wipe that infuriating smile off his face, even if it was by a fraction.
"You know that there is nothing else aside from the Castellan, boy. You are making things up."
Mordret's smile widened.
"This entire place is made up, and if I am making it up as you say I am, why did you have such a reaction?"
The smile that Mordret despised dimmed a bit more, and his own smile grew. He mainly hated that smile as it was similar to the smile Mordret himself always used to pretend as if everything was amusing to him.
When, in reality, it never was. Hell, the only reason Mordret learned to smile after he gained his flaw was that the creature that shared his face taught him how to smile. In fact, the worthless creature taught all the fragments of himself how to smile and treated them as if they were truly siblings, not fragments of a 12-year-old boy.
The main reason the pathetic creature taught all of them was that his lesser half naively thought that father would welcome him back with open arms because he missed his son, he thought that father would be proud that he obtained a divine aspect, and that he would be pleasantly surprised that there were now seven of him. If Mordret were to be honest with himself, he had hoped the same thing as well, to be recognized and accepted by him for once.
Mordret's eyes hardened as the abomination's friendly smile returned.
"And yet he didn't accept you because he never wanted you in the first place. How could Vale be proud of a child he was completely convinced wasn't his own, but the other's? And he wasn't pleasantly surprised at there being seven of you because you killed them all. Even if you all did make it back to him, the result would have been the same, only in this scenario Madoc and old man Jest would have had to destroy seven bodies, souls, and spirits instead of one."
His smile grew wider.
"Ah, but enough about the past, you need to focus on the present. Don't you think it's strange that you all are playing around like children instead of finding ways to strengthen yourselves for the domain war? To me, it seems like you kids aren't thinking straight."
"Doesn't it make you wonder why that is? Why did Ki Song approve of the ball despite knowing that I'm spreading my name? Why did Sunless and you not attack more supply wagons after the first time? Why did Clan Valor not strike back? Have none of you ever stopped to consider why you all have been acting like you're not about to go to war?"
He was trying to get under his skin, to make it seem as if he were the reason behind their behavior, when Modret was certain he wasn't.
"Are you certain, though? Tell me, boy, how can you be so sure?"
Mordret's expression turned ugly for a moment before he suddenly smiled.
"A few moments ago, you said that death cannot stop you because it's not possible to kill an idea, but how can the idea of you exist when your entire existence will be me? How can you exist if Song of the Fallen wipes the very idea of you out of everyone's minds?"
The dreamspawn's smile widened even more.
"Because I will devour your lesser half, I will rip out Cassia's eyes."
Mordret stared at him for a long time, his smile long gone and replaced by an empty expression.
"You say you will do these things and yet you're still here talking to me, because that's all you are, all talk, no action. I realize now that you are nothing but a sad, pathetic creature wearing human skin, longing not to be forgotten by anyone, because you are nothing and always will be nothing. I have no idea why I've been so afraid of you."
"Then I will gladly remind you why, child."
As Mordret was about to answer, the dreamspawn's smile suddenly dropped as he looked around with an uneasy expression, and that was when Mordret felt it, a tidal wave of killing intent crashing over them like a wave from the storm sea where the house of Night resided. The irritating smile finally fell away from the creature's face, leaving only an empty, dead expression.
"What did you do?"
After those words left his mouth, the avatar he was using exploded into glass, leaving a weary Mordret looking around in confusion at what could cause a supreme, let alone that creature, to have such a reaction.
Before he could try to piece together what exactly occurred, he felt himself collapsing to his knees and clutched his head in agony from the unseen force as it continued to crash over him like waves. Whatever killed the abomination's vessel clearly had no ill intent towards Mordret himself; otherwise, he would have become a bloody mist from the killing intent alone as well.
No, this pressure was different from killing intent, and it was less murderous but just as overwhelming, and yet with all of that in mind, it still didn't stop the scream that tore from his throat due to the pain.
