Wake up

In the midst of the nightmare, the monster changes back into its original form, a humanoid white-looking figure. It looms over me, its presence suffocating, as it begins to circle around me like a predator eyeing its prey. The cold touch of a thin ice needle runs along my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

"Don't blame me," the monster whispers menacingly in my ear, its breath cold and foul. "We both want to survive. I have been trapped here for who knows how long." The needle, chillingly sharp and slender, taps my forehead gently, yet it feels like the heaviest weight.

Frozen in fear, I struggle to make sense of its words. "If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself," it continues, its voice a chilling hiss. "You collected enough..." Its words trail off into an ominous, unspoken threat.

I shake uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face. My mind races, trying to understand what it means, but I'm paralyzed, trapped in a vortex of confusion and terror.

The monster leans in closer, its grotesque face inches from mine. "Let me take a closer look at your memories," it says, its white nail tapping my forehead with a deceptive gentleness. "I want to see who you value dearly. I promise to give them a painless death."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Lying there in the dim light, I sigh heavily, my gaze falling on Dolura. She's shaking, gripped by the throes of a nightmare, her hand clenched tightly around my arm. "Tsk, what an annoying parasite," I think, feeling the pressure of her grip. Why does she have to hold on so tightly, especially while asleep?

I shift my attention to Mia, who seems absorbed in playing with the cat. I can't help but wonder, "Why does he like her so much? Do cats not like me?" There's something about the way the cat responds to her that irks me.

Mia suddenly looks up, her attention shifting from the cat to me. "I-Is this yours?" she asks, holding up a ring. Surprised, I reach out, and she tosses it to me. I catch it, examining it closely. It's the same ugly ring I found with the cat. I remember discarding it, deeming it stupidly ugly and worthless. "What a useless piece of junk," I mutter. "I think the cat grabbed it." The cat, meanwhile, avoids making eye contact, as if ashamed or guilty.

Holding the ring up, an idea strikes me. "Oh, I know, this damn thing is worthless just like you," I say, turning to the still-sleeping Dolura. "You two are meant for each other, so keep each other good company." I chuckle softly at my own joke. "A perfect match."

With a smirk, I slide the ring onto Dolura's thumb, the only finger it fits. It's a small, inconsequential gesture, but it amuses me. The ring, ugly and seemingly insignificant, now has a place, however ironic, on Dolura's hand.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

In the eerie landscape of my nightmare, the monster, now in its original humanoid white form, haunts me with its disturbing presence. It grins, a grotesque display of malice, as it delves into my memories. "You had a good childhood," it remarks, its grin widening.

It probes deeper, sifting through the layers of my mind. "Hmm, so this is the monster that almost killed you—" Abruptly, it staggers back, clutching its throat, gasping for air. I seize the moment, regaining a semblance of control over my dream. I stumble backward, my own breath ragged, watching the monster struggle.

"What is that human!?" the monster chokes out, its voice trembling with an unfamiliar fear. I stand there, panting heavily, realizing the source of its distress. "Y-you monster... you looked at him, didn't you? At Caelum and his aura? I'm s-sure he's the reason you're on the floor."

The terrain around us shifts suddenly, transforming into a frozen tundra. I shiver uncontrollably, the cold biting into my skin. The monster, still reeling, slowly regains its footing. "It doesn't matter," it growls. "Once I kill you, I'll be free."

In a desperate attempt to intimidate it, I blurt out, "H-he is out there, I-I am sleeping right next to him." The monster pauses for a moment, considering my words, then replies with a cold determination, "Then I'll have to pretend to be you."

In an instant, the monster lunges at me, its form a blur of movement. But before it can strike, the sky above us turns pitch black. A colossal eye appears, covering the entire expanse above, its pupil black and iris blood-red. The sight is terrifying yet mesmerizing.

The monster collapses under the overwhelming pressure emanating from the eye, pinned to the ground as if gravity itself has intensified. "Impossible!" it murmurs, its voice a mix of fear and disbelief.

As I gaze up at the giant eye, I feel an inexplicable connection, a sense of familiarity that's both comforting and alien. It's not Caelum; the vibe it gives off is different, yet there's a strange sense of recognition.

As the pupil of the colossal eye turns to look directly at us, a strange sensation washes over me. My gaze is drawn to my hand, where I notice a ring on my thumb, glowing faintly with a white hue. The sight of it is mesmerizing, and a wave of confusion hits me. "W-what is this? W-wait...? Who...? Huh?" My mind is a whirlwind of questions, and I feel an odd connection with the ring, as if it's communicating with me. It feels like... it's crying?

Suddenly, both the monster and I start floating, weightless, as the eye in the sky fades away into the darkness. The monster panics, flailing in the air. "N-no stop! I still have more time! Y-you can't do this! I haven't lost yet!" it cries out in desperation.

I'm utterly confused, trying to grasp what's happening. The ring on my thumb seems to be at the center of this bizarre turn of events. I sense its presence, its emotions, even though it doesn't speak. It conveys a sense of urgency, of luck that allowed it to summon the eye.

