Perched deep within the cliff, half-hidden by coral overgrowth and jagged rocks, was a small, crooked structure. The structure was made out of old wood and stone, its color faded and splintered from years of neglect.
The sight made River uneasy. What were the odds of a house standing out here, in the middle of an unexplored part of the Dream Realm? He wasn't even sure wood like that existed in this region. So… how did it get there? And more importantly, who had put it there?
As Iris took a step forward, River lifted his hand flat, silently signaling her to stop. He took a quick glance back at her before putting a finger up against his mouth. Then, he turned back towards the house and closed his eyes as he focused.
Through the soles of his armored boots, he extended his senses into the ground, letting the subtle tremors guide him. The vibrations traveled through the earth, across the jagged cliffside, and into the broken frame of the house.
There were no strange movements, rhythmic tapping, or even the occasional shift of weight that signaled the presence of a Nightmare Creature. Just the dull, ever-present churn of the sea far below. It was eerily silent.
After a few moments, he opened his eyes with a faint frown. From the outside, the house seemed mostly ordinary. It was a bit weathered, sure, but it was mostly intact. It was even better than most houses in the outskirts, which River took a bit of offense to. Why were Nightmare Creatures getting better housing conditions than he was?
But he couldn't complain too much because the inside told a completely different story. The inside of the building was a mess—furniture scattered like it had been thrown, pieces of the ceiling collapsed, floorboards split and half-sunken. It looked as though something had torn through it in a blind, violent rage.
'Would it kill the Spell to give me one normal day?' River thought, irritation bubbling under the surface. Ever since he'd stepped into the Dream Realm, it had been one nonstop spiral of life-or-death situations and impossible nonsense—stuff most Awakened never saw in their entire lives. And he hadn't even awakened yet.
So seriously… what the hell was going on?
With a quiet sigh, River turned towards Iris and lowered his hand. "It seems innocent enough," he said, nodding toward the crooked structure. "But the inside is completely torn apart."
Iris gave him a slightly confused look. "Torn apart? By what?"
"No idea," River shook his head. "But whatever did it—either it's gone, or I can't sense it."
"That's not exactly comforting," Iris muttered, holding her dagger a little tighter.
"You're telling me," River said, his voice low. "But, it should be safe. Just keep your guard up."
They moved cautiously toward the structure, their steps quiet beneath the undulating waves smacking against the cliff. As they drew closer, River reached out and pressed a hand to the door. It creaked open slowly, the warped wood groaning under the strain.
A wave of stale air rolled out to meet them, heavy with the scent of salt and rot. Beyond the threshold, the interior was steeped in darkness, thick and unmoving. Then, as River stepped a few feet past the threshold, something flickered. A faint bioluminescent light shimmered to life, rippling weakly across the ruined interior. For a few fleeting seconds, the room came into view—shattered furniture strewn across the floor, beams half-collapsed, a deep gash carved into the boards like something had torn its way through in a frenzy.
The light faltered, blinking out, then returned again in a slow, unsteady rhythm.
In those flickering moments, their eyes were drawn to the walls. Etched deep into the wood, lines of runic language covered every surface—thousands of carvings, all repeating the same phrase over and over.
Forgive me.
The words bled into each other, etched so deeply and frantically that they seemed to pulse with a desperation that hadn't faded with time. A confession carved again and again until meaning began to rot at the edges, like the act of writing, it had become a punishment in itself. The repetition had a maddening quality to it, as if whoever had written it had tried to scrub the words into the wood until they bled into the very grains, hoping to erase some unspoken sin.
The sight sent a cold shiver down River's spine, and he couldn't help but tremble slightly. Who had been here, and what had they done that begged for this much forgiveness? What kind of guilt drove someone to carve the same words until they blurred together, stripped of meaning, until only the act of repeating them was left? And most of all… where were they now?
River instinctively took a step back, and with it, a sharp crack sounded beneath his heel. He froze, heart lurching. Slowly, he lifted his foot—only to find, to his surprise, that there was nothing there at all.
