"Come to the waters, so clear, so deep,

Where rivers of peace grant eternal sleep…"

The melody curled into his mind again, unbidden, washing over his unease like a tide smoothing jagged rocks. He shook his head, trying to cling to his thoughts.

He glanced at the male shadow leading the way, his form barely solid against the endless dunes. The figure never spoke, yet Ryuji could feel his gaze—watchful, expectant.

"Lay down your burden, forget the fight,

Rest in the shadows of the endless night…"

The words wrapped around his mind, numbing the edges of his paranoia. Why was he walking? His Cores. That was it. They were almost full now. So…

The sun. The sun should be up by now.

"Follow the melody, soft and low,

To the place where forgotten souls go…"

His feet moved before his mind could resist. The sun should've risen by the time his Soul Core refilled. It usually took six, maybe ten hours at most. But this—this had been longer. Much longer.

Ryuji stopped and turned to ask the shadow how much further they had to go. But as he opened his mouth, the figure only nodded, a slow, rhythmic gesture.

"The sands shall cradle your darkest fears…"

The words seeped into his mind, soft and soothing, and Ryuji’s lips closed before the question could escape. His exhaustion lifted, as if the weight of his doubts had been drained away.

They walked again.

No destination in sight. No sun. No sense of time.

"Shelter awaits where the cool winds sing,

A haven of solace, a gentle spring…"

The lines pressed against his thoughts, dissolving his growing panic like sand scattering under a breeze.

He turned again, this time to look behind him, but the dunes stretched endlessly, empty and silent. The shadows following him all seemed to have gotten a little bigger now. He blinked, trying to piece together how far he'd come, but every memory slipped through his fingers like water.

Right, it was supposed to be day by now, right?

Ryuji glanced at the bright moon. The fog under him seemed to get a little denser around his legs. The moon was high above him. It had been high above him for a while now.

“Wanderer, weary, let go of your tears…”

His chest tightened, a brief moment of clarity slicing through the haze. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t—

"The sands shall cradle your darkest fears."

Ryuji's thoughts softened, his resolve dimming. Perhaps, He didn’t need to fight it.

He immediately bit down on his lip, causing him to regain a few seconds of clarity.

It wasn't right... Something was wrong.

Even the male shadow looked taller... It was almost as tall as him now. His demeanor and the way he walked with his back straight reminded Ryuji of the time he walked proudly in his home town.

"Follow the melody, soft and low,"

'I'm tired... I wanna close my eyes...'

He buried his nails in his arm and drew some blood again, causing him some more pain, and a second of clarity along with it.

There was something behind that moon... He knew it.

He stared at the moon. It was perfectly still... And that was how a moon supposed to be.

The fog had gotten a little higher by now, reaching slightly above his waist. His legs seemed to get a little heavier.

"To the place where forgotten souls go."

The words seemed to seep right into his head.

What was he supposed to do? Right, He should probably check on his Remnants.

Ryuji summoned the runes and read through them.

Remnants: [One's Resolve], [Blamed Scholar], [Maroon Sight], [Spirit Of Thorns]

All of his Remnants were shining brightly now, except [One's Resolve]. It did shine brightly, but not as bright as the others.

The brightness of the runes was proportional to the amount of damage the Remnant had received, and it didn't go back to it's full brightness unless it was fully repaired. 

The [Maroon Blade] blade had been resting in his...

"Come to the waters, so clear, so deep…"

Ryuji gritted his teeth and bit down on his lips hard. He could feel the taste and smell of blood seeping into his senses.

Right... The [Maroon Blade] had been resting in his Soul Core for almost a day before the night started already. The damage wasn't severe enough to make it unable to be summoned, but it still would've need at least a whole night or more to be perfectly repaired.

The [One's Resolve] on the other hand... Was badly damaged when he dismissed it. Yet, it's runes were almost as bright as the [Maroon Blade] now...

He glanced at the moon again, 'And still... The moon is high above my head... Certainly, a lot of time has passed, but something doesn't want me to see it.'

The fog seemed to have gotten a little tighter around his shins, almost as if it's trying to choke him through his legs.

"Where rivers of peace grant eternal sleep…"

The words the shadows sang seemed to get a little heavier now, even the male shadow seemed a little more watchful, and offended... Almost as if it's threatening him, "Don't stare at me."