Prologue II
As the stones began to swirl around William, forming a shimmering halo of light, the air crackled with an otherworldly energy. Emily and Harry exchanged wide-eyed glances, their expressions a mix of awe and fear, as the skeleton buried beneath the rubble suddenly began to stir.
With a bone-chilling creak, the skeleton's bony fingers twitched, causing William and his friends to let out startled screams. Panic gripped them as they stumbled backward, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Emily and harry screamed seeing this eerie sight.
Scream! Scream!
"Run!" William shouted, his voice tinged with fear, as they scrambled to their feet and made a desperate dash for the alleyway's exit. But to their horror, they found the door blocked by an invisible force, trapping them inside with the unearthly presence.
Frantic, they turned back to see the skeleton now standing tall, its empty eye sockets glowing with an eerie light. Emily's scream pierced the air as the skeleton began to speak, its voice echoing with a haunting resonance.
Kyaaaaaaaaaa!
"Fear not, mortals," the skeleton intoned, its words carrying an otherworldly weight. "I am but a messenger, bound to this realm to deliver a warning."
Emily and Harry clutched each other in terror as the skeleton's voice filled the alleyway, its words echoing off the walls with an otherworldly resonance. William felt a chill run down his spine as he listened, his mind racing with fear and confusion.
"We have been bound together by fate, linked by the power of this ring," the skeleton continued, gesturing towards the golden band on William's finger. "For you see, this is no ordinary ring. It is a wishing ring, capable of granting any desire, no matter how grand or impossible."
Emily gasped in astonishment, her eyes widening in disbelief. "A wishing ring?" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with excitement.
Harry's jaw dropped in awe. "I've heard stories of such artifacts, but I never thought they were real," he murmured, his voice filled with wonder.
The skeleton nodded solemnly, its bony fingers reaching out towards William. "You, young one, now hold the key to unlocking the full potential of this ring," it said, its words ringing with a sense of urgency.
"But be warned," the skeleton continued, its voice growing somber. "The power of the wishing ring comes with a price. Every wish granted will exact a toll, and the consequences of your desires may be far greater than you can imagine."
Emily and Harry exchanged nervous glances, their expressions reflecting a mix of excitement and trepidation. The prospect of having their deepest desires fulfilled was tantalizing, but the thought of the unknown dangers that lay ahead gave them pause.
Suddenly they watched as the Skeleton started screaming, his once blue eerie eyes now glowed red and he then lunged at them but as he was lunging at them....
As the skeleton lunged at them with its red-glowing eyes, William and his friends braced themselves for the impending attack. Fear clenched their hearts as they prepared to defend themselves against the menacing creature.
But just as suddenly as the skeleton had moved to strike, it dissolved into a swirling vortex of light, leaving William and his friends staring in disbelief. The room was once again shrouded in silence, the echoes of the skeleton's chilling screams still ringing in their ears.
Shaken to their core, they exchanged nervous glances, the memory of the skeleton's terrifying transformation burned into their minds. With trembling hands, William reached out to touch the golden ring, the weight of its power pressing down on him like a heavy burden.
As they stood in the eerie silence of the alleyway, William knew that their lives would never be the same again.
William looked at Emily crying in fright, his friend Harry's fear stricken face, he felt unimaginable weight on his shoulders.
Feeling the weight of guilt pressing down on him, William blamed himself heavily for the ordeal they now faced. If only he hadn't been drawn to that mysterious voice, if only he had listened to reason...
As William's voice cracked with emotion, he turned to his friends, his eyes revealing the turmoil within him. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice heavy with regret. The fear of the unknown had shaken his adventurous spirit to its core, making him acutely aware of the stark contrast between watching anime and living it.
Emily reached out and gently placed a comforting hand on William's shoulder, despite her crying, her expression filled with understanding. "It's not your fault," she reassured him, her voice brimming with empathy. "We're all in this together."
Harry nodded in agreement, his own voice trembling slightly as he spoke. "Yeah, we'll figure this out," he said, trying to project confidence despite the uncertainty that loomed over them like a dark cloud.
William nodded and then said "we will not use it"
His friends nodded and then they tried to open the door once again, they sighed in relief seeing it opening.
They went back and joined the class, none of them spoke of the events. Like a mutual understanding, they thought of this encounter nothing more than a passing Nightmare.
****
Years passed, and now it's the day of their graduation.
After the graduation ceremony, they are now having a party.
"Hey Will!, I was wondering, what's with that ring on your finger?" James, one of his classmates, suddenly asked.
William visibly stiffened, and Harry and Emily exchanged worried glances.
William stood up and left the pub, his voice crackling as he said, "I-I am not feeling good."
As William left, the others at the party exchanged confused glances, noticing his unusual behavior. Some whispered to each other about William's tired appearance and the bags under his eyes, suggesting that he hadn't been sleeping well lately.
Harry and Emily looked at each other and went after him.
"Hey, William, are you alright?" Harry asked, approaching William.
"I am," William smiled as he replied and kept moving.
Harry clenched his fist upon seeing this, and grabbing him by the collar, he punched him.
Emily looked at this but didn't intervene.
"What's your problem?" Harry yelled, his frustration visible.
"You're not even answering our calls anymore," Emily chimed in.
"And when we reach your home, you're never there!"
Emily stepped forward, her expression pleading. "William, please, talk to us. We're worried about you."
Tears welled up in William's eyes as he struggled to find the words to explain. "I... I can't," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the din of the party.
Frustration etched deep lines on Harry's face as he shook his head in disbelief. "We're your friends, William. We deserve to know what's going on."
Emily reached out to gently touch William's arm, her voice filled with concern. "Please, William, don't shut us out. Whatever it is, we'll face it together."
William's shoulders slumped as he finally relented, his resolve crumbling under the weight of his friends' concern. Taking a deep breath, he began to share the secrets he had been hiding for so long, knowing that he could no longer bear the burden alone.
"After that day, I began having dreams. Every night, they were different dreams. At first, they were beautiful dreams, like I was traveling the world, sleeping in luxurious mansions, and surrounded by beautiful people," William recounted.
"But every morning, I woke up and shrugged them off, knowing similar things happened in anime, like sweet whispers of devils," he chuckled as he reminisced about his dreams.
"And then the dreams kept changing. Now, they were lustful dreams of sleeping with world-famous beauties, even waifus from anime," William continued, oblivious to Emily's disapproval.
Harry secretly gave him a thumbs up, while Emily fought the urge to slap him silly for having such perverted dreams.
"I knew it was the ring's way of trying to attract me to use it, so I always refrained myself. But recently, it changed," William said, his voice now tinged with fear.
"Those sweet dreams now changed to nightmares—someone killing me and torturing me, and the version of me in the dream using the ring to help myself out."
"Still, I kept myself away from the usage of the ring until yesterday. I can no longer hold on," William cried as he said those words.
"What happened yesterday?" Harry asked as he noticed one of the gems on the ring no longer had the same shine.
"you already used it?" Emily too noticed the anomaly and exclaimed.
"Hmm, it was late evening when I was buying a hot dog," William nodded, recounting what led him to use the ring.