Chapter 34:

“When Nightmares Hide”

The ground beneath Sterling’s feet radiated a fierce heat, cracks in the earth glowing with embers that refused to fade. Smoke curled in serpentine tendrils, rising like the final laments of a doomed village. The air reeked of scorched stone and burnt flesh, the remnants of Kagemura still lingering as if the land itself mourned.

Lord Sterling surveyed the smoldering crater with quiet satisfaction, the swirling embers reflecting in his eyes. The air was thick, heavy with the weight of annihilation. This was not just victory—this was dominion.

Princess Hex hovered beside him, her expression a mask of giddy impatience, shifting her weight like an eager child waiting to be given her next toy. She lowered herself to the ground and approached her father, laughing.

"I did well, didn't I, Father?" she cooed, her voice almost melodic. "Their screams were so exciting! Can we find more playthings?"

Sterling allowed a rare smile, placing a hand on her shoulder with a firm, almost affectionate grip. "Patience, my twisted child."

She pouted, looking up at him with wide, eager eyes. "But I want more! You promised!"

Sterling inhaled deeply, letting the acrid perfume of ruin fill his lungs. "The Yama-Okami mountain tribes are full of innocence to torment."

Hex’s pout twisted into a delighted grin. "Ohhh, I hope there are more children to play with."

Sterling turned, his cloak billowing in the dying wind. "Then let’s not keep them waiting."

He took a step forward—

And froze.

His eyes narrowed. A shift. A presence.

A power he had not felt in centuries.

He turned his head slightly, looking beyond the ruins, beyond the forest, beyond distance itself. For this was his Realm. And there, miles away, he saw them.

A trace of something… familiar. An essence that did not belong to the weaklings he had just wiped from existence.

His lips barely parted. "And who might you be?"

A trace of amusement passed over Sterling’s face before vanishing into something colder. His eye followed along the edges of the power he sensed, calculating, measuring. It was like a blade pressed against his consciousness—sharp, something worth crushing beneath his heel.

“The mountain tribes will wait. Let them hold onto their pathetic existence a bit longer. I must greet this one.”

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Hex stomped her foot, frustration bubbling over. "Aww, but you said we’d find more! It’s not fair!"

Sterling let out a slow exhale, as if indulging a child's tantrum. "Do you truly believe a few scattered lives matter in the face of what this may mean?" His voice dropped into something colder, absolute.

"Now, hush child!"

Hex fell silent immediately, shrinking under the weight of his command.

"Yes, Father."

He turned back toward the horizon, his amusement shifting into something colder.

Miles away.

John moved with purpose as The Spirit Wilds stretched before them, usually thick with Oni patrols and lurking predators. Now, there was only silence. No rustling leaves, no distant growls, just an unnatural stillness that made every step feel intrusive. The colorful Pyre flies were absent as well, as if the Realm itself hid in fear from what had just happened to Kagemura.

Akira let out a low whistle, glancing around. "Well, this just got a hell of a lot easier and creepier at the same time. No Oni, no crazy weasel things, almost feels like they saw what happened to Kagemura and decided to peace out."

John said nothing, his grip tightening on Yumi’s charm. He could still feel it, the weight of what had happened behind them. The loss. The cost. But there was no time to grieve. He would never give up now.

"Even the things that lurk in nightmares know when to run, John." Realmweaver’s voice echoed in his mind. As always, her tone carried something deeper than simple observation.

“I’m not afraid of what horrifies nightmares… not anymore.”

“Remember John, only a fool has no fear.”

John remained silent, but he allowed the words to sink in.

“Come on. It’s not much further now,” John called to the others.

“So how does this… Realmweaver work again?” Rai asked.

“I’ll explain everything when we get there.”

They moved faster now, pushing toward the cave where Realmweaver was stashed. This brief moment of relative peace wouldn’t last, however.

Akira chuckled, shaking his head. "I’ve never been in a multidimensional car before. Hope it’s got a good stereo."

Rai shot him a small grin. The humor was thin, forced, but necessary. Anything to keep them steady.

An unnatural pressure began to weigh down on the air, subtle at first, then suffocating. The scent of rain thickened, the sky bruising with something not quite natural. Instinct screamed before logic caught up—something was here. Something that horrified nightmares.

John stopped.

Rai followed his gaze—and felt her stomach drop.

Just ahead, at the site of the seppuku ceremony, a figure stood waiting.

Lord Sterling, with Princess Hex floating by his side. She stroked something in her hands like a baby kitten.

When John took a closer look, his blood ran cold.

For a split second, he swore it was her—Yumi’s delicate face, her warm gaze—

But no. The reality was worse.

Hex was holding the head of a young Kitsune child, his tongue hanging limply to the side as his lifeless eyes stared into hers.

Akira could only muster two words. "Oh. Shit."

Lord Vassoth exhaled deeply as if he had been holding his breath for an eternity. "I missed this feeling," he murmured. "I missed being this close to pure power."

Hex’s lips curled as she pet her toy, her eyes gleaming with twisted delight. "His screams were so beautiful."

John’s breath came slow and measured, his fingers twitching at his sides.

"Watch, child," Sterling murmured to her. "See how one conquers true power."

He rose into the air—and the sky darkened further.

The first droplet of rain struck John’s cheek, searing cold, sending a shiver through his spine. Then another. The temperature dropped in an instant.

Black clouds swallowed the heavens, shifting in unnatural ways. Lightning crackled—red, green, blue, purple—streaking through the storm like veins in a dying body. The air thickened with raw, crushing power. The ground trembled. The Realm bowed to his presence.

Then, with a deliberate motion, a barrier slammed down, cutting John off from the others.

One-on-one.

Vassoth grinned, stepping forward. "Now let me see that soul! Let’s find out who you really are."