Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided-Chapter 247. Dreamless Tide

247. Dreamless Tide

As Nyrethein wove her dark magic, the black tide enfolded her. The walls dissolved into a blur, and everything melted into the dark liquid.

The sound of dripping liquid resonated through the ears of everyone in the room, and suddenly, their stomachs churned as they travelled into the Dreamless Realm.

“Triss!” Cartier gasped, clinging to Triss’s leg.

“I call upon the power of the eternal Nyx!” Nyrethein unmade the black mist and condensed it into a singular orb. “Nyxphaos!”

“Cubie!” Zetius stumbled forward, his hand extended to grasp her.

“Zetius!” Cubie’s voice distorted, and she, too, dissolved into the black mist.

“What’s going on?” Zetius swept his gaze around the room, watching as everything else met the same fate. The darkness claimed them all; even the Empress was nowhere to be found.

Then, he drowned.

His voice gurgled, and his body melted away.

There was no sound, no visuals, no heat — the true state of null. For what felt like an eternity, Zetius drifted until he felt the water rippling against his skin. It wasn’t hot, nor was it cold.

“Cubie!” Zetius lurched forward.

He found himself in the dark shallows of an endless sea, much like the first time he had been here. His sense of hearing returned, picking up the coughing and choking sounds of the others.

He spun to find Triss gently rubbing Cartier’s back. Empress Aurora stood vigilant, brushing back her silver hair, now damp with water. Nyrethein stood apart, arms crossed with a condescending smirk, staring down at him.

“I’m here!” Cubie’s voice echoed from the side.

“Are you okay?” Zetius rushed to her, cupping her shoulders and inspecting her avatar. She looked fine, glowing in her usual luminescent blue.

“Yes… I’m feeling alright!” Cubie nodded and smiled sweetly. He couldn’t have been more relieved.

Ahem!

Nyrethein cleared her throat, approaching them. Her unfaltering smirk was foul — evidence that she was enjoying this far too much.

“You could have told us!” Zetius growled, his gaze hardening.

“I was about to,” Nyrethein said, her voice calm.

“HA?!” He exclaimed, stepping so close he could feel her hissing breath on his skin.

“I was about to, but you just knocked the thought out of me. Literally.” Nyrethein smirked.

“Can’t you see the girl is distressed?” Zetius pointed at Cartier, who was still coughing profusely, tears streaming from her eyes.

Nyrethein followed his gaze and looked at him with a deadpan expression. Her unbothered face really, really ticked him off. He bared his teeth, his eye twitching out of control.

“Explain yourself, or else!” Zetius jabbed a finger at her sternum.

“Or what?” She caught his pointer finger effortlessly. “Are you going to shock me? How electrifying!”

Her eyes sparked with a maniacal soul.

Zetius’s eyes glowed with mana, arcs of lightning fibre dancing at the tip of his finger.

“Ooh~ah!” Celestius Nyrethein mocked.

“Zetius!” The Empress’s voice cut through the scene.

Snapping back to reality, Zetius bit his lip and took a step back, reining in his anger.

“I’m okay, Zetius…” Cartier said, wiping her wet face with her sleeves.

Nyrethein walked onto the dark water, ripples and splashes following her footsteps. “This is the Dreamless made real. We arrived in this realm with not just our souls, but our physical bodies, too.”

Her long silver lashes fluttered as she glanced back at Zetius. She hovered her palm over Cartier. “Iasis!”

A green glow flashed, reflecting on the water below. Green leaves of Iasis cascaded down, flowing into the water and dissipating into specks of light.

A soothing aura engulfed Cartier, and the burning in her chest subsided almost immediately.

“I’m…” Cartier blinked, touching her chest with relief. “It’s fine now?” Her ears and tail wriggled.

Zetius’s wrath subsided at the sight, and Cartier smiled sweetly at him. His tension dissipated, the frown vanishing from his face.

She felt a hand on her head. “Kitten, it seems your body is still adjusting to this realm,” the Empress said, maintaining her cool demeanour.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It appears so, Empress.” Cartier nodded and turned to the Dark Elf. “Thank you, Celestius.”

“Such a terrifying realm… please guide us to the righteous place,” Triss prayed softly before rising to her full height.

“It’s an endless sea.” Zetius surveyed the realm, pulling Cubie’s wrist close in a protective manner.

The sea stretched beyond where his eyes could see, dark and mysterious beyond comprehension. There were no discernible features on the horizon, just different shades of darkness and grey. There was no wreckage of the old world like the first time he had journeyed to this realm.

“Maybe it’s a different area from last time,” Cubie murmured to herself, glancing skyward. Black mist twirled like sentient clouds beneath a faint, seeping light in the starless sky.

How strange. It was like an alienated planet.

“Everyone, this way!” Nyrethein bellowed, her long, confident strides already leading them away. She lifted her loincloth, revealing her dewy dark elven skin, glistening with true allure. If only she had the personality to match the attraction.

Without any other direction, the party followed her, marching and splish-splashing over the dark sea.

For a good ten minutes of walking, nothing seemed to change. The dark cloud, the shallow water, the unremarkable horizon remained. It felt like walking in place.

“Are we there yet?” Cartier asked, tapping her lips.

“Apparently not,” Nyrethein quipped.

Cubie floated near Zetius’s ear, shielding her mouth with her hand. “I think she’s lost,” she whispered.

