(ch 1)pilot

Sitting alone on a weathered bench at the edge of the slums, a delicate young girl caught my attention. Her frail frame, marked by pallid skin and dark tresses framing her face, hinted at a life marred by hardship. Beneath her weary eyes, shadows hinted at nights spent in unrest. Clad in tattered, soiled garments, she bore the unmistakable signs of hunger and neglect.

Yet, amidst the desolation, there was an unexpected sense of tranquility about her. Despite her obvious suffering, she seemed strangely content, as if finding solace in the simple act of gazing at the moon above. Though loneliness lingered in her eyes, there was also a glimmer of resilience, a quiet defiance against the odds stacked against her. In that moment,

In just a few hours, she would breathe her last breath. How could she not find some solace in that?

Escaping from this dreadful place was the first ray of hope in her otherwise bleak existence.

'Nice job, Rin. Way to go, kicking the bucket without being able to do a thing.'

With a sigh, she rose from her seat and made her way to the nearest subway station, knowing it was her only option in a city dotted with police stations. As she walked, her small purse seemed even more meager, though she knew she wouldn't need it much longer. Along the journey to the police station, she couldn't help but notice the disdainful looks from the affluent passersby, their snobbish glares weighing heavily on her.

"Let's just wrap this up; my back is killing me, and I'm really exhausted."

As she stepped onto the pavement and made her way across the bustling street, her destination clear in her mind, she pushed open the heavy door of the police station. Inside, the atmosphere was tense, filled with the low murmur of conversations and the occasional ringing of phones. A weary officer, his eyes heavy with exhaustion, glanced up at her entrance, his brow furrowing in a mixture of distaste and confusion. It was evident that her presence, that of a child from the slums, was unexpected and puzzling to him.

"Can I help you girl?"

'With the current situation I'm in, not really but...'

Rin's gaze swept the room with a mix of curiosity and keen observation. Her eyes honed in on the reinforced armor plates lining the walls and the concealed turret nests nestled within the ceiling. It was second nature for her to notice such details, especially given their neglected state. With her deep understanding of armor and military technology, she effortlessly gauged the potential threat posed by each element she identified. Her senses remained finely tuned, always on the lookout for any potential dangers, ready to analyze and assess them in an instant.

"Oi! I swear these kids get worse each day."

Rin glanced back, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. She couldn't help but feel irritated.

"As the stupid Third Special Directive request, I gotta surrender myself as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell."

The officer's demeanor swiftly shifted, morphing from annoyance to wariness in an instant. Her gaze intensified, piercing sharper than before, brimming with suspicion.

"When did the symptoms start?"

Rin gazed up at the grimy ceiling, almost as though attempting to tally the passing days. Her eyes lingered on the stained surface, lost in thought, perhaps reflecting on the passage of time.

"Seven days ago, I think?"

The police officer's gaze bore into her like she was a contagion, and he trembled visibly in response.

"SEVEN DAYS! Why did it take you so long to come here."

"Honestly, I can't sleep for three days straight sometime so it didn't seem like anything was wrong."

In a frantic rush, he slammed his finger onto the button of his terminal and let out a loud yell::

"Attention! Another Code Black in the lobby! I repeat we have another! CODE BLACK!"

----

The Nightmare Spell, from what she could tell, was an utter disaster. But let's rewind a bit.

Many moons ago, there was a colossal explosion that birthed the universe—

Oops, too far back.

Essentially, the Nightmare Spell emerged amidst a series of devastating natural disasters ravaging the world. Resources were dwindling, and humans reverted to their default mode:

Pillaging each other in massive wars.

After a couple of years of nonstop killing the world was starting to recover from the shitshow humans put it through. Allowing every human a breathe a sigh of relief.

'Hum... Well not really.'

The Nightmare Spell appeared, which in turn, causing millions of people to turn into…

...How should I put this.

Ah I know.

