It was a race against time. Gwin knew that every second he waited he got farther and farther from bringing Seishan to his side. Changing Star's insidious influence would only deepen in their ranks if he did nothing. He needed to be quick.
It was still quite early in the day so the bright castle was a blur of activity in some parts. The halls of the handmaiden's wing slowly became more and more populated with familiar faces. Said familiar faces were slowly spreading out across the Bright Castle to clean and help with chores that needed to be done. Absolutely stunning and draw-dropping sleepers went about their duties and daily tasks all the while sparing Gwin's procession a few glances and whispers dripping with gossip. Gwin had at least met each of the handmaidens once in passing, whether walking by or taking part in Seishan's secret training, and as such knew the gossipers by name. He spared them a look and they inexplicably flinched and scurried off.
"So scary!"
"She reminds me of Lady Seishan."
Gwin's brow furrowed. He began picking at the old cut on his lip again.
'What the hell is wrong with these people?!'
From what he knew there were about a hundred handmaidens. Each had also been trained personally by Seishan in order to protect themselves. They were by no means just a bunch of pretty faces. He felt a sense of kinship with them since he had also been trained by a daughter of Ki Song, well two actually. First Elena who taught him the katas that made up the basis of his current style and then Seishan who had repeatedly tested his style to its limits and exposed its weaknesses. It was a mix of both that made him as deadly as he was.
'I'm like an honorary handmaiden.'
Lost in thought he accidentally picked too hard at his scab and made it bleed. He nursed it with his tongue quickly. Seishan had an aversion to blood and he was already bringing bad news. That wasn't a good combination if he planned to convince her of his power and bring her to his side. He couldn't let Changing Star have them, she'd build a road to the waking world with their corpses.
He was well tired of watching pretty girls die.
Viira suddenly spoke up.
"Is something wrong Gwin? You've got an awfully sour look on your face~"
That damn smile made his skin crawl. She was facing him fully while walking next to him. Her hair flowed like ephemeral silk behind her.
{Im fine}
Ahead of them there was a gathering of handmaidens going about cleaning around the base of a staircase. Gwin saw them eye the group out of the corner of their eyes however they relaxed upon noticing Elena. She was a second in command of sorts despite being the newest addition to their ranks.
"Lady Elena."
One greeted her.
"It's good to see you. Lady Seishan is…giving a lecture on etiquette in the ballroom."
She continued.
Elena responded back with a smile.
"I see, have you been sleeping any better Ana?"
"Yes Lady Elena, that advice you gave me was just what I needed."
Ana responded with a cheery smile. Gwin knew better than to trust that facade. The group passed them and scaled the winding staircase. The tapping of booted feet rang out in the silence.
"Say Gwin, can I borrow you after all this is done?"
Riiva said with a smile. Gwin nearly swiped at her out of reflex. It took a full moment for him to process what she said. When he did his stomach hit the floor. The haunting experience he had gotten last time she had asked that kept him up sometimes.
He shook his head no.
"Come on~ I promise I'll be gentle~"
'AW HELL NAW'
Elena looked back at him with an unreadable expression before looking forward. They reached the next floor all the while Riiva assaulted him with her incessant pleading. Ahead was a hall with another handful of handmaidens going about their duties. In the middle of them on the right side of the hall was a large and opulent wooden door made of pale wood. It had faded golden handles and hinges. It possessed an intricate engraving on its surface that held no particular meaning other than to be pretty from what Gwin guessed. They were met with suspicious sidelong glances that melted into warm smiles. Gwin watched as a silent conversation happened between Elena and one of the handmaidens dusting off an ancient vase through a series of head tilts and rising shoulders.
Every single interaction between Elena and these handmaidens so far had been just a bunch of codes and secret conversations. Seishan wasn't teaching "etiquette" and Ana hadn't had problems "sleeping". Seishan was more than likely in the middle of training her handmaidens and he could only imagine what awful thing "sleeping" was meant to stand for! Maybe some unfortunate guardsman had gotten on Ana's bad side and needed to be…dealt with.
The next second Elena was reaching for the faded golden handle and entering the room. Gwin followed. His stomach was in high throat.
It was now or never.
Inside was a circular ballroom with large glass windows making up its walls that ended in pointed tips in the center of the ceiling. The windows were covered in big patchwork sheets of cloth and hides to stop any light from coming in or out. Light memories floated in the air above them filling the room with various shades of light. It was forty meters in diameter and on the smaller side of the ballrooms he saw in webtoons. It was more like a practice ballroom that the ancient denizens of the bright castle may have used to practice dancing outside the public eye before everything went to shit for them.
In a way what was happening now wasn't so different.
