By the ti Sunny woke up, the ship was already approaching the Sanctuary. Looking out of the window, he saw a familiar island below them… in his ti, it was occupied by a fearso Corrupted abomination. He wondered if it was still — or rather, already — nesting there.
In any case, from here, the Sanctuary was just a couple of chains away.
With a sign, Sunny dressed himself and left the cabin, heading for the upper deck. Once outside, he saw Sailor Dolls moving around with graceful precision, hoisting sails and performing other tasks. Noctis was standing at the helm, wearing a completely new extravagant robe and whistling a light-hearted lody. Noticing Sunny, the sorcerer smiled.
"Ah, Sunless! How fortunate it is that you are awake. We are almost ho."
He glanced forward and waved a hand, accidentally sending the ship into a lateral spin. The wooden mannequins sohow remained attached to the deck, but Sunny had to grab a handrail to not be thrown overboard. He gave the immortal Transcendent a resentful look.
Noctis smiled sheepishly.
"Oh… uh… sorry about that."
Shaking his head, Sunny ascended the stairs and joined the sorcerer at the bridge, which was situated at the stern of the enchanted vessel. From there, he observed the landscape of the Kingdom of Hope in silence, until a familiar silhouette of a vast ring of nhirs standing atop a small island appeared in sight, surrounded by a white cloud of water vapor that ca from several beautiful waterfalls.
The Sanctuary… it was nice to see it again. In this harrowing Nightmare, it almost felt like ho.
Noctis grinned.
"That is it! The Sanctuary of Noctis, my beautiful lair. Isn't it pretty?"
Sunny hesitated, then took the erald amulet out of the folds of his black garnt and thought:
"...I guess. But isn't it a bit presumptuous, to call it after yourself?"
The sorcerer laughed.
"Oh, no! You misunderstood. Initially, it was called the Temple of the Moon. I built it as a shrine to my great-grandmother. I was perfectly content living there alone, but as the Kingdom of Hope went from bad to worse, stragglers started coming to my lands in search of a safe shelter from all the madness. I didn't have the heart… or rather, didn't care that much… to turn them away. So, they started calling it the Sanctuary of Noctis. Why, it's a very nice na, if you ask !"
Sunny stared at him for a few monts, then said in a somber tone:
"...Who is your great-grandmother?"
Noctis turned to him and blinked a couple of tis, an expression of surprise clearly written on his beautiful face.
"Well, who else? The Goddess of the Moon, of course!"
Sunny paled.
'...How does this even make sense?'
He opened his mouth to say sothing, then shut it and decided not to think about it too much. Noticing this reaction, Noctis shrugged with a confused expression.
"Whom did you think I inherited my unparalleled looks from? People as gorgeous as I don't grow on trees, you know! Well… usually. Unless it is a very special tree, I guess."
Sunny gritted his teeth and tried very hard not to think anything aloud.
Soon, the flying ship descended from the skies and hovered in the center of the ring of giant nhirs, the sacred tree that grew on its deck situated right above the one growing on a small island surrounded by the pool of clear water, an altar of pure white stone drowning in the shade of its wide branches. Sunny saw dozens of people staring up with awed expressions, and involuntary searched for familiar faces.
It was futile, of course. Even if others were sohow here, they were going to look different from their real selves, after all.
Noctis grinned.
"Welco to the Sanctuary! You'll like it here, for sure. Everyone here is very reasonable and nice. Just like …"
Hearing that statent, Sunny shivered.
***
Together, they left the flying vessel and walked through the garden, heading to the sorcerer's private quarters. Coincidentally, the residence was situated in the sa place where the White Feather clan had established their stronghold in the future. Noctis built his ho inside the ring of nhirs itself, however, instead of on top of it.
As they walked, Sunny studied the inhabitants of the Sanctuary of the past… most of them seed like normal people. So of them were mundane, and so were Awakened. They didn't seem to be in the throes of madness. However, after the cruel lesson that had been taught him in the Red Colosseum, he couldn't help but keep his guard up.
Sunny's gaze shifted from person to person, evaluating them for potential danger.
That young woman holding a young child by the hand seed harmless, but why was the child so frightened? That man with a neatly trimd beard seed gentle and kind, but why was the hilt of his sword so polished and worn? That beggar who sat lonesoly by himself, his body and face disfigured and wrapped in bandages like that of a leper, seed too weak to pose a threat… but why was his gaze so sharp, his fingers so calloused?
And that old woman with a basket of fruit in her arms... why was she watching them so intently?
Sunny shook his head, then looked away.
'Being vigilant is good, but this is just the madness speaking. Wishing to be safe is also a desire… and so, it can also be twisted by Hope's influence. After the tornts I experienced in the Red Colosseum and the nightmares, my mind is already unstable… I need to keep myself in check, or sothing terrible will happen...'
What dangers could there be here, in the stronghold of an immortal Saint? As long as Noctis himself did not decide to attack Sunny, he would be more or less safe.
And speaking of Noctis…
The sorcerer led him to a beautifully engraved wooden door, then opened it and led Sunny inside. His residence was just as one could expect… spacious, decorated with the most exquisite furnishings, and populated by all kinds of magical servants.
Staring at a mop that was dutifully washing the floors without anyone holding it, Sunny felt cold shivers running down his spine. He had a suspicion of how the Sailor Dolls were made…
'Don't tell that the lunatic actually used soone's soul… to enchant this damned mop…'
Noctis grinned.
"I know what you are thinking."
Sunny flinched and stared at the immortal with tense apprehension.
The sorcerer nodded solemnly.
"...What is for breakfast, right? Oh, don't you worry, Sunless! I take breakfasts very seriously. Let us eat, then drink… then talk."
He sighed.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions… I have a couple myself, to be honest..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers