Chapter 26: Bright Castl

Third POV:

'Here it comes.'

Not long after the last shard had been absorbed, one of the watchers ran into the room, breathing heavily

"Coming! They are coming!"

There was a hint of unrestrained fear in her voice.

Sunny flexed his shoulders and stretched.

'The show is about to start.'

The people gathered in the room glanced at each other, their faces full of tension. Only Nephis remained indifferent, watching out of the window at the dead city that sprawled below her like a desolate, lonesome graveyard.

"Stay calm, everyone."

Her voice settled them down. The hunter with scars on his face turned to Changing Star, a deep frown on his face. After hesitating for a few moments, he said:

"But... but... they are coming to take Effie! We can't allow that to happen. I'm done watching good people be taken into the damn Castle and never return. If they want to make an example out of her, like they did with Jubei... over my dead body!"

The hum of angry voices rose in the hall, accompanied by heated glares.

"Exactly!"

"They will pay for Jubei's death!"

"Your dead body? Why not their dead bodies?!"

Nephis lingered for a moment, then turned to them. A slight smile appeared on her face.

"...Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to Effie. You have my word."

That seemed to calm them down a little. It seemed as though they were willing to believe anything she said, regardless of how impossible her promises were.

Was that the definition of blind faith?

Before anyone could answer, however, a crashing sound came from the direction of the entrance to the stone lodge. It seemed as though someone had just smashed through the door.

The was a short scream, which quickly grew silent. Something fell on the floor.

Then, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, drawing closer to the hall where all the people had gathered. A few moments later, its door was shattered, too, exploding into a shower of splinters along with the bits of stone that surrounded it.

A giant of a man walked into the hall, his mere presence making the entire space look tiny. Compared to him, even Effie seemed to be of average height. There was a morose expression on his face and a dark glint in his cold, cruel eyes.

The giant did not wear any armor, allowing his monumental muscles to strain the fabric of a sleeveless silk shirt.

It appeared that Tessai, the fearsome leader of the Castle Guard, had decided to welcome the cohort back to the Dark City himself. Neph's followers paled, their fiery indignation replaced by fear.

Behind Tessai, a group of Guards, each wearing a sturdy armor and wielding Memory weapons, could be seen. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the robust figure of the tall huntress, and then, hateful smiles appeared on their faces. The Guards seemed very happy to finally find the woman accused of murdering their own.

The giant only glanced at Effie and then turned to Nephis. His deep, low voice resounded in the stone hall, sending shivers running through the hearts of many Sleepers gathered there.

"Changing Star. So you're alive after all."

She met his gaze and endured it without flinching.

"You must be Tessai. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The giant lingered before answering. The corner of his mouth twitched and slowly curled upward. Finally, he said:

"Oh, no. The pleasure is all mine."

Then, he raised his mighty arm and pointed at Effie.

"Lord Gunlaug has invited this one to the Castle, to face punishment for her crimes. You should have trained your dogs better, Changing Star. See what happens when they go around biting people?"

He lowered his hand and flexed his shoulders, then looked at her with a dark expression.

"Now. I would advise you rats to step aside and let me take that she-wolf with me."

Nephis crossed her arms and stared at the giant, cold sparks igniting in the depths of her calm grey eyes. A few moments later, she said evenly:

"...Or what?"

Changing Star's words brought the room to dead silence. On both sides of it, people were slowly preparing themselves, dark resentment burning in their eyes. It felt as though the tension reached critical mass and was about to explode into a storm of violence.

Only three people remained calm and unaffected by the direness of the situation: Nephis herself, Sunny... and Tessai.

The giant bared his canines in a grin. His eyes, however, remained cold as ice.

"What a... revelation. And here I was, thinking that you are a great defender of justice. Were you not, Changing Star? Or is your sense of justice reserved only for the crimes of those who don't serve you?"

He sighed and added, his voice full of disappointment:

"That huntress of yours is accused of murder. Why are you trying to prevent me from bringing her to justice? I thought that you, of all people, would not get in the way of fairness."

Nephis frowned.

"Accused does not mean convicted. Why do you claim that she is guilty?"

Tessai stared at her and said, his low voice sending tremors through the stone hall:

"There is plenty of evidence. There are plenty of witnesses. So many people came forward to give a testimony! Her guilt is undeniable. How will you answer that, Changing Star?"

Sunny smiled slightly.

Before Nephis could answer, Kai suddenly took a step forward and shouted:

"That is impossible! I..."

However, she made him stop with a stern look. The charming young man hesitated, then gritted his teeth and fell silent, glaring at Tessai with burning indignation.

Changing Star turned to the imposing giant and smiled.

"...Well, well. That changes everything, then. Please forgive me, if you can. I have been away from the Dark City for so long, and wasn't informed of these... developments. If this is the case, then by all means, take her away."

Effie grimaced and looked at her with an amused expression. Sunny did not take his eyes off Tessai, however, his shadow stared at Nephis, too.

The smile suddenly disappeared from her face, replaced by boundless coldness.