As the monster and I drift closer together in this void, everything around us begins to turn white. I can't see anything, and the sensation is disorienting. We're drawn inexorably closer until we collide with each other in this blinding whiteness.

Gasping for air, I wake up abruptly, my breathing heavy and erratic. The remnants of the nightmare still cling to me, a vivid terror that slowly fades as I regain my bearings. "What happened... w-what—" My voice trails off as I look down and notice a soft white glow emanating from my body. My eyes then fall on the ring on my thumb. "W-what is going on!?"

Caelum, who had been watching me, casually remarks, "Oh, looks like you got an ability." His tone is nonchalant, as if it's an everyday occurrence.

An ability? Confusion and disbelief wash over me. "I-I got one? How?" I stammer, my gaze fixed on the ring. It's as if the ring is the source of this newfound power.

Caelum adds with a slight smirk, "Oh, I put it there since both of you are use- I mean both of you are fit for each other." His words hang in the air, implying that he knows more about what happened in my dream than I do.

So, he gave me this ring? The realization dawns on me that the ring must have played a crucial role in my survival in the nightmare. But wait, what's this? The ring... it's communicating with me?

"Okay, okay, you want me to call you Leo?" I think, a bit taken aback by this unexpected interaction. I can sense the ring's presence, its emotions, almost as if it's a living being. "Oh, he called you useless? Worthless?" I continue, trying to comfort Leo, the ring, as it seems to be going through its own form of distress.

The more I focus, the clearer it becomes. "So you're actually one of the best, but he called you useless and said Itza, Jenna's sword, is better than you, even though it's not true?" I speak softly to Leo, trying to reassure this sentient artifact that seems to have been hurt by Caelum's dismissive words.

Touching the ring, I feel a strange sense of connection, like it's a part of me, yet not. "Huh? You were trying to find a suitable owner, but Caelum ended up threatening you to be mine?" I murmur, confused and intrigued. "I'm sorry, I'm not a hunter, so I know very little about artifacts." I sense the ring's emotions more clearly now, almost as if it's a living entity with feelings. "Why are you crying? He called you ugly?" My words are soft, filled with empathy for this sentient artifact, this Leo, who seems to have experienced its own form of pain.

As the white hue around me fades, I'm left pondering the revelation. "I-I got an ability, right? S-so what do I do to use it?" I ask tentatively, both to myself and to Leo. The ring responds, not in words, but in feelings and impressions. "Huh? You're saying that once I woke up, you felt something in my body get cold?" The idea of having an ice ability starts to make sense. "Wait... could it be that the monster was actually my ability? Some sort of test?"

Curious and a bit nervous, I decide to experiment. I hold out my hand and focus, trying to think of ice, of cold. Gradually, my palm starts to change, turning into a solid white color. The sensation is startling, and my breath catches in my throat. "I-I think I'm right," I whisper, a mix of excitement and disbelief in my voice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Observing Dolura's hand turning a solid white color, I can't help but feel a mix of amusement and annoyance. "Hmmm, she got an ability..." I muse internally. "Tsk, why did the useless parasite get an ability before me?" Despite my surprise, there's a part of me that finds the whole situation quite amusing, especially her fondness for that worthless ring.

Turning my attention to the cat, I toss it a treat. Its eyes tear up as it eagerly devours the snack. "Heh, he likes his treats," I chuckle softly, amused by its simple joy.

My gaze shifts back to Dolura as she struggles to comprehend her new ability. "So, just what can you do with that ability?" I ask, curious despite myself. She breathes heavily, her hand now completely white, and admits, "I-I still don't know how to use it."

I let out a sigh, half-joking as I respond, "Just force it, make it do what you want." It's an offhand comment, but part of me doubts it's really that simple.

Dolura, still grappling with her newfound power, looks at me and says, "T-thank you for the ring." I can't help but hide a smirk at her gratitude. "You two are meant for each other," I reply nonchalantly, waving my hand dismissively as the whole thing doesn't matter to me.

Rubbing my chin thoughtfully, I watch Dolura grapple with her new reality. "Now that she has an ability, maybe she'll finally leave me alone," I muse. Or perhaps she'll stop being a parasite and actually be useful.

Mia, who's been quietly observing from the sidelines, finally speaks up. "Congratulations on your ability. Ice, huh..." She hesitates for a moment, as if she's about to add something more but decides against it. "I hope... Nevermind. Anyways, be careful, abilities can be a pain if you don't handle them right." Her words carry a note of caution, suggesting she knows more about abilities than she lets on.

Suddenly, the distant sound of choppers cuts through the air, disrupting the quiet of the early morning. "No, no, no," I mutter under my breath, a sense of foreboding creeping over me. I look up to see several helicopters heading in our direction.

"Fuck," I curse quietly. "Please don't tell me they're planning on taking us back." The last thing I want is to be corralled back into a base, to be forced into the role of a soldier, or worse, to be near those rich people who act like they own everything and everyone.