Chapter 1: Just Following Procedure

"What is your name again, kid?"

"Kid." repeated the the old policeman with a gruff voice.

Slowly turning his head towards the policeman, the "kid" sluggishly looked at him in the eyes. As both made eye contact, the kid just held his stare as the older man started to feel visibly uncomfortable, something about the kid's pale grey eyes just made him uneasy, there was something missing, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Talvir." the kid finally responded breaking of his stare by blinking, which to the poor cop was starting to feel like a staring competition.

"Look, Talvir, I know that this must feel very disorienting but one must follow the protocol in instances like this. Although rare, there are cases in which the symptomes for the Nightmare make themselves apparent rather late, so we must take some precautions. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes you do, mister... what should I call you?"

"Officer Bern"

 "Mister Bern, although I do feel slightly off-put I do not understand why should I be under these restraints, I just came to the doctor due to feeling fatigued, none of the other symptomes described by the Goverment are appearent."

Bern while listening to this understood why he was feeling uneasy earlier, the kid, Talvir, he did not have the usual worried or panicking look on his eyes so common of people around his age when finding out they were infected, no, instead the only thing he had was this oddly inquisitive yet relaxed gaze which exhaled curiosity.

"I am not a doctor, Talvir, I am just following the established procedure. Moving on, where do you live?"

"Currently in the Outskirts."

Raising his eyebrow Bern continued.

"Do you have any training related to combat or the Nightmare in general?"

"Just basic survival training."

"Good, better than nothing. Anyone that you would want us to call or notify?"

"No one that would care is still alive. So, no, no one.

"Let me read your chart back to you just to make sure everything is correct. Name: Talvir, 16 years old male, grey eyes, dark brown hair, around 170 centimeters tall weighting 65 kilos, blood type: O negative, currently living in the Outskirts, has basic survival training. Is all of that correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you want some advice for what you will have to face?"

"You know every piece of information I can get is useful at this point, right? Of course I'd want some tips.."

"The thing you should be wariest the most is people, be cautious around them and be ruthless, they are just illusions after all."

At that Talvir just widened his eyes and noded, silently pondering the implications of what Bern had said. After this gesture, Officer Bern motioned the people outside the door to the room to take Talvir to his final destination. Opening the door two men in military uniforms walked in took something from the hands of Officer Bern and pushed the bed in which the strapped down Talvir layed, slowly but surely they made their way through a corridor to an elevator which was then instructed to go down to the -6 floor.

"Hey do you guys have any advice on this stuff? You know it would be very helpful."

As he looked up at the two men escorting him, he noticed that not one of them had even reacted to his question.

"You guys should relax, you know I am the one who is going into the nightmare but you guys are more tense than me. Am I really that intimidating?"

Still looking up Talvir noticed the slight tensing of the left guy's jaw and decided not to push it. Choosing to wait in silence instead. Unexpectadly after a good 5 minutes of silence, as they aproached the end of their descent the soldier in the right spoke.

"Kid, I hope you do not die within the first 3 minutes. I do not want to be around when the creature replaces you."

At that Talvir only slightly frowned.

"You know that is not the most encouraging way to tell me to survive."

"Well is the truth, the blunt and raw truth."

Talvir slightly turned his head to the left in order to look at the man who had just spoken and then sighed. The elevator came to a halt with a little bit of a springy kick and the heavy metal doors of the elevator slowly rolled open, noting the increase in security Talvir tensed up as he was pushed by the two men. Going down the hall way they turned left and came to a stop infront of a heavy door, to which the soldier on the left promptly made his way to the door and opened it, revealing a sleeping pod inside.

Then Talvir was sedated in order for him not to struggle and the straps that bounded him were slowly undone after which they began to transfer him to the Sleeping Pod, his possible final resting place. As he was loaded into the pod his mind wandered, Did I close my door? Did I make my bed? Is moms photo cleaned up? These kind of questions jumped around in his mind until he snapped out of them with the slick click of the glass closing over him. He the saw the two men leaving the room closing the door behind them after they made it out of the room and then the lights dimmed leaving Talvir alone in the dark.

"*Sigh* I guess this is not what I expected to do today after the check up, I only came because of fatigue and here I am with death looming over me, how unlucky."

He slowly closed his eyes and yawned deeply.

"Well I am tired anyway might as well take a quick nap and hop right into the trial"

As darkness embraced him, a voice which he found familiar yet alien to him made itself heard.

[ Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial...]

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Hello dear readers, my name is Dr Squalid and I hope you guys have a wonderful time following the story which my twisted my conjured.

What did you think of the first chapter? Any improvements which you desperatly want?