Weak gasps and metal clanking in a terrible cacophony as a stumbling line of slaves...came into view. Stretching multiple meters, they all shuffled in the snow-bloddy footprints, dirtying the untouched colour as they shambled forward. Their faces and bodies were unrecognisable. Litanies of the horrible scars and infected wounds that bled through dirtied rags, bones pushing against their malnourished skin.
All around them, War soldiers well well-built and fed rose on horses, torches and spear in their hands as they roared at the slaves to move faster- a few throwing blows at the stagglers, causing them to crash in the snow, weakly picking themselves up as they moved. In the forlorn landscape, the world became alive with the sound of wails, clanking and horse screeches all melded into a horrible symphony as the dead terrain silently listened.
Everyone watched the scene, their eyes twitching.
"Brother.." Rain whispered worriedly.
"Are..trials always like this..? so terrifying..?" Rain whispered in a worried tone.
"No..trials are never like this.." Jet replied with a frown.
Just as she was about to say something, the screen shifted, and new images were being shown.
Towards the back of the linked slaves...an especially small, scrawny and dirtied figure swayed, lurching forward as their knees gave out and they stumbled, crashing into the snow. Their body lay lifeless and still as the people ahead briefly glanced back before turning and lumbering forward, behind them the chains grew tight as they began to drag his weak and light body through the bloodied snow.
"b-brother..?!" Rain exclaimed with a pale face.
The screen shifted again as new images appeared.
But then...the body twitched. Its limbs convulsed as what should have been a corpse stirred. shakily raising a bony arm, the slaves pried themselves up as they stood motionless on the spot..as if spacing out.
Then, something beneath their disgusting hair shifted as they looked around, their voice sounding out.
"What...What the hell is this?"
step.step.Another step.
A dull ache was radiating through Sunny's bleeding feet as he was shivering from the cold. His threadbare tunic was nearly useless against the biting wind. His wrists were the main source of agony: badly hurt by the iron shackles, they sent a sharp pang of pain everytime the freezing touches his broken skin.
"What kind of a situation is this?!".
Rain shuddered as if she was feeling the pain also..
"h-how can this even be a trial? How is this fair..at all?!" It was Kai who spoke.
How could he describe the scene he saw..
It just felt..
so wrong to see..
He couldn't think what he would have done if he were in Sunny's position.
"h-how can you survive..something like this..?" Rain whispered in terror.
Rain always used to think Trials were difficult, but..not like this..
this..felt too difficult..t-too unfair..
"Sunny.." Cassie whispered, even she had a pale face, watching everything.
Nephis was having it the worst..
as someone whose entire goal is to eradicate the spell itself..
This was too much..too unfair..
How can a First trial be this terrifying..? It was Effie who spoke with disbelief and a terrified tone.
"h-he's going to survive right..?."
"h-he has to.. i mean, we saw the future of him killing Great Demon as a master.."
"B-Besides.. uh.. he has a Divine Aspect..! I-i am sure he will survive..!"
"S-see Look! He's trying to summon his runes right now; he'll show them." Jet voice as the screen shifted onto the Sunny.
Sunny was more bewildered than panicked.
True, these circumstances were not like what the first Nightmare were supposed to be. Usually, freshly chosen Aspirants would find themselves in a scenario that presented them with a fair amount of agency: They would become members of privileged or warrior casts with plenty of access to necessary weapons to at least try to tackle any conflict. Starting out as a powerless slave, shackled and already half-dead, was as far from being ideal one can imagine.
However, the Spell was as much about challenge as it was about balance. As the old policeman said, it created trials, not executions. So sunny was pretty sure that, to counter this abysmal start, it would reward him with something good. A powerful Aspect, at least.
"Let's see.. How do I do this?"
Remembering popular webtoons he read as a child, Sunny concentrated and thought about the words like "status", "myself" and "information". Indeed, as soon as he focused, shimmering runes appeared in the air in front of him. Once again, although he did not know this ancient alphabet, the meaning behind it was somewhat clear.
He quickly found the rune describing his aspect..and finally, lost his composure.
"What?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
Name: Sunless
True Name: -
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: -
Echoes: -
Attributes: [Fated], [Mark of Divinity], [Child of Shadows].
Aspect: [Temple slave].
Aspect Description: [Slave is a useless wretch with no skills or abilities worth a mention. A temple slave is just the same, except much rarer.]
Speechless, Sunny stared at the runes, trying to convince himself that he was maybe just seeing things.
Surely, he couldn't be that unlucky...right?
"W-What the fuck? No.. what the hell even is that?! h-how THE FUCK IS THAT AN ASPECT AT ALL?!?!" Effie yelled in disbelief.
By her side, Jet and Kai also stood, their faces alarmed as Kai's shaky voice rang out.
"B-But we saw a glimpse of his runes in t-the f-first viewing! It wasn't anything like this..he has a completely different aspect!".
"t-this.. h-how did he manage to survive then?!" Rain asked in disbelief.
stunned, no-absolutely shocked was the only appropriate way to describe the majority of at the display of the screen.
The screen flickered, and new images appeared on it.
