CHAPTER 1: DESIRE

The warm sun looms over the azure lake, playfully letting its light dancing on the water surface. Meanwhile, the wind is racing through the ancient forest. They are carrying the fallen leaves, letting them enjoy escatic feeling of being able to fly. Rustling sounds of the branches from the elder trees signaling their gratitude for the wind's kindness. 

All of them combine to become such a vivid and warm scene. It is fairly hard to find such beauty in this hideous Dream Realm anyway. Truthfully, if one didn't know better they would thought that this place is a vibrant painting of some famous renaissance artist. However, regretfully... Or luckily this painting is actually Bastion, humanity's greatest Citadel. 

Of course, not a single human who is ignorant enough to not know about Bastion. In all of its glory, Bastion is unanimously agreed as the beacon of hope. A impenetrable Citadel that could become the humanity's future foundation.

The great Tales of Warden with his comrades, and the current King Anvil, have always been spread far and wide. Everybody knows how Sir Warden braved the Citadel and killed a true living breathing Dragon. Everybody also knows about King Anvil's greatest achievement: the first ever human to attain Supremacy.

The story about him fulfilling his late father's wish is also famous. Anvil is seen as a filial son who has carried on the Sir Warden's Legacy and shaped the world for the greater good of humanity. The Mighty King's reputation only increased to another level after he had personally descented in Antarctica to bring salvation for the dying world.

'How utterly nonsensical.'

Morgan walked through the bustling streets of Bastion. Her eyes were looking at the magnificent white castle at a distance. Currently, she was having a stroll around the outskirt of Bastion, admist the ancient forest.

Normally, she wouldn't be anywhere near this tranquil place... At least as tranquil as it could be in this harrowing and unforgiving Dream Realm. She would either strain her body to the limit for practicing swordmanship or overwork herself to death. In any case it was a rare sight to see her enjoying the fleeting peace. That peace is only at a superficial level. Because again, who said there wouldn't be a abomination jumping out of a bush to tear her apart. In fact, Morgan was indeed quite hopeful for that. She really needed something to vent all of her pent-up frustration. 

'Ah? Where should I even start?'

As she lied down next to a nearby tree, she dismissed her enchanted armour alongside with that irritating vermillion cape. 

'No but seriously, a cape? That thing is seriously restricting. It is just a stupid piece of fabric for decorative and intimidating purposes. It has practically no use in battle, and that stuffy armour too. Since it was made by the King, the quality it possesses is undoubtedly top-tier. However, walking in the sun while donning it is pure torture. Even when it is Autumn in Bastion, the heat is still unbearable. Gosh, how cumbersome. But then again, who am I to voice any opinion?'

As a Princess of War, The future head of Valor, the only daughther of mighty King Anvil, she must retain a dignified and graceful appearance at all cost. That was by wearing the fearsome armour, a very indeed unfitting present for a girl, and the vermillion cape, the symbol of Valor all the time. 

'How come that a princess like me, who stands above all and below one, is more restrained than those small unworthy knight... Maybe even the commoners.'

There was a time when she absolutely pride herself on wearing Anvil's armor. At the end of the day, it was her father's first ever gift to her. It is one of the very best armour in terms of quality crafted by the King himself. Yet its emotional value really propelled it to become Morgan's personal favorite Memory.

However, those sentimental feelings had been shredded to pieces, quite literally, by two people. One was that vile, disgusting thing. The pain of loosing to that fiend and seeing it trampled on her pride was too much. The supposedly unbreakable armour was shattered by that fiend. Luckily, the amour did indeed hold out and survived.

But then, its fate had never changed. The Memory was mutilated completely by its own creator. Anvil deemed it unworthy, because it was damaged by the insidious creature. So, he broke it to pieces without much qualms. Alongside with his fragile expectation for his daughther.

The only physical thing that bonds the daughther and the father was discarded just like that. 

Morgan admitted that it was her fault when she lost to that fiend. She held deep indignation and fury for it. So, it was understandable that Anvil was deeply disappointed in her. 

Then again, humans are human because they have emotion. Understanding it logically didn't mean it didn't hurt. It pained her greatly. The King, he only lay his eyes on things that are valuable to him... and Morgan was definitely not a part of them. Would she be discarded one day just like that pieces of armour?

On the her way to this place, she had seen a lot of people: Awankends, Masters, Saints and even commoners. They all look forward to the promising future. The majority of them was accompanied by their loved ones. Maybe that was why they were so optimistic about the future of this dying world. 