It was unlike any other presence he had felt in his life, not even Ki Song or the dreamspawn could compare to whatever bore down on him. It…. It was as if he were in the presence of a god. The last thing he saw and heard before he passed out was the orange evening sky.
…
"-he probably had too much to drink and stumbled into someone's house, that's all, Sebastian. Oh, I think he's waking up."
As Mordret blinked the tiredness out of his eyes, he felt a pair of arms lift him into a sitting position, and a voice spoke to him
"You're okay, you're fine, Mordret."
Mordret looked over to his right to see Morgan, who held a worried expression, something foreign to Mordret. When was the last time anyone had held such an expression for him?
'This truly is a reflection of her.'
"Morgan? Why are you here? Where am I? How long was I out?"
Morgan gave him a long look as she gently moved him from her shoulder, and that was when Mordret noticed his knife was missing and that it was afternoon, not evening.
"In the car, we're going back home. I carried you here, and you were out for almost a day. The better question is, what in the world are you wearing? And why were you at some house if you told me you were shopping with a friend? Did you leave him? Why
So she was in the house, did she not notice the body on the floor then? No, she had to have seen it; it was right at the front door. And what about the bodies in the kitchen and the dead dog on the floor? Did she somehow not see them either, or did she see them all and not care? And he was knocked out for an entire day?
"No, he decided to go back home.
Morgan huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Are you alright, though? You were barely moving; if I hadn't checked your pulse, I would've thought you were dead.
Mordret straightened in his seat and nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine,"
"Good, try to get some more rest and don't scare me like that again. You're lucky I was in the area; I didn't think you were so reckless as to do day drinking so much that you would black out. You're the CEO of Valor industry, what if someone saw you like that? You have to think about these things."
Mordret went along with what she thought happened and nodded again with a practiced guilty look.
"Yes, sister, I'm sorry."
It was thirty minutes later when they got out of the car and walked towards the mansion, he was met with a starling sight. It was his father, or rather the reflection of him, standing outside on the porch with a smile. The smile on his father's face widened as Mordret walked towards him. When he reached him, his father clasped his right shoulder firmly before pulling him into a… hug.
Mordret felt himself tense at the unfamiliar gesture, a look of surprise on his face. He had no idea what to say at the moment, as he had never received a hug from anyone in his life other than Seishan. As his father continued to hug him, Mordret slowly, hesitantly wrapped his arms around the older man's back and embraced him, the look of surprise never leaving his face.
"I'm glad you're back home safe, boy. I was getting worried about you."
The reflection of his father pulled away and patted his shoulder with a smile, yet Mordret continued to stare at him with the same expression as he took the time to process what had just occurred and what he was seeing at the moment. It was something he had never seen in his time around his real father: a smile, a smile filled with warmth and love, with affection, with care. Things that his true father had never shown Mordret or Morgan.
It was strange, so strange that he had no idea what to say for a few moments. He snapped out of his daze and shook his head.
"There is no need to be worried, fathe- dad. I can take care of myself."
"Yes, I know that, but have you seen the news recently? People have been going missing all of a sudden. So from now on, whenever either of you goes somewhere, let me or your mother know, and make sure you go with someone from your security detail, okay? Or go together if you can, I don't want my kids to go missing too."
Mordret nodded and patted the older man's arm.
"I will dad, I promise."
His father let out a sigh of relief and patted his shoulder a few times before letting go.
"Good, good, your grandfather and grandmother are here, by the way. They've been waiting for you and Morgan to come back."
"Have they now?"
Mordret was genuinely curious to see them, as he had never gotten a chance to meet them in the real world, as his grandfather, Warden, had died after he failed to conquer the third nightmare when his father was around Song of the Fallen's age.
He had no idea what the name of his grandmother was, only that she died when the first gate crisis happened. A catastrophic event in which numerous nightmare gates of all categories appeared on Earth. Mordret had only known this information through eavesdropping on the conversations his father and Jest had every once in a while, through reflections, when he was still a part of Clan Valor as a child.
