The war council room was deep in the heart of the Bright Castle, hidden beneath layers of ancient stone and the silence of history. Once a sanctum of rulers past, it now bore witness to the most pivotal moment since the death of the Second Bright Lord. The room was lit only by the cold flame of a Memory lantern, casting shadows that danced on the faces of the seven gathered warriors.
Konrad, Izanami, Sevatar, Sunny, Nephis, Effie, and Seishan sat around the heavy table, worn smooth by centuries of use. The storm outside had long passed, but the chill of the Forgotten Shore seemed to cling to the stones, as though the darkness beyond the walls was pressing in, waiting.
No one spoke for a long while. The silence was not uncomfortable, but solemn. They had all come to this place by paths paved with blood and sacrifice. Each bore the weight of countless dead, of choices made and prices paid.
It was Sunny who finally broke the silence with a dramatic yawn.
"Shall we get on with this? Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and some of us need their beauty sleep."
He shot a glance at Izanami, hesitated, and added, "Actually, every day after today is going to be a long one. So let's just do it."
Nephis stared at him, expression unreadable. After a moment, she repeated his words, softly.
"...Do it."
"I agree," Konrad said, his voice calm and absolute.
There was no more hesitation. One by one, they summoned their Shard Memories.
Sunny conjured a pair of weapons: an austere tachi and a ghostly stiletto. Light shimmered along their edges.
Seishan called forth a war hammer with the elegance of a falling star, its narrow beak designed not for bludgeoning, but precise devastation.
Effie brought out her bronze spear and a heavy round shield etched with unfamiliar sigils.
Changing Star summoned a circlet, simple and beautiful, adorned with a solitary gem that shone like a captive sun.
Konrad gave the memory a long look.
And finally, Konrad. A red cloak unfurled from the ether and wrapped around his shoulders. The color of blood, of sacrifice. Once it had been white, but he had altered it using a dormant memory. Red suited the Night Lord better.
The seven Shard Memories hung in the air, glowing faintly. They were ancient and powerful, each resonating with its wielder's essence. The silence returned, but this time it was charged with anticipation.
It was Sevatar who asked what they were all thinking.
"So, uh… what now?"
Nephis tilted her head, deep in thought. Her silver eyes reflected the light of the Shards. Then, she simply said, "Come closer."
They obeyed. As they stepped forward, the Shards reacted.
Konrad felt a shift in his cloak—first warmth, then heat. Then, something strange: the Shard began to glow, its color intensifying, resonating with an unseen force. All seven Shards lit up simultaneously, sending beams of ethereal light toward the center of the room.
The beams collided, intertwined, and fused.
A shape began to form in the center of the convergence. Slowly, seven keys appeared—crafted from a luminous metal, each engraved with seven stars.
The air in the chamber turned heavy. This was not just the result of a ritual—this was a burden from the past. A promise. A chain.
The seven keys hovered for a moment, then dissolved into motes of light and shot forward, each beam slamming into the chest of one of the seven warriors.
Konrad felt the surge within him as the light was absorbed into his soul core. There was no pain, only weight. A silent, wordless vow etched into his being.
Then came the voice of the nightmare spell:
[...You have received an Oath Key.]
Konrad exhaled slowly. Of course it would come to this. Even now, fate had a way of binding him to ancient promises he had no interest in making. He had always walked a path carved from his own will, not the decrees of the long-dead. And yet, here he was.
He glanced around the room. Izanami's eyes were half-lidded, thoughtful. Sevatar looked away, lost in his own thoughts. Sunny's usual sarcasm was gone, replaced by a rare seriousness. Nephis's gaze was steady, unwavering. Effie stood tall, her expression grim. Seishan's grip on her hammer was tight, knuckles pale.
They were ready. They had come far. But the road ahead was darker than anything they had faced.
Nephis looked at them all.
"We're ready," she said.
Seven keys. Seven warriors. One oath.
The siege of the Crimson Spire was no longer a plan—it was destiny.
Changing Star decided to assign Sunless with seven oath keys. Konrad agreed. Everyone gave their oath keys to Sunny.
Konrad placed his large palm on Sunny's shoulder and said,
"Kill the lord first. I give you my trust. Do not disappoint."
***
In the dim light of dawn, the gates of the castle opened for the last time. A long procession of humans walked through them, leaving the ancient citadel that had sheltered them for so long. At the Vanguard was the Night Lord and his legion. Then the rest of the sleepers.
They walked under the swinging skulls, not paying them any attention. In the aftermath of all that has happened, no one had bothered to remove the ghastly things from their chains.
It was not like anyone could have forgotten thousands of deaths of those damned souls, even if the skulls were removed.
One thousand people descended the hill and entered the Dark City. A few Nightmare Creatures tried to attack them, and were eviscerated before managing to do any harm.
These one thousand humans were not a defenseless crowd. They were a battle-hardened army, one comprised of exceptionally powerful Sleepers… the most powerful Sleepers to ever be born from the human race, perhaps.
They moved the ruins, cutting down anything that dared to block their path. Soon, the Sleepers approached the western boundary of the Dark City and scaled the ancient wall.
There, they stopped and turned, staring at the silhouette of the Bright Castle in solemn silence.
…By then, pillars of black smoke were billowing from each of its windows. Soon, the whole castle was enveloped by furious flames, which slowly devoured the white stone of its walls. The magnificent marble cracked and melted, destroyed by the terrible heat. The smaller towers swayed and moved, and then fell into the terrible crucible.
The fire was slowly destroying the Bright Castle, turning it into a molten ruin.
In a sense, this was fitting. After all, everything else in the Dark City had been ruined a long, long time ago.
Surprisingly, this act of destruction was not Changing Star's idea. She wasn't the one who ordered to burn the Bright Castle behind them, like a final gesture to hammer it into everyone's souls that there was no way back anymore. Sunny would have expected something like that from Nephis.
But no, it was the decision of the Night Lord, the ruler of the bright castle himself.
He wanted to destroy the ancient citadel, because He hated it. He hated these ancient, bloodsoaked stones only a little bit less than they needed it to survive. This place made him change, broke his morals and made him the bloody tyrant that he is.
Many people agreed with this sentiment.
And now that they were leaving, they wanted to erase the Bright Castle from existence. Perhaps if it was gone, the memories of all the darkness that they had witnessed there, and were the perpetrators of, would disappear with it.
After a while, the misshapen, twisted silhouette of the dying fortress was completely hidden by the fire and smoke. Slowly, the silent Sleepers turned away from that sight and looked far away into the distance.
They were looking west.
That was where they were going.
To lay siege to the Crimson Spire.
One after another, the Sleepers descended from the wall and left the Dark City behind.