Click! Click! Click!
Mirage gently clicked his pen, nodding off as the teacher taught the lesson. He had only been sitting for twenty minutes, but under the weight of his eyelids, it felt like hours.
He booted up his day with a cup of coffee, even chugging down sodas on his way to school, but nothing seemed to change. It was as though he was in a perpetual state of fatigue.
As the minutes passed, it became increasingly obvious just how screwed he was.
Scratch! Scratch!
Mirage dug his nails into his palm to snap himself out of a trance. He was smart—an A-student at the top of his class—but with his current problem, he struggled to find a solution.
On one hand, he could always tell his teacher that he had been infected by the Spell. But on the other, he didn't feel like being restrained by the government during his Nightmare. Something about the government tying up his sleeping body was unnerving. He felt like they'd track him or do something as he slept.
The mere thought gave him shivers.
Besides, he had always wondered if becoming a sleeper during class was possible. Without being caught. He wanted to experiment a little.
Just a little. Even if it put his class at a slight risk...
...even if he'd get in trouble after...
...even if...
It seemed that his fatigue had somewhat dulled his morals.
After listing the penalties, he inwardly sighed, dismissing the idea entirely. While the lives of his classmates were not his responsibility, he felt that the backlash would far outweigh the benefits of his experimental ordeal. An entire class dead because he felt... silly? No, he wasn't that immature... and even if he was, he'd get in trouble for it when he returned.
There were truly no upsides to this scheme, so he raised his hand and sighed, wearing a defeated expression.
"Mirage?" The teacher paused his presentation, turning his body to face the boy. "Would you like to use the bathroom?" he asked, trying to predict what his complaint would be.
"I'm infected by the Nightmare Spell, and I'll probably fall asleep soon." he answered flatly as he stood from his seat. "I doubt I'll make it to the police station, so I'd recommend calling them to pick me up."
"..."
The class suddenly erupted with surprise. Some students froze from shock while others asked questions.
"—why didn't you go to the police station earlier?"
"Oh gods! I hope you'll be okay—"
A familiar student even smacked his back to keep him awake, but Mirage wasn't a fan of this in the slightest. He wasn't angry or anything, it's just that... Grabbing the boy's arm, he turned to face him, glaring into his eyes. "I have told you so many times to stop touching me." A mischievous grin spread across his face. "Once I'm an Awakened, I'll torment you for the rest of your life."
...it was his best friend, one that had a habit of calling him a "crossdresser" due to his feminine appearance.
Fortunately, the confidence in Mirage's voice seemed to ease his friend's worries, even getting a smile from the boy. "Well... I'm uh... I'm sure that you'll be quite the feast for the male gaze after your Nightmare." He joked, his voice still nervous.
"Psh." He turned and swiftly exited the classroom, a low smile calming his face. "I hope not..."
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Yawwwn...
"Stay awake for as long as you can, boy. Ya' hear me...?" The officer took a breather before continuing. "Can you tell me what you already know about the Spell?"
"..."
At this point, Mirage had already been nearly asleep, so it took him longer than normal to process what the man had said, but he was able to respond in due time.
"More than you."
"...oh?" The police officer's eye twitched, clearly irritated, but he nodded and asked another question. Unfortunately, Mirage knew everything he'd say, so there was no point in listening.
With that, he stopped struggling for consciousness and allowed the darkness to swallow him whole.
And then, in that darkness, he heard the faint whisper of a familiar voice.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell! Prepare for your First Trial...]
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**Chapter Notes**
- Word Count: [805]
- Short chapter, but it's the story's introduction so it makes sense. In future chapter I will try to hit at least 1200 words.
- I'm aware that I had just started another fanfic on Shadow Slave, but I made it too emotional too quickly, so I'm trying again. Do not be surprised if I take a few concepts from my other one and use it here.
- If you find any spelling or grammatical errors in the chapter, please comment on the paragraph they are on and tell me so I can fix it.
- I hope you enjoyed.