Chapter 3226 Raised from the Dead

Sometime before the day the Oracle spoke to her people, far away...

There was a land shrouded in fog, with tall evergreen trees rising from it as black masts tinged with an emerald hue. The silence of the misty forest was broken only by the cawing of crows... that was because the grotesque creatures that dwelled in the fog moved noiselessly, hidden in its cold embrace.

Until the silence was shattered by the sound of battle.

Far away, in the depths of the forest, there was an overgrown ruin. The ruin was vast, as if it had been a prosperous city once. If one looked closely enough, they could still discern the shapes of man-made structures buried under layers of moss.

There was an imposing city wall, now breached and crumbled. The field of tall mounds had been streets and houses once. The stronghold at the heart of the city was now a misshapen hill, and there were innumerable human bones hidden beneath the roots of soaring pines that stood like gravestones above the ruin.

There was a place, though, that the trees and the moss seemed reluctant to approach. That peculiar island of desolation revealed the true face of the ruined city — the fractured cobblestones, the stone buildings turned into piles of rubble, the grotesque skeletons littering the ground like a white palisade... the gentle slopes of the shallow crater hidden in the fog.

Soon, the cawing of the crows grew deafening, and innumerable black streaks fell from the sky, assembling into a human form.

A few seconds later, there was a tall man standing in the fog, wearing a dark military coat and gazing ahead with a grim expression. His gaunt face betrayed his age, but his hair was as black as raven feathers. Drops of blood were still falling from his gloved fingers.

The man remained motionless for a few seconds, then walked forward.

He walked past the collapsed building, navigating his way between the skeletal carcasses of dead abominations. The closer he got to the crater, the more grotesque remains he encountered. Passing them with unhurried steps, he reached the crater.

The fog obscured what was hidden at its bottom, but he could see gigantic bones protruding above the slope. A truly monstrous creature must have perished here... or possibly it had perished trying to get to the heart of the crater, where he was headed as well.

The man moved down the slope. He walked along the towering bones, circling around them from time to time. The bones created an eerie maze, but he did not seem bothered.

Soon enough, he was close enough to the bottom of the crater to almost see what was hidden in the fog.

Before he could take another step, however, he felt a cold blade touching the side of his neck.

The man stopped.

Without looking back or changing expression, he said in an aloof, grating voice:

“Don't get cute with me, creature."

There was no response, but the blade pressed deeper, and a drop of blood rolled down his neck.

The man smiled darkly.

“Your master's friend sent me — the blind seer. I am here to help."

The sharp blade remained motionless for a few seconds, then disappeared.

Not long after, a nebulous figure shrouded in wisps of ghostly black smoke revealed itself from the fog. Beneath the smoke, the graceful silhouette of a slender woman could be gleaned, moving with the poised elegance of a dancer.

When the man glanced at the shadowy figure, he could not help but feel a chill run down his spine — even if he had long forgotten the meaning of fear, his body still responded to the presence of an absolute predator.

His brief smile disappeared like a fleeting dream.

“You must be the one they call Slayer."

Instead of responding, the woman studied him for a moment, then turned away and walked into the fog.

The man followed.

Soon, the fog around them changed, as if infused by a soft radiance. Then, rays of radiant light shone through it, illuminating the world — before too long, it was as if the sinister shadow and the gaunt man were walking through a celestial haze.

A vague form revealed itself in the radiance ahead of them.

Taking a few more steps, the man stopped and glanced up.

In front of them was the source of the radiance — it was a towering crystal, its depths hiding the unclear silhouette of a winged woman.

The man studied the crystal for a bit, then looked at the silent shadow.

Eventually, he sighed.

“Might as well get comfortable. It will take me a long while."

With that, he pulled something from the inner pocket of his coat — it was a papyrus scroll covered in an intricate weave of runes. Unfurling it, the man pulled a knife from the sheath on his belt and crouched, tracing the first rune in the soil.

The shadow observed him with cold indifference.

Hours later — or possibly days — the man was done with his task. A complicated runic circle surrounded the crystal, shimmering with its own pale light. He straightened and sheathed his knife, then studied the circle for a while.

Eventually, the man shrugged.

“Looks faithful enough. But what do I know? Sorcery has never been one of my talents."

He paused for a moment and then added in his hoarse, grating voice:

"One way to find out."

With that, the man pressed his hand against a particular rune and poured his essence into the circle.

The lines etched into the ground swelled with light, producing a wavering hum. The hum grew louder and louder, coming in waves — eventually, the man grimaced and covered his ears.

Soon, the sound became loud enough to be deafening, and each of its peaks was like a devastating shockwave. Any mundane human would have already been reduced to a bloody pile, but the man endured. The fog was torn apart and dispelled, allowing sunlight to shine upon the bottom of the crater for the first time in countless years.

Finally, the crystal responded.

Its surface rippled as if made of water, then shifted, forming peculiar geometrical shapes.

A moment later, the crystal exploded into a myriad of radiant shards.

The winged figure trapped within fell to its knees and drew a stifled breath — at the same time, the runic circle dimmed, and the harrowing hum grew quiet.

The man glanced at the scroll in his hand with a hint of amusement.

"It actually worked, huh?"

Then, he glanced at the young woman who had been trapped in the crystal.

His stern expression softened for a moment, while his cold eyes revealed complicated emotions.

