Loki had a dream.
He saw a vast writhed forest. The landscape looked diseased, an expanse of blackened soil and twisted shapes. The treetops were grey, the trees looked like twisted skeletons, their bark splitting like wounds, the leaves had turned into thorns that looked like rusted needles.
He saw animal shaped things move with unnatural motions their bodies wrapped. Birds flapped in crooked circles, their wings twisted. Smaller creatures crawled their shapes defied any anatomy Loki knew.
The entire forest felt wrong.
Suddenly the scene fell silent, then the sky lurched. The sun jerked backward like a dragged lantern.
Loki realized time was moving backward.
The forest below him begin to change.
Black soil lightened. Thorns shrank into buds. Twisted trees straightened, bark smoothing over wounds. Mutated beasts convulsed, bodies collapsing inward before re-forming into the animals they once were. The forest rejuvenated rapidly, moonlight flickered in and out, skipping across the land like a stuttering film reel.
Centuries peeled away in an instant. Then, with one final flicker, the rotten forest collapsed into its earlier form.
Loki found himself looking at a beautiful living forest. Birdsong rose from the canopy. A breeze swept through the branches. Sunlight dripped through leaves like gold.
And at the forest's edge, a small town appeared buildings bright and simple, smoke drifting peacefully from chimneys.
Time came to a stop, then slowly resumed its usual pace.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]
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Loki woke with the faint sensation of falling.
His eyes opened to a slow-moving fog. It drifted in pale streaks above him, stirred gently by the morning breeze. For a moment he didn't move, thinking about the dream he just had. Then he lifted his head.
He was lying on a narrow dirt path. The ground was soft beneath him, thick with fallen leaves and old pine needles. The scent of damp soil filled his lungs. Overhead, trees rose like pillars, stretching into a canopy that filtered the sunlight into muted gold.
The forest was still alive not the rotting husk he had just seen, but a calm, breathing wilderness. Birds called to one another in faint, melodic notes. Somewhere in the distance, something rustled through the undergrowth. The world felt clean.
Loki pushed himself upright, heartbeat unsteady. His body was different. He had already expected this, so he wasn't too surprised.
He wore a plain shirt, rough trousers, and a dark cloak clasped at his shoulder. His hands were rough. His body felt younger and stronger. Whoever he was here, he was not Loki the boy from NQSC. This was clearly a body he had inhabited and would be using during this Trial.
Suddenly something brushed against his foot. A chill ran down his spine. Loki jerked back ready to fight an eldritch abomination but then he froze "…You've got to be kidding me,"
A small cat was staring up at him with the expression of someone clearly unimpressed, its fur black as soot, eyes a muted amber. The creature blinked once, slow and calm, then stepped closer and nudged its head against his ankle.
Loki stared, heart still thumping in his chest.
"…Hello?"
The cat meowed softly, then sat down.
Loki let out a long exhale, steadying himself. "Right. A new body, a cat, and a forest that about to be corrupted. Fantastic."
Slowly he reached down and gently scratched its head. The cat closed its eyes in silent approval.
Loki looked around himself, he was clearly on a trail, which was either going to the town at the edge of the forest or deeper into the forest. For the time being Loki wanted nothing to do with the forest so he decided to go towards the town but before doing that he had to check his runes.
"Let's see…"
Remembering how Sunny had done it, Loki concentrated and thought about "Runes." Indeed, as soon as he focused, shimmering runes appeared in the air in front of him. Loki didn't know what language this was but he could understand what they meant.
Loki quickly read the runes describing his aspect and attributes and was a very surprised.
----
Name: Loki
True Name: ---
Rank: Aspirant.
Soul core: Dormant.
Memories: 1
Echoes: 1
Attributes: [Child of Mysteries], [Mark of Divinity], [Clown].
Aspect: [Circus Performer]
Aspect Description: [A two trick pony. Who could light things on fire and play with cards.]