"What the—" River began to speak, but before he could finish his sentence, a soft chime echoed in the back of his mind.
[You have received a memory.]
'The hell?' River thought, his confusion growing. How had he just received a memory? Did he kill something without realizing it? No, that didn't make sense. He'd checked the area for creatures, and there was nothing. So what the hell had gotten the memory from?
"Iris… did you just give me a memory?" River asked, his voice laced with hesitation.
"No?" Iris replied, her brows furrowing as she gave him an incredulous look. "Why would I give away any of my memories?"
'Then where the hell did it come from?' River thought, unease curling tight in his chest. He didn't know what answer he'd been hoping for, but Iris's confusion only made it worse.
Unsure of what he should say, he gave Iris a half-hearted shrug, trying to mask his unease. "I don't know... just felt like I should ask in case you were feeling generous."
Iris shot him a skeptical look, her gaze narrowing slightly. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine," he said, doing his best to seem normal. "Just… this place. It's messing with my head more than I thought."
She gave him a long, uncertain look, as if weighing his words. After a beat, she sighed, nodding. "Yeah… this place is giving me the creeps too. Let's get out of here."
With that, the two of them quietly left the house behind, putting as much distance between themselves and the structure as possible. For nearly half an hour, they scouted the area until they found a small opening between a few rocks. It wasn't ideal, but it offered enough cover to rest without drawing attention.
They took turns standing watch. When it was River's shift, and Iris was asleep, he finally turned his attention back to the strange memory that he had obtained in his house. With a quiet breath, he summoned the runes.
Memory Name: [Faded Promise]
Memory Rank: Ascended
Memory Tier: II
Memory Type: Charm
Memory Description: [What was once meant to serve as proof of his devotion to their eternal promise instead remained only as a bitter reminder of the vow he had long since shattered.]
Memory Enchantments: [Remorseful Past] [Shattered Vow] [Burdened Protector]
River rubbed his eyes a few times, trying to process what the runes were showing him. There was no way the runes were showing him what he thought they were. His vision must be messed up from exhaustion; maybe the weight of the Dream Realm's constant strain had finally caught up to him.
"I've really got to start sleeping more." River mumbled groggily, stifling a yawn as his mind struggled to catch up with the absurdity of what he was reading.
He rubbed his eyes a few more times, hoping the blurry lines would sharpen and make sense. But when he looked again, the runes remained the same, as if mocking his disbelief. His heart began to race as he slowly reread the words, this time with an unsettling certainty.
"An… an Ascended Memory?" River whispered, the words dry on his tongue. He stared at the runes as if they'd change under his gaze, but no matter how long he stared. It never did. The Memory was unmistakably an Ascended Charm Memory of the Second Tier.
A flicker of excitement pushed through the haze of disbelief. And for a moment, it drowned out the questions. It didn't make sense—why would a Memory of such a high rank be tucked away in some forgotten corner of the Dream Realm? But… did it really need to make sense? As long as it was in his hands, he didn't see the need to think about it.
If the Spell was offering, why would he reject its goodwill?
With that final thought, River took a second before returning his focus to the runes, eyes narrowing as he concentrated on the enchantments.
Enchantment: [Remorseful Past]
Enchantment Description: [The wielder gains minor resistance against mind attacks. However, the longer it remains equipped, the more the wielder begins to feel the emotions embedded in the charm. If prolonged for long enough, even memories might soak through.]
River couldn't believe his luck. If he remembered correctly, Awakened Cecilia mentioned that mind resistance was the second-rarest form of protection a memory could possess. And with how unpredictable the abilities of Nightmare Creatures could be, this enchantment could be the difference between life and death.
Now, if he could just make it out of the Dream Realm, there's no telling how much this thing would sell for. Maybe he could finally afford meat for once. But the more he read, the more that excitement gave way to confusion.
What exactly did it mean that the memories embedded in the charm would "soak through"? Did that mean he'd be able to see into the past thoughts or experiences of whoever had owned it before? And why would the emotions and memories of the past wielder even be embedded into a memory? What purpose did that serve to the Spell?
