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The Radiance does not enjoy many things. Being abandoned by your own children and creations as well as almost dying will do that. So will being trapped within a being designed and born to keep you small, pitiful, and worthless.
Breaking the will of a creature who only wanted to be seen was enjoyable.
Being dragged into this golden place full of God Seekers (the pitiful things), with the sudden knowledge that at some point you will fight something was definitely not. And neither was seeing the familiar red-cloaked Being next to her.
"Radiance, how nice to see you again." The King of Nightmares, Grimm, greets in his raspy, burnt voice. "You did quite a number on this Kingdom, led to another successful ritual."
I do not care about you or your pathetic ritual. Radiance turns away from Grimm, only to find that he had moved to stand in front of her again.
"Ah, but dear sister-"
Do not refer to me as that.
"I wanted to know how you did it." The line of Grimm's mouth twists further upwards and his eyes burn brighter. "I did hear some things from my Troupe Master and Child."
Radiance stares at Grimm, hoping that her mere presence would warn him away. Unfortunately, no.
Leave me, I must await this 'challenger' so I may kill them and leave this place. Grimm was rather bad at knowing when to leave Beings alone, last they spoke, so maybe this would get him to do just that.
Grimm steps back, cloak shaking from his low, hissing laughter. "You don't know, then?"
Radiance does not answer, instead waiting for Grimm to answer his own question.
"The one rising through the Pantheons is a Vessel, an escaped one." A tremor of fury rises through Radiance. "One who completed my ritual, who has a fully realized Dream Nail, and one who does not seem to feel, to think, or even make one noise."
The agonized screams of her Vessel rings through Radiance's mind, the whisper of a thought, Father?, her response, He's not coming.
You lie.
Another rough laugh. "I do not. I watched as my Troupe Master crushed and burned its mask time and time again, felt it myself when it entered my dreams to complete the ritual. Not once, ever, did it scream using its own voice."
Explain. Radiance demands. Explain how it can scream but not make noise. It cannot be a true Vessel if it screams. She would know. She's good at revealing failed Vessels.
"Ah, now now." Grimm's grin widens further, reaching the edges of the stark white that cuts off into red. "That would be ruining the surprise, wouldn't it, Radi?"
You will not call me Radi, worm. Radiance puffs up the moment the name is out of the Nightmare's mouth.
"The Wyrm is dead, sorry."
Radiance seethes. Do not speak of him
"Again, sorry Radi."
Radiance moves in towards Grimm, towering over him. Apologize.
"I already did." He's grinning, not as wide as before, but still grinning. "You need to use your words."
There's a heavy silence as Grimm and Radiance stare at each other, waiting for something to drop.
If you so wish. Radiance is quite, and if she had a mouth, it would be slowly turning upwards. Riri.
Grimm startles and moves backwards, this time out of surprise. "What did you just call me?!"
Radiance straightens herself, glowing eyes sparkling as she looks down at Grimm. Riri, unless you already forgot.
"You can't- No- How do you remember that?!" Grimm sputters.
Riri Riri Riri. Radiance taunts. Now this is something she can enjoy.
"Now you're just being petty, moth brain."
What are you implying, jester?
"Have you ever actually met a moth before? Very air-headed. Like the one who made them."
And running a circus is any better?
"I am a fair King and Master to them. And who are you to talk about running a circus, do you remember how you got to be in this place?"
That is not the fault of anyone but the Wyrm and the Root
"Yeah, sure, I think Unn gets to have more to say about them than you do."
Unn has not spoken to either of us since generations before the Wyrm's appearance.
"And who's fault is that?"
Yours! Radiance wants to throttle Grimm, who has the audacity to look offended
"I was not the one who called her Kin mere shadows of beings!" He runs a sharpened hand across his horns, like he's better than her. "Plus, the Root has wreaked havoc on her realm, people, and strength."
Both the Radiance and the Nightmare King go quiet after that, remembering, finally, that their youngest sibling has had a closer touch with death than either of them.
Grimm? Radiance looks at Grimm, the glow emanating from her softening. If I do not survive, ensure Unn does.
Even though Radiance knows, deep within her very core, that it is unlikely she will die, it almost happened once. And now, with the possibility of a true Vessel existing, it might happen again. Of her family, as strained as it can be, Unn was the good one.
"I will." Grimm promises. "I always will."