Act I
"The pale fever is not like the many mundane illnesses caused by micro organisms, for it seems to only appear within individuals with a particular blood or gene pattern within their DNA." The voice lectured, I was walking with my batchmates following a director of the academy.
"It took us years to discover this fact, but even after we did the witch burning of those who caught the Pale Fever did not stop. Regretfully most of humanity only stopped with our genocide of the sick, after the common consequence of killing an afflicted had revealed itself." Videos played on the screens to our side as we moved from one floor to another using stairs.
The videos showed hundreds of different horrors appearing, shifting the flesh of humans who were once sickened to the point of being truly pale. I even saw a great evil, ripping itself from the bloody chest of a girl no older than thirteen, her body being turned into a bloody husk in its wake.
"As of now, the only ways an individual can be sickened by the Pale Fever is through Heredity, blood infusion or infection by interacting with a rift gate or horror." The voice who was speaking was a woman wearing a lab coat, she was on all the screens around us as we walked.
"The only time the sickness appears in an individual is between the ages of 10 and 20, if someone turns 21 without seeing any signs it would mean they're not infected but they can still become a carrier of the sickness, once they interact with a horror or rift gate." The woman wearing a labcoat disappeared as the entire batch of 205 of the Dawn Academy stopped.
We were in a place not that dissimilar to a surgical theater, I looked down and saw a large hall. Hundreds of pods that reminded me of the matrix lined the floor, researchers or maybe doctors wearing white lab coats walked around checking on each pod, as a person floated inside them.
"This is the consequence of an Iron ranker being unable to reach a temple and ascend to the bronze rank." The director finally spoke as she looked down towards the activities below.
"We can only keep your bodies alive for three years at most, after that your bodies would die and your souls would be trapped inside the dream. At that point, your only option of returning to the waking world would be finding dream challenges, beating them and ascending until you reach the gold rank." I listened with wrap attention.
I already know of the three years policy, I've seen the records of them attempting to extend the time but nothing appears to work. It was not a problem of advancing life support tech, but a question of why the soul of a person disconnects from their bodies after three to five years.
I bet that's what those people in lab coats are studying. I wonder if they're all civilians or some of them rankers with aspects tailored to scientific work. As my mind worked, I paused as I felt a shaking hand on my arm. I looked to my side and saw my friend Chara, he was holding my forearm, his face a mask of uncertain fear.
"Remember, batch 205th, prioritize survival, help your fellow humans and don't be afraid of spending your entire life in the world of Dreams for even there you can still be heroes of humanity." Those were the last words spoken by the director as we were escorted down to a room similar to the one we saw above, with empty life supporting vats for us to sleep in.
Act II
"Huh. . . why is everything a light blue?" I said to the empty hill of light blue grass I was laying on, of course I know why it was blue. The soul naturally reflects the favourite color or destiny of the vessel it resides in.
"I'm just not sure if this place is blue because it was my favorite color or that I'll die somewhere with a lot of blue around me. . . I hate how poetic my aspect becomes, whenever I use it to answer questions this difficult." I stood up and looked around, seeing nothing but a white void around my hill, and then I saw it.
I started walking up towards a monolith made of rough iron, I dared not touch it carelessly afraid of making myself bleed from its roughness. I walked around the thing that only reached my waist, and then I saw it. Words marked in white runes, those I touched as their surface were smooth and warm.
{Status}
[Name: Daniel Dawn]
[Dream Name: (The Merciful Sun)]
[Mastery: Iron Rank]
[Soul: Ranker] - [Virtue - Mercy: You cannot murder]
[Dream Essence: (Hunter's Arrow) (Wolf fang)]
[Nightmare Essence: ()]
[Aspects: (Reincarnate) (Blessed) (Sagely)].
[Arcana: Crusader - Gold Rank]
{Abilities}
[Aspect abilities]
(Reincarnate) - The Merciful Sun's inner soul would persist even after death, immortal in its determined existence.
(Blessed) - Abilities and Essences relating to faith and soul would be more effective, once used by the Merciful Sun.
(Sagely) - The Merciful sun would be able to understand anything touched that is related to the dreaming realms.
[Arcana ability]
(Chivalry) - Once mounted, the Merciful Sun would be strengthened depending on the mount.
[Dream name ability]
(Fire of Mercy) - A cleansing fire to purify the soul of the defeated. Souls purified 4/100.
I nodded after reading everything, a few things changed but not so much that I don't recognize the abilities and Essences I've been exploring ever since I woke up from my first dream challenge.
"Still, I wish I can see this thing whenever I want and not just when I'm at this crossroad between the dreaming and waking world." I said as I touched the representation of my soul's rank, avoiding the jagged and rough parts of the monolith.
"It would be useful. . . But I guess I can wait until I reach bronze rank. Thud*" I felt the strength in my legs gone as I fell backward, there was a hint of pain on my back as I looked down and saw my legs were disappearing, flickering into nothing.
"I guess. . ." I wasn't even able to finish my words as my body disappeared from the crossroads, as I felt myself pulled into a place familiar yet alien.
Act III
". . . I'm about to fade." I finished as I blinked and saw I was somewhere else, I felt smooth moss covered stone on my bare feet as I slowly crouched down and looked up at the sky.