'Is the Spell really that lonely that it wants to show memories to some random Sleeper?'
What memories would it even show him? Maybe he'd simply just get to see life through some random Nightmare Creature. Or perhaps the person who lived in that house. But… then again, none of those theories really made sense because he hadn't killed anything, nor had anybody transferred the Memory to him. And from what he knew, memories couldn't exist without a host, and they definitely couldn't be transferred without physical contact.
Yet, despite everything he knew, the only explanation that made sense was that the Memory had been without an owner and had somehow transferred to him the moment he stepped on it. It didn't make sense, but with nothing else to go off of, it was the only thing that made sense.
'Whatever… I'll think about it later.' River thought before shifting his focus towards the next enchantment.
Enchantment: [Shattered Vow]
Enchantment Description: [If the wielder speaks aloud a vow while the charm is active, they gain a temporary blessing tied to that vow. Breaking that spoken vow causes the Memory to fall dormant, unable to be used again until the wielder is able to make amends to that vow.]
His brow furrowed as his gaze returned to the Memory's description. The enchantment almost felt connected to the description of the Memory itself, as if it had been designed to deter the user from breaking their vows like the person in the description had.
'How would I even amend a broken vow? Can you just say you were sorry and call it even?' It obviously wasn't that simple, but River couldn't help hoping it might be. Still, the only way to know for sure was to test it later. Hopefully, when he wasn't fighting for his life.
But for now, he pushed the thought aside and turned his attention to the final enchantment.
Enchantment: [Burdened Protector]
Enchantment Description: [When the wielder is wounded while protecting another, their movements briefly quicken and attacks flow with unnatural fluidity.]
'To use it I need to be protecting someone else?' So far, this enchantment felt like the worst of the bunch. He couldn't imagine a scenario where Nyx would ever need his protection. Her combat skills were nothing short of terrifying. Even without her Aspect, she was a force to be reckoned with. But with it? She became nearly untouchable, able to strike from any angle while her phantom did the same.
'How do you even defend against an Aspect that can strike you, but you can't strike back?' The ability was so powerful that River had, for a brief moment, considered stealing it. But after spending time with Iris, he knew, without hesitation, that it wasn't something he could ever bring himself to do. She had grown too important to him, in a way he hadn't seen coming when they first met.
Maybe he was softening up.
With a quiet exhale, he let the thought go and summoned it.
Light shimmered faintly in the air before condensing into a single object that fell into his palm with a soft metallic weight. It was a simple locket, the bronze surface slightly scuffed and shaped into a smooth oval with the symbol of a bird on it. Yet, despite its simplicity, it was beautifully made. It would have been the perfect gift for his mother with how much she loved to wear necklaces.
With a bit of curiosity, River pinched at the seam and tried to pry it open. But no matter how hard he tried, it refused to open. River frowned, trying again. He pressed harder against the seam, even tried using his armor-clad thumb to apply more pressure, but it wouldn't budge. It was sealed shut.
'I didn't want to know what was on the inside anyways.' He gave a low sigh through his nose, letting the locket rest in his palm for a few seconds longer. But before he could try anything else, there was the soft crunch of something moving behind him. A groggy voice followed.
"M'turn yet?" Iris muttered, her words slurred with sleep.
River stiffened slightly. He clenched his fingers around the locket, quickly desummoning it in a quiet shimmer of light just before she could fully turn her head.
He turned to glance at her, tone casual. "Yeah. All yours."
Iris yawned and sat up, rubbing at her eyes. "Did anything happen while I was out?"
River shook his head. "Nothing worth waking you for."
She stretched her arms with a quiet groan and blinked at him. "Good. It's always annoying waking up in random places after Nyx takes over."
"I bet." River muttered as he laid down in his armor on the flattest patch of stone he could find. His eyes drifted shut, but sleep didn't come immediately.
His thoughts circled around the locket. He wanted to know more about it and where it came from. But… there wasn't anything he could do about it tonight.
So, with a quiet exhale, River let the weight of it all slide off his shoulders for now.
He'd think about it later.