Morgan was not a petty person at all. In fact, others often envy her for her treatment. It was not everyday that someone was born in such a prominent great clan. She was the daughther of the man who stood on top of the human's society. She had received numerous Memory, Echoes, knowlegde, relationship that no other person could ever dream to attain. 

Yet, for some unexplainable reason, Morgan envied others. She lacked the most basic thing that every ordinary human possess: Love. 

'Death is worth living for, Love is worth waiting for.'

Morgan scoffed self-mockingly.

'How ironic, that was one of her past Memory's description. That annoying Spell could see through everything, right? So it had predicted all of this. It knew where I would end up.'

She gently caressed her hand with another one of hers. Her eyes stare at it deeply. They were filled with complicated emotion and thoughts. The pair of infinitely sharp and unquenchable resolve vermillion eyes now looked hollow and broken. It was indeed a lost to this world, seeing such an undaunting, relentless warrior reduced to this sorry state. 

Morgan gently trace the surface of the ancient pine. Without any surprise... Or miracle, the tree was cut down mercilessly with swift and precision.

'Great now I have to find a new one. It is a shame that nones are as cool and comforting as this.'

Morgan stood up and headed to the azure lakes. She just want to find some peace and solice after everything that had happened in the last week. This would probably be her final moment in Bastion, before she would be forcefully thrust in the illusion Bastion... Or to be more precise, the real Bastion soon. Someone had to be responsible for the lost right?

She looked at herself inside the reflection of the azure lake. On the surface, she could see a breathtakingly charming woman that would make everyman's heart flustered. Her cascading inky hair, her graceful figure, her alabaster skin, her pretty yet cold face and especially her vermillion eyes that could suck anyone's soul the longer they stare at it. A true beauty that no one can deny.

That beauty though, now gazing absentmindedly at her reflection. No one would ever thought that she was Morgan of Valor, the notoriously cold and dignified princess, if they saw her in this current fragile state. She looked just like an ordinary girl. 

'What do I even have left? Death only means something when it is tied with Living. Now even Living means nothing to me so how could Death be anything different?'

She tighten her hand into a fist... Blood sipped through her fingers, landing on the lustrous green glasses. Morgan closed her eyes in solitude.

'And Love? I am a Princess, surrounded by a numerous people, stood on top of many many more, yet not a single one of them ever lay out their hand for me when i needed them the most. Even fath... Even The King did not.'

Morgan gazed at the faraway castle. 

'In hindsight, why should they? Wouldn't they be chopped to pieces when I accept their helping hand? Trust me, I know best. Even Mother couldn't escape it.'

Of course, when Gwyn gave birth to Morgan, Morgan was still a normal living breathing human being without any aspect and flaw. However, the fact is that Gwyn died because Morgan was born did not change at all. Sometime, she even thought that maybe, the reason why her father treated her so coldly was because of his despise for her. She was the one who ripped apart Anvil's greatest love. Leaving only an uncaring, relentless King behind.

That was why Love is out of question. This meant that Morgan could only avert her eyes to War and Responsibility.

War because it was her nature as the Princess of War, carrying a Divine Lineage in her vein.

Responsibility because that could be the very only thing that tethered her to her father. Now, both of them were stripped away from her. She had lost against Modret, her brother, and was not in the mood for anything war related anymore. Father had regarded her as a flawed sword, unworthy of his recognition.

So, without those two thing that pushed her forward throughout her entire life... Both of which were the resulted of external influence, not because of her own heart volition, she truly had nothing left. 

'Prince of Nothing? Princess of Nothing? As much as I despise that abomination it seems like there are similarity between us.'

Morgan couldn't help but laugh.

'At least that fiend has something to continue living: resentment. In that case he is better than me. I'm just a mindless tool without much independent thoughts. How could someone like me, who has lived a life to satisfy someone else's dream and desire could ever find a true meaning of life other than that?'

She dismissed her tunic then jumped into the cooling water. Morgan let herself sink to the depth of the lake. She looked at the distance sun through veils of azure water.

'If i disappeared here, would anyone shed a tear for me?'

She closes her eyes to rest... Slowly drifting to the embrace of solice.

'I should have died on that day, a week ago, in that desert. I wonder how everyone there is doing. If things progress smoothly maybe they are challenging the Third Nightmare already. Have I been too much of a coward to challenge that seed? It was because of my responsibility as a Princess that I was against it. However, now that i think about it. Maybe it was better to join them.'

