Night Garden

Stormsea is the location where the citadel formerly ruled by House of Night is located.^[4]

A vast expanse of rolling water, glistening under a starlit sky, was surrounded by black clouds, violent winds, and colossal waves. Lightning bolts flashed, branching as they struck the water's surface. A titanic ship, illuminated by the lightning veil, was waging a war against the storm.^[2]

The titanic ship, a kilometer across from port to starboard, appeared narrow due to its length. Its ancient hull was made of wood but had no seams, resembling a branch hollowed out from a tree. Severing such an enormous tree would have been challenging, and creating a ship from it would not be a task for mortals.^[2][3]

The ship was like a city in and of itself, with dozens of decks, beautiful palaces, tall pagodas built on its surface, and great mysteries hiding in its boundless holds. It had wild groves, rushing streams, deep lakes, and people. It was called Night Garden, the great Citadel of the House of Night.^[2][3]

The Night Garden, despite the furious force of the storm, managed to navigate through turbulent waters with ease. Its bow cut apart colossal waves and broke powerlessly against its indestructible hull. Lightning bolts struck its masts and were absorbed, empowering the ancient ship. The vessel consumed the abominations that attacked it, becoming part of its living hull. Despite the dangerous region of Stormsea, the Night Garden's inhabitants remained relatively safe.^[2]

Like the Jade Palace and the Great Castle, Sunny's shadow sense could not penetrate its hull, as the ancient wood dampened his ability to perceive the vessel's cavernous holds. The citadel also casts a unique shadow — not like that of an inanimate object, but akin to that of a living thing.^[3]

Contains:

• Decks and countless holds.^[5]
• Palaces and pagodas^[5]
• Wild groves, meadows and lakes^[5]

At the bottom of the Night Garden lies a hidden reservoir, more like a vast lake than a sea, spanning the entire length of the ship. This lake is bordered by pristine white dunes, with enchanted lanterns scattered across the ceiling, shining upon the black water like stars and forming a microcosm of the restless sea outside.^[6]

The hull of the Night Garden has the ability to absorb salt water from the sea, purify it, and desalinate it. Once contaminants are removed, fresh water and salt are stored separately in the reservoir. This function sustains the population aboard the ship, allowing it to be nearly self-sufficient, and even provides surplus salt to supply other cities in the Dream Realm. Salt, being described as the lifeblood of civilization, makes the Night Garden's presence highly valued.^[6]

The ship manages this process automatically, though the captain could take manual control if necessary. The reservoir resembles a ballast tank, suggesting that if filled further, the Night Garden might gain the ability to dive beneath the waves, possibly creating a bubble of breathable air with the same barrier that shields the deck from wind and rain.^[6]

It exerts a special influence on soil and flora, which supports food production, although food growth still lags behind consumption needs. The vessel itself is considered a living armament, but it does not carry conventional weaponry such as cannons or enchanted siege engines. Instead, its true strength lies in its passengers: the Ascended warriors stationed aboard. In this way, the Night Garden serves more as a carrier than a battleship, relying on its powerful inhabitants rather than mechanical siege weapons.^[7]

The ship is defined by its terrifyingly tall masts, extending many kilometers into the sky, with the main mast towering like a mountain. Horizontal beams attached to the masts are long and wide enough to serve as streets, though they remain unused despite the limited living space on the decks. Unlike ordinary vessels, the Night Garden carries no sails.^[8]

Unlike traditional enchanted ships, it lacks sails, oars, or runic propulsion arrays. Instead, the citadel responds directly to the will of its master, moving across the sea as if carried by invisible winds. It is capable of reaching immense speeds, and its full potential remains unknown. ^[9]

Central to its operation is a helmsman's runic circle, inscribed on the floor of the bridge within the citadel's great pagoda. The circle is more elaborate than that of the Chain Breaker yet is not connected to any runic array. When occupied, it grants the helmsman a shared awareness with the ship, allowing them to perceive its surroundings and direct its movement. This reflects the vessel's design for solitary command by the Demon of Repose, who required no subordinates to operate it.^[9]

