The Screen flickered and came to life.
A Frail-looking young man with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes was sitting on a rusty bench across from the police station. He was cradling a cup of coffee in his hands -not the cheap synthetic type slum rats like him had access to, but the real deal. This cup of plant-based coffee, usually available only to higher-ranking citizens, had most of its savings. But on this particular day, Sunny decided to pamper himself.
After all, his life was coming to an end.
"wait.. that's sunny?!" Effie exclaimed in disbelief.
Everyone was also surprised as they had never imagined Sunny to be such a frail-looking young man.
"Wait..is this before his first nightmare or something?" Kai spoke.
"b-but how can someone change so much?" Jet pondered.
Meanwhile, Rain was rubbing her eyes to see if she is seeing something wrong, but no matter how much she looked, it remained the same.
The prince of nothing simply watched it all amusedly.
The screen flickered and continued.
Enjoying the warmth of the luxurious drink, he raised the cup and savoured the aroma. then tentatively, he took a small sip and immediately grimaced.
Ah! so bitter!
Giving the cup of Coffee an intense look, Sunny sighed and forced himself to drink some more. bitter or not, he was determined to get his money's worth-taste buds be damned.
"i should have brought a piece of real meat instead. Who knew actual coffee is so disgusting? Well it's going to keep me awake at least."
He stared into the distance, dozing off, and then slapped himself in the face to wake up.
"Tsk, what a rip off."
Shaking his head and cursing, Sunny finished the coffee and stood up. Rich people living in this part of the city were rushing past the small park on their way to work, staring at him with strange expressions. Looking haggard in his cheap clothes and from the lack of sleep, unhealthily thin and pale, Sunny was indeed out of his place here. Also, everyone seemed so tall. Watching them with a bit of envy, he tossed the cup into a garbage bin.
So he's from the outskirts, huh? Jet mumbled with a dark look.
Rain looked at Jet in surprise and spoke. "Um so you are from the outskirts, uh.. miss jet?"
Jet looked at her and sighed, and calmed herself down and then spoke.
"Yes i was an outskirt rat who was also known as a street rat."
And she said nothing more, not wanting to bring out that topic again, and turned back to look at the screen.
"I guess that's what three full meals a day would do to you."
The cup missed the bin by a wide margin and fell on the ground. Sunny rolled his eyes in exasperation, walked over, and picked it up before carefully putting it in the trash. then, with a slight grin, he crossed the street and entered the police station.
Inside, a tired-looking officer gave him a quick glance and frowned with obvious distaste.
"Are you lost, boy?"
Sunny looked around with curiosity, noting reinforced armor plates on the walls and poorly hidden turret nests in the ceiling. The officer too, looked scruffy and mean. At least police stations remained the same wherever you go.
"Hey! i'm talking to you!"
Sunny cleared his throat.
"Uh, no."
Then he scratched the back of his head and added:
"As demanded by the Third special Directive, I am here to surrender myself as a carrier of the Nightmare spell."
The officer's expression instantly changed from irritation to wary. He looked the Young man over once again, this time with piercing intensity.
"Are you sure you are infected? When did you start showing symptoms?"
Sunny shrugged.
"A week ago?"
The officer became visibly paler.
"shit."
Then, with a hurried motion, he pressed a button on his terminal and bellowed:
"Attention! Code black in the lobby! I repeat! CODE BLACK!"
A few minutes later, Sunny was yawning while several policemen were busy putting him in restraints. Soon, he was fastened into a bulky chair that looked like a weird mix between a hospital bed and a torture device. The room they were in was situated in the basement of the police station, with thick armored walls and a formidable-looking vault door. Other Officers were standing near the walls, with automatic rifles in their hands and grim expressions on their faces.
Sunny did not particularly care about them. The only thing he could think about was how much he wanted to sleep.
Finally, the vault door opened, and a grey-haired policeman walked in. He had a seasonal face and stern eyes, looking like someone who had seen a lot of terrible things in his life. After checking the restraints, the policeman glanced quickly at his wristwatch and then turned to Sunny:
"What is your name, kid?"
Sunny blinked a few times, trying to concentrate, then shifted uncomfortably.
"Sunless."
The Old policeman raised an eyebrow.
"Sunless? That's a strange name."
"Sunless, huh?" Truly poetic, the prince of nothing remarked suddenly.
The more he watched more he grew curious about Sunny or "Sunless"
He had a feeling he would have a "really great time" as there might be some reason he was kidnapped and teleported here and was watching this guy called Sunny or "Sunless".
ah.. i wonder what rank your aspect is.. I can't wait to find out what your aspect is.. he thought with an ecstatic face.
The cohort completely ignored Mordret, while Rain wanted to speak but saw no one else talking and reluctantly also chose to stay silent.
Sunny tried to shrug, but found himself unable to move.
"What's so strange about it? At least I have a name. Back in the outskirts, not everyone ever gets one".
Jet watched it all with a dark look.
As she used to be an outskirt rat herself, she clearly remembered the hardships they needed to face to even survive every day.
