After finding the abandoned camp, everyone in the cohort finally began to relax.
The oppressive tension that had followed them through the tunnels loosened slightly, replaced by the familiar comfort of companionship and routine.
No one was more relieved than Alucard.
A noticeable weight lifted from his shoulders now that they were deep underground. The cursed flying whale—whatever nightmare it truly was—remained far above them, somewhere in the fog-covered skies.
Far away.
Very far away.
And Alucard was perfectly happy to keep it that way.
So, like everyone else, he settled down near the firepit and joined in the idle conversation.
Which mostly meant returning to his favorite pastime.
Annoying his friends.
He teased Sunny for being a short little gremlin.
He teased Kai for being far too kind for his own good.
He teased Effie for eating enough food to feed an entire village.
And he teased Caster…
Well, Caster was simply easy to tease.
If one thing could be said about Alucard, it was that if bloodshed wasn't involved, then irritating his friends was easily his favorite hobby.
Eventually, after eating and talking for a while, the group began preparing to rest for the night.
Surprisingly, Alucard decided to sleep alongside them.
That alone was strange.
Normally he could go ten days without sleeping if he had to. His stamina bordered on the absurd.
But lately…
He had been feeling more and more exhausted.
Even his seemingly endless reserves of energy were beginning to run dry.
Was it simply because of the constant fighting?
The relentless pursuit of Nightmare Creatures?
The fact that half the horrors of the Forgotten Shore seemed personally offended by his existence?
Possibly.
But deep down, Alucard suspected something else was causing this growing fatigue.
He had no real proof.
No clear reason.
Just a vague, uncomfortable feeling.
And that feeling made him wary.
After all, many Nightmare Creatures specialized in mental attacks—dreams, hallucinations, illusions.
Falling asleep in a place like this was never completely safe.
Unfortunately for him…
He was simply too tired to care.
His eyes closed almost immediately.
And soon, Alucard fell asleep.
---
At some point during the night, he woke up.
Or at least… it felt like waking up.
Something was wrong.
He couldn't move.
His body felt heavy, almost disconnected from his mind.
It took him a moment to realize what was happening.
This is a dream.
That realization alone should have allowed him to wake up.
But he couldn't.
Instead, he noticed something strange.
A thick fog had filled the cavern.
At first glance it looked similar to the grey fog that covered the Hollow Mountains above.
But this fog was different.
Its color was a sickening shade of purple.
Every breath Alucard took made his thoughts feel slower.
Heavier.
His eyes struggled to stay open.
It was like his mind was sinking into mud.
He tried to look around.
The rest of the cohort was still there.
But none of them were moving.
Sunny.
Effie.
Kai.
Nephis.
Caster.
Cassie.
All of them were completely motionless.
Alucard couldn't tell if they were unconscious…
Or dead.
And then, from the corner of his vision, he saw something.
Something purple.
A shape moving through the fog.
It slipped away slowly as if tiredly moving through the fog.
Maybe it was a robe.
Maybe it was the skin of a Nightmare Creature.
Alucard couldn't tell.
His vision was already fading.
His eyelids felt impossibly heavy.
They slowly closed, like two massive boulders rolling down a flat hill.
And then—
He woke up.
For real this time.
"AH!"
Alucard sat upright with a shout, his heart racing wildly.
The sudden noise woke everyone else instantly.
Within seconds the entire cohort had jumped to their feet.
Weapons appeared in their hands.
Blades flashed in the dim light.
Everyone was ready for a fight.
Except…
There was no enemy.
No danger.
Just Alucard.
Which meant, unfortunately for him, that he had just woken everyone up for nothing.
Now he was surrounded by several very irritated Sleepers.
And their weapons looked particularly sharp while pointed directly at his face.
Thinking quickly, Alucard raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright! Relax!" he said quickly. "I just had a pretty scary dream and accidentally woke you guys up. My bad."
Everyone turned toward the one person who could confirm whether he was lying.
Kai.
The handsome archer blinked sleepily, then nodded.
"He's telling the truth."
Having a walking lie detector in the group certainly had its advantages.
