Dark City. Night.
Four months.
Four long, exhausting, endless months in this nightmare.
Sunny had been through a lot during this time. So many deaths, so much pain. He had seen hopes crumble, the living turn to dust, monsters tearing hearts straight from chests. They had overcome the impossible. They had crossed the Black Sea, filled with shadows whispering in unknown tongues. They had survived among the wreckage of fallen worlds. They had stepped where even legends dared not tread.
But when they finally reached the Dark City, their last hope crumbled into dust.
The gateway did not exist.
This place had become their prison.
And now they had only one way forward.
Nephis gathered the group. She had always known how to bring people together. Sometimes it was a gift. Sometimes a curse. Now—more of the latter.
She had come up with something truly insane. Something that could change their fate.
Or end them.
Sunny, much to his deep regret, could not stay away.
Their goal was to uncover the truth about "The One Who Leads."
Many stories were told about the Dark City.
Effie told them what they needed to know.
First, about Gunlaug—the ruler who ruled with an iron fist. A man who kept the city in his grasp, forcing everyone to pay him for the right to exist. One shard a week—the price of life.
Second, about the places where monsters never ventured.
One such place had appeared relatively recently.
There were many rumors about it.
They said something strange happened there. That only the most desperate sought it out. That those who dared to step into its depths disappeared without a trace.
And that those who returned refused to speak of what they had seen.
Now, this zone had become deadly. People only whispered about it in the dark.
But that was exactly where they had to go.
Nephis walked ahead, holding a lantern.
The light trembled, tearing through the thick darkness.
Before them stood a wall of bushes—black, twisted into eerie knots. They rustled in sync with their footsteps, as if something lurked within, waiting for the right moment to slip out.
Sunny walked at the back, alongside Caster.
He did not hurry.
His thoughts swarmed in his mind, intertwining tightly.
He knew that something dwelled here, in this place.
"The One Who Leads."
A being no one knew anything for certain about.
They said it had no face.
They said it was forgotten and forgetful.
They said it kept secrets that should never be revealed.
But no one knew the truth.
Then why were they going there?
The answer was simple.
The reward.
If "The One Who Leads" took notice of them, they would receive something valuable.
What exactly? No one knew.
But those who had succeeded were very few.
To be precise—only one.
Musashi Miyamoto.
A strange name, wasn't it? Sunny had never believed it was real. But one thing he did not doubt: Musashi was a legend.
One of Gunlaug's strongest warriors.
He was so terrifying that even his own people feared him.
Even Nephis probably wouldn't have been able to defeat him in a fair fight.
And if he had received a reward, it meant only one thing: the reward was worth it.
But was it worth their lives?
Now they were here.
In the darkness.
Among insects buzzing and hitting their faces.
Among the dead whispers echoing from every direction.
Far from the Dark City.
Even farther from civilization.
What if there was nothing there?
What if it was a trap?
What if they all died?
Sunny wanted to say it out loud.
He wanted to turn back.
But he didn't have time.
The shadows thickened.
A chill ran down his skin.
Kai screamed.
— Kai! Are you okay?!
There was no answer.
A second passed. As long as an eternity.
And then, finally, a trembling voice:
— I… I'm not the only one who stopped seeing, am I?..
Somewhere in the darkness, Nephis's voice rang out.
Cold.
Calm.
Unnatural.
— He is here.
And suddenly, a child appeared before Sunny.
Standing with his back to them.
Calm. Motionless.
He was not afraid.
Not of this place.
Not of them.
Not of what lurked in the dark.
— You… You're The One Who Leads? — Sunny's voice trembled.
The child slowly turned.
Sunny squinted, trying to make out his face.
And when the contours became clear, when the darkness dissipated, revealing the truth…
He staggered back in horror.
He was looking at himself.
Just as pale.
With skin the color of wax.
With eyes full of emptiness.
The child smiled.
Not in a way a human could.
And then he spoke.
Just as pale.
With skin the color of wax.
With eyes full of emptiness.
The child smiled.
In a way no human could.
And then he spoke.
— That's what they call me, it's true. You came here for a reward, didn't you?
Nephis was the first to nod.
"The One Who Leads" chuckled in satisfaction.
— Oh, very well. It's simple. You only need to solve a riddle…
Sunny tensed.
— And if… if I don't?
The child tilted his head to the side, his smile growing even wider.
— The answer is already in the riddle. Shall we begin?
Sunny frantically waved his hands in protest.
— Wait! We… we never agreed to this! Nephis, this was a stupid idea from the start! Let's leave!
Nephis clenched her fists, but after a moment, she let out a heavy sigh.
— You're right. The reward isn't worth it.
She turned to the boy and, choosing her words carefully, said:
— The One Who Leads, we do not wish to play. We will leave this place and promise that no one will disturb you again.
For a moment, silence reigned.
And then his face twisted.
His flesh was no longer flesh—it melted, dripped away, revealing a dark mass from which thick black liquid oozed, drop by drop.
From the distorted, horrifying face came a voice—deep, layered, ominous:
— You agreed the moment you stepped into this forest!
And then…
The darkness came alive.
It closed in from all sides, filling their ears with creaking, overlapping voices:
— One, two – the dark is near,
— Three, four – it whispers here.
— Five, six – the floorboards creak,
— Seven, eight – your bones feel weak.
Sunny desperately tried to cover his ears, but the voices didn't stop.
— Nine, ten – a riddle's set,
— Get it wrong – you'll share regret.
— Cold hands grasp, your breath is lost –
— Now you serve the ghost's own cost.
And then…
Silence.
Thicker than the night around them.
And in that silence, a voice rang out.
— You!
Sunny flinched. The voice came from his left.
His vision partially returned, and he saw Effie.
She stood drenched in sweat, her eyes wide with terror.
Before her—the boy.
— Give me a riddle, — he whispered. — What is it that isn't a clock, but still ticks?
Effie clenched her fists.
— Damn it! Why me?! I'm terrible at riddles! We should've brought Cassie!
Sunny silently agreed.
Cass would have figured it out for sure.
But now there was no choice.
He frowned.
"Isn't a clock, but still ticks."
The answer…
The answer had to be in the punishment.
Then…
His eyes widened.
He understood.
— Effie, I got it! The answer is—
But before he could finish, his voice suddenly vanished.
Sunny opened his mouth… but no sound came out.
His throat tightened, as if an invisible hand had wrapped around it, strangling his words before they could escape.
— Silence, — a sinister whisper echoed. — Spectators should not answer others' riddles.
Sunny gritted his teeth, desperately trying to make a sound, but it was useless.
Meanwhile, the boy turned back to Effie.
His face was no longer human.
His skin cracked, and his smile stretched too wide—beyond the limits of the possible.
— Time is up, Effie. Answer now!
His voice had changed. It was rough, merciless, pressing into her mind like a hammer pounding against her skull.
Effie said nothing.
She didn't move.
She stared at the ground, as if trying to find the answer somewhere among the dead grass.
— No answer? — "The One Who Leads" sounded pleased, drawn-out, as if he already knew the outcome. — Well then… I will say it myself. The answer is—
— The answer is a heart!
Effie shouted the words, snapping her head up.
Silence.
A second stretched into eternity.
The boy froze.
His face showed nothing. No disappointment. No anger. No emotion at all.
Only emptiness.
And then, slowly, he nodded.
— Correct.
His voice was almost… ordinary.
And in the next moment, he was gone.
He didn't fade. He didn't melt. He simply ceased to exist.
And with him, the darkness vanished.
The pressure on their skin lifted.
The air became light and fluid again.
Their vision returned.
There was no one left before them.
Only a single object lay where the ghost had stood.
A note.