Grey Nirmala
The Purple Sun's unsettling light dragged me out of bed. Frowning, I got up, and the first thing I saw was Ayame's expressionless face staring at me.
"Eh…?"
I gave myself a light slap to check if I was dreaming, but Ayame was still there.
"What are you doing here? A person should knock first. Did you come from a village with no doors or something?"
Ayame shook her head with perfect seriousness.
"No. I am from Trawama Town of the Storm City."
I rolled my eyes and looked out from the balcony.
"It's like there's no trace of yesterday's rain," I muttered to myself.
"In the Storm City, rain falling at night is a very common weather event," Ayame said in a sullen voice. "But The Legia Great House saw something hidden within this event. There was aether inside the raindrops. They turned this otherworldly truth into an opportunity and founded the Storm City."
I looked back at Ayame blinked a few times.
"So… there's aether in the rain?"
Ayame nodded in confirmation.
"Yes."
"I see. How funny."
This new information left me tangled in dozens of questions.
"Hachiko," I called to my companion in my mind. "Got any new info in that nonexistent head of yours?"
Hachiko didn't answer.
"Hachiko?"
When Hachiko still didn't respond, I gave him a mental nudge. I shoved a disgusting memory into his mind.
"Ah! Hey!" Hachiko yelped. "Why would you show me something so gross?"
I ignored his question. "Got any new info in that dumb head of yours?"
He cleared his throat. "Why should I tell you? You should've thought of that before showing me something so disgusting."
I could feel him shaking his head.
"Quit babbling. If we want to get out of here and go home, we need all the information we can get."
"You need it. I'm honestly content with my life," Hachiko replied back with fury in his voice.
I frowned at his answer. "If constantly running into the face of death makes you happy, you can get lost. Ever since you settled into my head like a parasite, I haven't been able to do anything properly."
I raged at my companion. I felt Hachiko narrow his nonexistent eyes.
"…I'm sorry," he said, lowering his voice. "Yes, there's new information. But I don't know if it's important."
"I don't care. Just say it."
His voice dropped even more. "Aether exists within every substance. From the beginning of the universe to its end, there was aether. Even the atoms that make us up come from aether at their core. Aether is everything, and also nothing."
"Thank you," I told him politely.
Hachiko said nothing more. He simply went quiet.
Meanwhile, Ayame, who had been watching me with empty eyes, walked toward me.
"Lady Lilith is waiting for you downstairs in the training hall. You have five minutes. Please do not be late. She hates those who arrive late. If you want I can escort you to the hall."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
I waved her off. "I can find the training hall myself. I'll be there shortly."
Ayame bowed her head. "As you command, Lord Grey."
She left the room. I could easily hear her footsteps receding down the corridor.
Rolling my eyes, I stepped out onto the balcony. I breathed in the cold wind that hit me and watched the outside.
"Storm City…" I murmured.
From the balcony, I was high enough to see the city clearly. There were both tall, large houses and short, small ones. The tall and large ones reminded me more of the modern buildings in the Green Realm, while the short and small ones gave off a more medieval style. There was a mismatch at the center of it all. But I knew the reason well.
The Dream Realm had the same problems as the Green Realm: the status gap between rich and poor. I didn't know how the economy of the Dream Realm worked, but from what I could tell, it wasn't much different from the Green Realm. As for politics… I laughed to myself. The political side was definitely different. Judging by the part of the Dream Realm I had seen, it wasn't hard to understand this place was ruled by a monarchy.
Breathing in the lively air, I left the balcony and stopped in front of the big wardrobe on the right side of my room. I slid the door open and found five different outfits hanging inside. Each was more beautiful than the last. I reached for the yellow-and-black one that I immediately set my eyes on and pulled it out. The shirt in my hands looked flexible and comfortable. It would make movement easier during training. For the bottoms, there were two specially chosen shalwars.
"Hopefully these aren't women's shalwars this time," I muttered.
After yesterday's embarrassing incident, I had been reminded once again what a big idiot I was.