The masts of the Night Garden serve as lightning rods, attracting storms and allowing the ship to absorb their power. Mystical storms of the Stormsea provide the most effective replenishment, through which the citadel can travel without difficulty. In addition, the hull absorbs Nightmare Creatures that come into contact with it, digesting them to gain essence. While this method provides sustenance, its primary purpose appears to be the collection of resources used for repairing the hull. The Night Garden does not distinguish between Nightmare Creatures and other living beings; anything absorbed into its hull becomes fuel.^[8]

Beyond these two main methods, the ship is also capable of drawing sustenance from starlight, ambient spirit essence, seaweed, coral, the wind, and the force of the waves. This adaptability grants the vessel an almost inexhaustible capacity to restore and repair itself.^[8]

The Night Garden demonstrates qualities more akin to a living being than an inanimate construct. Its design functions as an organic system: the towering masts resemble branches and leaves absorbing celestial energy, while the hull acts as roots drawing sustenance from the ocean. When first discovered by Nightwalker, the ship was largely dormant, but not dead and neither it was starving, reflecting its resilience and regenerative capacity.^[8]

Night Garden possesses extraordinary capabilities, potentially functioning as more than just a vessel that sails on water. According to Sunny's observations and theories, it may also operate as a submarine and even a spaceship. This idea arises from the account that Nightwalker once used the Night Garden to escape the Eternal City after it sank to the bottom of the sea, suggesting the ship could travel underwater.^[10] This was proven when Night Garden was shown to be capable of submerging into the sea through a controlled process by drawing water into its vast reservoir, causing the titanic vessel to slowly sink. In addition, the Night Garden is protected by an invisible aegis, a powerful barrier that prevents water from breaching its interior, maintaining air and safety for those on board even in the depths of the sea.^[11]

One of its components allow a Supreme to connect their Dream Gate to two places in Dream Realm or anchor both the entrance and exit of a Dream Gate in the same world.^[12][13][14]

Main article: Night Garden/History

• Mordret took control of the entire Stormsea after the fall of House of Night. (Technically it was under Song Domain)^[17][18]
• After the Throne War, Jet is now in control of Night Garden as the "Steward of the South". The Government retook the Stormsea Citadels.^[1] (Refer to After the Throne War)
• This "Great Citadel" is under the government's control and ruled by Jet, who is also the de-facto leader of the Government.^[5]
• First city to implement the new education initiative. Hosts schools developed under the guidance of Julius, a First Generation academic and Dream Realm expert.^[5]
• The bridge of the citadel was located in the great pagoda that also housed the captain's (Jet) quarters. From its elevated vantage, one could view most of the ship through tall arched windows. The bridge lacked a captain's chair or auxiliary stations, reflecting its original design for the solitary command of the Demon of Repose.^[9]
• The Night Garden contained a self-sustaining ecosystem, enabling it to travel indefinitely while absorbing diverse forms of energy. This led Sunny to an unsettling realization: as a living construct, the citadel might one day be subject to Corruption. If so, the consequences for its passengers would be catastrophic.^[9]
• In Chapter 2594, Sunny had attempted to locate something within the Night Garden using [Where is my eye?], but instead of pointing to a specific location, the thread of fate seemed to vanish into the ship itself, suggesting it lay within or was part of the living vessel. Recognizing that the Night Garden was alive, though not conscious or sentient.
• In Chapter 2597, Although its exterior does not reveal the extent of its wear, Jet feels the vessel's tired and worn state every time she steps into the runic circle.
• According to Naeve, Night Garden was built in Eternal City.^[19]
• The cannons used in Night Garden were made from indestructible black stone that came from the Shadow Realm.^[20]
• After the Eternal City (Event), the Night Garden had become more robust.^[21]
• In Chapter 3148, Nightwalker took control of the Night Garden and turned it into a wandering stronghold that kept the different parts of the Human Domain connected.(Aftermath of Fourth Nightmare (Event))