The crowd poured into the castle, their faces contorted with anger and resentment. However, as soon as the slum dwellers passed beneath the swaying skulls that hung above the gates, their fury turned cold.
In the echoing stone halls of the Bright Castle, it was hard to forget that Gunlaug's power was absolute. For as long as any of them remembered, he had ruled over the Dark City with an iron fist, elevating those who bowed to him and destroying those who did not.
Countless men and women had tried to challenge the Bright Lord in the past… great people, terrible people, and everyone in-between. It was their skulls that now stared at the crowd, darkness nesting in their eyes.
Finally, doubt and fear appeared in the hearts of the inhabitants of the outer settlement. Many of them stared at Nephis, their faces turning dim and listless.
Changing Star did not react to this sudden change in one way or another. Looking straight ahead, she calmly walked forward, an indifferent expression on her face. Her usual mask was in its place once again, preventing anyone from knowing her true thoughts.
Trying to remain unnoticed, Sunny made his way to the front of the crowd to be closer to Nephis, Effie, and Caster. No one paid him any attention. In the grand scheme of things, people thought of him as an insignificant piece, if at all.
Just like he wanted them to.
From his point of view, the atmosphere in the Bright Castle seemed to be a bit strange, and not because of the invading horde of slum dwellers. Its halls and corridors were too empty, too lifeless. He didn't see any people hurrying on their daily business, as they always would. Even the opulent desk in the entrance hall was empty, the clerk usually present behind it absent for some reason.
'Where is everyone?'
His question was soon answered.
Entering the throne room, he saw hundreds of Sleepers standing along its walls, waiting to meet them. It seemed as though the whole population of the Bright Castle had gathered here. There were the Guards, the Hunters, the Artisans, the quiet Handmaidens. Even people who paid tribute to remain in the Castle were all there.
Sunny noticed a few familiar faces. Stev, the large man in charge of the Memory Market, stood uncomfortably near the members of the Host. There was also Aiko, the owner of the gambling den, and many others whom he remembered from his brief stay in the Castle.
The air was tense and heavy. It seemed that not all of these people had come to the throne room of their own free will. Many of them had troubled, frightened expressions on their faces. Others were relaxed and joyful, waiting for an entertaining show with dark fascination burning in their eyes.
What disturbed him the most were the several figures of Nightmare Creatures standing among the humans. Those were the Echoes belonging to the inhabitants of the Castle, each one more terrifying that the other.
'...Why are they out of their owners' Soul Seas?'
On the raised dais at the far end of the great hall, illuminated by the false stars that were carved into the wall of the dark alcove, the four lieutenants of the Bright Lord stood. There was Gemma, the leader of the Hunters, Kido, the chief Artisan, and Seishan, who was in charge of the Handmaidens.
…and Harus, of course.
Sunny stared at the dreadful hunchback, who just stood there with his usual bored expression, looking at the wall.
He was pretty sure that today, at least one of them was going to die.
As if feeling his gaze, Harus suddenly turned and glanced at Sunny. This time, however, Sunny did not look away. He stared straight into the hunchback's glassy eyes, a calm and calculating expression on his face.
'I wonder how he killed all those people without being seen even once. With so many victims, somebody had to catch a glimpse of this butcher hard at work. What Aspect Ability does he possess? How do I counter it?'
Harus stared at him for a few moments, then tilted his head and smiled with strange amusement. A second later, he turned away and looked at the wall again, seemingly losing all interest.
Meanwhile, Tessai walked to the middle of the hall and threw Effie down, forcing her to kneel on the floor. Then, he gave Nephis a dark look and joined the other lieutenants on the steps leading to the throne.
The two hundred or so slum dwellers were standing at one end of the throne room, their faces grim and full of dark apprehension. With the exception of those directly serving Changing Star, most of them were dressed in dirty rags, with only a few wearing a proper armor.
Some were unarmed, some had Memories or makeshift weapons hanging on their belts, and some even had swords hastily fashioned out of the talons of the slain Spire Messenger.
Opposite them, with their back to the throne, stood the people of the castle. Many of them looked like they didn't want to be here, but more had contempt and indignation in their eyes. Those were mostly the members of the Host, who were more than two hundred people strong. Each of them was clad in a sturdy Memory armor and wielded enchanted weapons.
They were strong, well-fed, and experienced in combat.
The hunters, especially, were a formidable presence despite their comparatively small number. They were looking at Nephis with intense hatred, the memory of her killing one of their own in this very hall still fresh in their minds.
Changing Star stood beside Effie in the middle of the empty space between the two groups, looking at the white throne. Her ivory face was cold and indifferent, and her silver hair glinted in the rays of sunshine that fell through tall windows. Sparks of light were dancing in the depths of her calm grey eyes.
She was the focal point of everyone's attention and the target of the dark storm of emotions that raged between the ancient walls of the Castle today.
If it bothered her, she did not show it.
And then, finally, the Bright Lord himself appeared.
Sunny knew that Gunlaug entered the great hall even before seeing him. He knew it because of the sudden change in the people that surrounded him. It was as though a wave of invisible pressure had crashed into the crowd, forcing them to groan and bend, almost buckling to the ground.
Their legs trembled, their faces paled, and drops of sweat appeared on their skin, as well as fear and panic in their eyes.
The mastermind behind this ghoulish spectacle had finally arrived.