Chapter 1672: All that Remains.


    Sunny assumed his human form, standing on a twisting stalk of a giant vine side by side with Nephis.


    Sunlight was streaming from above, illuminating her slender figure... his, however, was hidden in the deep shadows, almost imperceptible. If someone gazed upon them right now, it would have seemed as though she was observing the overgrown ruin alone.


    The ruin was vast and sprawling, but most of it was swallowed by the jungle. Only a few crumbling stone edifices rose above the canopy, covered in red moss. It was hard to recognize them as man-made structures, but the Awakened were experts on all things having to do with ruins — the Dream Realm was littered with them, after all.


    Nephis tilted her head a little.


    ?Ruins? I didn''t know that humans once lived here, in Godgrave.?


    Sunny remained silent for a few moments.


    ?...Godgrave was densely populated once, in fact. There was a fairly advanced civilization thriving here. The surface was just as deadly, and I can''t say anything about the sea of ash below. But there are many ruined cities in the Hollows, some of them as large as the lesser population centers in the waking world.?


    She glanced in his direction, seeing only the darkness.


    ?I didn''t know that you have such a keen interest in ancient civilizations, Lord Shadow.?


    He smiled.


    ?Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it in the future.?


    His words vaguely hinted at a double meaning, but he didn''t say anything else.


    In any case, Nephis was right. Sunny did indeed have a keen interest in ancient civilizations — he always had, even back in the Dark City. Solving the mysteries of the past appealed to some hidden part of his heart.


    The thrill and charm of exploring forgotten ruins was the closest thing Sunny had to a hobby... maybe, in a perfect world, it would have been one of his life''s passions.


    However, his interest in the ruins of Godgrave was special.


    The dead civilizations of the Dream Realm had always been one and the same for him — the people were different, the histories were different, but they all belonged in the pages of the same book. After meeting Wind Flower in the Tomb of Ariel, though, Sunny learned that there were two entirely different kinds of ruins in the Dream Realm.


    One kind belonged to the people who had lived in the mortal realms, and were destroyed by the war between the gods and the daemons, as well as its immediate outcome.


    The other kind belonged to those who had lived in the five divine realms, and fell under the tide of Corruption later.


    The difference between the two was very important...


    The latter civilizations had been infected by the Nightmare Spell before their eventual fall.


    Just like the people of the Waking World — the sixth divine realm — were.


    ?They aren''t the only ones there.?


    ?How the hell did that boy survive??


    Out there, hidden in the canopy of the jungle below them, numerous shadows were moving slowly, each belonging to a powerful Nightmare Creature. He had never seen or sensed abominations like these before, but simply from the depths of their shadows, he knew that they were powerful.


    And there was... a lot of them.


    ?These Sleepers must have found the deadliest nest of Nightmare Creatures in the area to use as a hiding spot. Their luck... well, I don''t even know if it''s amazing or utterly terrible. They won''t survive for much longer, but having survived for that long is already a miracle.?


    She nodded calmly.


    ?So we light, then.?


    Sunny stared at her for a few moments.


    ?Or... we grab them and run.?


    Nephis shook her head.


    ?I don''t think that will be possible.?


    He frowned, not knowing what she meant.


    A few moments later, though, he understood.


    The bright light falling on them from high above suddenly grew many times brighter, becoming almost blinding.


    ?The clouds...?


    And a split second later, the great pillar of vines they were standing on shuddered, the upper part of it turning to ash.


    As the tendrils that the subterranean jungle had extended toward the surface all moved and started to fall, torrents of flames spreading swiftly toward their roots, Nephis jumped off the stalk and dashed forward, toward the ruins...


    And away from sunlight.


    ?Don''t dally!?


    Cursing silently, Sunny jumped after her, this time neglecting to turn into a small crow. Instead, he turned himself as light as he could and glided on the wind, descending in a somewhat controlled fall.


    He sighed heavily, and then grinned, his eyes glinting with excitement.


    ?I guess that means that we are going to fight...?