Maya woke up with a lingering sense of gloom. Sleeping inside the ancient leviathan's spine had become routine, but it never stopped feeling strange. The eerie creak of the massive bones and the dense, salty tang of the labyrinth made her long for the comfort of her bed back in the real world.
Yet none of that was the reason for her somber mood today.
It was, of course, her precarious companion, Arcadius.
She recalled his words from the previous night, spoken shortly before sleep had finally claimed her. She'd already known that the reckless lunatic was on the brink of forming his Monster Core— there was no hiding that; she was herself more than halfway done with saturating her own Core. She had assumed that he'd inform her when the time came.
But trust Cade to take the straightforward path and toss it into the abyss. Instead of simply filling the counter and forming his Core safely and quietly, the seemingly fearless Shroudkeeper had decided to make it into a sort of trial for her.
The lunatic obviously planned to lead her straight into another monster horde. Once his counter was full and he began forming his new Core, it would fall on her to protect him during the process.
Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't be too daunting. For normal Awakened— as normal as Divine Aspect holders could get— forming a new Core wasn't that debilitating. Sure, they could become incapacitated for a while, but they would be able to rejoin a fight soon enough.
However...
However, Cade wasn't normal, not by a long shot. He was soulless, just like Maya herself, and adding to that was the fact that he was the wielder of an Unholy Aspect. She had no idea as to what would happen when Cade finally completed his counter.
Maya had trained diligently over the past two weeks and had grown into a decent swordsman, even though she despised wielding a sword. To her, it just felt... alien, somehow.
Still, even though she wasn't anywhere near Cade's level, she was capable enough to take down several minor beasts with relative ease, even without the use of her Aspect. And though she would never say it out loud, Cade was a surprisingly good teacher.
But that also meant that his 'test' would be far from normal.
She had no clue as to what kind of trial Cade had in store for her— or what his evolution to a Monster even entailed. But one thing was certain: the 'test' would not be easy, and it most definitely wouldn't be simple.
Maya rose and grabbed the two waterskins that the two of them had crafted from the hides of some truly hideous Awakened Beasts— the Bloodless Shadecoils. Those grotesque monstrosities infested an area a couple of paces north of the Bone Ridge.
Maya had initially balked at the idea of using their foul hides for waterskins, but Cade had a knack for getting her to agree with him.
The Bloodless Shadecoils weren't particularly terrifying or anything. In fact, as far as Awakened Beasts went, they were on the weaker side, much like the Hollow Striders. As such, their numbers were dwindling— only thirty or forty remained— and they were concentrated near a clearing in front of a massive cavern.
At first, Maya had assumed that they would be wiped out by the more powerful Nightmare Creatures, like members of the Carapace Legion. But oddly enough, she had been proven wrong. Most of the other creatures avoided the cavern entirely, never venturing too close.
As to why that was, she didn't know. And she had absolutely no desire to find out.
Damn it! she cursed internally. I just jinxed myself, didn't I? I bet that's where he wants to go today...
Maya washed up using the desalinated water that they had stored in the waterskins. The briny taste still lingered faintly on her skin, but it was better than going without. Once done, she headed to the other side of their makeshift camp to wake Cade up.
That damned lunatic always slept like a baby, even in this nightmare of a world. But as she approached the familiar spot where he usually rested, she found it empty. She sighed, unsurprised, and made her way out through the leviathan's skull.
Surely enough, Cade was at the base of the ridge, his sword slicing through the air with fluid precision. The rhythmic hum of steel cutting through nothing but air echoed faintly against the surrounding bones.
He obviously didn't need the practice— his [Battle Master] Attribute practically made him a prodigy with the blade— but sometimes, he trained anyway.
Whenever she asked why, he'd just shrug casually. "Just had nothing better to do."
Maya walked towards him, her steps soft against the uneven ground. Cade's head lifted the moment he heard her approach, and a bright grin spread across his face.
"Hey, Maya," he greeted warmly. "Good morning. Sleep well?"
"Yeah, more or less," Maya said, offering a faint smile back. She wasn't used to being friendly with anyone, let alone a stranger she knew next to nothing about. But she was trying her best to change that. "You're up early, though."