Morgan raise her hand to touch her soft cheek. 

'They would undoubtedly succeed right? That cohort was something else. Star of Ruin, my dear sister, she is the beacon light of hope for humanity. Song of the Fallen, the oracle that dictate the future by herself. Soul Reaper, the monstrosity who slaughter to survive. Athena and Nightingale both of them are seasoned warrior who had survived the hellish forgotten shore in decades. And... That disgusting Fiend, undoubtedly the most dangerous of them all.'

She hold her cheek tightly, her eyelids fluttered.

'And... Master Sunless.'

Morgan opened her eyes wide.

'He... was different from anyone that I have seen before. His calm and collected demeanor gives me a sense of reproach yet they are soothing and dependable at the same time. His battle art and fighting skills screams of greatness as they are fluid and deadly. Nothing could really defeat a battle art like that. How could you possibly counter something that was changing rapidly and therefore have no glaring weakness? Not to mention the fact that he had mastered it, turning it into a mesmerizing dance in of itself.'

She winced in pain as her flaw took effect, making her cheek bleed.

'How could I have missed someone with that caliber? I should have known from the day we first met, at that Dreamspace. I should have recruited him sooner. I should have payed more attention to the news about Mongrel defending an entire gate by himself. I should have noticed the similarity between the two of them."

She tighten her hand, more blood streams down her alabaster cheeks, like a blank canva being drawn.

'He even received a gift from me. But in all honesty, the most important thing is that... I could... Touch him.'

Morgan opened her eyes. Now loosing every light nested in its depth.

'He could very be the only person in this two world that could handle my flaw... Therefore, my only key to... love? Gosh, you're the only thing that I look forward to in this world.'

Morgan smiled as she sink into the ruthless depth. There were almost no light surrounding her now, only the pure cold embrace of shadow. Somehow, she find peace in its accompany. It shielded her from all the turbulence of the world. The shadow was probably the only that was still kind to her.

'When did i become so sentimental and weak. I wasn't like this before.'

Her smile started to get twisted into something ugly. 

'I really despise everything.'

Then suddenly, the lake trembled.... After that, a loud boom resounded in this vibrant art work, completely destroying the serenity atmosphere. A figure jumped out of the water and landed in the forest creating another earth shattering noise. A vast swarm of forest was reduced to splinter in an instant.

'Who do they think I am? I am Morgan of Valor. It is unbecoming of me to be in such a sorry state.'

Morgan straighten her back and gazed at the illusionary castle, straight at the throne room. 

'The more the world trampled on me, the more fitting for a Princess of War to retaliate. I should make myself worthy of that title.'

Her eyes turns a bit maniac as a chilling smile adorned her gorgeous face. She breath out a sigh as she summoned her armor and cape back.

'I was born as a calamitous sword, sharpen to become a perfect weapon.'

She made steady stepped to Bastion, her eyes had regained its deathly sharpness

'If I had done everything splendidly, following someone's order to my death, yet i still failed then simply the fault lies in the smith.'

She summoned clan Valor's personal seal and crushed it into pieces.

'So be it, I would not follow an incompetence wielder no more. A sword should only find their true worthy wielder. Or better yet... become so sharp that none could ever hope to handle it.'

She gnashed her teeth in fury.

'I could never tolerate being left behind. I would challenge the Third Nightmare by myself. If I died then.. it's fine, that simply means I wasn't worthy and competence enough. At least I died in a glorious way with dignity.'

Morgan swipe her hand and an abomination was cut to pieces.

'Ahh, but dying like that wouldn't be so satisfying right? I still have some debt to settle.'

She close her palm and let it rest on her heart

'Other than that, I also have something I wanna try... Master Sunless, til the day we meet again. I sincerely wished you survive this trial. You never disappointed me, always have something amusing up your sleeves. The thought of meeting you again excited me to the very core. I really can't wait for another rematch.'

Morgan smile, this smile however was tint with a bit of adoration

'This is the first time, I've ever feel something like this... Oh well, he would survive nonetheless. I should start worrying about my problem first.'

Morgan strolled steadily towards Bastion and readied herself to brave the true Bastion's horror. Her heart beated faster with full of thrilling emotion, be it lust for power, anticipation for revenge and a subtle yet clear desire to meet someone again.