He should have been happy, considering that this was all he ever wanted in life: to be loved by his family, by anyone. And yet, as the feeling of shock from getting a hug from his father, albeit a reflection of his father, but still his father. He slowly felt it being replaced with something else, something darker, and it was hatred. He hated that he would truly have this in the real world, that his sister wouldn't love him, that his mother and grandparents, people neither Mordret nor Morgan ever got to meet, were dead.
He hated the reflection that his false father hugged him, knowing it was something that could never happen in the real world, because his real father hated him and always would, as he was clearly convinced that Mordret was one of the others.
'I hate this place, I wonder. If my father went into here, would he hate it as well?'
Mordret didn't know, but he did know he would destroy this place after Sunless got what he needed. So that way, Mordret would never have to think about returning to this place and indulge in a life he could never have.
He was pulled from his thoughts when a woman's voice called out to him.
"Mordret? I thought you were still hanging out with your friend."
Mordret had no idea who she was talking about, but nodded nonetheless.
"He decided to call it a day."
The woman walked out of the house, revealing warm vermillion eyes, red lips, long black hair that fell past her shoulders, and a kind smile, making Mordret stop in place as he truly took in her appearance. She looked like an older version of Morgan.
This wasn't his first time seeing her, but he was so young back then that he could barely remember her face. So seeing her now felt like whiplash. He must've let his mask slip because the reflection of his mother became somewhat concerned as she moved closer and inspected his face with a worried expression.
"Are you alright, sweetie? You're paler than usual; you look like you've seen a ghost."
Mordret slipped into a practiced, naive smile that the pathetic creature wore constantly as a child.
"Yes, Mom, I'm alright.
…
"Do you know why your friend was dressed like a police officer yesterday?
Sunny turned his head slightly towards her as they walked through the store.
"I don't know, maybe it was for some early Halloween party, I mean, his friend was wearing that creepy Halloween mask."
Saint nodded.
"You might be right, it is still strange."
Sunny shrugged as his gaze scanned the shelves in the aisle.
"Yeah, well, do you wanna know the other theory?"
Saint immediately shook her head.
"No, mainly because I don't like the look you're giving me."
Sunny frowned as he grabbed a jar of his favorite brand of honey, put it into the cart, and turned to fully face her as they began walking to a cash register.
"Look? What look? I don't have a look."
"It's the look you give when you're about to say something perverted. You've spent too much time around those girls, Hel and Silent; they've corrupted you."
"No, I'm not, and what do you mean they corrupted me?"
"If you can't see it, then you're already too far gone."
Sunny laughed and shook his head as they reached a self-checkout, and he began scanning the items.
"You're being dramatic,"
"You can still be saved, if you're willing to let me help."
Sunny gave her an unamused stare as he scanned the last item and placed it into a plastic bag. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet, which contained his debit card, and inserted it into the machine.
"Uh-huh, yeah, okay. Hey, tomorrow after work I'm going to visit Miss Song. You wanna come with? It's been a while since you've seen her."
"Perhaps, though I'm pretty tired after today."
"Understandable,"
As Saint and Sunny walked out of the store, they saw Kai and Cassie pass by, the latter holding Kai's arm. Kai glanced over and stopped, smiling.
"Oh, hey, Sunny and Saint!"
"What's up, man?"
"Hello,"
"Kai? Aren't you usually asleep around this time?"
"Yes, but Cassie called and wanted all of us, including Mordret, to talk. We saw him enter a nearby barber shop and texted him to meet us here when he was done. As for you two, we went to the university first, but then came looking for you when we saw that your cars were still parked there and you didn't answer any texts."
"Oh yeah? Was his friend with him? And sorry about that, I'm pretty sure I left my phone in my car."
"No. What friend? And you have to stop being so forgetful."
Sunny shrugged as the four of them began walking.