---
After some grumbling and a few threatening looks, the situation finally calmed down.
Alucard survived the ordeal with all his limbs intact.
Which, considering Effie had nearly decapitated him earlier, was impressive.
Once everyone had settled down again, the questions started.
"So," Effie said while crossing her arms, "what exactly did you see?"
Alucard rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm… well, I think there was this weird purple fog everywhere," he said slowly. "And you were all either dead… or unconscious. I couldn't really move either. I was kind of paralyzed."
The group exchanged uneasy looks.
But interestingly, no one glanced toward Kai this time.
They simply accepted what Alucard said.
Wow, Alucard thought.
So this is the moment they finally start trusting me?
Over a year of fighting together.
Endless battles.
Life-or-death situations.
And only now were they starting to trust him without needing confirmation.
Honestly, Alucard didn't even feel offended.
He understood perfectly well why people found him suspicious.
He was constantly covered in blood.
His abilities were disturbing.
And the title Butcher certainly didn't help his public image.
Honestly, he was still surprised anyone trusted him at all.
Putting those thoughts aside, he answered a few more questions.
Out of everyone there, three people seemed especially troubled.
Nephis.
Cassie.
And Sunny.
Eventually, Alucard decided to ask Sunny directly.
After all, Sunny was probably the most honest person among the three.
Which was strange in itself.
Alucard had always wondered about that.
He had even considered teasing Sunny by asking if he had a True Name, just to see how he would react.
But he had wisely decided against it.
Instead, he walked over and asked casually:
"Hey. What was that reaction earlier? You, Nephis, and Cassie all looked like someone stabbed you."
Sunny sighed.
But he answered anyway.
"The main reason is that Sleepers usually don't dream," he explained.
Alucard blinked.
"…Right."
Sunny continued.
"And we encountered a Nightmare Creature before that could manipulate our minds. What I thought was a dream back then was actually a memory being hidden from me."
He looked up at Alucard.
"The strange part is this: if it was some kind of mental attack, why were you the only one not affected? Do you have a Memory that protects against mind attacks?"
Alucard thought about it for a moment.
Then shrugged.
"As far as I know, I don't," he said. "At least none that I had on me at the time."
He smiled slightly.
"Though I've always been a bit of an oddity. Maybe that's the reason."
Sunny sighed again.
"Well, whatever the reason is, we should probably leave this place as soon as possible. Just in case."
Alucard nodded.
Then he smirked.
"So… do you want me to carry you?"
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"You know," Alucard continued innocently, "because you have short legs—"
"NO."
Sunny groaned in frustration.
"I do not want you to carry me. And if you even try, I will stab you."
Wow, Alucard thought internally.
I try to help my vertically challenged friend and this is the thanks I get.
Only one being heard that thought.
Gluttony.
"Yes," the Arch Sin said thoughtfully inside Alucard's mind. "He is being extremely rude to you."
It paused.
"I think you should kill him and steal his Echo. You know… because she's a very powerful Echo."
Alucard chuckled internally.
"Ah," he replied mentally. "And I assume you'd spend quite a bit of time in my Soul Sea if I did that?"
Gluttony scoffed indignantly.
"Of course I would. Because I would make sure Saint remained in perfect condition for battle."
Alucard rolled his eyes.
"Unfortunately that won't work," he said. "I need you available at all times."
Gluttony grumbled something incomprehensible.
Alucard chose to ignore it.
---
Several hours later, after walking through more tunnels and caverns, the cohort finally reached their next destination.
A massive underground river.
But it wasn't a normal river.
The water was black as ink.
And completely odorless.
The strange purple mist from Alucard's dream lingered here as well, drifting lazily above the surface of the water.
That alone was enough to put everyone on edge.
Then they noticed something else.
A boat.
A beautiful boat made of pale white wood rested near the shore.
It looked pristine.
Untouched by time.
As if it had been built only yesterday.
Which was impossible.
Everything else in these ruins were thousands of years old or at least 8 years old.
Alucard slowly turned toward Nephis.
He already knew what the next part of the plan.
And he absolutely hated it.