Troupe Master Grimm

(Carlos) "A dream of a god's vessel. Art thou certain?"

"Of course," Shen Yu said firmly.

The Nightmare Flame was already inside him anyway. If the other party really wanted to act, leaving it alone would still mean keeping a bomb inside him. Better to lay everything out and turn it into his own power.

Though Grimm was the Nightmare King, a vessel for a god, Shen Yu had the Void God on his side. He chuckled and said:

"But I want to bring Little Knight along."

(Silika) "Absurd! What right hast thou to demand that the God of Gods accompany thee and serve as thy protector?"

"You're the one being absurd." Shen Yu snorted softly and looked at the Godseeker.

"Long ago, Little Knight made a pact with the Nightmare's Heart behind Grimm, taking responsibility for guiding its offspring to become the next vessel for a god. This is now a conversation between gods. What right do you have to stop it?"

The Godseeker paused at his words, then lowered her head.

(Kula) "We are ashamed. Thank thee for enlightening us. We shall seek the God of Gods' approval at once."

With that, the Godseeker stood and gazed up at the dome overhead. A long while passed, yet nothing happened.

Just as Shen Yu was about to urge her along, he suddenly felt something poke his right leg. Turning, he found Little Knight there.

Uh... wasn't there supposed to be some ridiculously awesome special effect?

Seeing this, Shen Yu turned to the Godseeker and said:

"Send us to Grimm."

(Sido) "We understand," the Godseeker said with a nod.

With a ding, golden light burst forth, only to be swallowed midway by scarlet flames.

When Shen Yu opened his eyes again, he found himself in the middle of a troupe's theater.

Beneath the vast dome, chandeliers burning with scarlet flames cast an ancient, fearful glow. Heavy crimson curtains hung down, while the stands and walls were shrouded in dark red mist.

Only the sound of an accordion echoed through the space.

Then, accompanied by a rapid succession of drumbeats, two bright beams of light descended. Like a pair of eyes, they swept around the stage, illuminating the scarlet mist.

As the two beams converged, a figure abruptly spun into view, his back to Shen Yu and Little Knight.

His dark head resembled a bat's, with markings descending from his forehead, circling his scarlet eyes before trailing down. He wore an ash-gray cloak, but within its open front was a fiery crimson lining. (Image)

The mysterious cloak billowed, its fiery lining flickering in and out of view like a dormant volcano.

Then a smoky voice rang out, this time in Bug Language.

(Mo~ray~) "Behold, a traveler who has crossed two worlds. How wondrous dreams are. Even I, one who completed the ritual and passed away, can appear in this world once more..."

At this, Grimm turned to look at Shen Yu and Little Knight.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my friends. I am Grimm, the master of this troupe...

"My friends, may I see the child?"

Little Knight looked at Shen Yu, who nodded and placed Little Knight on his shoulder.

As Little Knight equipped Grimmchild, a ball of flame abruptly appeared in the air, then transformed into the Grimm Hatchling.

The Grimm Hatchling first let out a meow, then immediately flew toward Grimm upon spotting him.

Grimm turned and reached out to stroke the hatchling's forehead, sighing.

(So~meh~) "My child, you have grown."

Shen Yu sighed at the sight, recalling how nightmares passed on their legacy.

Under the Nightmare's Heart's watch, the Nightmare Kin held a ritual called the "passing of the flame," burning the previous Nightmare King to ashes and feeding him to his offspring to create a better vessel for the flame.

Thus, no Nightmare King could ever see his own child grow up.

Suddenly, the Grimm Hatchling furrowed its brow and curled up in midair.

Shen Yu started forward to check on it, but Grimm stopped him.

Then the Grimm Hatchling suddenly opened its mouth and released a scarlet glow. The shadow beneath it began to writhe before finally peeling away from the ground, becoming a dark silhouette identical to its body.

The sight immediately reminded Shen Yu of the game: when Grimm took enough damage during his battle, his body would scatter into a swarm of shadowy bats.

Did that mean little Grimm had grown up?

The Grimm Hatchling then approached Grimm with its shadow, babbling something to him.

Once the hatchling finished, Grimm extended his left hand forward and his right hand behind him, bowing to Shen Yu and Little Knight in thanks.

(Goo~ree~pah~) "Thank you for allowing me to see my child grown. Now, chosen one of the scarlet flame, how may I help you?"

"Me? Ahem..." Shen Yu coughed a few times, then relayed the Nightmare's Heart's words and explained how E.G.O. and Abnormalities worked.

(Kwo~lo~) "May I see that weapon called E.G.O.?"

"Here," Shen Yu replied, handing over the Frost Shard from his back.

Grimm took it and ran his hands over it for a while before speaking.

(Fah~leh~ss~) "It seems to be the essence of a dream creature, yet it has a shell of reality... its emotions are intense. Fascinating. Drawing a dream's existence into a vessel of reality, then extracting its core."

"Troupe Master Grimm," Shen Yu interrupted, "aren't you the Nightmare's Heart's spokesman? Don't you share its thoughts?"

(Kwo~lo~) "No. I am merely a vessel. I cannot truly speak for a god. The Heart spends most of its time asleep, indifferent to everything outside. Yet it chose to turn its gaze upon you."

"Well, I'm honored." Shen Yu chuckled awkwardly, unsure whether to feel pleased or make a sarcastic remark.

Still, that explained why the Godseeker had ignored the nightmare god and gone looking for Radiance instead. Like the White Lady, it simply wanted nothing to do with her. Only Radiance, sealed away in a dream, had the time to spare.

"Then what did the nightmare god mean by another direction for releasing its power?" Shen Yu asked. That was why he had come to see Grimm.

(Kwo~lo~) "Simple. Burn away part of its shell of reality with flame to bring it to life," Grimm said. At the same time, a flame formed in his hand and slipped into the Ice Spear.

Countless cracks suddenly appeared across the Ice Spear's surface. It then burst apart into icy mist, a surging wave of cold instantly engulfing the entire theater.

A biting wind tore through the mist, revealing a storm of ice crystals spinning like stars at tremendous speed in Grimm's hand. The crystals collided and fused, letting out soul-shaking howls.

As Grimm closed his hand, the ice storm gradually slowed and condensed back into an Ice Crystal Spear, though it was now covered in cracks.

(Kah~lah~ss~) "Like so. Do not worry. The flame will follow your heart. This little trinket will simply need some time to mend." Grimm returned the Ice Crystal Spear to Shen Yu.

As Shen Yu took the spear, now on the verge of shattering, and slung it onto his back, Grimm's voice rang out again:

(Ree~ss~) "Since you can bring a trinket from the second world here, then, if there were a passage, perhaps the beings within Godhome could also reach that world."