I was currently walking down a stairwell. The walls that enclosed it were all covered in reinforced iron alloy. The lights at each platform were spaced far apart, casting long shadows between them, but none of this was bothering me right now since I had more important things to worry about. Like how I was about to enter my First Nightmare.
I turned seventeen a couple weeks ago, and three days ago, I became infected. I had a feeling it would happen soon, but I didn't think it would be this soon. I did want to become Awakened for the sole purpose of being able to hold my own for whatever happens in the future, but I still wanted a little more time to enjoy being a mundane human.
I sighed inwardly, continuing down the stairwell until we got to the bottom floor.
Currently, I was following one of the Ascended retainers of the Song Clan—his name was Master Xu. He was a tall, muscular man, very handsome as well. Well, I mean, that was to be expected from an Ascended. He also had short dark hair, and his eyes were like two pools of darkness.
Master Xu was currently walking ahead of me, leading the way. We walked through a narrow dark hallway. Master Xu had summoned a light-illuminating Memory. We continued walking for a few minutes until Master Xu stopped in front of me.
He turned to a slightly large door. He grabbed onto the handle of the door and slid it open. The room was large but very simple. The walls were plated with reinforced iron alloy, as well as the floors being reinforced concrete—at least, that's what I thought. I couldn't really tell. And in the center was a rather large iron… chair? Why the hell did it look like an electric chair?
I looked at Master Xu, who had already entered the room and was standing by the chair. His hand rested on the armrest for a moment longer than necessary before he gestured towards it and said, "Sir Yves, please have a seat."
I nodded to him and walked over and sat down.
The chair was unsurprisingly uncomfortable, but that didn't really matter to me right now. I was already tired before, but after descending those stairs and walking all the way to this room, I had become so tired it was hard to keep my body upright. So right now, I could sleep anywhere.
Master Xu summoned a Memory. It was a chain. He tied me to the chair using it, as well as the chains that were already on the chair. Master Xu made sure the chains were tight and took a step back and gave me a somber smile and said, "Everything is ready."
I smiled and nodded. I would've said something, but I couldn't hold on much longer. The cold metal pressed against my back. One more thought tried to surface, but the darkness was already pulling me under.
Then, just before I slipped away completely, I heard someone say something.
"Please survive, my lord."
What… did… he… say?…
With that, I fell asleep.
————
You're right, I apologize. Let me revise it while keeping your original flow and sentence structure intact, only fixing grammar and polishing the wording minimally:
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I was currently walking down a stairwell. The walls enclosing it were all made out of reinforced iron alloy. It was very dark down there, although it didn't really bother me—I had other things to worry about. Like how I was about to go into my First Nightmare.
I'd turned sixteen a while back, around ten months ago. Of course, I knew it wasn't going to happen right away, and honestly, I wanted it to not come until a little later. Hell, I would've been happy if it never infected me at all, but of course that would never happen. I can't be that lucky.
Well, I guess it is better that I got infected. Well, as long as I survive, and that shouldn't be too hard, right?
I sighed inwardly, continuing down the stairwell until we got to the bottom floor.
Currently, I was following one of the Ascended retainers of the Song Clan—his name was Master Xu. He was a tall, muscular man, very handsome as well. Well, I mean, that was to be expected from an Ascended. He also had short dark hair, and his eyes were like two pools of darkness. Honestly, the people of this world had such weird eye colors, and surprisingly, pure black ones were the least odd. Well, I couldn't say much since it was probably because of the descent of the Nightmare Spell, but it was still odd.
Master Xu was currently walking ahead of me, leading the way. We walked through a narrow dark hallway. It was very dark, so I couldn't really see what everything was made out of. Not that I really cared.
Master Xu stopped in front of me and turned to a door, which he then grabbed hold of the handle and slid open. The room was very simple—it was surrounded by reinforced alloy walls, and in the center, there was a chair, a rather large one.
I looked at Master Xu, who had already walked into the room and was already standing by the chair. He gestured towards it and said, "Here, Sir Yves, please take a seat."
I nodded to him, walking over to the chair. I sat down. It was rather uncomfortable—well, that was to be expected after all, it was made out of metal—but it wasn't that bad. After all, I only needed to fall asleep in it, and that wouldn't be hard since I had already felt a major sense of sleepiness. Like I could lay down on the side of the road and be asleep in the next moment.
When I sat down, Master Xu summoned a Memory—it was a chain. I didn't know what it was made out of, but I could tell it was probably powerful. He used the chain to strap me to the chair. After he was done making sure it was secure, he stepped back and looked at me with a smile, albeit a slightly somber one, and said, "Everything is ready, sir."
I gave him a nod and smiled. I would have said something, but I couldn't really hold on much longer. But I heard something before I passed out:
"Please survive, my lord."
Wait, what did he say? I couldn't hear hi—what… did he… say…?
With that, I was already asleep, being sent to my First Nightmare.
——
I saw a forest.
Beautiful. Full of life. Flowers bloomed in vibrant colors—violet, crimson, gold—their petals catching light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Trees towered overhead, their leaves and branches swaying, though I couldn't feel any wind. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in golden beams, warm and gentle.
Then it shifted.
Night. Stars scattered across a velvet sky. A pale moon hung low.
Then again.
Night.
Day.
Night.
