Sunny saw it.
When he came to the Forgotten Shore, aside from a few brushes with death, he still remembered them clearly.
Statues.
As a profound Archeology enthusiast, he spent quite some time studying them, and, thanks to teacher Julius' lesson on the Dream Realm language, deciphered the phrases on the Statues' foundations.
The words went as that:
There lies the Pure vessel,
Born of God and Void, "He" shall be freed by the Chosen one,
And thus he sacrified, Losing "His" freedom for that of others.
The Fated one shall achieve their divine mission, Freeing the Messiah and Letting War welcome "His" grace.
The "He" shall come:
๐๐๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ####
๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฟ๐ง๐๐๐ข๐จ;
๐พ๐ง๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ๐ก๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐จ๐จ,
๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐
๐๐ก๐๐ฎ๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ฃ,
Voice of Genesis
๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ.
And Bring salvation to this rotting world.
He did not know what that blurred word as, as if no word in the Dream Realm could describe it.
Now that he stood in front of Zero, he understood.
The chains, the pale knight like figure depicted on the statues, the Titles.
They had been fooled, this was a Nightmare Creature, and were all gonna die.
At least, that's what he thought.
The pale figure before them was a mess, long dried blood staining its exquisite mask, rotten gore hanging to the chains.
The figure hanged over the tree, the chains bounding it attached to the branches of the Pale-Reddish Tree.
It looked all like a bossfight.
The figure lifted its head, its Abyss like eyes staring directly at the Cohort.
'mhmh, weird. The two girls look like hookers, and the other oneโฆ He looks like a 'Femboy' as Dorian called them ?' Zero thought, with morbid puzzlment.
Finaly, after more than a decade, human interaction.
His gaze seemed to be searching, trying to find something, or someone, before its gaze finaly settled on Sunny.
His spoke.
"Greetings, traveller, I would like to give more informations on how we could all leave this cursed place, however, talking in this position is quite uncomfortable ,so,would you mind unchaining a fellow awakened ?"
A melodious voice was heard, a sweet voice, however, that did not convince the ever doubting Sunny.
"And why should we do that ?" He replied, not even concealing the venom dripping from his voice.
Before he could speak further, however, he was stopped by Nephis, who turned her head to Zero and asked:
"WhatโฆWhat are you, a Nightmare Creature ?"
She didn't know why, but she felt a sublte connection with that being. As if seeing a long lost familly member.
She was convinced.
That thingโฆ was a DreamSpawn, like her and Asterion.
"Well,Even I do not know what I am, however, I became like this because of a side effect from my flaw"
The reply was an immediate wake up call. They were many type of flaws, including some inducing Body Dismorphia, It wasn't THAT far stretched to believe that one could completely remodel your body.
"How can we unchain you ? I don't think we're strong enough to cut steel chains. unless they were made of a weaker material, like copper? ?
Cassie, as she was blind, couldn't see Zero, however, she could deduce from the conversation that Zero had a flaw that made him look inhuman, even tough she clearly enjoyed his melodious voice and couldn't imagine him being a monster-like being.
Zero's gaze traced back to Sunny, before speaking.
"You, the sneaky one, You see that altar over there ? Drip some of your blood on it."
Sunny, however, Narrowed his eye suspisciously.
Why him specifically ?
"I promise, in this forgotten shore, I am the only one capable of finding an escape. I'll help you go back to the waking world, I also have a nice stash of soul shard that I hid somewhere I can't use since my Core is full. Save me and they are yours"
At the mention of Soul Shards, Nephis perked up. She needed a LOT of Soul Shards to advance, such a supply would drastically expediate her progress.
The cohort went silent, and, after a short pause, Sunny walked toward the Altar.
He was tired of this accursed forgotten shore. The torment from the endless swarm of nightmares no sleeper should fight was unbelievable. He honestly thought that it would be the end of him.
Sunny summoned his memory, Shimmering into existence as he raised his hand, then, he slashed his palm.
The crimson red blood stained the altar.
Sunny, however, realized something.
'Weird, if I had a nickel for every time I stained my blood on an altar to survive a nightmare, I'd have two nickels. Wich isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice'
'Is it because of [Fated] ?'
As the blood flowed from his hand to the altar, the chains holding Zero together glowed white. Sunny felt something being taken away from him, before being replaced, as if someone took a chunk out of him and made him whole again.
ExeptโฆIt felt different.
As if some chains on him had loosened.
While sunny was out there pondering obscure feeling, the chains holding Zero started glowing, White runes visible.
Zero started shaking, as if pent up force was brutally released.
The chains hanging him started to quake.
*CRAAACKK*
Then again.
*CRAAACKK*
And thenโฆ
A chain snapped.
*CLAK*
Zero's body started falling softly.
*CLAK*
The armor holding him cracked, showing the Dark exoskeleton beneath.
Then, the last chains snapped.
*CRRAAAAAAK*
Chunks of the armor flew, dust rising.
Zero fell to the ground.
He flexed his arm, showcasing his new found freedom.
He looked at the sky, as if against the Heavens themselves, andโฆ
*ROOOOOOAOAAAAAARRRR*
He roared, his scream shaking the very fabric of the Accursed shore.
"Free, at lastโฆ"
He took a deep breath, and laughed.
A ridiculous laugh.
"I'm back, everyone"
The Pure Vessel had been freed.
โโโโโโโโ
Short chap, since I gotta do some personal things.
I Hope for the next chapter to be tommorow, or the day after.
Thx for the support; BYEEEEE