A young man sat in a cold concrete room. A single candle burned beside him on a makeshift table, its flame painting the space in dim, flickering light.
He lay on a thin mattress propped atop several rows of stacked pallets, staring at the ceiling—or rather, at the runes summoned by the spell hovering above him. Running his hands through his auburn hair, he read the floating symbols.
Name – Bennan
True Name –
Rank – Dreamer
Soul Core – Dormant
Soul Fragments – 0/1000
Memories – [Servant's Sword]
Echoes –
Attributes – [Tempered Anatomy], [Unnerving Presence]
Aspect – [Kinetic Vessel]
Flaw – [Weak Minded]
Suddenly, his hands stopped, fingers digging into his hair as he groaned.
"Echoes? Soul core? What does any of this even mean?" He scowled at the runes. "And what's with it saying my flaw is a weak mind? Is it making fun of me?"
As he focused on the flaw, the text expanded before him.
Flaw Description:
[Your mind is extremely susceptible to mental attacks.]
A chill crept down his spine. No, Seriously… mental attacks?
Trying to brush it off, Bennan quickly shifted his gaze to his attributes. The runes responded, expanding just as the flaw had.
[Tempered Anatomy] Description:
[The mechanics of your body are tempered like steel.]
Okay. That seemed pretty good.
Then what's-
[Unnerving Presence] Description:
[There is something attached to you, though you can't perceive it.]
"What…?"
Bennan looked around the room, unease settling into his chest. He had only been mildly creeped out before, but now the feeling was rapidly intensifying.
Glancing back at the spell window, he tried to distract himself by focusing on his aspect.
Aspect: [Kinetic Vessel]
Aspect Description:
[Your body is a carefully crafted reservoir for energy.]
Aspect Rank: Transc—
Suddenly, his thoughts were ripped away as a low humming filled his ears.
Startled, Bennan jerked upright. "M-mental attack!?"
A faint glow flickered from the once pitch-black doorframe, followed by a reverberating buzz that accompanied each flicker of light. Dumbfounded, he stood and slowly approached the doorway, peering out into the crumbling tunnel beyond.
Bennan had lived here with his parents since he was a child—though they were gone now. After the war left the world in ruins, all humanity had managed to do was keep the domes functioning, supplying oxygen to those inside. Only in the last few years had real progress been made toward rebuilding. That progress, however, had ground to a halt months ago when people began falling asleep… and turning into monsters.
All of that made the sight before him even more shocking.
To his left was a collapsed passage, completely sealed by concrete and jagged rebar. To his right, the old railway tracks stretched into the distance. Emergency lights flickered on one by one, illuminating each section of tunnel in sequence. Dust-filled air glowed briefly before the light faded around a distant bend.
"Wow…" he breathed.
Though his parents had told him that electricity still existed in the middle city, he never thought he'd live to see it return to the ruins.
The buzzing steadied as the lights stabilized, shining consistently now. But then a loud screech replaced it, causing Bennan to flinch and cover his ears. Just as suddenly, the noise cut out, replaced by a crackling voice.
Looking up, Bennan spotted a speaker hanging from the ceiling by frayed wires—somehow still clinging on after years of neglect.
"Ahem… te—tes—testing, testing."
Static subsided, revealing the voice of a very old man.
"Testing… oh! They can hear me now? Fantastic." The man cleared his throat. "Uh—hello, citizens of the outer ruins. This is Mayor Elzon. With great effort, we have finally succeeded in extending electricity to every corner of the dome."
Bennan's eyes widened. Even living as a recluse in the ruins, he knew that name.
"The most pressing matter of business," the mayor continued, "is, of course, the Nightmare Spell that has plagued us these past six months. Sadly, most of the rumors are true. People are indeed growing increasingly tired… and transforming into monsters."
His tone shifted, becoming oddly jovial.
"But that is not the whole truth. Those individuals are given a test. And if they pass, they return with miraculous abilities—abilities we have put to great use pushing back the monsters and achieving breakthroughs like the one you see today."
The cheer faded from his voice.
"Unfortunately, it is not all good news. For those of you who have passed the First Nightmare, reports indicate you will soon be called upon to face another trial."
Muffled voices interrupted the broadcast.
"Uh—hold on, folks…"
Static crackled as fragments of conversation slipped through.
"…solstice… seriously?… two days…"
The speaker popped loudly as the mayor returned, now far too close to the microphone.
"I regret to inform you that if our calculations are correct, those of you who successfully awoke will be required to return… in two days. On the Winter Solstice."
Bennan reeled, nearly losing his footing.
The hope sparked by the miracle of restored electricity—was crushed beneath the weight of this new revelation.
"I have to do it again…?" he whispered.
"…In two days?"