[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Blood Emperor]
Alista woke up to find himself in a calm, desolate place. He was nude, and the air was immediately chilling. With a thought, he summoned
[Flame Armor] activated. It materialized as a suit of stylized armor, colored in hues of gold and silver, covering him from head to toe.
In front of him, on the dark, desolate shore of a vast river, sat a human skeleton. It was resting on the cold, black stones, its back straight, facing the water. The skeleton was strangely well-preserved. It was sitting with its legs crossed, its hands resting on its hips, as if caught in a posture of meditation. The skull of the First Bright Lord gazed out at the river with the dark chambers of its empty eyes, radiating a bizarre sense of calm and peace.
Resting on the skull, like a humble crown, was a thin strip of light metal. Embedded in the metal band, right above the center of the skull's forehead, was a single, bright gemstone.
Alista observed the river. It was covered in a thick, swirling Mist, which masked the water's surface. He knew exactly where he was: the Hollow Mountain's Border, right on the edge of the River, the very place where the First Bright Lord had lost his life.
"Really, I am on Hollow Mountain's Border, right on the river's edge," Alista muttered, a cynical grin forming. "Just because I got the True Name as an Emperor, they seriously had to put me right in front of him."Alista cursed,"Damn You,Amanises."
He walked toward the riverbank. "How the hell would I go to the Forgotten Shore? Going into the Underworld is equal to suicide."
Ever since he woke up, he felt a powerful, irrational urge—a pull from the [Mad King] Flaw—to dive straight into the river. He knew that doing so would instantly tear him to smithereens.
He immediately walked to the seated corpse and reached out, touching the metal crown.
[You received a Memory: Dawn Shard]
"This memory is key to escaping this realm," Alista whispered, a triumphant note in his voice. "No way I am leaving this freebie."
He glanced at his updated Runes:
Name:Alista Tudor
True Name:Blood Emperor
Rank:Dreamer
Soul Core:Dormant
Soul Fragments:[22/1000]
Memories:[Flame Armor], [Hunter's Sword][Water Well][Fire Lamp][Dawn Shard]
Echoes:—
Attributes:[Uniqueness of Black Emperor], [Instincts], [Barbarian], [Battle Analyzer]
Aspect:[Black Emperor]
Aspect Rank:Divine
Aspect Ability:[Bribe]
Alista smiled at his preparation. "Luckily, I bought a Water memory and a Fire-giving memory before the Solstice."
He then started to dig a proper grave for the First Bright Lord. After digging a substantial hole in the cold, hard earth, he reverently carried the skeleton and buried it. He felt that at least one soul, even if fictional, from his cohort deserved a proper rest. He marked the grave with a stone upon which he meticulously carved the inscription:
The First Bright Lord
The Ruler paved a way
A Warrior Who Fought Till the End
He lit a fire a safe distance away using his [Fire Lamp] memory, ensuring he stayed warm. He fought to control the constant urge to fight the Spire Messenger and the urge to enter the lethal river. He knew he needed a boat, but the shore had no bark or solid shells he could use as a base. After an extensive, frustrating search yielded no floating materials, Alista lay down near the fire.
"Wonder where she landed," he sighed, thinking of Fors.
As he waited, he suddenly heard a sound from the direction of the river. Alista immediately summoned his [Hunter's Sword] and took a defensive stance.
As time progressed, a small boat emerged from the swirling mists. In the boat, dressed in bronze armor, sat Artemis. She had a silver rope coiled in her hand, which she was using to pull the boat toward the shore.
Alista was shocked; so was she. 'Out of all the people, I have to meet her! Amanises has truly cursed me with Misfortune,' he thought, his plan for solitary survival immediately crumbling.
Artemis expertly anchored the boat to a nearby stone with the rope.
"So, we meet again, I guess," she said, her blue eyes wide with surprise.
Alista nodded, lowering his sword slightly. "Where did you land?"
"I landed on the other side of the river," Artemis explained. "I had an idea—I saw the boat tied to a concealed point, and I traversed the river here."
Alista's mind immediately went into overdrive. 'How did she navigate around the mist? She shouldn't know the terrain or the dangers.'
"Well, we can sit here near the fire," Alista suggested, needing time to analyze her arrival.
They settled by the fire, the orange light reflecting in Artemis's bronze armor.
"So, any idea where she might land?" Artemis asked, continuing their previous conversation thread about Fors.
Alista thought for a moment. "Wherever she will be, she will survive."
"Yeah," Artemis agreed. "By the way, we should discuss our abilities, because we need to fight as allies, right? Let me start with mine."
Artemis began listing her assets with the precision of a trained Legacy.
"I have Attributes that calm my mind, and a slight Affliction to the Divinity," she explained. "and a Attributes enhances Navigation; it points to the safest routes to the location and the goal I want."
Alista's earlier suspicion was confirmed. That was how she crossed the lethal river.
"As for my Dormant ability," Artemis continued, "I can make the gravity of an area either increase or decrease to a certain extent. As for the Echoes and Memories, I have an armor that protects from soul attacks, a sword which increases my strength while I draw it, a silver rope to bind targets, and a charm that can make my movement silent. And I have a single Echo that helps us move fast. Just this much."
Alista's mind was momentarily overloaded by the sheer wealth of her starting gear. "Lady, you are seriously loaded. What are you, Audrey Hall?"
Artemis looked genuinely confused. "Who is Audrey Hall?"
Alista coughed. "Nothing. A rich, cute lady. That's all." He quickly shifted the focus back to himself.
"Well, for me, I have Attributes related to high physical stats, high powered Instincts, and gathering battle details during a fight. As for my Dormant ability, I can make the opponent arrogant under certain conditions. As for my Memories, I have a flame-resistant armor, a sword that causes more bleeding, a water memory, and a lamp memory."
Artemis looked impressed. "You are loaded for an outskirts Sleeper."
Alista laughed. "Arty, that is the reason why we stole the punching machine in the Academy." He gave her a playful wink. 'Luckily, I successfully hid the other, more complex effects of [Bribe],Now, we need to leave this place quickly. Let the original cohort come and hunt the Spire Messenger here. Two Sleepers are far too few for a Fallen Beast.'
As Alista was about to suggest they leave for the Forgotten Shore, Artemis pointed toward the mountainside leading deeper into the dark realm.
"Remember, one of my Attributes provides Navigation for the places I want to go?"
Alista nodded slowly, his face serious.
"Well,I used to search for the optimal path towards the Waking worlf," Artemis said, her eyes fixed on the distant shadows. "It is pointing to that direction to go."
The direction she indicated was exactly toward the location where the powerful, terrifying creature known as the Spire Messenger was present.
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