"What is going on here?"
There was no particular menace in his voice, even something resembling concern. when everyone hesitated, the gentle-voiced slave answered:
"It's nothing, sir. We are all just tired and cold. Especially our young friend over there. This journey is truly too hard for someone that young."
The soldier looked at Sunny with pity.
"What are you looking at? You're not much older than me!"
Sunny thought. Of course, he didn't say anything out loud. The soldier sighed and took a flask from his belt before extending it to Sunny.
"Bear with it a little more, child. We will stop for the night soon. For now, here, drink some water."
"child? child?!."
Due to his thin body and small stature, both caused by malnourishment, Sunny was often mistaken for someone younger. Usually, he didn't hesitate to use it to his advantage, but now for some reason, being called a child really irked him. Still, he was really thirsty.
he was just about to take the flask when a whip cracked in the air, and Sunny suddenly was in a world of pain.
He stumbled, once again pulling on the chain and causing the shifty slave behind him to curse. Another soldier, this one older and angrier, stopped his horse a few steps back. The whip that sliced the back of Sunny's tunic open and drew blood belonged to him. Without even glancing at the slaves, the older soldier pierced his younger colleague with a disdainful glare.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The younger soldier's face darkened. "i was just giving this boy some water."
"he will receive water with the rest of them once we camp!"
"But.."
"Shut your mouth! These slaves are not your friends, understood? They are not even people. treat them like people, and they will begin imagining things."
The young soldier looked at Sunny, then lowered his head and put the flask back on his belt."Don't let me catch you making friends with slaves again, newbie. Or next time it will be your back tasting my whip!.
As if to illustrate his intention, the older soldier cracked his whip in the air and rode past them, radiating threat and anger.
"Well, he did say he was a slave" It was the Prince of Nothing who spoke, his voice laced with amusement, causing everyone to throw him a threatening glare, even Rain.
"It does seem like him." Kai murmured.
Sunny watched him go with well-concealed malice.
"i don't know how, but i will watch you die first."
Then he turned his head in the direction of the younger soldier, who was falling behind with his head still lowered.
"And you,second."
Such pettiness.. ahh.. as I thought you're truly interesting, sunless.. i would love to become your friend, ~ the prince of nothing thought with an ecstatic look on his face.
SO PETTY! Rain thought internally.
For a few minutes after that, Sunny was in a dark mood.
But then he pulled himself out of it and inhaled deeply, trying to enjoy the fresh air. Indeed, air like that was hard to come by in the real world: Micro dust and other pollutants made it rough and unpleasant, not to mention the general stench of the outskirts. In these better parts of the city, sophisticated filtration systems worked diligently-however, filtered air tasted sterile and stagnant.
Only the very rich had access to truly pleasant breathing. And here he was, able to enjoy an unlimited amount of pristine, delicious air like a second-generation chaebol.
"Truly, being chosen by the spell has its benefits."
If only there were no dreadful cold, his feet did not ache, and his wrists and back were not in agony! The slave caravan slowly dragged itself up by the mountain, with more and more slaves stumbling and periodically falling in the ground. A couple of times those who could not walk anymore were taken off the chain and unceremoniously tossed off the road, down into the abyss that loomed on the left of it.
Sunny watched them fall with a bit of compassion.
"Poor fellows. Rest in peace, you pitiful souls."
All in all, he was in good spirits. it was a bit strange to feel good amidst this disaster of a Nightmare,but thankfully Sunny had time to prepare himself for this eventuality. When the symptoms of the spell first appeared, he did not handle it well. Dying before you even turn seventeen was not something one could easily cope with.
But, in the end, it only took Sunny several days to come to terms with it. After visiting his parents' makeshift resting place, well, actually, since he was too poor to afford even the cheapest slot in the remembrance facility, it was just two lines carved into an old tree-and adding a third line for himself, Sunny suddenly became relaxed and carefree.
After all, he didn't have to worry about earning money, finding food, protecting himself and planning for the future anymore.
Once the worst that could happen had already happened, what else was there to fear?
"I-is he insane?" Kai muttered, sinking further into his seat, blood continuing to rush to his head.
Effie was undergoing a similar situation as her mouth opened and closed, rarely not a single snappy quip or questionably worded remark escaping.
"What in the GODDAMN SPELL?! What the hell was his life before the Trial...?"
By her side, Jet crossed her arms as she solemnly watched. "Hell. Life in the outskirts is a hell more real than any existing hell.. heck! even i was slightly relieved when i got infected."
All around voices became blurred as rain was glued to the screen, her lips quivering at the words.
"My..my real mom and dad have a grave..? A-and he was only 17 during this.." The more rain thought of it more pale her face grew..
How much had h-he gone through..?
A-and.. i still don't know.. Why he never appeared in my life..
o-or.. wait, he did.. but i forgot..? Her face grew so pale she was sweating at the horrifying realisation.
b-but w-why don't i remember..? w-why..? just then, an image of a person appeared in her mind but just as soon as it appeared it disappeared also.
The screen flickered, and new images appeared on it.