Zetius almost burst out laughing, cupping his hand over his mouth just in time.

“How insolent. I am not lost,” Nyrethein whined loudly so they could hear, though she didn’t look back. The two snapped into straight faces immediately. The elven race and their enhanced hearing were not a joke.

Eventually, Nyrethein halted, her hand raised. Her body visibly stiffened.

“Hmm…” Aurora joined her side, adjusting her gauntlet in anticipation. “Are they foes or friends?” she asked calmly.

The question made Zetius’s blood run cold.

His eyes widened at the army of the Knights of Nyx. Hundreds, if not thousands of them, stood in crisp, stone-like postures — rows and rows of mindless knights. All of them were inside the reflection of the sea below, like a still painting of madness.

“Ze~Zetius… I’m scared…” Cubie pulled on his coat.

He cupped her hand tight.

His eyes focused and sharpened. “I was weak then. I’m much stronger now…” His resolve solidified into stone.

With majestic motion, Nyrethein spun into a full rotation and summoned the dark orb. “O Dreamless, bend to my will! Invert!” she commanded in a velvet tone.

The world spun around; down became up, and vice versa.

“Whoa!” Zetius exclaimed as he emerged from the other side.

He helped Cubie to her feet. The army of Nyx now confronted them, the sound of coughing echoing in the background from the others.

“So this is it.” He rubbed his palms in anticipation.

Thump!

A resounding salute rang out from the army as they raised their hands, their heavy armour clacking. In perfect unison, they began to kneel like a wave. The motion was hypnotising. The path revealed a lone dark castle, similar to the Borealis Castle, sitting at the centre of it all.

Lost for words, the party exchanged odd looks with one another.

“They bowed to us?” Cubie gasped, hands flying to her lips.

“To me, child.” Celestius Nyrethein stood tall, her silver hair fluttering elegantly against the still wind. A big, satisfied smile painted her lips.

Her words made Zetius shudder to the core; the hair on his neck stood up. It made sense now. She was indeed the Grand Master of the Dreamless Realm. And in this realm, one rule remained strictly governed: no one could lie.

“What are they?” Cartier asked the Celestius of Gemini.

“They are the sworn souls of heroes of old—knights who sacrificed their lives for the eternal nights and surrendered their future to the Goddess Nyx,” Nyrethein clarified, her taunting gaze falling onto Zetius.

He snapped his head to the side, unable to maintain eye contact. “I was just this close to beating one…” he blurted out his thoughts, cupping his mouth in shame.

Cartier’s brow furrowed as she cupped her chin ponderingly. “How does it work? The Knights of Nyx, the Goddess Nyx, and the Dreamless Realm? I can’t seem to find any connection at all.”

“Aren’t you the curious one, Scribe of Noctua?” Nyrethein smiled sweetly, noticing the distinct owl pin on Cartier’s chest. “Very well, I shall indulge such an intellectual mind.”

She wove the black mist around her arms, the shape drifting into the solid form of an armour plate. “Entropy drew their fragments to this realm, and with Nyxphaos, I recreated them anew to serve under my command,” Nyrethein added, gesturing with her palm skyward.

“Because Nyxphaos…” Cartier grumbled in deep contemplation. But the logic seemed to elude her.

“Fascinating. This has been a secret hobby of yours, hm?” Aurora glanced over the army.

“That’s correct, Empress,” Nyrethein replied promptly, resting a hand on her wide hip. “Although, it has been a struggle to realise them into the real world. Imagine it, Empress. The autonomous Knights of Nyx at your service against the demonic threats and so, so many more.”

“This would pose a greater threat than the army of Armatus,” Aurora said, her voice cold.

“Empress?!” Nyrethein snapped, her lips attempting to form words. “I~I~I would never seek such treacherous thoughts! My loyalty lies with the Osten and Your Excellency.”

Aurora grinned at Nyrethein’s flustered cheeks. “I was just teasing you, Nyrethein. I knew you’d be the last one to stab me in the back.”

Relieved, Nyrethein brushed her ample chest gently. “That’s… good to hear, Empress.”

“Very well. What’s next, Grand Master?” Aurora probed.

“The quest to find the Chamber of Fates will be a bit of a challenge still.” Nyrethein tapped her chin. “You wouldn’t know their location, would you?” She asked Zetius.

“No,” Zetius admitted in defeat, and Cubie shook her head sharply.

“Figured as much,” Nyrethein grumbled.

“Can we just ask Celestius Elenore?” Zetius argued. “She knew exactly where the—”

“No. I’d rather die than beg for another Celestius to guide me,” she cut in, her tone dripping with frigid arrogance, her gaze piercing deep into his core. “Must I remind you again what I am the Grand Master of?”

“Sorry,” he mumbled, biting his tongue.

“It’s fine.” Nyrethein smiled in triumph; her emotions simply switched again. “You’re not completely useless… There’s another way. We must use the anchor stone to match the signature.”

She pointed a curled finger at Zetius and Cubie. “Fortunately, these two left their distinct signature everywhere they went, including the Moirai they visited.”

“Oh!” Triss exclaimed with joy, then frowned at the words that were just gibberish to her. She didn’t understand it at all.

“I suggest we visit there first.” Nyrethein lowered her head into a reverent bow to the Empress.

“And where is this anchor stone?” Aurora asked.

The Grand Master looked up, their gazes meeting. “It’s just inside the castle, Empress.”