"Some guy in a creepy Halloween mask."
Saint stopped in place with an unreadable expression.
"As much as I would love to stay and chat, I'm exhausted. I will see you tomorrow, Professor. I will put your groceries in your home, Sunless."
"Have a good day, Miss Saint."
"Get home safe,"
"Thank you, Saint. See you later."
As they continued walking down the sidewalk, which was slowly emptying as they watched the clouds in the afternoon sky, they heard footsteps behind them, then a pleasant voice.
"Sorry I took so long, you said for me to meet you all for something?"
Kai glanced at him.
"We'll have to wait until we're somewhere private to speak about it."
Meanwhile, Sunny inspected his friend's appearance with a curious gaze.
"Why do you look so different?"
"Because I got a haircut,"
"Yeah, I know that. I saw you yesterday. I mean, when you were wearing that police uniform."
"I was?"
"Yeah?"
Mordret made a face for a moment before he suddenly smiled widely as if something dawned on him.
"I see, I remember now, I'm sorry, I must have been exhausted."
Sunny waved his concern away.
"Don't worry about it. Where's your weird friend? Did he seriously leave you hanging like that?"
"Oh, you mean Noc-I mean Norris. He went home as he had something to do, but don't mind him in the future, he's a bit eccentric, and also make sure you take whatever he says to you with a grain of salt, he likes to exaggerate himself. He also has a terrible memory, so don't be surprised if you find any inconsistencies in any story he tells you; it's because he always gets the events in the wrong order. He's a very unreliable source in general."
"Thanks for the heads. So anyway, we're definitely going to talk about what you said earlier."
Mordret scratched his cheek.
"Oh, right earlier. Um, what did I say? I forgot."
Cassie nodded as she continued to hold Kai's arm because, for some reason, she didn't bring her walking stick.
"Yeah, I'm curious too,"
"And everyone says I have a terrible memory, you told me that Eunbin would be jealous if she saw me walking with someone else, and then you said that we weren't awake yet and that Cassie and Kai would know what to do."
Cassie and Kai seemed to exchange looks, which was strange considering that Cassie was blind, while Mordret's confusion came back in full force.
"I told you to wake up?"
Sunny shook his head.
"No, you didn't, you said that Saint and I weren't awake yet."
Mordret smiled almost naively and laughed.
"Well, Saint did say she was tired, and now it's just you, so wake up. We still have the rest of the night."
Sunny barely registered his words and suddenly stopped in place as he felt something snap like a string. He stumbled back and almost fell if it weren't for Kai catching him.
"… -re okay, just relax, Sunless, take deep breaths."
Sunny looked around with wide eyes as he took in his surroundings once more and began to process where he truly was. This place, this city, it… It was all fake; someone had made it this way, and these people, they weren't people at all, not one of them. They were reflections of people. As he continued to gather his bearings for a few minutes, he eventually steadied himself and thanked Kai for catching him.
Cassie smiled at him and patted his back as she took off her sunglasses, keeping her eyes closed, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue blindfold.
"You're finally awake,"
Sunny nodded as he watched her put it on.
"I am,"
His gaze landed on Mordret, who stood there with the nerve to have a concerned expression.
"Are you alri-"
"You can stop now."
Mordret raised an eyebrow at the cut off.
"Stop what? What do you mean?"
Sunny frowned.
"We're alone, so you can stop pretending that this is the real world and that we're all friends with you. I'm awake now, like you wanted."
Mordret's smile dimmed significantly, making Sunny almost feel bad for him, before he remembered who he was talking to.
"Well, yes, I know it isn't, no matter how much I want it to be."
Sunny glared at him.
"Then stop pretending to be clueless and let's get a move on!"
Mordret stared at them for a long moment before nodding with a friendly smile. It was so genuine that if Sunny didn't know any better, he would have been fooled by it. Though, strangely enough, Sunny couldn't shake the odd feeling that it was a genuine one.