Once I had put on the nice outfit, I checked myself in the full-length mirror. The black shalwar didn't make me look like a woman. I looked into my eyes in the mirror, and my hand went to them involuntarily. Most of the time, I pretended I didn't recognize my golden eyes. After all, I was just like any other kid. Afraid of being ostracized. A kid who wanted to enjoy life. For a short while, I actually even did.
But under those eyes lay a corpse.
Ever since I came here, I had been trying to run from some of the things I experienced in the Green Realm. But the past never let me go. With Cinder's death, my mind went to his niece, Maya.
"I wonder how the girl is doing?"
Even if I hadn't killed Cinder directly, his death was my fault.
"If it weren't for me, he would still…"
I stopped myself.
Cinder's death had tied me straight to Maya. Just like with her death, I held myself responsible for his as well. My stupid hatred for humanity and my sense of superiority had taken over from that moment on. Maya's death was their fault. They had killed my first friend, and now new ones were going to live through the same thing. Raya, Klein, Rain, Sunny, Alora…
My closeness with them was nothing more than a thin thread. At least, it used to be. Now, I was with Raya. And Klein had become a close… friend. I laughed at the thought. There was a time I literally hated the boy. I didn't care about his thoughts or feelings. But now I did. Why? When did I get this soft? Ever since that time I had spend aether I fell soft. But I... I couldn't blame them too right? Was pushing myself too much to hate? Or was I just trying to find a way out from myself?
I had changed so much in such a short a time. I was a rope being pulled from both ends, about to snap. I was caught between Creation and Destruction.
I looked at the two concept-runes etched into my palms. Both were still dim. They were far from aether. Yes, there were hundreds of aether motes circulating inside my body, but I wasn't directing that aether into the runes. Because I had finally realized something.
When I used the runes, I became no different from the hunters around me. I became a predator. A bloodthirsty monster that wanted to devour everything in its path. The runes dragged up the hatred and hunger that lay inside me. I couldn't control myself. Pain became a source of pleasure and death, a breath.
"You're late."
Lilith looked at me with angry eyes.
I was out of breath. I threw my hair back and, with my hands on my knees, met Lilith's furious gaze.
"I know, I know. This palace has more rooms than I expected."
I took a deep breath and surveyed the training hall. The main color of the hall was white. Red lightning ran across the walls. The ceiling high, but not so high that it would hinder my training. There were a dozen chairs scattered around, and the main area, the arena, took up nearly the entire space. At the center of the arena were two large horn patterns. Lilith stood right between them.
"Come on. Your body won't train itself," Lilith said, sounding bored.
I frowned and walked toward her. She wore a battle outfit made of black diamonds, and her long white hair was tied into a high ponytail. Lilith's ruby eyes were sharp. There were dozens of aetheric particles around us, most of them circling Lilith. She drew a deep breath and pulled the golden aetheric particles toward herself. The motes collided with eachother and were absorbed into her hands. Red-glowing tattoos appeared, running from her hands up to her eyes. They only revealed themselves when she absorbed aether.
But to me, something else just as striking had happened: Lilith's expression didn't change at all. There was not a single emotion behind her eyes. Only the power of those ruby irises.
In both her hands, black daggers with crimson lightning motifs took shape. I had seen this before. The Crimson Moon Hunters used the same technique.
Lilith tightened her grip on the two daggers and narrowed her eyes at me.
"Stop staring at me like an idiot and fight," she commanded.
I stared at her, confused. "But I don't even know how to fight yet. Couldn't you at least show me some moves before we—"
Lilith shook her head.
I frowned. "Then… could you give me at least a weapon? Am I supposed to fight you with my bare hands?"
She shook her head again. "You'll learn to fight by sparring with me. As for a weapon… aether will give you your weapon. You'll find one that fits your mind, and once you establish a connection with aether, that weapon will be granted to you."
"A connection with aether?" I raised a brow. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Lilith's voice dropped, but hardened at the same time. "That's up to you. And for a better answer. You'll unlock your weapon when you become a third awakened."
What was that supposed to mean? How did she expect me to form a connection with aether and reach the third awakening? I didn't even know how I became a second awakened.
My thoughts scattered the moment Lilith fell into a fighting stance. She drew both daggers back, took a deep breath, and sprang into the air.
