Apocalypse

Earth was in the midst of an apocalypse, with the world truly and utterly ending and already halfway gone. Over the past four years, storms and other natural catastrophes had been happening more and more often, eventually fusing into a never-ending deluge of calamity. The Nightmare Gates surrounded cities like siege towers, releasing endless swarms of abominations each day. As the Nightmare Gates increased in number, more abominations appeared, and more soldiers died while desperately protecting Earth from being torn apart. Pieces of the waking world began fusing with the Dream Realm, and once the two realms became partially fused, Nightmare Creatures no longer needed Gates to travel between them. The hostile mystical realm also caused nature itself to go insane, resulting in rapid and unpredictable changes such as storms, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and sharp temperature changes. In NQSC, powerful hurricane winds, torrential rain, lightning, and thunder had become a recurring threat, while the city's barriers and buildings were crumbling or collapsed. Although the infusion of alien air caused the sky above NQSC to become unstable, it also brought clean air, allowing people to breathe freely without face masks for the first time in hundreds of years.^[1]

Antarctica had fallen first and was most likely fully absorbed by the Dream Realm, with most of it transported somewhere beyond the Burned Forest. It had become an open wound in the flesh of Earth, unleashing an endless flood of Nightmare Creatures that threatened to overwhelm the remaining Quadrants. Although Saint Revel and the forces of the Shadow Clan were fighting the Barrow Wraiths and countless abominations of the Burned Forest on the unknown northern front, their counteroffensive drew many Nightmare Creatures toward the Forgotten Shore, reducing the number entering the waking world. Nevertheless, the number of Nightmare Creatures remained sufficient to make Earth's oceans completely inaccessible, with navigating them becoming pure suicide even for Saints. The colonies in South America had been evacuated, while the three remaining Quadrants were completely isolated from one another. Global infrastructure was in tatters, and famine had become a real possibility because even the robust food self-sustenance systems in most population centers had been crippled by the spreading influence of the Call. Humanity's survival depended on the Night Garden and its captain, who transported people between the waking world and the Dream Realm and brought food from the Dream Realm back to Earth. Raised by Wolves could also help provide supplies.^[1]

Meanwhile, the worsening situation on Earth forced more refugees into the human enclaves in the Dream Realm. By then, approximately one-third of humanity had left Earth, pushing the Dream Realm's population well beyond one billion. However, the Dream Realm was not prepared to accept so many people, and its inhabitants also faced hunger and resource shortages. On Earth, the three remaining Quadrants were under constant siege from both beyond and within, while the three Domains in the Dream Realm faced the same situation. Even with the Sovereigns leading the battle, humanity was struggling to hold on to its land. Expanding their reach had become completely impossible because the wilderness was too dangerous, and the Citadel Cities could not accommodate the growing population indefinitely. Every Citadel City was overpopulated and suffering from resource shortages, and a few had already been lost. Humanity was still alive, but its condition was deteriorating, like a wounded soldier slowly bleeding out on the ground, while those who could save humanity remained trapped in a Nightmare and had been gone for four years, with nobody knowing when they would return.^[1]

Tamar retreated toward the Barrier while black arrows pinned down the pursuing Nightmare Creatures. The battle for NQSC had become increasingly exhausting as the defenders were forced to abandon the outer districts and retreat behind the Barrier, a deadly labyrinth created by Nightwalker that helped weaken or kill Nightmare Creatures attempting to pass through. Tamar and the Shadow Clan agents covered the soldiers' retreat before preparing to escape themselves. Although Tamar was still a Master, her mystical powers and exceptional sorcery had made her indispensable to the group.^[2]

Meanwhile, humanity was fighting desperately across Earth and the Dream Realm. The Eastern Quadrant faced horrors emerging from the ocean, the Western Quadrant was being consumed by the Dream Realm, and the Northern Quadrant was becoming humanity's last bastion. Cities and settlements throughout the Dream Realm were under siege by powerful Nightmare Creatures, while Morgan, Seishan, and Ananke continued battling Cursed Nightmare Creatures. The wardens of the waking world provided hope to humanity's soldiers, but they could only take turns entering the battlefield.^[2]

When Tamar reached the Barrier with Rain and the Shadow Clan fighters, alarms sounded to signal moonrise. Looking at the Moon had become deadly, causing people to die, go mad, or become infected by Corruption. Suddenly, Rain noticed something enormous moving through the storm clouds. The Night Garden, a gigantic living ship, emerged beneath the clouds, battered and surrounded by lightning, with a colossal Nightmare Creature wrapped around its hull and attempting to crush it. Despite the ship's attacks against the creature, it showed no signs of imminent death.^[2]

Rain warned Tamar that the Night Garden was falling and would impact somewhere close beyond the city. She ordered everyone to run behind the Barrier. Tamar followed, diving into the Barrier as Nightmare Creatures flooded the ravaged streets behind her. Lightning flashed, thunder shook the world, and another day of the apocalypse came to an end.^[2]

The Night Garden plummeted toward the ground after sustaining severe damage while being held in the crushing grip of a colossal Titan. Nightwalker attacked the monster with his ethereal fangs and ordered Aether to target its right shoulder joint and sever its remaining wing. However, their attacks were insufficient to stop the ship's fall, and Nightwalker realized they would not defeat the Titan in time. He rushed to the Mainmast Pagoda, where he found Naeve in the damaged runic hall, and ordered everyone to grab the rails.^[3]

Just before the Night Garden crashed, Nightwalker opened a Dream Gate, transporting the ship to the Western Quadrant in the Sahara Desert, where humanity was fighting an advancing horde of Nightmare Creatures. The ship emerged upside-down into the sky, surrounded by silver flames, winged abominations, and a battlefield under attack. Nightwalker ordered the battle crew to kill the approaching creatures while the Saints continued attacking the Titan.^[3]

Nightwalker then spotted a great dragon with midnight-colored scales incinerating thousands of Nightmare Creatures with a pillar of silver flame. He waved to the dragon and pointed toward the Titan strangling the Night Garden. The dragon changed course and attacked the Titan alongside Nightwalker. An hour later, the Titan was dead, the winged abominations had been repelled, and the Nightmare Creatures on the ground had turned to ash. However, the enemy had only been pushed back temporarily.^[3]

After inspecting the damage, Nightwalker told Kai that the Night Garden was grievously wounded and would need several weeks of repairs at Lady Ananke's wharf. Kai said Effie could cover some of the responsibilities but soon departed across the realm boundary to return to the battlefield near the Jade Palace. There, he saw Seishan's legion fighting countless snow wraiths beneath an advancing blizzard, guided by three colossal creatures. Kai summoned his bow, nocked an arrow, and launched himself into the swirling snow to join the battle.^[3]

The Barrier was something that Nightwalker had created. It was a zone surrounding the inner city where space was so torn and twisted that it had become a demented, deadly labyrinth. Without a special enchanted token, anyone entering the Barrier could very well become lost there for the rest of their lives, or for eternity.^[2]

Nightmare Creatures could still make their way through the Barrier, but many of them perished or were weakened in the process. Although the Barrier was not a panacea, it helped the defenders of the city keep at least the inner districts intact. After the outer barriers had been breached and conquered by abominations, the defenders were forced to retreat behind the Barrier as the last district in the outer ring of the city was abandoned.^[2]

To pass through the Barrier, the defenders needed special enchanted tokens or markers. Before entering, Tamar's soldiers pulled the enchanted markers from beneath their armor, while Rain pulled out her barrier token. Tamar and the others then entered the Barrier to escape the pursuing Nightmare Creatures.^[2]