Ryn still refuses to speak to me.
Which feels slightly unfair considering I was technically kidnapped.
Though admittedly—
disappearing into a fortress ruled by theatrical supervillains for over ten days without sending a single message may have created certain emotional complications.
Earlier today she nearly killed Lord Nyctharios the Unraveling Eclipse.
Fortunately Uncle Kael stopped her before things escalated further.
Uncle Kael himself, unfortunately, spent most of the afternoon laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
This only worsened Ryn’s mood significantly.
Apparently men become emotionally useless once something is funny enough.
After the duel ended—and after Lord Nyctharios completed what he personally described as “the most magnificent tactical fall in villain history”—we gathered together inside his chamber within the Dark Citadel.
Everyone was present except Ryn.
She refused.
And that was when the world became stranger again.
Because Lord Nyctharios the Unraveling Eclipse—
the terrifying ruler of Grimhaven…
is actually named Momon.
Lady Valthyria the Abyss Weaver is his adopted younger sister.
Her real name is Popomi.
Usually shortened to Popo.
And Baron Zorvathian the Eternal Fracture—
the prophet of collapsing reality—
is named Totomon.
Or Toto.
I needed several minutes to emotionally recover from this information.
Especially because Uncle Kael kept repeating “Lord Momon the Unraveling Eclipse” before immediately laughing again.
Eventually the conversation became calmer.
And for the first time since arriving in Grimhaven…
I finally learned what this city truly is.
Or perhaps more accurately—
what it accidentally became.
Momon is over sixty years old.
This genuinely startled me because he looks far younger.
Not youthful exactly.
But preserved somehow.
Like someone sustained more by stubbornness than biology.
According to him, he, Popo, and Toto were originally born in Dunskar.
None of them received roles during the Initiation Ceremony.
Not him.
Not Popo.
Not Toto.
Which in Dunskar often means something quietly catastrophic for an entire family.
Momon explained this part without anger.
Almost gently.
Their parents chose to leave before the system could decide their children’s futures permanently.
So they were brought west instead—
to the isolated settlement that would eventually become Grimhaven.
A fort settlement surrounded by the Red Sand dunes.
Small.
Harsh.
Forgettable.
Unfortunately…
being unwanted in one city apparently does not prevent children from being bullied in another.
So eventually the three of them began pretending.
At first only privately.
Then publicly.
They invented titles.
Created costumes.
Spread absurd rumors inside taverns.
Roleplayed as dark lords powerful enough that nobody would dare mock them anymore.
“We thought becoming monsters sounded less painful than staying weak,” Momon admitted quietly.
And somehow…
the world listened.
Actually no.
That explanation still feels incomplete.
The world responded.
Momon gave examples.
At one point, years ago, they apparently declared dramatically:
“We shall summon eternal darkness that swallows the city whole.”
Originally this referred only to artificial fog machines and smoke mixtures they built themselves to make Grimhaven appear frightening from outside.
Then somehow the fog reacted with underground leyline activity beneath the dunes.
Now permanent dark mist surrounds Grimhaven constantly.
Another time during drunken roleplay, they apparently shouted:
“One day we shall drown the continent itself!”
The following year catastrophic flooding struck several coastal territories far away.
Completely unrelated.
But naturally everyone blamed them immediately.
And perhaps the strangest of all—
they once declared:
“We died long ago. What you see now are merely our shadows.”
After years of fog, strange lighting, exaggerated costumes, and frightened rumors, nearby travelers genuinely began claiming they saw League members moving without footsteps or shadows.
At this point I genuinely cannot determine whether the universe itself is mocking them…
or helping them.
Spathian later offered his own theory.
According to him, prolonged exposure to concentrated arcane energy across Grimhaven’s leyline structure may have amplified whatever desires existed most strongly within them psychologically.
Not power directly.
Desire.
Narrative.
Identity.
In other words—
their need to become terrifying eventually became strong enough that reality itself started cooperating slightly.
Which somehow feels even more disturbing than ordinary magic.
Apparently rumors surrounding Grimhaven eventually spread far enough that Dunskar quietly hired someone to investigate and eliminate the League entirely.
Sondre Eldar.
The moment Momon said Caravan Master’s name aloud, I immediately experienced emotional concern.
Because suddenly the entire situation started making sense in deeply unpleasant ways.
According to Momon, Caravan Master arrived expecting dangerous criminals.
Instead he found several deeply committed theater enthusiasts accidentally controlling regional politics through superstition and coincidence.
Momon told him everything.
The costumes.
The fake prophecies.
The rumors.
The performances.
And instead of destroying them—
Caravan Master suggested they take control of the city properly.
At the time Grimhaven’s rulers were apparently genuinely cruel toward the local population.
Corrupt.
Violent.
Predatory.
So somehow—
through methods Momon himself still does not fully understand—
Caravan Master gradually transformed the League into something politically useful.
Trade pressure.
Fear networks.
Controlled rumor circulation.
Route manipulation.
Regional deterrence.
Momon suspects Caravan Master personally helped spread many of the darker myths surrounding Grimhaven afterward.
Honestly…
I believe him completely.
Eventually nearby territories stopped interfering entirely.
Nobody wanted conflict with a city rumored to house immortal darkness prophets capable of controlling disasters.
Meanwhile inside the walls…
Grimhaven simply continued functioning.
Uncle Kael later asked what Caravan Master gained from all this.
Momon answered immediately.
Only one thing.
A massive underground structure beneath the citadel.
The same shelter used during the earthquake.
Apparently Caravan Master needed a secure underground storage facility hidden far from normal trade routes.
So Grimhaven became both warehouse and deterrence simultaneously.
A city frightening enough that outsiders preferred avoiding it entirely.
Honestly…
it is an absurdly effective strategy.
At one point during the conversation I finally asked something that had been bothering me for days.
Why does Toto keep reading books upside down?
The room became silent.
Then Momon started laughing so hard he nearly fell from his chair.
Apparently Toto is illiterate.
Completely.
The terrifying prophet of fractured reality cannot read.
Toto himself looked mildly offended by everyone laughing.
Then calmly picked up another children’s storybook upside down and resumed “studying future disasters.”
I genuinely think Yggdra damaged my ability to distinguish absurdity from reality permanently.
Spathian eventually left halfway through the discussion after Momon hired him to improve Grimhaven’s machinery.
According to him, the explosion systems used during the “war” were structurally embarrassing.
Apparently the smoke launchers and explosive devices were modified theater equipment commonly used in capital performances.
The drums and organ music, however, were entirely real.
Grimhaven genuinely employs musicians purely for dramatic atmosphere during important moments.
I still do not know where the organ player was hidden.
Tonight Ryn finally spoke privately with Momon.
By the end they apparently reached some form of trade agreement involving future protection and eastern routes.
Momon called it:
“The Contract of Eternal Darkness.”
I am relatively certain it was commerce.
Sadly—
Ryn still refuses to speak to me directly.
Even during dinner she answered only using extremely short sentences while staring at her tea with the expression of someone recovering from spiritual betrayal.
Personally…
despite everything…
this was surprisingly fun.
Which may explain why everyone keeps looking at me with increasing concern lately.
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