Location: The Dream Realm

Seer woke upon a golden platform, clouds could be seen all over. She remembered this place, it used to be so full of her Old Light's song. Seer just sat there, remembering the good times. The times before the Wyrm, before her Goddess going mad at the prospect of being forgotten, before the infection.

She had remembered the last message Radiance had sent to her, before she was shattered bt the Shade Lord.

"To my dearest Seer,

I am sorry, I am so sorry, I ruined everything. It is these moments before my inevitable death that I see that now. If only I had sooner, my dear Seer. I ask that only that you and what remains of my moths do not die with me. Lead them Seer, please, I know this isn't a burden anyone should be left with, but you are the only one who can. Please… don't let my foolishness doom my people.

From

Radiance, the former Goddess of the Dream Realm"

Seer had been in tears when she first read that message. The tears came back just remembering it. She wasn't sure what hurt more, the fact that their goddess went mad, or the fact that despite that, she still loved them. However, it was that message that convinced her reassembling the Radiance was a worthy endeavor, as she wouldn't be the mad spreader of infection she was just before her death.

Instead she would hopefully be just the thing the Tribe needed to get them out of their dire straits. They could probably retake all of crystal peak, and the survival of the Tribe wouldn't be put into as much doubt.

"I hope to live up to your expectations, my Seer"

Seer whipped around as fast as her aged body could. Behind her was an apparition of the Goddess she loved so.

"Radiance?!" Seer said with a mix of surprise and joy.

"Yes my Seer, it is I, though, not as… strong as I once was… being split into seven different pieces would do that to you" The Radiance said, a bit of amusement in her voice.

"I guess it is more five pieces thanks to you and your new… friends, because of that, I am capable of projecting myself like I am now"

"You know of your surroundings, my Light?" Seer asked, emotion still very much in her voice.

"Yes… vaguely, I do not know specific details, only the more broad strokes. Such as those new friends of yours being vital in the acquisition of two of my shards, that, and the presence of the Lord's offspring" The Radiance said.

"Ah… yes.. I told my friends of their danger, and at first I was worried they were not listening, but it appears that they merely wish to have them where they can be observed" Seer explained.

"Actually, it has something to do with your friends, which, by my limited observations, their souls are of great interest to me. They are made up of all four of the major Godly elements" The Radiance explained.

Seer stepped back in shock, how was that even possible? The Godly elements of dream, soul, nightmare, and void were all opposed to each other.

While it was known that void and another substance could technically be kept together, it was more the void containing it, not being an integral part of the being itself. Much less its soul!

"I do not know how this is possible my dear Seer, but this follows the Shade Lord's previous behaviour. It is likely it views your friends as its children, and by your friends' reactions to these beings, the feeling is less than mutual" The Radiance said with a hint of amusement.

"My Radiance, what would you have me do with this knowledge?" Seer asked.

"So that you may better track the vessel's behaviour, they will try to lead your friends to the Abyss. Right now however, your friends are also the only ones who are willing to help you who have the might to collect the rest of my shards. Perhaps when… or if, they succeed, I should reward them with something. Apparently they are warriors that travel to far off lands and fight on behalf of various monarchs. Perhaps they would like to settle down somewhere… ."

"My Radiance… do you know where your other shards are?" Seer asked, breaking the Radiance out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Yes! Yes I do, two are in the damned City of Tears, being used as JEWELRY, by some POMPOUS USELESS NOBLE!" The Radiance yelled angrily. Causing Seer to step back in shock.

"I apologize Seer, I should not show my anger this way..." The Radiance sighed.

"One is within the Fungal Wastes right now, you are rather close by, the other is within the Mantis Village. Apparently a young mantis found it, and thought it looked neat. The childlike innocence on how he just took the shard of a Goddess was adorable, though I will still be needing it back…"

"Yes my Radiance" Seer said.

"Oh and before you go… I suggest not telling your friends about their souls, they would not believe you. The Radiance said.

"My Light wait-"

Seer woke with a starte. The Scouts were groaning as two of them got up, Matthew, the last one with a shift was drinking some strange steaming black fluid.

"This is why you should always sleep properly, friends" Hollow told the Scouts.

Seer turned her attention to David, who currently had Ghost sitting on his shoulder.

"Don't have to tell me yawn twice" Chris said tiredly.

"Ehem, my friends" Seer said, drawing the Scouts' attention towards her.

