Chapter 1831 Abstract Concept

Dressed in a comfortable night—gown, Rain was sitting on a bed. The bed was wide and soft. The sheets were immaculately clean and crisp... a far cry from the cold cradle of mud she had been sleeping on for many days.

It was also much nicer than her own bed in Ravenheart, so... she had nothing to complain about The room itself was spacious, but austere. The Citadel of Clan Sorrow was cut into the cliffside, so the walls surrounding her were that of rough stone. The furniture, however, was quite elegant and beautifully made.

There was a single arched window in the room, opening to the pale lilac expanse of the evening sky. The roaring of the Weeping Goddess seemed quiet here, somehow, but also constant, like a persistent hum.

The air was fresh and smelled of water.

The peaceful, but uniquely austere mood of the somber Citadel helped Rain imagine easily where Tamar's overly serious demeanor had come from.

She sighed.

Things had happened fast after the two of them reached the Lake of Tears. First, Rain and Tamar were brought to the city built on its shore — it was much smaller than Ravenheart, but still lively. The architecture style was distinctly different, as well, favoring flat roofs that served as gardens — as opposed to the capital, where most roofs were slanted and covered by tiles to avoid snow and ash accumulating on them.

They did not spend much time in the city, though.

The Saint of Sorrow was currently away, but Tamar's mother was there. After receiving news of her daughter showing up severely wounded, she immediately sent retainers to retrieve her.

Rain and Tamar were taken to the Citadel, which was cut directly into the vertical side of the great waterfall and oversaw the city from high above.

Tamar was treated by an Ascended healer. Rain, meanwhile, was welcomed as a guest of Clan Sorrow.

She met the matriarch of the clan, as well as a few elders. Everyone had treated her graciously — from the Awakened retainers and mundane citizens to the members of the direct family.

Tamar had briefly shared the story of how the two of them had ended up in such a sorry state, including the fake version of Rain's Awakening.

Everything seemed fine.

And yet, Rain was in a heavy mood.

That was because she had heard a lot, and inferred even more, from the conversations with the locals.

The war... seemed imminent.

Some of the people she had talked to were aware of it, while some were not. Nevertheless, everyone was alarmed and uneasy, as if there was invisible tension permeating the air.

Many things had happened after the survey team left the construction camp and lost contact with the rest of humanity.

"I wouldn't call it "well", exactly... but, sure.

Actually, I did fine."

He grinned.

"Fine? You are the first human of your world to have Awakened without that pesky thing... what do you call it? Oh, the Nightmare Spell. Great job, Rain! You really made me proud."

She silently extended her hand and opened her palm.

"Give it, then."

He raised an eyebrow... or at least she thought he did, since she couldn't see his face clearly.

"What?"

Rain frowned.

"My Memory! You promised me a Memory after I killed the Huntsman."

Her teacher laughed quietly.

"Right. Don't worry, I will. I'll even throw in one more for that Awakened Tyrant. And a third one as a free bonus, for a return customer."

He hesitated for a moment, and then added more sincerely:

"But really, good job. Awakening, killing the Tyrant... and not leaving that girl to die, too. I'm not sure that I would have done the same as a Sleeper."

Rain looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"... Thank you. Anyway, I was never really a Sleeper. That would have been embarrassing — I'm way too old to be one..."

After that, neither of them spoke for a while.

Eventually, Rain asked:

"So, what now?"