"Oh, right. Of course, follow me then. I know of a place where we can talk in private, and I know someone who can help you."
"Why didn't you mention them before we came in here?"
Mordret shrugged.
"I figured that you wouldn't believe me."
"I don't have to; we have a walking lie detector with us."
Mordret stared at Kai and smiled.
"Right, well, there's no point in dwelling on it, is there? Come, we will walk as the place isn't far."
"So who is this person?"
"My tea- friend, my friend."
Sunny felt his right eye twitch in irritation and caught the slip-up but said nothing about it.
"Norris? You mean that weirdo who somehow has Weaver's mask? He's a reflection, is he not? So how the hell does he have one? And why would a reflection help us? Wouldn't the Castellan catch us acting out of character and try to kill us for being anomalies?"
Mordret shook his head.
"No, it won't."
Sunny looked towards Kai with a deep frown.
"Does your flaw still work here?"
Kai stared at Mordret with a neutral expression before nodding at Sunny.
"Yes, it does, and he's surprisingly telling the truth."
Sunny frowned but nodded nonetheless.
"Well, that's good to hear, but you never answered my first question. Wait, wait! Hang on a goddamn minute!"
Kai, Cassie, and Mordret looked at him in confusion.
"What is it, Sunless?"
Sunny pointed a finger at Mordret.
"Him!"
Mordret pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes, you! Don't act dumb! You tried to kill me in a- whatever that cab service thing was."
Mordret looked genuinely taken aback by his words.
"No, I didn't, I would never do such a thing."
Kai nodded with a look of surprise, as if he wondered if his flaw was broken
"He's… telling the truth."
"Yes, you did- wait what?!"
"I didn't try to kill you, Sunny. I couldn't imagine doing that to you; it would break my heart. But if somehow I did and I forgot about it, then I'm really sorry, I wish no harm upon you or Cassie and Kai."
Sunny took a step back with a genuine look of fright.
"Okay, okay, I believe you just stop calling me Sunny, it's weird, and quit acting so nice, that's weird too."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Quit apologizing!"
"I'm sorry,"
"Stop saying that!"
"I'm-"
Sunny held up his hand.
"Let's just get to your friend."
Sunny stopped in place as he nearly cursed himself for forgetting.
"Ast- the dreamspawn is here."
Kai and Cassie froze in place while the latter seemed to pale.
"What?"
"He's not here physically, but he took over his reflection and spoke to me."
Mordret nodded.
"We'll discuss it after we meet with my friend. We shouldn't linger out here while speaking about these things."
Sunny nodded, finding himself agreeing with the Prince of nothing for once.
"Alright, let's go."
…
They approached a solid red door, and Mordret pulled out a key from his pocket, put it into the lock, turned it, opened the door, and gestured for them to go inside. Sunny hesitated as he didn't have his shadow sense to see if anyone other than this man was in here, but went inside nonetheless, followed by Kai, Cassie, and Mordret, who closed the door behind them and locked it.
"Here we are, his place."
The interior was a lavish sight, with shades of red everywhere, but what stuck out most to him was a weird flat object placed against the wall, playing what looked like a K-drama show. The couch was a deep shade of red, made of a fabric Sunny was unfamiliar with, as Kai and Sunny observed the place with a curious gaze. A friendly voice resounded from deeper within.
"Mordret?"
The man in question nodded to the open air.
"Yeah, it's me, I brought company, and it's okay, teacher, they're from the real world. They're not reflections, you're safe."
The man called Norris, wearing what Professor Sunless thought was a creepy Halloween mask, poked his head around the corner and seemed to brighten, his demeanor shifting from weary to cheerful. This was shown when he suddenly bowed dramatically and then straightened, fixing his bright red silk garment.
"Well then, that is wonderful news. It's been so long since I've seen another real person aside from Mordret here! Oh my, what a diverse group you three are! We have a divine shadow, one of the seven hands of death, a blind seer, and a dragon in his human form. What are your names?"