"My crystal has revealed other shards of it in these wastes, when you are read, I would like to go and collect them"

"Well, sure, why not, it's not like we are on a time crunch" David said.

"Hollow, are you ready to move?" David asked

"Yes, friends," Hollow said.

"Alright, Seer, hop on" Matthew said bending down, to which Seer climbed up onto his back.

"Can I have glimback ride?" Lost asked, giving his kind's version of puppy eyes.

"Uhm, look, Lost, uhmm… why not ask Hollow?" David offered, looking to Hollow.

"But you're taller!" Lost stated.

"I'll do it" Chris offered, walking over to lost and bending down.

"Yay!" Lost cheered climbing on.

The group left the enclosure, Seer guiding them to where their crystal was leading them. On the way they saw various denizens of the Fungal Wastes. Those that didn't turn tail and run at the sight of the white clad giants stared in awe of them.

Ghost was still just sitting on David's shoulder, occasionally leaning on the side of his head unless he had to turn it.

Hollow was a bit upset that he was unable to ever know how his siblings were feeling. Their helmets blocked any and all facial expression, and unlike his other siblings, he was unable to use their void signature to gouge their emotions, undoubtedly due to their souls dilution. It just felt… uncanny. He wanted to know they were feeling, but they wouldn't tell him, he was nought but a stranger to them. But that would change, they would need to be subtle, but once led to the Abyss, the Lord is confident he found a way to cure his siblings.

Then he would know how they were feeling. Then they would look at him not with suspicion, but with love, the same way he looked at them. He wondered what the Lord would rename them to, as it stood, their names were wholly inadequate. He wasn't sure why various species name themselves the way they do, like, what even is a david?

Hollow was torn from his thought when the moth his siblings had grown attached to announced they were at the location of one of the blasted shards of his torturer. If it wasn't for the fact that his siblings would object to it, he would just leave her here to rot. Alas, they didn't know better, so he would humor them… for now.

Seer climbed off Matthew's back, and walked towards a small group of mushrooms, and rummaged around them.

Suddenly a blast of crimson fire burst out of the mushrooms, somehow causing Seer to be thrown backwards, but was caught by Matthew.

A little giggling bug dressed in crimson and carrying a staff with a flame at its tip rose out of the mushroom patch giggling like he had just been told a rather funny joke.

"Hello humans! It has come to my master's attention that you declined his invitation to our performance, and well… Heh, that just won't do. So we once more invite you, with the added benefit of retrieving this irreplaceable Moth Tribe artifact, the one thing giving them hope" The small floating bug said darkly.

"Now how about you be good humans and-" The small floating bug was interrupted by the midsection of his staff exploding in a loud bang the reverberated across the caverns.

David was pointing his smoking 10mm pistol right at the crimson clad piece of shit.

Ghost just sat on his shoulder, stunned.

"MY STAFF!" The little bug shouted in shock mixed with anger.

"Return the crystal now, or I am putting one right between your eyes" David said flatly.

The crimson clad bug yelped, and disappeared in a burst of flame.

"Damn it" David yelled, frustrated the little shit got away with the crystal.

"Well my friends you did your best, but entangling with a nightmare troupe doesn't sound very wise- wait hold on, what are you doing?" Hollow asked.

David was checking to make sure his magnetic assault rifle had bullets in it, Matthew and Chris doing the same.

"We are going to retrieve the crystal, and end this threat now before they become more radical in their attempts to get us to come over. Next thing you know they are going to be threatening to torch a village. If you do not wish to help, we will not force you" David stated flatly.

There was no room for compromise, the Vessel would have no hope in getting them to cease putting themselves in danger for some moth. In order to ensure their saftey he would come along and assist where possible, he just hoped his status as an obvious child of the Lord would prevent the nightmare god from doing something stupid.

"Very well, I will assist you friends, also, what did that follower of nightmares call you?"

"He called us humans, it's the name of our species, apparently this damned Grimm Troupe wants us to be a part of some ritual of some sort" Matthew said.

"This would appear to be the case yes" Seer affirmed.

Human… Hu-man, a strange new word. Is this what his long lost siblings have been calling themselves? What a strange title to give oneself. They certainly wouldn't be a human when the Lord fixed them. To Hollow, a human, meant broken, needed to be repaired.

Hollow wondered how his siblings would look when finally fixed… that didn't matter right now.

What mattered was keeping them safe as they interacted with this nightmare god. They would keep them safe, that was his duty, a duty he chose himself, he would not see this traveling circus master take his siblings.