"...However, I am coming with her. All of us are, in fact. We are awfully curious to see that evidence and hear those witnesses. And, most of all, we are all dying to see justice done and those guilty punished. Surely, Lord Gunlaug would not mind."

An expression of dissatisfaction appeared on Tessai's face. With a deep frown, he looked down on Neph from his oppressive height and said in a growling voice:

"Why do you think that you can come, wench?"

A whistling sound of something that shot beside Tessai's face was heard, leaving a deep gash on his cheek, All the eyes turned in a single direction.

As the room temperature frightfully dropped, all the eyes in the room were set on a figuratively small individual who was Leisurely sitting on a nearby chair. As if unaffected by the cold, Sunny was comfortably playing with a kunai in his hand.

As if finally noticing the eyes on him, Sunny turned his attention from the kunai in his hand and met the eyes of the furious giant on the other side of the room.

"You better Watch your tone."

Sunny said with a soft smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, while also pointing the kunai at Him. Tessai's hand wiped off the blood that cascaded down his cheek and trembled in anger.

Locking eyes with a gloomy-looking teenager, Tessai felt something deep within him tremble.

Something he hadn't felt ever since he became one of Gunlaug's lieutenants.

A primordial fear and nauseating dread bloomed in his heart. Tessai couldn't make sense of it. How could a nobody like him plant such a fear in his heart? Beads of sweat threatened to roll down his face, but he skilfully cooled himself down with his aspect and hid his frightened expression with a furious one while proceeding to take a step forward.

"You!"

As he tried to take a step in Sunny's direction Changing Star blocked his way. As her eyes suddenly shone with furious white light, she contempt In a voice that promised agony and death:

"Do you think you can stop us from coming along?"

The giant stared down at her with a complicated expression. It seemed as though he was being torn between pride... and fear.

It was all a mask, though.

Even if Sunny's actions weren't expected, Tessai could easily bury his hatred and resentment if he wanted to.

A masterful performance to hide his true emotions...

He had come here with the excuse of bringing Effie to justice, but his true goal had always been Nephis. She was the one Gunlaug wanted to destroy. And now, she was bringing herself to him, like a lamb going to slaughter.

Triumph and jubilation threatened to break his mask.

And Sunny knew all too well.

What Tessai did not know was that Changing Star was as far from a lamb as one could be.

'...More like a demon in sheep's clothing.'

Sunny glanced at the morose giant with something that resembled pity. Meanwhile, Tessai slowly shook his head and said, his voice full of false reluctance:

"...Fine. Do as you wish. Come with me to the Castle, if you want. Bring that hound of yours with you too. For All of you who Shall witness the brilliance of our Lord!"

'I will make sure to cut off your head.'

*****

All together, they exited the lodge. Tessai was walking in the front with frozen blood on his cheek, holding the tall huntress by the shoulder. Her hands were tied behind her back with a flimsy rope — more of a symbolic gesture than a real restraint, considering Effie's strength. Nephis was keeping close, her face calm and indifferent.

The Guards and the members of Changing Star's faction were right behind them, throwing menacing looks at each other. Their faces were grim and full of resentful indignation. Sunny had separated himself from the group and hidden himself in the crowd. Now, he was moving with it, feeling the restless agitation through the chaotic movement of the surrounding shadows.

As they moved toward the Castle, more and more slum dwellers surrounded them, their faces full of shock and anger.

"They got Effie!"

"Bastards! Let her go!"

"Lady Nephis! Do something!"

Glancing at the growing number of people who were gathering around them, she smiled reassuringly and said:

"Stay calm! Come with us if you want. Today, we'll see justice done!"

However, her appeal to remain calm had the opposite effect on the crowd. It ignited it instead, and soon, a clamor of shouts rose above the outer settlement:

"Justice! Justice!"

...However, at some point, the tone of it changed, an almost palpable sense of bloodlust finding its way into the people's voices. The word they were shouting was also replaced, and soon, the crowd was chanting something else. Calling not for justice, but for...

Judgment.

"Judgement! Judgment!"

Sunny observed the raging beast of the human crowd with a troubled frown. A cold, familiar emotion grasped his heart. He knew this sickening feeling all too well.

It was the same way he felt when facing frenzied Nightmare Creatures.

As they drew close to the stairs leading to the entrance of the castle, almost a hundred people were following them. The Guards standing at the gates stared at the crowd with a bit of fear in their eyes.

...And at some point, Caster appeared out of nowhere and took position right behind Nephis. The proud Legacy looked pale and a bit disheveled, but it seemed that he had managed to complete the mysterious task given to him by Changing Star without receiving any wounds.

A few moments later, they entered the Bright Castle.

******

The crowd poured into the castle, their faces contorted with anger and resentment. However, as soon as the slum dwellers passed beneath the swaying skulls that hung above the gates, their fury turned cold.

In the echoing stone halls of the Bright Castle, it was hard to forget that Gunlaug's power was absolute. For as long as any of them remembered, he had ruled over the Dark City with an iron fist, elevating those who bowed to him and destroying those who did not.