The young woman, meanwhile, finally caught her breath and stood up with a stagger. She glanced around tensely, her gaze finally stopping at the gaunt man.

She seemed confused for a moment. Then, her eyes widened, and an expression of shock appeared on her face.

Taking a step forward, the woman asked:

"M—master Cor? Is that you?"

The man smiled wistfully.

“Actually, it's Saint Cor now."

She froze for a moment, glancing at the sinister shadow standing beside him, then gazed at the ruins.

A hint of sorrow flashed in her eyes, but then she shook her head and turned around to the man — Saint Cor, Wake of Ruin.

“Are you... are you a challenger in this Nightmare, as well?"

He shook his head simply.

"No. I am dead."

Noticing her confused expression, Cor added in a neutral tone:

"One of the new Supremes has an Ability that allows her to manifest memories — the mundane kind. So, that is what I am. The memory of a dead man."

He shrugged.

“It was quite an unusual experience, to find myself in a Nightmare after dying an inglorious death in the Dream Realm. But there was no reason to refuse her request, so I ventured to find you. After all, helping her means helping humanity — it is not too bad, staying useful even as a corpse."

Letting out a sigh, he walked a few steps and sat on a boulder protruding from the ground.

Then, looking at the winged woman, he smiled again — this time, his subtle smile was genuine.

“But you are still alive, girl. You've been alive this whole time... I still can't believe it. I guess it is true what they say about the Immortal Flame — that it can never be extinguished."

Smile of Heaven hesitated for a few long seconds.

Eventually, she asked:

“How... how long has it been since I entered the Nightmare?"

Wake of Ruin shook his head.

“I'm not sure. I have no idea how many years it has been since I died, after all. Back then... my memories at the end are hazy, but I think it was Year 58 of the Nightmare Spell. So, you would have been gone for about thirty years."

The young woman's legs gave out, and she fell heavily to the ground.

He glanced at her evenly.

After remaining silent for a while, Saint Cor said:

"Many things have happened in your absence, and I am sure that you have a lot of questions. But it is not time for answers just yet — in fact, we don't have much time."

His grating voice turned somber.

“Song of the Fallen can manifest her memories, but sustaining a Transcendent draws heavily on her essence. There are a few of us doing her bidding, and gods know how powerful the people she left in the real world are by now. In any case, her resources are strained at the moment... so I will be brief."

Hearing his words, Smile of Heaven flinched.

“Right... essence."

Her own reserves had been frozen inside the crystal, but now that she was free, sustaining her Transcendent form was draining what little essence she had left rapidly.

So, she glanced at Slayer awkwardly.

“Sister... you don't mind, do you?"

Slayer did not respond, but having spent many years in her company, Smile of Heaven could easily discern her meaning.

With that, the winged young woman suddenly turned into a sphere of light. That light then shot forward, entering the Shadow's body.

Slayer's eyes flashed with brilliant radiance for a moment before turning to their usual inky black.

A moment later, she shifted and spoke in a voice that somehow sounded both sweet and sinister:

“I am ready to listen, M... Saint Cor."

He observed her for a moment with an amused expression, then nodded.

“Well, my message is brief. Song of the Fallen wants you to know that if you want to find your daughter, you do not need to conquer this Nightmare."

The face of the sinister Shadow was obscured by a veil, but he could tell that she frowned.

“What... does she mean?"

Wake of Ruin smiled joylessly.

"What else? She means that your daughter is right here in the Nightmare with you."

The Shadow's eyes seemed to widen.

Saint Cor glanced down.

“Of course she is. In any case, Song of the Fallen says that if you want to find her, you need to travel to the ruins of the First Kingdom and convince someone called White Abyss to pay a visit to the Jade Palace. You need to hurry, too, because time is of the essence."

He hesitated for a moment.

"I think I was sent out earlier than Gilead and that dreadful thing she had conjured, but still, be swift."

Smile of Heaven remained silent, contemplating.

‘White Abyss? The queen of the First Kingdom?'

It was a miracle that White Abyss still lived. Convincing that mythical creature of anything seemed like an impossible task, though.

Nevertheless, Smile of Heaven nodded.

"Alright."

Saint Cor sighed.

“Well then... my mission is complete."

He looked at the sinister Shadow in front of him with a hint of poignant emotion in his eyes, then smiled.

"I am glad that you are alive, girl. Truly, I am so happy. This alone makes coming back from the dead worth it."

Then, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

“If you find that child, Changing Star... tell her that I am sorry. And that I tried my best..."

Suddenly, Cor's presence dissipated, and his figure became oddly elusive.

“But most of all, stay alive. Survive this Nightmare, no matter... the cost..."

A moment later, he was gone.

The bottom of the crater was suddenly empty, as if the gaunt old man had not been sitting on a boulder just a second ago.

As if he had been just a memory dispelled by sunlight.

Smile of Heaven sighed heavily and glanced into the distance.

She felt the consciousness of Orphne, whose body she inhabited, move subtly in their shared vessel. Usually, her soul couldn't possess bodies of living things — but Orphne was not alive, and neither did she possess a soul. Instead, she had a shadow.

So, paradoxically, Smile of Heaven was able to use her Supreme body as shelter.

Taking the first step, she answered Saint Cor, even though he was already gone.

“I will."