"This is Kai, Cassia, and Sunless."
The man perked his head up at the mention of Sunny's name.
"Sunless? What a fitting name for a shadow of your status! Greetings to you all! I am the former Lord of the East, the former Chain Lord of the now fallen Kingdom of Hope. I am the greatest Sorcerer in all of the realms in existence, second to no one else! Anything you hear from anyone else is a complete and utter lie! But I digress, I am the Blessed of the Moon! The Great Grandson of the Beast Goddess! The unwilling High Priest of the dreadful Weaver's Nightmare Spell."
"Teacher, would you care to speed it up?"
Sunny stared at them both, bewildered.
Why in the world was this bastard calling this guy his teacher? This couldn't have been a reflection of Mordret, right? No, it couldn't have been, otherwise the Castellan would have taken over his body already because they were acting out of character. And besides, he couldn't be a reflection since all four of them had taken their reflections places. So if this was the real Mordret, then how did he come to be so familiar with this man in this place if he was in the waking world this entire time?
They couldn't use their powers here, so he couldn't have been using any vessels to communicate with this strangely familiar man.
Did that mean Mordret truly freed Eunbin's parents from this place just because he wanted to when he was fifteen? It didn't make any sense.
'No…. Wait.'
A horrible thought had crossed Sunny's mind just now.
Did…. Did he have a twin that no one knew about? Was he the one who freed Bin's parents?
Gods no! He would have to deal with not one but two of them, not even his former fated attribute would put him through so much misery!
Sunny rapidly shook his head, causing him to get a strange look from Mordret and Kai, and moved on to more pressing matters. This masked man claimed to be a high priest of the nightmare spell, and Kai didn't say anything, which meant he was telling the truth. But how was he still alive? That was over hundreds of thousands of years ago, maybe more. So was he a supreme being?
Could supreme beings even live that long? Or was he cursed with immortality like Nephis said Eurys was? Or was he like the chain Lord of Hope and had his fate bound to an object, making him immortal? Or was it something else entirely?
If he was who he claimed to be, then did….did that mean he knew Ananke at one point, since she was a priest of the nightmare spell? Did that mean this personally met Weaver face to mask because of his status? Did they see their face? Was this high priest given memories made by Weaver themselves?
Did he still have them? If so, what were they? Was that his dark mantle they saw lying by the three great mirrors? Did he have a mirror of truth like Sunny did in the tomb of Ariel? No… wait, Ananke said that the high priest of the nightmare spell was the only other Weaver in existence aside from Weaver themselves, which meant that this man in front of him could teach him how to be a better Weaver.
But if he was a Weaver, then how the hell did he weave with only two arms?! Was it because he was that much better than Sunny that he only needed two arms instead of six or eight?
'No! That's ridiculous! No one can be so good that they only need two arms to weave.'
So maybe he could still weave, but it was less efficient and took more time, yes, yes, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Unaware of the storm of questions that raged through his mind, the high priest of the nightmare spell turned to stare at Mordret before an unamused voice resounded underneath the mask of Weaver.
"Well, it depends. Would you care if I threw you out a window?"
"…"
When the man got no response, he nodded in what Sunny assumed to be satisfaction.
"That's what I thought. Anyway, I am the best friend of Daeron, the Serpent King of the Twilight Sea! Or rather, the storm sea, as Mordret has told me it is called nowadays. Oh, yes! Since I know you, children of war, know little to nothing about the realms outside of your own, I will give a little lesson. I will have you know that the Storm Sea and the Eternal City, that is, the place that lies beneath the Storm Sea, by the way, are places that resided in the black skies. What is that, you may ask? The black skies is the given name of the realm of the storm god. Hm? What's that? You thought the storm realm was called the twilight sea?"
Mordret nodded.
"Yes, that's what you told me, teacher."
"Did I?"
"Yes,"
The man shrugged.