Countless men and women had tried to challenge the Bright Lord in the past... great people, terrible people, and everyone in-between. It was their skulls that now stared at the crowd, darkness nesting in their eyes.

Finally, doubt and fear appeared in the hearts of the inhabitants of the outer settlement. Many of them stared at Nephis, their faces turning dim and listless.

Changing Star did not react to this sudden change in one way or another. Looking straight ahead, she calmly walked forward, an indifferent expression on her face. Her usual mask was in its place once again, preventing anyone from knowing her true thoughts.

Remaining unnoticed, Sunny made his way to the front of the crowd to be closer to Nephis, Effie, and Caster. No one paid him any attention. In the grand scheme of things, people thought of him as an insignificant piece, if at all.

From his point of view, the atmosphere in the Bright Castle seemed to be a bit strange, and not because of the invading horde of slum dwellers. Its halls and corridors were too empty, too lifeless. He didn't see any people hurrying on their daily business, as they always would. Even the opulent desk in the entrance hall was empty, the clerk usually present behind it was absent for some reason.

'Everyone is already in the theatres.'

Entering the throne room, he saw hundreds of Sleepers standing along its walls, waiting to meet them. It seemed as though the whole population of the Bright Castle had gathered here. There were the Guards, the Hunters, the Artisans, the quiet Handmaidens. Even people who paid tribute to remain in the Castle were all there.

Sunny noticed a few familiar faces. Stev, the large man in charge of the Memory Market, stood uncomfortably near the members of the Host. There was also Aiko, the owner of the gambling den, and many others whom he remembered from the previous timeline and his brief stay in the Castle.

Some of them would die and Some of them will live.

The air was tense and heavy. It seemed that not all of these people had come to the throne room of their own free will. Many of them had troubled, frightened expressions on their faces. Others were relaxed and joyful, waiting for an entertaining show with dark fascination burning in their eyes.

What disturbed him the most were the several figures of Nightmare Creatures standing among the humans. Those were the Echoes belonging to the inhabitants of the Castle, each one more terrifying than the other.

On the raised dais at the far end of the great hall, illuminated by the false stars that were carved into the wall of the dark alcove, the four lieutenants of the Bright Lord stood. There was Gemma, the leader of the Hunters, Kido, the chief Artisan, and Seishan, who was in charge of the Handmaidens.

...and Harus, of course.

Sunny stared at the hunchback, who just stood there with his usual bored expression, looking at the wall.

As if feeling his gaze, Harus suddenly turned and glanced at Sunny. This time, Sunny did not look away. He stared straight into the hunchback's glassy eyes, a calm and calculating expression on his face.

Harus stared at him for a few moments, then tilted his head and smiled with strange amusement. A second later, he turned his attention to somewhere in the crowd, toward Changing Star's cohort. His eyes shone with excitement and bloodlust. Following his eyesight Sunny found what Harus was staring at.

Kai.

It seemed as if Harus had marked Kai as his target.

Soon Harus turned away and looked at the wall again. As apparent as it was, Harus was barely holding himself back from making an action on the spot, judging by the trembling of his clenched fists.

Meanwhile, Tessai walked to the middle of the hall and threw Effie down, forcing her to kneel on the floor. Then, he gave Nephis a dark look and joined the other lieutenants on the steps leading to the throne.

The two hundred or so slum dwellers were standing at one end of the throne room, their faces grim and full of dark apprehension. With the exception of those who were directly serving Changing Star, most of them were dressed in dirty rags, with only a few wearing a proper armor. Some were unarmed, some had Memories or makeshift weapons hanging on their belts, and some even had swords hastily fashioned out of the talons of the slain Spire Messenger.

Opposite them, with their back to the throne, stood the people of the castle. Many of them looked like they didn't want to be here, but more had contempt and indignation in their eyes. Those were mostly the members of the Host, who were more than two hundred people strong. Each of them was clad in a sturdy Memory armor and wielded enchanted weapons. They were strong, well-fed, and experienced in combat.

The hunters, especially, were a formidable presence despite their comparatively small number. They were looking at Nephis with intense hatred, the memory of her killing one of their own in this very hall still fresh in their minds.

Changing Star stood beside Effie in the middle of the empty space between the two groups, looking at the white throne. Her ivory face was cold and indifferent, and her silver hair glinted in the rays of sunshine that fell through tall windows. Sparks of light were dancing in the depths of her calm grey eyes.

She was the focal point of everyone's attention and the target of the dark storm of emotions that raged between the ancient walls of the Castle today.

If it bothered her, she did not show it.

And then, finally, the Bright Lord himself appeared.

Sunny knew that Gunalug entered the great hall even before seeing him. He knew it because of the sudden change in the people that surrounded him. It was as though a wave of invisible pressure had crashed into the crowd, forcing them to groan and bend, almost buckling to the ground. Their legs trembled, their faces paled, and drops of sweat appeared on their skin, as well as fear and panic in their eyes.

The mastermind behind this ghoulish spectacle had finally arrived.