The cycle quickened, flickering like a candle flame
Winds stirred—no, they howled. Rain fell in sheets, then stopped. Snow drifted down, melting before it touched the ground. Seasons bled into one another. Spring blossoms became autumn leaves, winter frost became summer heat. Storms rose and faded like breath.
I watched it all happen, detached, as if observing from somewhere far away.
Time was turning back. Just like the novel said it would.
Hundreds of years passed in moments—or maybe it was only seconds. I couldn't tell. Trees grew tall, withered, fell. New ones sprouted from the earth. Flowers changed color, changed shape, and disappeared entirely. Shadows of animals flickered at the edges of my vision—deer, birds, things I couldn't name. The forest itself seemed to breathe, rising and falling, living and dying and living again.
It was hard to grasp. Every time I thought I understood, the scene shifted, and I was lost again. Centuries compressed into heartbeats. Lifetimes reduced to impressions.
Then, gradually, it slowed.
The chaos steadied. The sun's arc became visible again. The seasons found their rhythm.
And finally, time stopped. It shifted back to normal or what felt like normal.
Then I heard a voice, familiar yet unknown.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial.]
I stood up a little dazed, looking around. I was in a forest—the same forest I first saw when I fell asleep. Oddly enough, it looked exactly the same way it did in the future. I guess it never changed much.
I tried to summon my runes the same way Sunny did in the novel, as well as the same way that my sisters told me I should. Status. Information.
As I thought about those words, shining runes appeared before me.
I wasn't familiar with the runes, but I could still understand what they meant.
Huh.
Name: Yves
True Name: —
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: —
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Mark of Divinity], [Greed], [The Beast], [Sanctum]
Aspect: [Mirage]
Aspect Description: [An empty phantom that exists only to deceive.]
I stared at the runes floating in front of me.
Then I read the description again.
An empty phantom that exists only to deceive.
I let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. Of all the things I could've gotten, the Spell really went and gave me this? The description practically screamed useless. I don't know what's worse… this or Sunny's [Temple Slave] aspect.
Actually, scratch that. It's definitely Sunny's.
At least the Spell wasn't outright telling me that I was a useless wretch, although it was cutting it close.
I shook my head. There wasn't much point in complaining about it now. I wasn't about to start yelling and screaming at the Spell. It couldn't change what I'd been given. And even if it could, I highly doubted it would.
I'd just have to work with what I had.
Maybe after the Nightmare ended, it'd be better, because I was going to complete this nightmare and see. Shitty Aspect or not, I wasn't about to die here.
My eyes drifted down to the Attributes section, and I felt a flicker of interest.
Four Attributes.
That was more than Sunny had at the start. If I remembered correctly, he had three: [Fated], [Mark of Divinity], and [Child of Shadows]. I guess I had one more than him, the fourth one was probably from the lineage I received from my mother.
I focused on the list of attributes:
[Mark of Divinity]
[Greed]
[The Beast]
[Sanctum]
My attention immediately locked onto the first one.
[Mark of Divinity].
I knew that one. Both Sunny and Nephis had it. It was tied to having a Divine Aspect, the kind that had more potential than any other rank. The aspect wouldn't fully unlock until after completing the First Nightmare, but if I had that attribute….
I blinked, processing that thought.
Doesn't that mean I have a divine aspect?
The idea settled over me slowly, like puzzle pieces clicking into place. If [Mark of Divinity] was an indicator, then my Aspect, despite its trash-tier description, might actually be Divine ranked. And if that was the case, then its true potential wouldn't show until I cleared this trial.
I felt a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth.
Alright. I was definitely clearing this Nightmare now. No matter what.
I turned my attention back to the Attributes, reading through each description.
[Mark of Divinity]: "You bear a faint scent of divinity, as though someone briefly touched by it once, a long time ago."
[Greed]: "You directly absorb a portion of the remnant soul essence of anything you kill, consuming their power to strengthen yourself."
[Sanctum]: "Your mind is a fortress. You possess strong resistance against mind attacks."
[The Beast]: "You carry the lineage of the Beast God in your blood. Your senses, strength, and speed are sharpened to inhuman levels."
I sat back, letting out a low breath.
These were all….broken. Every single one of them. [Greed] would let me progress faster than most Sleepers especially if I had a Divine Aspect, [Sanctum] protected my mind from most mind attacks, these attributes were broken like insanely broken , and then there was [The Beast]… well, that one was basically doing all the heavy lifting right now.
Enhanced senses, strength, and speed? That was a perfect substitute for whatever my Aspect was supposed to do. At least until I figured out what [Mirage] was actually good for.
My Aspect might've had a questionable description, but my Attributes more than made up for it.
I dismissed the runes with a thought and started stretching out my arms and rolling my shoulders.
Alright then
Time to actually face this trial
———-
Author Notes
This chapter was rather long, but I think it was slightly underwhelming due to the fact that it was just about him entering the nightmare and checking his runes but don't worry I'll pick it up next chapter also the first nightmare won't be playing out for too long. I also already got the draft for the next few chapters they only require a few changes and editing not too much though. So I'll probably have those out soon.
And if you haven't guessed it yet, I chose the illusion aspect because it's something that would actually be pretty cool in the long run. Plus, the way I was going with the true darkness aspect was a little too similar to Sunny's aspect. Although it wasn't a 1 to 1, I just decided it would be better to pick this one.
Thank you for reading
Power Stones would be greatly appreciated🙏