"Wait—what?"
She leapt so high she nearly touched the ceiling, then fixed her eyes on me and dropped. Before I could react, her daggers had already pierced me. My eyes widened, and a flood of blood poured from my mouth. I couldn't breathe. Lilith had punctured my lungs.
I collapsed in agony and looked at Lilith, whose daggers were slick with my blood. But her eyes were as dead as ever. My vision began to darken.
"Is this how it ends?" I asked the darkness. "After all that, is some idiot girl really going to kill me?"
I grit my teeth.
"No. I refuse."
I began directing all the aether swimming in my body toward the runes. The runes began to glow, and the darkness faded from my eyes. I could see Lilith's face clearly now, and there was a small, proud smirk there.
I planted my hands on the ground and hauled myself up with everything I had. I got onto my feet. Blood kept pouring from my mouth, but it didn't matter. I channeled the aether to the Rune of Creation, Creation was drawing into the wounds in my lungs, and in a blink, with two strokes of healing, they were closed.
Lilith pointed both daggers at me.
"It's good to see you don't fall so quickly, Fates Masterpiece," she said. I thought I detected a trace of happiness in her voice.
I smiled and looked straight into her ruby eyes. "Like I said before: I will survive."
And then the only thing I saw was red.
I had already lost control.
Lilith's ruby eyes widened and she sprang back. The right half of my body blazed with a golden aura, while the left half glowed with a violet one. I could see a bead of sweat trickle down her face.
I let the runes flow and spread aether throughout my body, tightening and empowering my muscles. I threw my legs forward and took a step.
Time seemed to slow. When my arms moved, my perception moved with them.
Lilith broke her stance and lunged. She swung one dagger, and I threw a punch. My fist struck her dagger, and the blade sliced my hand. We both flew backward away from each other. I dragged my feet along the ground to stop and looked at my wound. Two of my fingers had been cut to the bone, and there was a gash across my hand. I could even see part of my bone through the slit.
Behind me, I could hear Lilith scraping her daggers together. Smiling at my injury, I turned, only for her dagger to greet me. I was late, the instant I saw the black blade. It pierced my chin and sliced my tongue. While she tried to drive the dagger deeper into my jaw, she was already drawing the second one to swing.
I grinned and used the strength in my legs to shove myself backward. Lilith's eyes narrowed, and the dagger that had split my tongue shattered my lower teeth. My entire face was drenched in blood. My jaw was split in two, but my hunger hadn't yet been sated.
Pain was soothing me.
I started to laugh, but because of my mouths situation, the laughter came out crooked. Lilith was attacking to kill me. And I would attack to kill her.
Lilith Harper Legia
The monstrosity standing before me was drenched in blood. His eyes were no different from a predator's, and the intent he radiated was nothing but destruction. It was true that I had attacked to kill him, but of course, I hadn't actually planned to kill him. I had accounted even for the worst possibility. Yet Fates Masterpiece had harmed himself far more than I ever did. For the sake of surviving, he had sacrificed his humanity. He stood between two concept runes, but Destruction was on the verge of pulling him entirely to its side. I had seen how much a person could change in a fight. But not this much.
I closed my eyes and let the Aether guide me. If I didn't stop Fates Masterpiece, he would destroy himself. An aetheric path flashed before my eyes, and I lunged forward. I spun both daggers in my hands and drove them into the monster's arms. Fates Masterpiece was neither as fast nor as strong as I was. Having two concept runes made him stronger than he should have been, but not strong enough.
Fates Masterpiece screamed in pain. But his scream didn't last. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me with a mad grin on his face. He tried to smash his head into mine, but I yanked the daggers from his arms and slashed them across his legs. He lost his balance and crashed to the floor. Leveling my daggers at the monster, I furrowed my brows.
"Don't move any more. Or I'll cut off every limb you have."
I looked down at him from above in a sharp, threatening tone. I could feel the Aether within the boy spreading through his body in a chaotic way. The Aether couldn't decide where to heal first. With a sigh, I drove the dagger in my right hand into one of the Masterpiece's wounds on his left arm. The Aether rushed straight there. If he healed, I was certain he would try to attack me again. So I drew the Aether out of my left dagger, and the dagger vanished.