Using the opportunity, Sunny decided to take another look at his status and summoned the runes again.
The last time he was too outraged by the Aspect and didn't study the Attributes well. 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 and affinities, sometimes even providing passive abilities and effects.
[Fated] Attribute Description: "The strings of fate wrapped tightly around you. Unlikely events, both good and bad, are drawn by your presence. There are those who are blessed, and there are those who are cursed..but rarely both.
"Fated.." Does it have something to do with the memory gaps in our memories? Cassie wondered.
Fated.. f-fated.. w-why does it sound so familiar.. but at the same time so distant..?
w-why am i feeling like this..? Nephis wondered in a daze.
Is this fated attribute.. similar to my [Longing] attribute..?
Before she could think more, the screen flickered and new images appeared on it.
[Mark of Divinity] Attribute Description: " You bear a faint scent of Divinity, as though someone briefly touched by it once, a long time ago."
[Child of Shadows] Attribute Description: "Shadows recognise you as one of their own"
"Hmm.. interesting."
Sunny quickly Recognized the First attribute, [Fated], as the main culprit of his predicament. At first glance, it seemed to indicate that he was destined for a certain fate-to die miserably and vanish without a trace, for example. But after reading the description, He realised that being fated actually just meant the improbable things had a higher chance of occurring when he was around.
"I guess this is how I managed to receive one of the super rare useless Aspects- and a weird variant of it, at that!.
If [Fated] was his innate Attribute, then the other two came from the [Temple slave] Aspect.[Mark of Divinity] was more or less straightforward-it was supposed to allow passage into certain places inside the Dream Realm and enhance Several types of sorcery. Since there was no sacred place in sight and Sunny's Aspect had nothing to with sorcery, it was useless too. [Child of Shadows] was a stranger one. He had never heard of it and had no idea what it was supposed to do- at least not until the sun hid behind the mountain and the sky began to darken.
To his surprise, Sunny found himself able to see perfectly in the darkness, as though it was still as bright as day. This ability alone was nothing to scoff at, and it was quite possible that shadows would reward him with some other, yet unknown gifts.
"Smart, even with the situation, he's still processing things with logic" Kai said with a hint of admiration.
"He has three Attributes..but are they enough to make up for his useless Aspect?" it was Jet who spoke.
"The three attributes are indeed very particular, but.. [Fated] Especially is even more particular. Balance between positive and negative outcomes is an untouchable jurisdiction..but the emphasis on how good and bad are drawn to him. it seems like something directly influencing fate."
"So it's a powerful Wildcard.." Kai spoke, earning a brief nod from Cassie.
"It's likely something we may understand more if we watch more viewings.
for now, i cannot really say much other than it has some sort of purpose".
The screen flickered, and new images appeared on it.
"Stop the caravan! Prepare to camp!".
Following the Head soldier's order, the slaves stopped and fell to the ground, shivering and exhausted. The small clearing where the road widened was somewhat protected from the wind by a protruding mass of rock, but it was still too cold to rest with ease. The soldiers got busy herding the slaves into a tight circle, forcing them to share warmth and lighting up a large bonefire in the centre of the camp-although not before tending to their horses. The heavy wagon carrying food, water and other cargo, to which the main chain was firmly affixed, was pushed forward to block the wind.
While looking around. Sunny noticed the young soldier from before watching the mountain with a complicated look on his face.
"What a weirdo."
Soon, the bonfire was blazing. The stronger slaves tried to find their way close to the fire, while the weaker ones, like Sunny, were forced to sit at the outer end of the circle, with their backs freezing in the cold. of course, any movement was encumbered by the fact that they were still shackled to the chain. That's why the familiar Broad-shouldered slave ended up just where he started despite all of his effort to get closer to the flame.
"Damn imperials!" he hissed, clearly irritated.
The soldiers walked among the slaves, giving them water and food.
Sunny, just like everybody else, received a few sips of icy water and a small piece of rock-hard, mouldy bread. Despite its unappetizing look, he forced himself to eat the whole thing, just to be left as hungry as he was before. By the looks of it, he wasn't the only one. The shifty slave that had been walking behind him looked around in anguish.
"By all the gods, they used to feed me better even in the dungeons!"
He spat on the ground, desperate ." And most of us innocent men in the dungeon were there waiting to visit the gallows too!
A few steps away from them, where the paved road ended, and sharp rocks began, a scattering of bright-red berries was growing from the snow. Sunny had noticed them before, clustering here and there along the road, and even noted how pretty those resilient things looked contrasted against the white.
The shifty slave's eyes glistened as he tried to crawl towards the berries on all fours. "I would advise against eating those, friend."
It was the gentle voice slave again. Sunny turned around and finally saw him in the flesh for the first time. It was a tall man in his forties, lean and strangely handsome, with a dignified look of a scholar. How a man such as him ended up as a slave was a mystery.
everyone was slightly relieved to see nothing bad happening while leaving Mordret of course, who was watching it boredly.
just as they thought it would get better from here- as the air in the room shifted, the screen violently shook as the terrain shook.
Everyone's eyes widened as they saw what it was.