Eventually, they reached a place where the realm boundary was thin. One could not see the boundary or touch it, but those who were powerful enough could sense it — and to Shadow, the boundary here felt as thin as a sheet of paper.

The three of them crossed to the other side without much effort.

Standing on the other side, Shadow inhaled deeply and looked around, feeling somewhat lost. He remembered living in countless realms... he remembered a future where only two realms remained as well, one slowly devouring the other. But, still, this was the first time he had entered an unfamiliar one in this life.

So, he felt strange.

“This one is pretty barren."

Noctis kicked a rock and watched it roll across the dry soil.

"No one really lives here. There used to be some trading outposts here and there before, but after the Shadow people vanished, even those were slowly abandoned."

He glanced at Shadow and smiled.

"I guess we know who's to blame."

Shadow did not react.

All he knew was that their journey would be a long one. Noctis had promised to guide them to the Hollow Mountains, but they would have to cross countless mortal realms to reach them — even for a creature like Shadow, that was not a task that could be accomplished swiftly. Especially because most of the lands they had to traverse were not uninhabited, and troubles could arise at any moment.

“Let's make camp."

They had not rested a lot while traveling across his former realm since it was populated by many powerful abominations, but now, there was no reason to keep the same unforgiving pace.

Raising a hand, Shadow manifested a flawless copy of the city lord's manor in the middle of the desert. Noctis stared at it for a moment, then grinned.

“Traveling with style! I like it!"

This was the first time they stopped to rest for a prolonged period of time. In the end, they stayed in the manor for a few days — Shadow explored the surrounding lands, curious to see how the world had changed in the eons since the divine syzygy had splintered. There was nothing really to see here, but even then, he found the little details of the desolate realm interesting.

Soon, they continued their journey. Since Shadow was in no hurry, it took them almost a month to reach the next point where they could quietly cross to the neighboring realm — mostly because Noctis had gotten lost twice, ending up in the wrong places.

Looking aggrieved, he just shrugged.

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?! This whole place is one huge desert! How am I supposed to navigate it precisely without any landmarks?"

Shadow just stared at him in confusion.

“Don't you have something like a compass?"

Now, it was Noctis who looked confused.

“What's a compass?"

Shadow frowned.

Indeed, what was a compass? A compass was a device that pointed to the magnetic north. However, magnetic north did not exist in all mortal realms, and many realms had features that would interfere with a compass even if it did. A compass would only be reliable in the Divine Realm of War God, really.

‘Huh.'

Shadow asked:

"Don't you know how to navigate by stars, then?"

Noctis scoffed.

"Why would I? Whose grandson am I, Storm God's?"

Shadow simply lowered his head and stared at Snuggle, who sat comfortably on his shoulder.

Snuggle hid behind his ear.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?!"

Shadow sighed.

Was it not this brazen doll who had assured him that Noctis would be an excellent guide?

They continued on their way, finding the crossing eventually. In the process, Noctis and Snuggle had to fight more than a few abominations — none of them as powerful as the ones they had encountered in Shadow's own realm, though.

As he watched them fight, he had to reevaluate his opinion of the two. Noctis, despite his careless attitude, was really quite a ferocious fighter — especially at night, when his strength reached its natural peak. He was cunning and determined, as well, slaying his foes with fierce efficiency. It was Snuggle, however, who really surprised Shadow.

Even if she could not do much with her doll body, she still showed hints of being a supremely experienced and seasoned fighter — that was clear from her keen judgment, breadth of knowledge, and the ability to remain calm no matter how dire the situation seemed.

It was as if she had spent her entire life battling Creatures of Corruption, facing new foes every day. Even among people of the Age of Gods, that would have been a rarity — most people only fought deadly battles when trouble came knocking on their door, after all.

That gave Shadow a vague premonition of where the transient soul had come from, but he did not pay it much attention. Instead, he considered other things.

“Snuggle.”

During one of their rest stops, Noctis was happily feasting on the meat of an abomination they had slain, while Snuggle just sat on the sand and looked at the fire. Although her face wasn't very expressive, the little doll still looked a little wistful. Turning her head, she gave Shadow a distracted look.