"Not really," he said, resting the Voidfang on his shoulder with casual ease. "Didn't sleep at all, actually."
"Seriously?" she asked, her brows furrowing. "Why not?"
Cade rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish— that was a rare sight.
"To be honest, I was kind of too excited for today," he admitted in a low voice.
Maya arched a brow, smirking.
"Look at you," she said in a mocking tone. "All giddy like a kid about to unwrap his birthday present."
"Hey!" he shot back, indignation flashing in his eyes.
"What? It's the truth. You're acting all excited about this...," Maya teased as she leaned forward and crossed her arms, her grin widening. "... Kiddo."
Cade's eyes gleamed with seriousness.
"Alright, that's it," he declared, dismissing the Voidfang. "Summon your sword. Give me a thousand swings."
Maya's jaw dropped, eyes wide in disbelief. "What?"
"You really thought I'd let you get away with teasing me, huh?" he said, smirking like the devil himself.
"But—" she sputtered, "You said we were going to form your Monster Core today!"
"And you thought that'd exempt you from training?" Cade replied, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms like some pompous instructor. She hated it when he got all bossy. "I was gonna let you off the hook for today, but nope— you called me a kid. Twice. So yeah, you're definitely training."
"Screw you," Maya snapped, making a rude gesture with her hand as she turned away. "I'm not doing it."
Behind her, Cade's voice carried a teasing lilt. "Well, I could just stop training you altogether then..."
Maya froze, annoyed and grudgingly aware of the bait. But she also knew that the bastard was far from predictable. If she refused to cooperate, he would definitely stop teaching her. With a huff, she turned back around, glaring at his smug, insufferable face.
Without a word, she held her hand by her side, summoning the Nightcarver into her grasp. Cade's smirk only deepened.
Maya began swinging as he'd taught her, each strike sharper than the last.
"One day," she muttered in-between swings, "I'm gonna wipe that smirk right off your face."
"Looking forward to it," Cade said, grinning wider.
***
By the time Maya had completed around five hundred swings, Cade finally called a halt to her training. The thousand swings were a part of her daily routine, but today, she hadn't been expecting it.
She'd assumed that with the mission ahead, Cade would want her in peak condition, not drained by the kind of grueling practice she was used to. Well, at least he'd cut the number of swings down by half today. That, she supposed, was something to be thankful for.
Afterward, they shared a simple breakfast atop the leviathan's hunched spine— tough monster meat seasoned with salt harvested from the Dark Sea and roasted over the ever-burning blue flames of Cade's Flameheart Forge. The food was nourishing but far from delicious; it was a necessary fuel for their harsh environment.
With her stomach settled and her mind focused more sharply, Maya decided it was time to address the unspoken tension in the air— the weight of their next move.
"So," she began, casually wiping the remains of the meal from her mouth, "what exactly do you have in mind for today? I'm assuming you haven't had a change of heart about doing this recklessly?"
Cade chuckled, a low, self-assured sound that made Maya roll her eyes.
"Come on, you know me better than that," he replied with a grin. "Do you really need to ask?"
Maya sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly in resignation.
"I figured as much," she muttered, casting a glance toward the horizon before looking back at Cade. The two of them were facing each other, sitting on top of massive vertebrae, their legs hanging into the spine tunnel below. "So... what exactly are we descending upon today?"
Cade's smirk deepened, his eyes glinting with a mischievous gleam.
"Aren't you just dying to find out how those Shadecoils have managed to survive for so long?" he asked, excited.
I knew it! Maya thought to herself, a feeling of inevitability creeping over her.
She exhaled sharply and, crossing her arms, said aloud, "Alright, fine. But I'm not entering the cavern itself. If that's where you're headed, then I'm afraid today is the day we're gonna have to part ways."
Cade blinked, momentarily caught off guard by her response.
"What, you're not gonna lecture me about how crazy this is?" he asked in a confused tone. "We don't even know why monsters are so afraid of the cavern. Isn't that reason enough to be cautious?"
