The sorcerer seemed shaken. No, more than that… he seemed deeply troubled by something. Noctis stared at the door for a few moments, then frowned and said, his voice devoid of any emotion:
"...Let us go and see who is knocking on my door, then."
With that, he drained his goblet, threw it aside, and walked toward the exit.
Sunny, Effie, and Kai glanced at each other, then followed along. No matter who it was that had come to the Sanctuary, they were currently enjoying the sorcerer's hospitality, so the identity of the new arrival concerned them too.
Who could have affected Noctis that much? Or was the change he had spoken about the real reason for this strange behavior, while the appearance of a guest just happened to coincide with it?
They were going to find out soon.
Together, the four of them — three Awakened and an immortal Saint — crossed the garden of the Sanctuary and walked between the ancient menhirs, to the field of grass beyond. There, an elegant figure waited for them, dressed in an austere black garment. It was a young woman none of them recognized.
The young woman was tall and slender, with pale skin and lustrous raven-black hair that moved gently in the wind. Her face possessed an almost otherworldly beauty to it, its lines full of solemn grace and splendor. However, that lovely face was blemished by a stark flaw — her eyes were covered by a simple strip of black cloth, the same color as the dress she wore.
The contrast between the austere black dress and the flawless white skin, between the softness of her captivating face and the severity of the crude blindfold, created a tantalizing, ominous, and slightly disturbing sight.
…However, Sunny was not paying attention to the young woman's sublime beauty, or to her dress. Instead, his eyes were glued to a single detail…
There was a leather belt tied around the beautiful stranger's slender waist, and on it hung a black scabbard. He recognized the hilt of the blade encompassed within in an instant…
'Quiet... Quiet Dancer? Cassie!'
For a moment, Sunny was overwhelmed by a feeling of profound, boundless relief. She was alive… Cassie was alive… all of them were. And now, despite all the dire trials of this harrowing Nightmare, the four of them were finally reunited.
It was as though a terrible weight that had been crushing his heart all this time, without him knowing, was suddenly lifted.
Sunny felt Effie's grip on his horns grow tighter, and glanced at Kai to see that the young man's eyes were shining behind the wooden mask. The two of them had recognized Cassie, too, and were sharing in his glee.
However, a moment later, Sunny's elation was gone.
He remembered how and why they appeared in this field of grass to meet Cassie, and looked at Noctis with concern. The sorcerer still had an ashen face… and unlike them, he did not have any warm feelings toward the blind girl.
The situation was still strange, and dangerous.
As if sensing his gaze, Noctis frowned, then looked at the beautiful woman with a dark expression and asked coldly:
"An eyeless of the Night Temple… isn't it terribly far for a blind priestess like you to travel south, all alone? Speak, girl… what do you want?"
Cassie lingered for a moment, then bowed slightly. When she spoke, her unfamiliar voice sounded deep and pleasant. She said:
"Greetings, Lord Noctis. I bring a message from my mistress, the One in the North."
The sorcerer grimaced.
"Oh, yeah? What does that dreadful woman want from me?"
The blind girl remained silent for a few moments, then lowered her head slightly.
"She doesn't want anything, Lord Noctis. My mistress, Lady of the North, blessed of the Black Skies… is dead."
***
Noctis swayed slightly, as if struck. He stared at Cassie with a pale face, then raised a trembling hand and silently grasped his neck. After a few moments, he spoke again:
"What are you talking... what is the message she sent, exactly?"
The blind girl was still looking down. Without raising her head, she answered evenly:
"Just these three words. I am dead."
The sorcerer scoffed.
"It takes weeks to get from the Night Temple to the Sanctuary on foot… if one can even make it alive! Was she dead when she sent you? Huh?"
Cassie silently shook her head.
"No. She was alive."
Noctis gritted his teeth in outrage.
"That woman… so insufferable. If she knew she was going to die, she could have said more than three words, at least! After… after everything we shared… ah, she just had to be frustrating till the very end!"
Despite the sorcerer's irritated tone, Sunny could tell that Noctis was deeply aggrieved by the stunning news Cassie had brought… as if he had not been planning to kill the One in the North himself all along. The immortals were very strange people, indeed…
But Sunny was stunned himself. One of the Chain Lords… was already dead? Just like that? After a thousand years of solemn duty, someone had managed to kill the undying Transcendent without alerting the other four?
Suddenly, a feeling of unease grasped his heart. If not one of the Chain Lords, then who could have killed the ruler of the Night Temple?
Who else possessed one of the seven knives?
He knew of only one person…
As if reading his thoughts, Noctis stared at Cassie and asked, his voice trembling with anger:
"So, who was it? Who killed her? Solvane? Or the Ivory Lord?"
The blind girl slowly shook her head.
"Neither. It was a… a creature. A creature that came from the fog."
The sorcerer chuckled.
"...I see. So the Ivory Knife fell into the hands of one of those. Ah, she could have saved herself, if she had only wanted… but she grew indifferent to things like that a long time ago, didn't she? That… that was her madness."
Noctis remained silent for a while, and then suddenly asked, his eyes glinting with his own madness:
"So then, the north is in disarray, the Night Temple is without a leader, and its army needs a new commander? Thousands of soldiers, hundreds of Awakened warriors, all hoping to find someone to serve and protect their families? Right?"
Cassie lingered for a moment, then shook her head again.
"...No."
Noctis raised an eyebrow.
"What? Why not?"
She straightened, then answered simply:
"They are also dead."
The sorcerer blinked a couple of times.
"Huh? Who is dead?"
The young woman remained still as she said, her voice calm and even:
"Everyone. The soldiers, the priestesses, the Awakened, the families. Everyone is dead, and the northern reach stands empty. The creature took them all."