Alista Tudor woke to the dull realization that he was strapped securely to a bed. Standing over him was a man in a crisp uniform—an Awakened from the government, judging by the insignia. The man had brown hair and a reassuring, if tired, smile.
"Kid, congrats. You survived it," the man said simply.
Alista nodded, the affirmation barely registering. His mind was still entirely preoccupied with the impossible encounter with Adam. 'How the hell am I escaping from "Him"?' Alista's thoughts raced. 'To what extent will he play me? What did he exactly do, and what is he doing in this world?' The presence of a Pillar-level deity was a threat beyond anything the Nightmare Spell should contain.
He was quickly unbound and made his way to the bathing area. He looked at his reflection in the mirror—his body had undergone a subtle but complete transformation. He was leaner, stronger, and carried himself with an unfamiliar, innate presence. "So, this is how my body changed," he murmured.
The memory of Adam's touch returned, triggering the system interface. Alista immediately summoned his runes.
Name:Alista Tudor
True Name:Blood Emperor
Rank:Dreamer
Soul Core:Dormant
Soul Fragments:[22/1000]
Memories:[Flame Armor], [Hunter's Sword]
Echoes:—
Attributes:[Uniqueness of Black Emperor], [Instincts], [Barbarian], [Battle Analyzer]
Aspect:[Black Emperor]
Aspect Rank:Divine
Aspect Ability:[Bribe]
Alista's gaze immediately fell on the changes. He frowned and accessed the new Attribute descriptions.
[Uniqueness of Black Emperor]: You are the Uniqueness of Black Emperor, which embraces the power of a Black Emperor.
[Barbarian]: Problems that cannot be solved by the law will be solved by force. This is also one of the rules.
'Adam gave me the Uniqueness of Black Emperor and it somehow evolved the [Lawyer] Attribute to [Barbarian],' Alista realized, a cold sweat breaking out. 'That means this Attribute system is directly following the Pathway system from LotM. Do I need to follow the acting method? Moreover, what is his true purpose?' His mind was besieged by unanswerable questions.
After his bath, Alista dressed in the standard uniform provided by the facility—a simple, functional outfit. He left the room to find Fors. Apparently, Fors's Nightmare had concluded a day before his, confirming the entire ordeal had lasted a full week in the real world for both of them.
He opened the door and saw Fors Wall sitting casually, playing with a lock of her curly brown hair. Alista could clearly see the physical changes in her as well; she somehow looked more ethereal, and undeniably more beautiful.
"So, you survived it, huh?" Fors greeted him, her voice light.
Alista closed the door, his demeanor instantly serious. "I want to tell you something. It is important."
Fors's playfulness vanished. He rarely saw her this serious, the last time being after a truly elaborate prank he'd pulled. "So do I. But before that, tell me about your Nightmare."
Alista recounted everything about his trial, the loops, the strategies, the Divine Aspect, and his new Attributes—everything except Adam's direct involvement. He needed to process that terrifying encounter separately.
Fors's eyes widened with every detail. "Seriously, Black Emperor? How similar can we get?"
Alista felt a new wave of dread. "That means…"
Fors finished the sentence for him, a strange mix of disbelief and resignation in her voice. "I got the Door Pathway as my Aspect."
Alista knew the Door Pathway was one of the strongest in their familiar lore, but it started notoriously weak and dangerous. "That means the Dormant Ability is…"
"The Blink ability," Fors confirmed. "Short distance teleportation. Door Opening seems to have been taken as an Attribute."
"Mine is Bribery," Alista mused. "I need to work out the exact mechanism of how it works."
Fors nodded. "Well, let me tell you my first Nightmare."
Alista listened intently as Fors began her account. "Well, I landed in some city that was floating in space. There was a massive war going on. I was assigned to a team whose only goal was to escape. I eventually succeeded, but that city… it was so strange. Somehow, the people didn't actually die, but it was way too eerie."
Alista's eyes widened, a horrifying piece of lore clicking into place. "It was the Eternal City."
Fors looked genuinely shocked. "Eternal What?"
"You stopped reading the novel after the Sovereign War, right?" Alista asked.
Fors sighed. "Yeah, I hated that climax. So, this Eternal City comes after the war, huh."
"Even I don't know everything about it," Alista admitted. "But I know two things: first, the Nightwalker came from there, and second, it's a city that belongs to the Demon of Repose. There are other tidbits, too."
"But after clearing it, what happened shocked me to my core," Fors said, leaning forward.
Alista frowned, a sense of foreboding settling over him. "What happened?"
"I met Klein Moretti," Fors whispered, naming the ultimate protagonist of their former fictional world, the Lord of the Mysteries. "He gave me the Uniqueness of Door, but he seemed to be expecting my arrival."
Alista Tudor physically jerked, staring at her in stunned silence. 'Klein? First Adam, and now him? Why are the Pillar-level guys roaming here and interfering in our Trials!?'
Fors noticed his reaction. "What is it?"
Alista took a steadying breath. Now was the time for full disclosure. He recounted his encounter with Adam and how he had gained the Uniqueness of Black Emperor.
Fors was stunned into silence. "Adam… Seriously. What the hell are the Pillar-level guys doing here?"
"Yeah, even speaking his name is dangerous in the wrong context," Alista reminded her grimly. "We need to get stronger as fast as possible."
Fors nodded, the severity of their situation outweighing all previous cynicism. "But do we need to align ourselves with the main cohort? Only then can we power up as quickly as possible, and survivability is definitely higher, even though I hate them."
Alista shook his head decisively. "No, we can't align with them. They are simply a bunch of hypocrites. They might sacrifice us in a heartbeat if they saw an advantage, especially with our abilities. We don't need to ally with them nor disturb them."
He stressed the critical reason. "Let's stay hidden and focus purely on Adam's and Klein's involvement. Moreover, the [Fated] Attribute mixing with Adam's abilities will not lead to anything good for us."
Fors conceded the point. "Your Flaw, then?"
Alista detailed his [Mad King] Flaw—the extreme hunger for strength. Fors, in turn, revealed hers: a vulnerability that caused her to send out involuntary ravings once every twelve days, a massive security risk tied to the Door Pathway.
After this intense discussion, their decision was unanimous. They needed knowledge, training, and a controlled environment to practice their new, powers.
They exited the room and met with the Awakened official waiting for them. Their next step was clear.
They decided to go to the Academy.
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