I quickly noticed it was nearing night, maybe only a handful of hours of daylight. Then I looked down and saw a sea of shades of orange and yellow grasses, shrubs and lonely large trees.
"Damn, I'm at the eastern grasslands. . . One of the least explored regions in the Dawn Valley." I cursed, before I tried to look around at where I was. It took me moments to see that I was on top of what used to be an arc gate, but now it was covered in creeping vines and moss, its center fully covered.
I stood up carefully and started exploring the platform I was on, and then realized I didn't have a way down. I could try jumping and hope the grass would break my fall, or try using the vines, but from how thin they were, I might slip and still end up falling.
Crunch* I started pulling the vines, and then after bundling them together. With a pull some broke and others did not, it made me smile as I sat down in one ledge overlooking the sunset colored grasslands.
While my hands moved, braiding the vines near me together, I gawked at how similar the feeling of the simulation, and the thing I was doing now. . . The only difference was I felt how the rough vines would scratch at my hands with its pointed ended leaves.
Disregarding the discomfort I continued until I felt the light around me turn red, I looked up and saw a truly beautiful sunset. It's been a few months since I saw one, the last time I saw one for a long time was during the first dream challenge as the waking world did not have a sunset safe enough to see as most domes would be blocking too much red light for anyone to see the falling sun as more than a censored blotch of red.
I paused my work, watching it for a moment and then went back to my braiding. It might take late into the night but by tomorrow I'll have a safe way to climb up and down. This gate should be a safe enough place as my base for now. . .
"AHHH! NO! NO!" I heard screaming, it made me look towards the north, there I saw shadows, a small one being chased by large things that was able to create dust in the distance.
"HERE! COME UP HERE!" I yelled towards the running figure, as I stood up and took what I've finished braiding with me. The one running seems to have seen me, as they started running towards me as I waved at them.
I don't know who they were, the shadows of the fading sun were covering their face. But I do notice they were wearing a full suit of black and violet armor, which made me look down. I made a skirt from the vines and leaves but still I looked like Adam after he ate that sinful fruit.
Hopefully he wouldn't mind me being almost naked, I said to myself in comfort as the person quietly ran. That was when I noticed what was chasing the poor boy, it was a small herd of Heavy Tusks. They were slow iron rank beast type horrors but almost impossible to take down alone.
"I wonder why they're chasing him. . ." SHRIEK* I paled as the amusement of the scene left my face. I saw behind the Heavy tusk herd was a bronze ranked Terror Bird, a giant thing of sharp talons and decapitating beak.
The boy reached the base of the gate, quickly I tossed him the half finished ladder. Quickly he grabbed on to it, that was when I pulled with all my strength. Surprisingly he was light. Thud* I stumbled a little as I went to my knees, the Heavy Tusks blindly striking their tusks on the ruins of the gate making it shake slightly.
"Ha!" With one great pull a hand reached and held the ledge of the platform I kneeled on, I took their hands and pulled them to my chest as I hugged them. RAAH* TEAR* The sounds of savagely tearing flesh and dying great animals echoed as night covered the world.
"Haaa. Haa. . Ha. . ." I was breathing hard, the sudden rush of excitement was gone, I felt myself becoming weak. The person I was holding was the same, I can feel their uneven breathing on my bare chest as they kept stiff in my arms.
"Stay quiet, hopefully that bird won't notice us." I whispered as low as I could at the side of their head. I felt his armor on my skin, some parts, mostly the chest, arms and legs, felt like leather. While some parts were of soft cloth. They were lucky they already found an armor type Dream Essence so quickly, they probably killed one of those Hard tusk's, which means his likely part of a clan if he managed that alone.
After what felt like hours the sound of the bird ravaging meat disappeared, and then I heard its heavy steps moving. The sound of its steps completely gone after a few moments, but still I waited. . .
"The Terror Bird's gone, let go of me Daniel." A strangely familiar voice sounded on my chest as I let go and she pushed me away.
"Eclipsa? Is that you?" I asked uncertainly, as I could barely see her outline from how dark it was. The moons and stars barely gave off any light, unconsciously I lit a finger on fire and moved it towards the bundle of shadows.
"Eclipsa!" I exclaimed excitedly as I saw her surprised face on my fire, without thinking I rushed in and tried hugging her again. Unfortunately I missed as she quickly moved to the side and then she struck me on my side, making me drop and my fire going out.
"It's good to see you too, Eclipsa. . . Ahh. . ." I said before I groaned in pain, as my eyes closed, the feeling of exhaustion taking its toll.
"It's good to see you too, dumb giant. . ." I heard her whisper.
The girl covered in shadow looked at the large boy, a complicated expression marked her immature pale face. Then she started scratching her head as rage and hatred mark her eyes.
"You fucking idiot! Why the hell did you save me! Why are you so weak! For fuck sake!" She cursed and then cursed some more as she kicked the stone floor, then she paused, took a breath and then sat down next to the now sleeping giant of a boy.
"This is good, this is good. . . If I have this guy, he can do most of the talking when we see others. . . But damn, what a rotten aspect that made me meet him this early." The girl covered by the darkness of the night said softly, as she looked at the frayed rope that was used to save her.
"A rope ladder huh? It's a good idea, I guess he can't climb down from up here." She spoke to herself before pulling on the vine braided rope and then continued adding to it making it thicker and more useful for climbing.