The screen continued.
After another yawn, he added:
It's because I was born during the solar eclipse. My mom had a poetic soul, you see.
That's why he got this weird-ass name and his little sister was called Rain..back when she still lived with them, at least. whether it was the result of poetic imagination or simple laziness, he did not know.
The cohort eventually turned to look at the girl in question herself, who had her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.
Is Sunny your brother? It was Kai who asked.
No..as far as I remember, i don't have a brother
Or I "thought" Rain replied.
But then a memory hit her, of her teacher's supposed smug jokes, he used to say she was her long-lost brother..
B-brother.. rain finally spoke.
A faint memory of something or someone materialized in her mind her brother w-who..- but just as it came, it went away instantly.
b-but why didn't i ever knew i had a brother?! Where was he? and did he abandon me? If so..then WHY?! Rain screamed finally losing her composure for the first time.
She didn't wanted to act this way in front of her idol and her cohort members but consequences be damned!
This was her brother she was talking about, "her precious brother"
But instead of answering, the screen remained silent as if mocking her.
Rain glared resentfully at the screen, but still it remained silent.
[Refrain from asking Questions in the middle of the viewing as it isn't finished]
[As I have said before, i will say it again you will get 3 Questions you can ask after completing each viewing].
still glaring hatefully at the screen, she reluctantly sat down again.
Suddenly, she felt an intense gaze behind her and saw the young man who called himself "The Prince of Nothing" looking at her with an intrigued look.
As if noticing her looking back, the prince of nothing simply winked at her, which sent chills to crawl up under Rain's skin.
The screen flickered and then continued on.
The old policeman grunted.
"Do you want to contact your family?"
Sunny simply shook his head.
"There's no one. Don't bother."
For a second, there was a dark look on the policeman's face. Then his expression turned serious.
"Alright, Sunless, how long can you stay awake?"
"uh..not long."
The policeman sighed.
"Then we don't have the full procedure. Try to resist for as long as you can listen to me very carefully, okay?"
Not waiting for a response, he added:
"How much do you know about the Nightmare spell?"
Sunny gave him a Questioning look.
"As much as anyone i guess? Who doesn't know about The spell?"
"Not the fancy stuff you see in Dramas and hear in the propoganda broadcasts. i mean, how much do you really know?
That was a Hard question to answer.
"Don't i just go into the Dream realm, kill a few monsters to complete the First Nightmare, receive magic powers, and become an awakened?"
The Old policeman shook his head.
"Listen carefully. Once you fall asleep, you will be transported inside your First Nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by the Spell. Once inside, you will meet monsters, sure, but you will also meet people. Remember :
They are not real. They are nothing but illusions conjured up to test you."
"How do you know?"
The policeman just stared at him.
"i mean, no one understands what the spell is and how it works, right? So how do you know that they are not real?
"You might have to kill them, Kid. So do yourself a favour and just think about them as illusions."
"Oh."
The old policeman waited for a second, then nodded and continued.
"A lot of Things about the First nightmare depend on luck. Generally, it shouldn't be overwhelmingly hard. The situation you're in, The Tools you have at your disposal, and the creatures you have to defeat should be within the range of your abilities, at least. After all, the Spell sets up trials, not executions. You're a bit disadvantaged due to..well..your circumstances. But kids from the outskirts are tough. Don't give up on yourself just yet."
Hearing that, Jet smirked. Of course, Outskirt rats are built differently.
"You can do it, Sunny," Cassie whispered softly, her eyes fixed on the boy at the screen.
"Brother.." Rain whispered in a worried tone.
The screen flickered and continued.
"About those 'magic powers' you mentioned ..you will indeed receive them if you survive until the end of the nightmare. What those powers will be, exactly, depends on your natural affinity as well as what you do during the trial. But some of it will be at your disposal right at the start."
The voice of the Policeman sounded more and more distant. Sunny's eyelids were so heavy that he was struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Remember: The first thing you must do inside The Nightmare is to check your attributes and your Aspect. If you get a combat-oriented Aspect, something like a swordsman or an Archer, things will be easier if it is reinforced by a physical attribute, then that's even better. Combat Aspects are the most Common, so the probability of receiving one is High."
The armored room was growing dimmer.
"If you're unlucky and your aspect has nothing to do with combat, don't despair. Sorcery and utility aspects are useful in their own ways, you will just have to be smart about it. There are really no useless Aspects. Well, almost. So just do Anything in your power to survive."
"If you survive, you will be halfway to becoming an Awakened. But if you die, you will open a gate for Nightmare Creatures to appear in the real world. Which means that my colleagues and I will have to deal with it .
So please don't die, Sunless."
"Or at least try not to die right away. The nearest Awakened won't be able to get here for a few hours, so we really could appreciate it if you don't make us fight that thing ourselves."
"What?"
With that last thought, Sunny finally slipped into a Deep slumber.
Everything became black.
And then, in the darkness, a faintly familiar voice rang:
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare spell. Prepare for your First trial.