I took aim at Fates Masterpiece cerebellum and, with a swift punch, sent him collapsing to the floor, unconscious. I swept a glance around the training hall. Magna Tempestas hadn't seen such a lucid, subversive spar in a long time. But the truth was, the training wasn't over; on the contrary, it was only just beginning.
Grey Nirmala
My head was pounding like crazy. I rubbed my eyes open, trying to figure out where I was. The last thing I remembered was Lilith's sharp daggers.
"I'm glad you've woken up, Lord Grey."
Ayame's voice came from the far end of the room.
I pressed my hands to my skull and kneaded my temples."What happened to me? I feel like I've been torn to pieces."
"To a degree, you were."
Lilith's voice came from my front. The moment I heard that monster's voice, I bolted upright in bed. She sat in a small, comfortable chair across from me, Ayame beside her wearing the same sullen face as always.
"You woke up faster than I expected. I thought you'd be sprawled here like a corpse until morning."
Lilith's tone was flat.
"Oh, great. Stuck in the same room with two sullen statues."
I muttered to myself. Being here was idiotic enough and then... A burning pain flared in my left palm, wiping out every other thought. I groaned, clutching my wrist hard.
"What's wrong with the Rune of Destruction?"
I forced the question out, eyes fixed on Lilith. She laced her fingers on her mouth and leaned forward.
"The explanation is simple. You possess two concept runes."
I arched a brow despite the pain."And that's… bad how? Don't runes make me stronger?"
Lilith shook her head."Concept runes are not simple power-ups. Runes reflect their bearer. They're made of your philosophy, your emotions, your memories, your thoughts, your goals, your ideology."
"But someone else gave me these runes."
She nodded. "Yes. You can't obtain a concept rune on your own after all it must be bestowed."
Her eyes narrowed. "And now we come to the real problem. Having two concept runes is causing a split within you. Yes, a person can carry two, but the ones you carry are opposites to one another. Inside you, two opposing concepts are fighting constantly for dominion, yet neither can ever truly win."
I let out a breath and looked down at the Rune of Destruction.
"So how do I stop it? How do I keep from losing control every time I use the runes?"
"The answer to that is also simple. Training." I sighed and ran my fingers over the soft sheets.
"These are softer than the ones in my room."
"This is Princess Lilith's personal chamber," Ayame replied. "The linens given to her cannot be the same as those in your quarters."
I stood and took in the room. For a princess, it was almost austere: black walls without a single portrait, wrapped in bands of red lightning, and that was it.
"So you're a princess. News to me." I said it with a mocking lilt. "Didn't think you had anything to do with Orinn."
Lilith's face darkened at the name. "Because I don't."
Her voice hardened. I pushed myself fully off the bed and met that shadowed gaze.
"Alright, alright. Calm down. I wasn't trying to insult you."
She frowned at me. "Orinn Legia is a despot who cares only for himself. A dictator who eliminates anyone who opposes his ideas. A manipulator who keeps those he yokes under control until their dying breath."
Ayame looked over at her. Even without expression, I could tell the handmaid was questioning the princess with her eyes. I jabbed a finger in Ayame's direction.
"Isn't it risky saying things like that with her right there?"
"My loyalty is to the Legia Household," Ayame said with a nod. "But I do not interfere in the royal family's internal affairs. I have no authority to question their thoughts."
Lilith flicked a hand through the air. "Grey Nirmala, today you proved just how inclined to slaughter you are."
She began, voice lowering."The Rune of Destruction has become a piece of you. The Rune of Creation is the obstacle trying to take that piece's place."
Darker and darker her tone became. "That's why no Awakened should possess more than one concept rune. A time will come, and when it does, you will have to choose."
Her eyes sharpened, shadowed to near black. "Will it be Creation, or will it be Destruction? The choice is yours."
I frowned at the Dream Princess. "Choices, choices… It's like my life is nothing but choices. Fine, then you answer me this, princess: what is your life made of?"
Lilith straightened, folded her hands in her lap, and let every trace of feeling drain from her face.
"I want to kill Orinn Legia."