Into the Nightmare

Shaking her head, Noble let out a gut-wrenching scream. 

"This can't be happening!" 

It had to be a mistake. 

Some cruel joke. Noble had not chosen to enter a Seed! 

"Get me out of here!" 

The professor closed her eyes and willed herself to escape. She had more than enough fear to fuel the Key just now.

So why couldn't she leave?

[Only a fool allows himself to be denied entrance.]

Noble remembered the runes.

'What about an exit!?'

She had been able to enter and leave the train without issue. It seemed that the Nightmare Seed was only a one-way trip.

For no matter how hard she tried, Noble stayed firmly in place above the world as it moved in reverse.

By the time the professor opened her eyes and accepted that she was stuck, the reversal was nearly complete.

However it had started, the earth below was now lush and green. A palace stood in the distance surrounded by a magnificent city. Mountains of ash and snow loomed far off in the distance, partially obscured by dark clouds.

If she had entered the Seed from inside the Dream Realm, Noble might have had some clue as to her location. But without any context, the professor wasn't sure what landmarks to even look for.

Depending on the time where she was, the landscape could have changed dramatically. 

That was assuming it had ever been mapped by humans at all.

Until a few years ago, the Forgotten Shore was previously uncharted territory. This place could be as well.

Not that it mattered. Surviving a Second Nightmare alone was nearly impossible.

And Noble was not Changing Star.

The world came to a halt, and then the sun began moving in the correct direction.

With the change, Noble began her descent toward the ground. 

Where in the city would she land?

Suddenly self-conscious, the professor looked down at herself. Her body had come with her, but she had not thought to check on its state. Thankfully, Noble was still wearing her armor. The dents and scratches were gone and the metal brilliantly reflected the afternoon sun. 

Noble grunted as she tried to access her Ability. 

Just like she hadn't been able to move in the presentation of the Nightmare, she could not control the angle or speed of her descent.

It was terrifying, not having control. The Spell was pulling her toward the ground at a frightening speed. Was it going to plunge her into the earth and kill her from the impact? 

Surely not! 

And yet, the pressure did not let up even as she neared the verdant grass.

Hitting the earth, Noble screamed. Her body felt like it was being pulled into a million pieces. If not for the mild tolerance she had built up to fight the pain, the Awakened would have passed out instantly. 

As it was, her soul felt like it was being shredded. 

Her legs convulsed, propelling her from the ground and into the air as she continued to cry out in agony. 

'Stupid Spell!' It took everything in Noble not to lose control of her emotions and succumb to the torment in her soul. 'You had twins, remember? This pain is nothing. Just breathe.'

Floating above the body-sized divot, she began to practice the breathing she had learned to handle pain during labor. Deep…cleansing…breaths. 

While the intake of oxygen did not take away the pain, it did help Noble clear her mind and calm her nerves. 

'Push through. Everything is fine. You are alive and outside the city...wait, outside the city?' 

The realization confused her, but as her vision became more focused, Noble confirmed that this was true. The Spell had dropped her outside of the magnificent white walls. 

That was just as well. Making a small crater in a house would not have gotten her off on the right foot with the locals. 

Dismissing her [Fraudulent Facade], Noble evaluated her situation. 

"I need to get into the city and find out where I am," she said through gritted teeth.

Her misery lessened the longer she stood still. In theory, Noble could wait there in the peaceful evening light and let the pain sift out of her soul before she went in search of whatever problem this Nightmare might hold. 

But she had no idea where the gate was to the city nor if it closed when the sun went down. Noble didn't like the idea of being stranded outside at night.

Sure, she could fly over the wall, but without knowing anything about the people or the culture, it seemed wisest not to show her Ability unless it was absolutely necessary. 

For all she knew, these people were the enemy she needed to vanquish to resolve the Nightmare.

'I hope not. I am not sure if fighting people would be better or worse than a horde of Nightmare Creatures. People are smart, but creatures can be horrible, terrible things...creatures like—like that one!'

Noble's heart, which had begun to quiet, again beat wildly in her chest. 

In the field between Noble and the city was a harrowing beast. It was as tall as her with broad, muscular shoulders. Thick, lustrous fur framed its face and large fanged mouth. Lumbering forward on four stocky legs, the thing could easily swallow her in two bites without even needing to chew. 

'Maybe it doesn't see me...' Noble's hopes were crushed before she had even completed the thought. 

Two dark, intelligent eyes stopped roving the landscape and locked with hers.

'Not good!'

In addition to the pain in her soul and body from touching the ground, the mental fatigue after the fight at the Gate and the unexpected entry into a Nightmare was still clouding her consciousness. 

The professor did not have it in her to fight. 

Which left one option. 

Flee!

But before Noble could put her grand plan into action, the beast suddenly increased its speed. In a flash, it was upon her, and she barely escaped the creature's front claws as they tried to close around her torso. 

She took to the air, but the beast was unwilling to give up. It leapt after her, taking hold of her leg and pulling her back to the earth. 

The professor struggled against it, hoping against hope that she had the strength to keep both herself and the monster in the air long enough for her estoc to materialize. 

Noble had lifted a train earlier today. Surely a monster was easy by comparison! 

But the professor had only been guiding the light rail back then. This monster was much denser and actively struggling against her flight. 

She barely had enough essence to summon her faithful blade. 

Not that it mattered. 

Before the [Unlikely End] had even fully manifested, the creature's long tail wrapped around it and pulled the blade from her grasp. With a flick, it tossed the weapon aside. 

"No!" 

The monster released a menacing growl. 

Noble flailed, but she could already feel that her flight was lessening under the weight of the monster. And the creature's grasp only became more firm. 

'I'm done for!'

Her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a shadow about the same time she became aware of another set of emotions beyond her own.

"Help, please!" She begged the stranger who was running toward her. He had a bow in his hand, and his muscular build spoke of his imposing strength. 

One shot from his arrow would surely at least distract the creature enough to let her go. 

Only the man didn't raise his weapon. When he came close, he leaned on his bow and smiled in a way that made Noble intensely uncomfortable. 

"There you are," he said. "Looks like Kosi finally caught his prey."