Apparently, no one was allowed in the Sanctum; he learned that the hard way. Without shadows around him, he wasn't able to use his affinity to get in, meaning that he had his ability, just only the disadvantages, like his thresholds, and the annoying voice in his head.

Ever since his mental fortitude dropped, he has had a voice constantly talking to him, which was irritating. It made fun of him and tried to make him fail on every occasion, though, unlike it, he had gotten used to having voices in his head, even since his training to withstand the damage from his marks.

So it didn't bother him that much.

But it was still annoying, even more in times like this.

He frowned, mad that the guards had rejected him. He knew he had to get inside, but how?

Also, his crest had dimmed even more, which he didn't get since he didn't get anything wrong, but at the same time, he didn't know what was considered good and what was bad in this world.

But he knew this world was wrong.

That damn castle was his biggest clue and evidence. He had been the only one to try and get inside to see the Heartforge. After he explained to the others what the crest was, they said that it was better to do some good deeds, to get their crest brighter. Plus, they thought this would be considered bad, and they were right, but it doesn't matter.

He would expect something like this from his newest recruits. But Riven? Since when did he care about what other people said? Why did he care if his mark was dim or bright?

It was as if every last one of them was being driven by something he wasn't.

They were also oblivious to the castle he had been talking about. They say they don't see it, and they aren't the only ones; no one he has talked to has seen it, which was... scary.

He didn't know why, but this place gave him the creeps. It was like a beautiful flower, hiding its thorns. There was also the fact that he knew that a paradise can't exist, it's only an illusion, and in reality the oasis hides something more dark that keeps it going.

With the bright green hills and the sun burning bright, plus the lack of shadows, it felt like a fairy tale, a painting by a child who had wanted to create a world of happiness. The sun was painted on the corner of the page, and the hills were painted bright green. The lack of shadows was because he had forgotten to do them, or maybe he didn't know how.

Either way, even if he liked it or not, he is going to have to live here for some time, since he had to change his ending. But look at the bright side, this will maybe give him enough sync to get his trial.

It was a titan story, so if he was able to clear it, it was bound to give him enough.

He wasnt of course going to go inside his trial, he had to wait for the others, since not only would they be of help inside, they would also help with the dificulity, since if they only took his sins, it was bound to be a high rank, but maybe he could get it lower with the help of others who have done less sins.

But to do all of that, he had to do this first.

'As if it was that easy.'

He could go inside the Sanctum; he wasn't even close the first time, so there was only one thing he could do.

'The castle.'

...

...

The castle floated above the sky like a sun caught in chains. From below, it looks less like stone and more like light that was given a form, pale towers tapering into the clouds, their edges blurring as if refusing to stay solid. Massive bridges of gold and glass connect its wings, and beneath it, a waterfall of light spills endlessly into the city, feeding the streets with radiance.

Its foundations are invisible, but you can feel the pull, not gravity, but rather something deeper, as though the castle isn't floating, but being held aloft by the faith of everyone below. The air around it bends; sound grows softer, the sky turns whiter, and even the sun seems to bow a little.

Every surface gleams, its windows like liquid mirrors, domes shaped to catch and scatter light in perfect harmony. Yet there's a stillness to it, a silence that doesn't belong to the living. From far away, it feels like looking at the heart of the world, beautiful, unreachable, and wrong in a way you can't name.

...

But why was something trying to hide it? He had a vague idea of why he was the only one who could see it, related to his crest, but he had no proof, so it was better to just leave it out for now.

He took a deep breath, looking for a way to get up, but there was none. He could try to swim up the waterfall, but he didn't want to, nor did he know how to swim. But who knew if this light or whatever was flowing down was safe?

...

He smiled weakly, remembering that time when he almost drowned with Elpis and Avrie.

...

But enough of that, he had work to do... he had to find a way to get up.

Yet no way came to mind, he even asked some people about it, which was a dumb idea since no one could even see it! But he did notice something...

There was something, or someone, looking at him. He didn't know from where or how. But he sensed it, how its gaze lingered on him. But it wasn't like he could do anything about it, after all, he had no idea where it was coming from.

It creeped him out, being watched, which was why he decided to rest for the day and reunite with the others. Who, strangely, had started to actually act like merchants, in the sense that they tried to sell the stuff inside their carriage, he didn't think much about it; after all, money would be nice.

But... their crest also looked slightly brighter already.

Soon night came, and everyone went to sleep. But why, that was what he was wondering, for someone like them from the Withered, night was the best time, since they could act, even more in a book like this one, so why had they gone to sleep already?

From the moment he came back, they had been judging him by his mark, saying he had to stay back or hide it, that he didn't scare away business.

Which was why he was so happy to leave the next day; they were acting weird, too weird. He wasn't born yesterday to know something was wrong, but at the same time, he didn't know what to do.

...

'It has to get to that castle.'

...

To his surprise, when he got to the castle, there was a rope coming down, one long enough to reach the top. Yet, it hadn't been there yesterday; someone had put it here, but why... Well, for him, of course, it had to be a trap, if he was correct, probably from the one stalking him yesterday.

And yet... he still wanted to go.

Cursing himself in his mind for falling for such a cheap trap, he wrapped his hands around the rope, slowly climbing up, not rushing anything, trying to see something that would make him want to back down.

When he got up, the place looked even more beautiful... or at least that was what he expected.

Up close, the illusion broke. The gold was a bone-white stone veined with something that pulsed faintly, like veins beneath skin. The bridges weren't bridges at all but ribs of something he didn't recognize, each step humming beneath his boots, carrying the faint echo of voices praying to the Heartforge from below.

The walls were carved from something that looked like bones, with faces drawn inside of it, not statues, but impressions of the living, their eyes closed, lips parted. When the wind moved, they seemed to shift, almost breathe.

...

'What is this...'

This didn't look that much like a castle, but rather the remains of something that wasn't human, something that had devoured enough people to fill a town.

He felt his heart drop to the ground, looking at the waterfall. It wasn't light anymore, but rather, crimson blood. He really was happy he didn't decide to swim up; if he did, he would be covered in the blood of whatever the beast was.

It made him wonder if the castle looked like this in reality. From the corpse of something inhuman, to a bright castle full of hope.

...

Then how did everything else look?

...

Especially the Sanctum... he knew that crystal couldn't be pure.

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