There were no monsters around, just as Rery had said. The dreams were controlled by Cornelia. So, she decided to spawn some monsters herself.
The path was completely deserted, but unlike before, Perlì wasn't alone. Rery was with him.
Even so, doubts still lingered in his mind.
History is written by the winners. The fall of Schönheit was a clear example: a story rewritten by the victors to discredit the defeated. Rery could only speak to the emotional side, but if Perlì could enter Schönheit as Sieglinde wanted, he would be able to see the truth for himself and decide where he stood.
Knowledge and foresight. These were the tools to resist manipulation.
"Outlander!" Rery shouted, snapping Perlì out of his thoughts.
"Yes?" Perlì looked where Rery was pointing. He formed makeshift binoculars with his hands and saw, miles away, a massive fortress like a medieval castle. It stood atop a two hundred meter hill and was almost entirely black.
"What is that supposed to be? A school of magic and divination?"
"Uh... no. It's one of our fortresses. I brought you here to show you the way. I'll introduce you to Das Ausgeschaltet." Rery replied, not catching the joke.
"Oh," Perlì said, surprised.
"They're more open to outsiders than you were at first, right?"
"We've been cut off from the rest of the world for five hundred years. Of course everyone will treat you differently. But don't worry. Once you get to know them, it'll be fine."
"Ah... how long do you think it'll take to get there?" Perlì asked, already worn out from the last hour.
"About ten kilometers. You should arrive in two hours."
When Rery said this, Perlì's heart skipped a beat. Two kilometers already felt like a marathon, ten sounded impossible.
"You? You mean us, Rery?" Perlì asked, nervous about what she meant.
"Outlander, I'm sorry. I only came to show you the path. From here, you'll have to go on alone. I'll inform the others that you're coming."
Perlì reached out, trying to catch her hand and stop her. But before he could touch her, Rery turned into a shadow and vanished at incredible speed.
Perlì fell face-first into the ashes. Lifting his head, he saw the shadow streaking toward the fortress, cold and sharp like an insect.
"Damn it."
He stood and brushed the ash off his trousers, shirt, jacket, and finally his face.
Why am I even dressed like this? Is this what I wear to birthdays? It must be Sieglinde's favorite.
He looked up at the distant fortress. With a heavy sigh, he surrendered to his fate and began his agonizing walk.
Two hours later. Tired, exhausted, and above all, thirsty, Perlì finally reached the base of the dark fortress.
The enormous gates were already open, as if they had been waiting for him. The structure was simple. The outer walls formed an octagon, with a defensive tower at each corner.
In the courtyard, around fifty soldiers from Das Ausgeschaltet had gathered, watching him and whispering among themselves.
They were dressed almost identically, regardless of gender. Dark wolfskin cloaks covered most of their bodies. Underneath, they wore tight-fitting shirts and trousers secured with belts and buckles. Heavy gloves and high boots completed their outfits.
Perlì felt a wave of stage fright. He stood out, nearly all white in his clothing, while everyone else wore black, except for their faces.
Some had torn clothing. Others bore scars. Among them stood Rery, with silver hair and piercing blue eyes.
Perlì tried to hide his discomfort and blinked rapidly to keep himself grounded.
He met the gaze of a man with a shaved head and dark eyes. Then, the stare of a blonde woman with sharp blue eyes. Finally, he looked at Rery.
|Why is he walking like that?|
|How the hell did he get a Lotus Flower?|
|Outlander, don't worry. We're not hostile.|
Perlì reads quickly the 3 paragraphs, trying to give little importance to the first two and support himself with Rery's thought. As he was finally in front of the soldiers, he coughed twice, covering his mouth with his hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Perlì Nemunas. I believe someone told you about me."
No one moved. They just stared. Those farther back kept whispering.
Then, a young man with glossy black hair, neatly parted with a few loose strands, stepped out from the crowd. Like the others, he was dressed in black, but his clothes were clean. He wore a black coat and vest over a white dress shirt.
He walked up to Perlì and gently pressed his cheek to Perlì's left, then his right. Perlì, surprised, returned the gesture.
"My name is Uslein. I'm the director of the Fortress of the Eclipse. It's always a pleasure to welcome new guests."
Uslein placed a hand on Perlì's shoulder and guided him forward. The soldiers stepped aside to let them pass.
Perlì was frozen by the director's unexpected kindness. He didn't resist, letting himself be led into the citadel.
The rest of the soldiers remained where they were, visibly affected by what they had seen. Only Rery moved, pushing through the crowd to follow them.
Uslein continued walking, even climbing the five steps that led to the citadel entrance, risking a moment where Perlì nearly tripped and fell.
After this strange and sudden tutorial from Uslein, he gave Perlì a gentle push inside and then said
"Welcome to the Das Ausgeschaltet academy. I hear you're skilled with the sword, but you're a novice when it comes to the Lotus Flower; but don't worry, there's nothing a little knowledge can fix."
Uslein snapped his fingers, and in a flash of light, he materialized a new purple Bloombound in the Petal Embrace state.
"And you will be my best student."