Into coffeeholic complainers that that were insufferable which didn't really scare or frighten people at the start let alone attract any attention.

The government got really worried when people began falling asleep and showed no signs of waking up.

Calling it an eternal slumber is pretty accurate as they didn't wake up for days even weeks.

It was kind of too late by then. They couldn't predict or know what was about to happen.

I mean who would have predicted that the people sleeping...could randomly die and turn into bloodthirsty nightmare creatures.

If someone did predict that. They should probably buy a lottery ticket...

Not that it would have mattered if you won it... The whole world was practically screwed at this point as militaries nationwide were almost wiped from the face of the planet.

How can you fight something that nobody has ever seen in their lives?

What saved humanity were those coffee-addicted people that survived the first trial of the Spell. Essentially these guys restored peace and a semblance of order with their miraculous abilities they earned in their Nightmares.

If you thought that humanity was saved. The Spell didn't permit such a delusion. It was only the first of the catastrophes brought upon by the Spell. But as far Rin was concerned, none of it had anything to do with her - not until a few days ago, that is, when she first started having trouble with staying awake.

For the average Joe. Being a subject of the Spell is as much of a curse as it was a blessing.

Schools were teaching kids important survival skills, like knowing when a situation might put them at risk, such as refraining from biting trees or indiscriminately eating anything they come across, and how to defend themselves against potential threats, like imaginary monsters. And naturally, if you come from a wealthy family, your chances of survival are significantly higher.

There are even those things called Awakened clans where the kids are essentially given all the things they need to survive e.g. powerful legacies, inherited memories and echoes in their first visit to the dream realm.

Without even needing to dirty their hands.

'would have been pampered too but a certain clan, kinda f*cked me'

In broad term, the more you were pampered, the better your chance of surviving and awakened.

But people such as Rin on the other hand are as good as death, most of them trying to live the next day instead of going to school and even then, school from the outskirts aren't really reputed for their education.

'good thing i got a bunch of education before i hit the slums'

----

A few moments later, Rin was yawning as several officers were busy securing her in shackles. Soon after, she was restrained to a large chair that resembled a strange hybrid of a hospital bed and a torture device. As she looked around, she noticed another young person in an identical situation—a teenager with black hair similar to hers and pale skin similar to Rin's- who was also bound to the same kind of bed.

She glanced at him and chuckled at her own joke.

"What are you in for?"

He glanced over and spoke with a pleasant tone.

"Several counts of looking amazing"

She chuckled, appreciating his sense of humor.

"Same"

Near the walls were armed policemen with automatic rifles and fierce face, well, I guess it was something like that.

The room itself was essentially a bunker except this bunker was designed not to stop things from entering but leaving. Thick armour wall and a vault door that looked incredibly sturdy.

Rin stopped caring about the things around her as she tries to hold onto her conscious and keep her eyes from constantly shutting

Rin was ripped out of her focus when a grey-haired man, presumably a police man walked-in through the open vault.

The man was experienced with grave face, as if he has seen too many terrible tales and will see another one. The policeman glanced at his watch, then turned to Rin and the other teenager:

"Names"

As tired as Rin was, she still shook her head to concentrate and tried to process the words he said.

"Sunless"

"Red"

'... Sunless, what a strange name... Oh, but I shouldn't judge, I gave them a fake name too. 'Red'... pretty uninspired, huh?'

Rin felt her thoughts becoming increasingly tangled as her mind grew more muddled.

"Sunless and Red, that some strange name."

Rin attempted to nod in agreement, but she struggled to control her movements. Meanwhile, Sunless tugged at his restraints, clearly unsettled by the situation.

The boy says:

"At least I have one, not everyone gets one in the outskirts."

And after a yawn, he added:

"I was born during a solar eclipse and my mom had a poetic soul you see."

Rin admired Sunless's mother, acknowledging her greatness with a subtle nod. As the officer glared at Rin, she hesitated for a moment before speaking, her tone tinged with uncertainty.