"Oh well, I guess I lied. Whatever I told you before is now irrelevant."
"Are you serio-"
"Anyway, the twilight sea or the storm sea, as you told me it's called now, is simply a fragment of the black skies, as is the Eternal City.
"Wait, hang on, I thought the storm sea and twilight sea were different places of the storm god realm?"
The high priest shook his head.
"No, the storm sea is what I'm told the young relatives of Daeron and Windflower call it now. The Twilight Sea is its original name, and it's the place Daeron and his people lived in the black skies, which is why his daughter was called Windflower of the Twilight Sea."
"Don't worry, there's no need to thank me for giving you this information, I am the most generous and friendliest person in all of Mirage City after all! Even though I'm sure the divine shadow already knew all this information. Oh, before I forget, Miss Cassia, you're a child of war, correct? There's no need to fret, I'm not like the nine, I hold no grudges against the children of the gods, no matter the race."
"Yes, I am."
"May I ask you a question then?"
When Cassie nodded, the man presumably smiled.
"Excellent! You've been in the dream realm, correct? Do you know of a place called the Jade Palace?"
Cassie hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, it's where Ki Song and her daughters live, but for some reason, the queen renamed it Ravenheart."
The high priest put his hand to the chin of Weaver's mask and nodded as he spoke, his voice coming out much deeper like last time he spoke because of the mask he was wearing.
"I see, so my relatives did the same as Daeron's relatives and renamed it."
Sunny, Cassie, and Kai stared at him with their mouths agape at the man talking so casually as if he didn't reveal such information to them that no one else could have known.
It reminded him of no-it couldn't be, it was…. It was impossible. But the more Sunny thought about it, the less he could deny who the man was in front of them. Especially when he called Ki Song and her daughters his relatives, which meant this man had the beast god lineage, making him related to them. He also called himself the greatest sorcerer in existence, the lord of the east, the blessed of the moon, and the great-grandson of the beast god. He clearly had a carefree attitude as well.
Who…..Who else could hold such titles, have such a personality, and wear such obnoxiously bright colors while despising the color black?
Noctis.
'No, it can't be him. That two-faced, devious, wicked, lying lunatic is dead; he has to be… right?
He died in the second nightmare, yes, but Sunny had no idea what happened to the real Noctis even after all these years. So he couldn't confidently say if he was dead or not. Though Sunny for the longest time had suspected that he was the corpse under the ruined cathedral that Sunny took Weaver's mask from all those years ago. He would rather the sorcerer be dead than succumb to such a fate of being a nightmare creature, unlike Daeron the serpent king, who had given himself to corruption in despair as he had lost everything.
It couldn't be him. And yet when the man took off Weaver's mask, Sunny felt his knees buckle in shock at the sight, without the mask on, revealed a beautiful, young face with a bright, pleasant, carefree smile, high cheekbones, bright and humorous gray eyes, and a…a-and a-a crescent moon on his forehead. Sunny and Kai couldn't help but stare in horror as they realized why he seemed so familiar. Cassie pointed a trembling finger toward the voice as she could no longer deny his identity; she had been listening to it this entire time.
Seeing their various reactions, the beautiful man offered them a puzzled expression.
"Why are the three-oh forgive me, Cassia, why are the two of you looking at me like that? Ah, well, should I really be surprised? I mean, if I saw someone as gorgeous as me, I would stare, too. Now that the little education lesson is out of the way, I shall properly introduce myself! I am-
"NOCTIS?!"
The sorcerer stared at them for a moment with confusion written across his face before he threw his head back and let out a melodic laugh. He wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Mordret with a beaming smile.
"My, my! Do you see that? Even after hundreds of thousands of years, the children of war who know little to nothing about the other realms still know my name, and a divine shadow does as well! I truly am something special, am I not dear student?"
Hello! I'm back again, again I'm sorry for the wait, I've been burnt out. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I can't believe Noctis is alive!! (Don't kill me)