----
Loki was dumbfounded as he looked at his runes, the aspect was one thing but what surprised him even more was that he already had a memory and an echo. Reading the description Loki quickly broke off a branch from a nearby bush and tried to light it on fire. And sure enough a couple of minutes passed and there were no signs of a fire.
Loki let out a deep sigh "and here I was planning to burn the whole forest down to get this nightmare done with."
Looking around Loki found an already broken, completely dry branch and tried to use his ability again and within a minute it was burning. Loki felt slightly depressed now, his aspect was basically like having a lighter. Not very practical in a fight. He didn't have cards on him so he couldn't test the other part of his aspect for now.
Cheering himself on, Loki decided to check his attributes. While not as important as one's aspect, the Attributes were often the deciding factor between life and death. They represented one's natural traits often providing interesting effects.
[Mark of Divinity] Attribute Description: "You bear a faint scent of Divinity."
[Child of Mysteries] Attribute Description: "You can see the unseen. Comprehend the incomprehensible."
[Clown] Attribute Description: "You possess a strong control over your body, making you a master acrobat and circus performer."
Loki stayed silent for a moment. One attribute was somewhat useful.
Concentrating once more Loki thought about the memory he seemingly had and an image of a deck of cards appeared in front of him with a string of runes below that read:
[ Deck of cards: An ordinary deck of cards with nothing special about them.]
Without stopping for a moment Loki thought about the echo and a new set of runes appeared before his eyes:
Echo: [Black Cat]
Echo Type: Monster
Echo Core: Awakened.
Echo Attributes: [Unseen], [Dull], [Predator]
Echo Description: [ A Dull Cat that likes to hunt mice.]
Once again Loki was dumbfounded, he looked at the cat in front of him and was at a loss for words but before he could do anything else, a faint sound reached him wood creaking, wheels turning. Loki tensed quickly picking up the stupid cat, he moved silently toward the edge of the path. Through the thinning fog, he saw a man leading a small cart, the wheels bumping softly over uneven ground. Bundles of chopped firewood were tied atop it.
The man looked normal. He had a calm face, a trimmed beard. He hummed faintly under his breath, a simple tune without sharp edges.
He passed by Loki without noticing him, continuing down the path toward a clearing where wooden rooftops broke through the mist.
A town. The same one Loki saw forming in reverse, he swallowed and carefully followed the man from a distance.
The path opened into a modest settlement built where forest met open land. Houses stood close together, wooden walls darkened by years of weather. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys. A well stood at the center of a small square, where a few townsfolk spoke in low, pleasant voices. It looked ordinary.
Children laughed near a stack of crates. A baker arranged loaves behind a window. A dog dozed by a fence. Everything had a warmth to it.
Loki stood at the edge of the square, the cat in his arms. The townsfolk glanced at him with polite curiosity, offering nods, small smiles.
A woman carrying a basket paused beside him.
"New face?" she asked gently.
Loki nodded. "I… I suppose."
"Forest paths can be tricky this time of year." She smiled. "Be careful near the old grove. The ground is soft after the rain."
Her voice was light and friendly. But for some reason Loki's hair suddenly stood on end he felt goosebumps.
Loki forced a faint smile. "I'll keep that in mind."
The woman nodded, satisfied, and walked away without a second glance.
Loki exhaled slowly.
Something was deeply wrong.
He wandered the edges of the town, observing. In the daylight, the place looked harmless, quiet, peaceful, nestled comfortably beside the forest. The cat followed him silently, tail twitching occasionally. Every person he saw behaved normally. Their steps even, their voices calm. Their routines unremarkable. But the longer he watched, the more wrong it felt.
Something was very wrong here, Loki just couldn't put a finger on what, the entire town unsettled him.
He shivered, pulling the cloak tighter around himself. He felt the cat's presence at his side, small and warm. He exhaled slowly, bracing himself.
"A normal town," he said quietly. "A normal forest. A normal day."
He looked at the darkening edges of the woods.
The wind shifted. The trees seemed to lean closer, as if listening.
Loki turned away, leading the cat back toward the town, the unease settling in his bones like cold water.