In that moment, it took him several seconds to grasp what she was speaking of.
"The tower of your vision? The one with the seven seals?"
Cassia offered him a courteous nod.
"Yes. In my dream, it loomed as high as a mountain. I could even see it from the walls of the human castle, hovering in the distance like a crimson spear piercing the heavens. When the sun sets, the tower's vast shadow falls across the castle and stretches eastward as far as the eye can see."
She paused for a heartbeat.
"The sensation I felt upon gazing at the Crimson Spire was much the same as what you described—only far more intense."
Sunless frowned, racking his mind for the precise words Cassia had used to describe her vision. Seven heads, severed, guarding seven seals… a dying angel devoured by ravenous shadows… mist… an overwhelming feeling of terror and loss…
What, in truth, was wrong with that Spire?
"Is it crimson because it's made of the same substance as the labyrinth?"
The "coral" of crimson all around them was not coral at all, but so called for convenience alone, owing merely to its superficial likeness. The true nature of that strange material remained a mystery.
Cassia hesitated.
"Perhaps the opposite is true. Perhaps the labyrinth is fashioned from the same material as the Spire."
In other words, the Crimson Spire might well be the source of all this madness. Yet, in the end, it was but a theory—there was scant information to confirm it.
Still, Sunless felt the Spire lay somehow at the heart of everything they had encountered. He only hoped it would not be his ultimate destination.
Knowing the source of his unease, however, made it more bearable. There was even a hidden benefit to its presence—so long as he could sense the Spire's shadow, he could point the way to the human castle, which lay between their current position and the shadow's origin.
In a sense, the Crimson Spire had become his internal compass.
"Remain vigilant."
Ariandel's voice drew Sunless from his reverie. Shaking off his scattered thoughts, he refocused on the task before him.
They were nearing the Bone Ridge.
That name had occurred to them the very first time they glimpsed the imposing landmark. Visible from afar, it stood in stark contrast to the crimson coral and the grey sky, gleaming in resplendent ivory.
The Bone Ridge was, quite literally, composed of bone. The skeletal remains of some colossal sea monster lay atop a vast mound of chaotically growing coral, its arched spine thrusting skyward. It was impossible to discern the creature's living form, but one thing was certain—it had been gargantuan, even by the standards of the dark sea.
It was not the first giant skeleton they had come across on their journey. In truth, the labyrinth teemed with the remains of slain leviathans, whose immense bones formed natural arches and palaces scattered all about.
They were easy to spot, for the coral formations grew especially tall and dense around those wrecks, as though striving to bury any trace of whiteness beneath the crimson sea.
Sunless, however, perceived it differently.
To him, it looked as though the coral had sprouted from the ancient bones, spreading in every direction, slowly consuming the world. When he looked upon the crimson mounds surrounding those colossal remains, he could see them only as rivers of congealed blood.
He was almost certain that, were they to dig deeply enough through the black mud to reach the crimson forest's roots, they would find nothing but endless layers of bone.
A disturbing image indeed.
Regardless of one's view on the labyrinth, the beast whose remains formed the Bone Peak was especially vast. By fortune, part of its long spine rose high enough to remain above water at night. It was for this reason they had chosen that spot as their next encampment.
With night approaching, their task was crucial: to climb the dead leviathan and ensure that no other creature had taken refuge within its bones.
If any lurked there, they would have no choice but to confront it, for there would be no time to return to their previous refuge.
The final step is often the most perilous.
Upon reaching the base of the coral mound, the group circled it in search of an accessible path.
At last, they stood before the cracked, deformed skull of the creature. With the lower jaw either missing or buried in the mire, the upper portion formed a vast, cavernous archway.
A chill traced Sunless's spine as he passed beneath that terrifying palisade of teeth and entered the cavern. With his shadow leading the way, they pressed onward to the back of the creature's skull and soon entered the vast hollow of its spine.
Inside the column, the bony floor underfoot was as broad as a road. Indeed, it resembled a highway cutting through a long tunnel, shafts of light filtering down through the gaps between massive vertebrae. The tunnel sloped upward, most of its length hidden by the curvature of its ceiling.
When Echo stepped into the column, its chitinous legs emitted a sharp, resonant clatter.
Cassia tensed.
Nephis grimaced.
Ariandel asked, indifferent,
"Sunny?"
Sunless scanned through the shadow before replying,
"No movement."
The Illustrious Artisan of Fantasy peered ahead, slightly frowning.
"Let us proceed."
...
Fortunately, their precautions proved needless.
Nothing lay hidden within the giant remains, and they reached the highest point of the spine without having to fight their way through an unknown number of monsters.
When they arrived at a safe ledge, the sun was already setting. The dark sea returned, filling the interior of the marine monster's column with the echoing sound of flowing water.
Sunless removed Echo's saddlebags and dismissed him, instantly making the campsite feel more spacious.
Three of them were desperately in need of a wash. Leaving the women to cleanse themselves, Sunless and Ariandel moved a little way off and sat down.
Sunless let his weary body relax in a comfortable chair while his shadow sank to the lower reaches of the column, watching the dark, somber water rise slowly and engulf the ivory whiteness. He needed to ensure nothing would emerge from the waves at the last moment.
With half his mind fixed on watching the rising tide, the other half was free to wander. Sunless invoked the runes and checked how many shadow fragments he had in his possession.
===
Shadow Fragments: [126/1000]
===
Not bad… he had only twelve at the very start of all this. In less than a month, the number had grown dramatically. He was stronger and faster now. Also more experienced.
Yet, even with his shadow's aid, he was still far weaker in brute force than the feeblest creatures of the Forgotten Shore.
"How long until I can fight a scavenger with my bare hands?"
The answer was painfully obvious—and infinitely frustrating: that would only happen once his own shadow core awakened, something possible only upon returning to the real world.
Sunless sighed.
Soon it was the men's turn to wash. Taking the Bottle of Infinite Water from a refreshed, flushed Cassia, he returned to their secluded spot. Ariandel handed him a bar of soap and a sponge; he turned his back to him and shed the Puppeteer's Shroud.
A cold breeze brushed his pale skin, causing him to shiver. He looked down and shook his head at the layer of grime, sweat, and dried blood that coated his body.
Being an Awakened, he concluded, was not the cleanest profession.
As they washed, Nephis used the remaining time before nightfall to kindle a fire and prepare some meat. These days, they even had salt to season it.
At first, the notion of using salt left behind by the dark sea had seemed unappealing, but in time they had grown accustomed to it. After all… salt made every meal infinitely more palatable.
They ate in silence, too famished and weary to speak. Soon, it was time for sleep.
This was one of the rare nights Ariandel also wished to rest, so Sunless took the first watch, planning to fit in some sword training before his turn to sleep.
Running through the basic kata movements, he split his mind in two. One part focused on the precise gestures of his body, while the smaller part kept watch over the black water through his shadow.
In the absence of wind, the dark circle filling the lower column lay strangely still. For the first time, Sunless beheld the black water without its constant wavelets. The surface was unnervingly flat, unmoving.
It resembled a colossal mirror made of pure darkness.
Hypnotic in an unnatural way.
Suddenly, he felt an irresistible urge to approach and gaze upon his reflection.
But Sunless did not move.
He was terrified of what might stare back.