"My mom liked the...colour?"

The officer continued.

"Do you want me to contact your families?"

Sunless simply shook his head and Rin did the same.

"There's no one. Don't bother."

"Nobody will answer"

Gathering her last vestige of consciousness, she took a closer look at Sunless

'He is definitely from the slums.'



Someone like her... torn clothes… frail body... yep just a male version of herself.

The police man stopped for a couple of seconds and looked saddened. Then his expression turned emotionless.

"Alright, you two. How long can you stay awake?"

"Uh... not long."

"Same."

The policeman sighed.

"Then we don't have time for the full procedure. Try to resist for as long as you can and listen to me very carefully. Okay?"

He added without expecting an answer:

"How much do you two know about the Nightmare Spell?"

Sunless gave him a questioning look and Rin was already in a world of her own, distracted by the lights on the ceiling and every nook and cranny of this basement. Her focus was always shitty throughout her life, even more in her sleep-deprived condition.

"As much as anyone, I guess? Who doesn't know about the Spell?"

"Not the fancy stuff you see in dramas and hear in the propaganda broadcasts. I mean how much do you really know?"

Sunless answered before Rin can even think.

"Don't I just go into the Dream Realm, kill a few monsters to complete the First Nightmare, receive magic powers and become an Awakened?"

The old officer shook his head and looked almost disappointed.

"Listen carefully. Once you two fall asleep, you will be transported inside your First Nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by the Spell. Once inside, you will meet monsters, sure, but you will also meet people. Remember: they are not real. They're just illusions conjured up to test you."

"How do you know? - I mean, no one understands what the Spell is and how it works, right? So how do you know that they're not real?"

"You two might have to kill them, so do yourselves a favour and just think about them as illusions."

"Oh..."

"Understood sir"

The police officer looked at both of them for a second before continuing.

"A lot of things about the First Nightmare depend on luck. Generally, it shouldn't be overwhelmingly hard. The situation you're in, the tools you have at your disposal and the creatures you have to defeat should be within the range of your abilities, at least. After all, the Spell sets up trials, not executions. You guys have a bit of a disadvantage due to... well... your circumstances. But kids from the outskirts are tough. Don't give up on yourself just....yet."

"Uh-uh."

Rin looked over at sunless who was also struggling to stay awake.

"About those 'magic powers' you mentioned... you will indeed receive them if you survive until the end of the Nightmare. What those powers will be, exactly, depends on your natural affinity as well as what you do during the trial. But some of it will be at your disposal right from the start..."

Black dots were constantly circling Rins vision now as she tried her best to ignore them. She looked over at sunless and he too was also barely managing to keep his eyes open.

"Remember: the first thing you must do once inside the Nightmare is to check your Attributes and your Aspect. If you get a combat-oriented Aspect, something like a Swordsman or an Archer, things will be easier. If it is reinforced by a physical Attribute, then that's even better. Combat Aspects are the most common, so the probability of receiving one is high."

The dots around her vision doubled and her vision grew dimmer.

----

Rin was really trying not to fall asleep

"If you're unlucky and your Aspect has nothing to do with combat, don't despair. Sorcery and utility Aspects are useful in their own ways, you'll just have to be smart about it. There are really no useless Aspects. Well, almost. So just do anything in your power to survive."

"If you survive, you will be halfway to becoming an Awakened. But if you die, you'll open a gate for a Nightmare Creature to appear in the real world. Which means that my colleagues and I will have to deal with it. So, please don't die, Red and Sunless."

Already half-asleep, the word he said really hit Rin before he says:

"Or, at least, try to not die right away. The nearest Awakened won't be able to get here for a few hours, so we would really appreciate it if you don't make us fight that thing ourselves."

'Wow, I was actually planning to do that, but now he's ruined my plans and is guilt-tripping me.'

That last thought circled her mind before everything became black. And then, in the darkness, a faintly familiar voice rang:

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