Ray understood that with that damned Presence still lurking in his old hunting grounds, he wouldn't find much prey. He needed to move - somewhere farther, somewhere less haunted by whatever creature had taken an interest in him.
That evening, as the sun dipped toward the horizon, he gazed toward the coral reef. The jagged remains of sunken structures, long since consumed by the Dream Realm's twisted ocean, provided numerous vantage points. If he were to hunt, he would need to stay near them, keeping an escape route always within reach.
Without wasting time, Ray set off along the Wall, moving quickly. Running was more fitting. He didn't just want distance - he wanted to lose the Presence's trail entirely. He didn't know what it was, only that it felt… wrong. And he had no desire to find out more.
He ran for kilometers, pushing his body to its limits. The ruined expanse of the city blurred past him, silent and unwelcoming. Eventually, he arrived at his destination - another one of the abandoned guard posts along the Wall. The squat structure was little more than a shell of what it had once been, its metal doors long rusted away, its watchtower partially collapsed. But it still had walls, still had a roof.
That was enough.
Ray quickly set up what little he had, though calling it a camp was generous. A corner to rest in, his weapons within reach, and the Wall at his back. It would do.
By the time he finished, the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, swallowing the ruins in the deep blue of dusk. From beyond the Wall, the sea roared, an ever-present whisper in the background. But Ray knew the fortress still kept him safe.
For the first time in days, he allowed himself to rest. He leaned against the cold stone and closed his eyes.
And, for the first time since entering the Dream Realm, he truly slept.
---
Normally, Sleepers did not dream here. But Ray was different.
His flaw had always been a strange thing, pulling fragments of others' memories into his mind. Faces, moments, words spoken long ago—it all drifted through his subconscious, rarely leaving a lasting impression. Yet some memories returned, again and again, refusing to fade.
Memories of Nephis. Of Sunny.
They never made sense. They never fit together, scattered like broken glass. Some were mere words - half-heard conversations slipping through his fingers the moment he awoke. Others were more vivid. And then, there was the house.
Ray had seen it before. Felt it before.
A house burning, flames licking at the walls, the air thick with smoke and panic. But unlike the other glimpses, this one was different. This one, he saw through his own eyes.
He was running.
Fleeing.
Heat burned his skin, the crackling of wood deafening, the distant sound of something else - a voice? A scream? -just out of reach.
And then, nothing.
Ray's eyes snapped open, breath sharp in his chest. The dawn light cast long shadows across the ruined outpost, the sky pale with the first hints of morning. His head throbbed.
That memory was important. It had to be.
But why?
And why, despite all logic, did he feel a far stronger connection to Sunny than to Nephis, if it was her memory that was so strong?
Ray ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. Questions without answers. He had no time for them now.
Pushing himself to his feet, he approached the edge of the Wall, peering over. The corral reef stood as ominously as ever.
Still nothing seemed wrong, or specifically out of place, though, he obviously couldn't know exactly, as that was still his first time in this region.
Ray's hunt began like any other. The early morning air was thick with the scent of salt and decay, the distant crash of waves against the ruins a constant reminder of the ocean's reach.
The coral reef had always been home to dangerous creatures, but something felt different today. The air was heavier. The silence deeper.
Then, the water stirred.
Ray's eyes snapped to the shallows where twisted formations of coral jutted out from the sand like skeletal remains. A ripple spread across the surface, slow, unnatural. Something was there.
He tensed.
Then, the first one rose.
A monstrous shape emerged from beneath the tide, its form a grotesque blend of crustacean and nightmare. Its thick carapace was covered in jagged, moss-covered spikes, its long, segmented legs sinking into the wet sand as it hauled itself forward. The demon's eyes - multiple, black, glistening - focused on Ray with a predatory stillness.
It resembled a crab in shape, but it was too large, too warped. Its two front limbs ended in hooked scythes, sharp and ridged like serrated bone. And as it moved, the spines on its back flexed, releasing a faint, pulsing glow.
Poison.
Ray's mind worked fast. He couldn't be sure of its rank yet, but it wasn't weak, and even seemed to have some intelligence, seeing the ambush happening. He would have to kill it first to know for sure, but estimated it to be a demon.
The creature clicked its mandibles, then lunged.
Ray pivoted to the side, his halberd slashing upward to intercept the attack. The blade struck the thick carapace, but rather than cutting cleanly, it scraped across the surface with a harsh screech.
Too tough.
He adjusted his stance as the creature's second claw swung toward him. This time, he ducked, rolling beneath the attack before striking at the exposed joint between its legs. His halberd sank deep, severing one of the limbs.
The beast let out a shrill, gurgling sound.
But instead of retreating, it reacted.
The moment Ray cut through its leg, the spikes on its back released a fine mist, nearly invisible in the morning air.
His instincts screamed at him.
He activated his aspect, fading from existence for a moment, and leaped to the side just as the mist drifted reached him. The air where he had stood moments before sizzled as the toxin settled into the sand, leaving small, bubbling craters.
Corrosive poison.
Ray clicked his tongue. This was getting annoying.
But now, he had what he needed.
He shifted his grip, exhaling as he focused. The creature had a weakness - those exposed joints. If he was fast enough, he could dismantle it piece by piece.
The beast lunged again, but this time, Ray was ready. He moved fast, slipping past its claws, his halberd a blur as he carved through another leg. Then another. The monster shrieked, collapsing onto its remaining limbs.
Ray didn't give it time to recover.
With a final swing, his weapon struck true, splitting its head in two. The body twitched. Then, it stilled.
Silence returned.
Then, the air shimmered.
[You have slain an Awakened Demon: Tideborn Reaper]
[You have received a Memory: Reaper's Whisper]
[…your presence becomes firmer]
Ray exhaled, rolling his shoulder as the corpse began to fade. Now, he knew its rank.
More importantly, he knew it wasn't alone.
The water shifted again. More movement.
But before he even turned to face the next opponent, the shimmer in the air intensified.
Another shadow rose from the shallows, its jagged spines bristling in the morning light.
The hunt continued.
———————————————————
Okay, from the way things are going right now with the vote, it should be clear that Effie will win. I'll wait till the end of tomorrow, but it will probably stay the same.
Now the question remains, if Morgan should also have a part in the story after the forgotten shore, or not. She, after all, was the original option given with the most amount of votes, and then I would be able to still use the plot line i had for them, in a slightly more subtle way though.
The choice is yours