Chapter 3029 — Chapter 3029 Scouting Expedition

On a bright day in Bastion, Nephis was promising her people that humanity would survive no matter what peril descended upon the world.

And somewhere else, under the night sky, Sunny was facing the impending apocalypse, knowing that it had already begun.

His expression was grim.

His last, seventh incarnation was far away from Bastion. It had set out on a scouting expedition a long while ago, stealthily moving past the chain of barrows north of the Forgotten Shore and delving into the Burned Forest.

Sunny wanted to scout the charred remains of the Heart Realm for traces of the Thieving Bird, hoping to dispel the feeling of unease that plagued him because of the knowledge that a mad Sacred Terror was out there, somewhere, doing gods knew what.

The southern reaches of the Burned Forest were supposed to be empty, since Sunny had eradicated most of the Black Millipedes and chased the rest of them deeper into the charred tangle. And it was, indeed... except for the fact that he had found traces of the Barrow Wraith hunting parties having passed there some time ago.

Sadly, there was no sign of the Thieving Bird anywhere he searched. There was no sign of the Citadel it had stolen, either — it was as if the whole thing had simply vanished into thin air, leaving no clue as to where it was. Sunny did not even remember what the Citadel looked like, let alone where it was located, since that knowledge as well had been stolen from his head. However, he could calculate its locations with a high level of precision by going over his memories of the campaign against the Black Millipedes.

His calculations were undoubtedly correct, but he still failed to find the Citadel. Instead, he found a vast hollow space beneath the charred tangle where the Citadel was supposed to stand... but didn't. So, Sunny could only conclude that the Thieving Bird had come to the Burned Forest at some point after escaping the Tomb of Ariel and dragged the entire Citadel away. Perhaps it had stolen the very space the Citadel occupied, replacing it with emptiness.

In any case, he was at a dead end.

‘That vile thing is bound to reveal itself sooner or later...’

That was a certainty. The only uncertain thing was how disastrous the Thieving Bird's emergence would be for humanity.

After failing to accomplish his self-imposed mission, Sunny had three choices as to what to do next.

He could return to the Forgotten Shore, abandoning the scouting expedition. He could venture deeper into the Burned Forest, exploring the inner reaches of the vast region that he had not dared to explore before.

Or he could continue heading north while staying on the periphery of the Burned Forest, hoping to find traces of the Thieving Bird there.

‘What a choice.'

Sunny did not want to return yet. As for venturing into the depths of the Burned Forest... he was wary of doing that before, and he was still wary of it now. Nobody knew what kind of horrors dwelled in the burned heart of the former Heart Realm, and he did not want to risk stirring them without a good reason. Sunny was not ready to face Unholy abominations yet.

So, he chose the third option.

Leaving the southern reaches of the Burned Forest behind, Sunny continued to move north. Eventually, he reached the edges of the territories that had been ruled by the Black Millipede Queens once and entered the northern outskirts of the charred wasteland, where there were still plenty of Nightmare Creatures around... some of them terrifying enough to threaten even his existence.

If he revealed himself to fight one, more would arrive to join the frenzied battle against a Supreme soul burning with the Flame of Divinity. Sunny would have to carve his way through the Burned Forest, soaking the charred wood in blood... perhaps he would survive it, perhaps one of his incarnations would be destroyed. Alternatively, he would end up bogged down by another lengthy campaign.

Regardless, his scouting mission would become impossible to continue.

So, he stayed hidden in the shadows and slowly made his way north, not too different from how he had traveled as a Saint.

The northern reaches of the Burned Forest were different from the south. There was no single tribe of Nightmare Creatures like the Black Millipedes that ruled these lands, and instead, countless solitary Nightmare Creatures or small packs of them prowled the charred tangle, building hidden nests in its depths.

To Sunny's surprise, he discovered signs of extensive battles that had happened recently in the north — far more than he had seen in the past. Countless charred trunks lay shattered and broken, creating isolated islands of devastation, and enormous carcasses sometimes revealed themselves in the ashen depths, butchered and flayed.

He discovered more eerie sights, as well — bloody bestial skulls hoisted on blackened poles, strange signs arranged on the ground from broken bones, fresh embers that remained where great pyres seemed to have burned recently...

The whole Burned Forest was on the move, disturbed by some unknown menace. Eventually, Sunny made it out of the Burned Forest. He continued north, walking across a frozen ocean, and made it to the distant shore... the shore he knew too well.

There, he found the ruins of LO49 once more.

Only they were very different this time.

As he saw the familiar dome of the lunar observatory, his mind was assaulted by a subtle whisper. Sunny frowned, entered the research facility, and made his way to the center of the settlement.

And there, surrounded by ice and snow...

A Seed of Nightmare pulsed with appalling darkness, emanating waves of the Call like a malignant tumor on the fabric of the world.

It looked smaller than the Seeds Sunny had seen before, as if it had only been born recently... but its nature was unmistakable. Sunny stared at the Seed for a long while, frowning slightly. Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end, only one of them remained.

“Is this a Nightmare... of me?"