“What?"

He remained silent for a moment, then said:

“If you want, I can construct a worthy vessel for you. A battle golem built from manifested shadows and infused with Supreme essence, for example. It can have any number of blades and weapons attached to its limbs... or it can be like an abyssal beast, brimming with powerful tendrils and slaying extremities."

He smiled.

“That way, you can participate in the battles directly."

Up until now, Snuggle stayed in the back, using her powers to weaken their enemies and infusing Noctis with her essence to empower him — the young man, meanwhile, was the blade of their small formation.

But if she could join him in melee, things would be much easier.

Snuggle hesitated for a few moments, then slowly shook her head.

“No need."

Shadow was surprised.

"Don't you want to..."

However, he didn't finish the question.

He had assumed that Snuggle would want to be able to kill their enemies better, because wanting to be good at killing was natural for Shadow. However, he had forgotten that other living beings could feel differently.

Snuggle giggled.

“Do I want to be a more efficient killer?"

Shadow just nodded.

She smiled.

“But Shadow, I am already very adept at killing abominations."

The little doll pointed to the carcass of the beast Noctis had dressed and was roasting pieces of.

“It's just that I know the things I'm best at well. What I am best at is scouting, healing, supporting my comrades from the back... and, most of all, staying alive. And if there's a situation where I need to clash with an enemy directly, I can do that too."

She shrugged.

“I just don't use vessels to fight the important battles. My strongest suit is my soul, after all, so if we really are in trouble, I'll just fight as a soul. I can heal myself as a soul, but I can't repair a vessel. So, even if receiving soul damage really hurts, that is what I will do if there's a need.”

Shadow considered her words for a moment, then nodded.

Snuggle, meanwhile, stood up and curtsied.

“Plus... I really like being a doll! Look at me! Am I not cute? Am I not precious?"

She gave him a spin.

Shadow observed her with a dubious look. Had Snuggle... actually seen what Snuggle looked like?

It was the ugliest, crudest doll in the world! Even after Shadow personally patched it up, it still looked as if an abomination had chewed it thoroughly, but then spat it out due to how disgusting the doll tasted.

He cleared his throat.

“You... some may say that you are cute and precious, indeed."

Shadow nodded.

There... that wasn't technically a lie.

At that moment, though, Noctis spat out the meat he had just bitten.

"What are you talking about? This doll is the ugliest one I have ever seen! It looks worse than an abomination. It looks like something an abomination would spit out! Honestly, I've never had nightmares about Creatures of Corruption, but I have dreamed of that thing and woke up in a cold sweat!"

Snuggle looked at the young man with murder in her eyes.

"Oh, really?"

Noctis nodded.

"I mean, why are you asking something so obvious?"

Snuggle sighed.

"Well, if you say so."

Shadow glanced at Noctis and shook his head.

‘So young, so inexperienced...'

That night, the young man's favorite pair of shoes inexplicably fell into the fire and got terribly singed. He mourned it loudly the next morning.

During their next stop, all his food somehow ended up being unbearably salty, forcing him to cough and curse as he begged for someone to bring him water.

Snuggle did, but accidentally, the water had somehow ended up being even saltier...

This continued for quite a while.

By the time they reached the crossing, Noctis looked quite miserable.

He also didn't dare to comment on Snuggle's looks anymore.

After traversing it, they finally reached a realm populated by people. After that, it only took them a few days to travel to the nearest city.

As Noctis approached the city gate with a proud bearing, some of the locals seemed to recognize him.

"Is that... is that the Crimson Beast of Twilight?"

Noctis nodded with satisfaction.

"I guess my fame has spread wide enough. Indeed, it's me, the great and heroic Beast of Twilight. I've been to your city before, strangers... ah, it's good to be back!"

The people stared at him for a few moments in silence.

Then, they turned around and screamed:

"Noctis! It's Noctis! The scoundrel is back, hide your wives! Hide your daughters!"

Noctis blinked a couple of times.

"Huh?"

"Hide your husbands, as well!"

Hidden in Shadow's pocket, Snuggle sighed heavily.

"By the dead gods, this kid..."

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