A frail-looking young man with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes was sitting on a rusty bench across from a police station in NQSC. He had jet-black hair, and light gray eyes that seemed to shine if perceived closely.
He had accepted his fate.
Aelon was infected with the nightmare spell— which wasn't unusual by any means.
There was a few problems though.
First of all, outskirts rats like him, rarely survived their first nightmare, much less made it past the awakening process. Now the second reason was a heavy one, one that made sure that his chances lowered even more.
He was thirteen.
When the realization hit him, he cried. Naturally of course. After the first day of not sleeping, he felt fatigued. But now it has been three nights.
The short boy... was seeing things he shouldn't. Things that weren't real. Illusions cast by his own mind, which rushed him to enter the realm of unconsciousness.
Looking at his skinny, and alabaster arm, that was covered by something he could rarely call clothes, his eyes darted upwards to his wrist.
A bracelet. A beautiful one at that. No matter what Aelon tried— he couldn't take it off.
The pattern was complex, yet ethereal. A metal weaving that resembled chainmail formed the chain part of the bracelet, with a pendant that weaved into a flame, that had an infinity sign below it.
Ever since he could remember, he had this bracelet on his arm, and couldn't remove it no matter.
With a hurting head, he raised himself from his seat, and approached the police station.
'I guess it's time to go.'
Aelon didn't want to by any means— but his wishes, weren't of matter in this case.
The grey-eyed boy cleared the street, and entered the police station, a tall officer with dirt blonde hair, and green eyes meeting his gaze when he stepped inside.
He was behind the register, and eating a donut.
"What are you here for kid?"
"As demanded by the Third Special Directive, I am here to surrender myself as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell."
Aelon's youthful voice sounded funny beneath such a serious sentence. The officers eyes widened, and he froze.
"Are you sure kid? You don't seem old enough to be infected by the spell. When did you start showing symptoms?"
"Four days ago?"
The tall man went pale immediately, and spat his donut out, pressing something on his terminal.
"Code Black! I repeat Code Black!"
Before he knew it, the officer grabbed him by the wrist, and dragged him down the stairs, that were located on the backside of his desk. A metal door eventually came in his way, and he heard multiple officers rushing around the building from above.
The officer entered a code, and with a sizz the door opened. The room before him... was something else. Thick metal reinforcements covered the walls, and in the middle of the room, there was a chair, that looked something between a hospital bed and a torture chair.
They entered the room together, and the officer sat him on the chair. Around three officers rushed through the metal door, and helped him shackle Aelon.
Now... he could barely move, and the officers assumed a stance with their rifle on the walls... pointing at him.
'I'm fucked.'
The blonde officer now stood in front of him.
"What's your name?"
"Aelon."
"You have any family or friends we should contact?"
Aelon looked at him with a deadpan expression and then eyed his own clothes, as if to prove a point.
"None."
"I assume you're educated about the nightmare spell?"
"I am, until a few years ago I was in an orphanage, they made sure I knew everything I have to know."
The officer's eyes narrowed.
"So you know that you'll have to kill."
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Very well. Make sure, even if you know you'll die, to drag it out. We want to make time for an awakened to come."
Swallowing down tears, Aelon just bit his lip and nodded, looking down.
"Alright kid, I know you want nothing but to sleep right now, so I'll grant you that wish. You don't have to keep yourself awake anymore."
Aelon nodded.
The darkness around him, was already enveloping him moments before, but he had tried his best to stay awake, and fight against the spell's call.
Now that he let go, sleep came easily.
'If I really do make it out alive... I'd like to eat chocolate.'
The dark embrace of sleep came, but just as soon as it did, it was gone already.
...
In the darkness, a faintly familiar voice rang:
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]
He opened his eyes.
Aelon could barely see. The surroundings didn't have a shred of light, all he felt... was the cold. Cold, icy stone beneath him, not the comfortable chair he sat in moments before.
When he tried moving... he couldn't.
The clinkering of metal could be heard. And when he looked down, he saw it. Metal chains that were binding his two hands together, connected to a big metal ball.
His feet were the same, also connected by chains.
The floor was wet.
Aelon could hear wailing. It was coming from all directions, young, old, and adult wailing. One thing was constant though–– they were all male.
'Oh no...'