Maya shrugged, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"I know better than to try and argue logic with you at this point," she said, her tone dry. "You're obviously gonna convince me somehow, anyway. I'm just saving both of us time and energy."
"Oh," Cade responded with a thoughtful expression. "Smart."
"Also," she added, her voice taking on a touch of amusement, "I knew you weren't gonna leave that place alone. Not with how close we've been camping to it."
Cade beamed widely, that familiar smug grin appearing on his face.
"Ah, you know me too well," he said, stretching his arms above his head. "Yup, you're right. I've been keeping an eye on that cavern. And I have a pretty good idea about what's inside."
"Yeah? What is it, then?" Maya pressed, her curiosity piqued despite the growing unease in her chest.
"Well, considering the fact that those ugly assholes are not leaving its vicinity and it seems that the thing inside is protecting them," Cade said, his voice calm but with a hint of amusement, "I think it's safe to assume that it's at least a Tyrant— or maybe even something beyond that."
Maya's jaw dropped at the mention of a Tyrant.
She had assumed that maybe there were more of the Awakened Beasts residing inside the cavern, maybe a couple of Monsters too. Hell, even a Demon. But a Tyrant? An actual Tyrant?
She had faced one in her First Nightmare, and had barely survived. That had been a different time, though, a different set of circumstances.
In her First Nightmare, she had only made it out alive due to the meagre protection from mind attacks she'd had at the time; not to mention the Tyrant's weak defenses, and the support of a few Awakened warriors— elements that had stacked the odds in her favor. Facing a Tyrant head-on now, without the benefit of those advantages, was nothing short of a death sentence.
"That's it," she said, her voice rising in exasperation as she threw her hands up in disbelief. "You... have officially lost it."
Cade flashed her a confident grin.
"Relax. It's alright," he said with an ease that only fueled her frustration. "Did I ever happen to mention that I've already killed a Tyrant here before? Alone?"
Maya's brow furrowed, her voice sharp with skepticism.
"Yeah, you have mentioned it. Only about a million times," she shot back. "But that was only because you were immune to its soul attacks. We have no idea what this one can do."
Cade shrugged, as though it didn't matter. "Meh, same old, same old... how bad can it get?"
Maya stared at him, her disbelief growing.
"Do you even hear yourself?" she asked, incredulous. "This is absurd. Even for you, Arcadius!"
"Oh, come on!" Cade leaned closer, his voice low but insistent. "You agreed yesterday. Don't turn your back on me now. Okay, how about this? I'll even give you a reward if you manage to protect me."
"And what if I can't protect you?"
"Then we'll both die," Cade said simply, shrugging. "Okay, for your sake, you have my permission to choose which one of us dies first."
Maya stared at him, her mouth agape.
Cade held her gaze and after a while, he let out an amused laugh.
"Chill out, I'm only joking," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "But... on a more serious note though, if you don't come with me, I might actually die. You're telling me that's what you want?"
"Yes. Yeah, that's precisely what I want," Maya shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You dead. Then I'll save those three from that damned tree. They're bound to trust me after I've saved their lives. The story can go fuck itself. Honestly, if I stay with you any longer, you'll kill me before we even get to the Dark City!"
Cade raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting into a knowing smirk, as if he'd already predicted her reaction.
Maya huffed, crossing her arms in frustration. Then, she hung her head, holding it with both her hands.
"Argh... son of a bitch!" she cursed in a low voice.
She remained there for a moment, clutching at her bangs and staring into the tunnel below, before letting the anger melt into resignation. "Ah, why me? Why did I have to get stuck with a lunatic? Goddamn Fated..."
Cade chuckled, completely unfazed.
"Alright, stop complaining and get up," he said, moving to stand up on top of the vertebra, his gaze turning north. "We'll leave in ten. The sooner we get there, the better."
Maya exhaled sharply, irritated but too familiar with Cade's relentless nature to always get her to follow him, even to the most absurd of ordeals. She got up, reluctantly, and started stretching lightly to loosen her muscles. Her mind was already steeling itself for what would likely be the most horrifying battle of her life so far.