The floor was separated into five parts. There was a large square drawn with some kind of ink that took up most of the floor. Inside it were four smaller squares evenly lined out. In the corners of the rooms were silencing memories that stopped any noise from reaching the outside. Inside those squares where handmaidens locked in a tense sparring match with memories equipped.
Gwin always wondered how they avoided killing each other.
The fifth part of the floor consisted of the area of the floor not in the square and served as the spectators area. There were around five handmaidens in the room with two currently sparing in one of the squares. There at the far end of the room closely observing the dueling handmaidens with a serene expression was Seishan. Gwin was lost in her beauty for a moment.
Not in a creepy way though of course…in an admiring way.
She wore a strangely regal dress, its velvet the color of red wine. A silver necklace rested on her chest accentuating her supple figure and she wore two silver bracelets. What Gwin really admired was her exotic grey skin. It was like stormy clouds and grey ash and her teeth were perfect and white like pearls.
She was one of the few that had had their appearance drastically changed by their aspect. It was something he, Elena, and her shared. Elena's aspect had something to do with exuding short but incredibly quick bursts of speed as well as flight to a degree using wind and her hair had become crimson red as a result. Well he just assumed it had changed because who just had crimson hair? That absolutely wasn't a natural color for human hair.
Seishan on the other hand was changed in a way that made sense for her. Gwin had experienced first hand what her aspect was, a transformation aspect just like his. Well not exactly but close. He had gone through changes like she had with his eyes, teeth, and hair. His changes had made him much more like a blank slate for a beast unlike hers. Hers wasn't divine after all and only let her take the form or partial form of a specific creature.
Gwin still shivered thinking about the beating he got from her in that form.
Gwin gulped and followed Elena who was walking along the outer border. Seishan saw her coming before turning her austere eyes on Gwin.
"That's enough for now, take a break."
She called to the dueling handmaidens that stopped their deadly sparring match immediately and left the square while joking and laughing with each other. They reached her a second after.
Gwin felt like running.
But he didn't.
"Hello Gwin. I see that you are back."
She looked behind him.
"And what of my prodigal handmaidens that snuck away with you?"
His brows furrowed deeply casting dark shadows over his eyes.. The other handmaidens were listening in on the conversation despite not knowing sign language. His eyes remained on her. He grit his teeth and moved his hands.
{They are dead.}
You could hear a pin drop. Gwin's empty stomach twisted into knots. What did he have to feel guilty for? It was their decision to come with him! He saw a flinch in Seishan's eyebrows and suddenly a pit formed in his stomach, sucking the color from the world.
Seishan cusped her hands over her necklace and said with an unknowable depth of solemness in her eyes. Her bracelets clinked quietly as she did.
"I see. What an unfortunate loss. They held so much promise."
Despite only getting half the conversation the other handmaidens got the full message. An air of solemn grief came over them.
Death was common in the forgotten shores…for most. Seishan herself had been in the forgotten shore for almost a decade, she must have seen many come and go. The outer settlement dealt with death on a daily basis while hunter and pathfinders did too albeit less so. Guards constantly had desperate sleepers to bloat their numbers after a dozen of them would get ripped apart defending the castle gate from abominations.
The handmaidens and artisans however rarely dealt with such a thing. As such they grew fond of each other and connected. The handmaidens who had ventured out of the castle with Gwin consisted of several sleepers who had spent several years in the forgotten shore. They were well known and well liked.
Elena spoke up.
"I'm sorry for your loss sister. I only knew them for a few months and yet I mourn their deaths. They would have been valuable members of clan Song."
Seishan's face returned to its normal state of austere elegance and maturity.
"Thank you sister. Your words set my heart at ease. Yes, they were valued subjects of clan Song."
"I'm happy to be of assistance."
Elena replied with a faint smile.
"It is comforting to be in the presence of my younger sister. I have been afraid for the longest time I'd never see any of my siblings again."
Seishan turned to Gwin, her eyes sharp and calculating.
"You made it back without the help of Lola and her aspect. I'm impressed, was it skill or luck though?"
Gwin didn't get lucky. He'd gone through too much shit to be considered "lucky". Unless he was supposed to count the fact that an unholy titan hadn't dropped from the sky and annihilated him as lucky.
No, he had fought tooth and nail to be where he was.
{Would you like to find out? It's been a long time since we sparred.}
Gwin signed with a challenge in his eyes. The world slowly regained its color. The frustration in his chest began devouring the pit of guilt in his stomach. He spat the souls shard resting in his throat into his hands and tossed it towards Elena who watched it hit the ground at her feet with disgust.
Gwin stepped out over the line of ink and onto the dueling squares. The [Scorched Aegis] reclaimed his body. Her eyes were trained on him, he could feel it. He spun to face her. Clinking steps echoed in the circular room. His hands moved aggressively and his brows furrowed deeply.
{Come at me.}