Milo never considered himself to be particularly unlucky. In fact, it was anything but that, but the luck was in small increments. A lucky guess on a history quiz, a lucky hit to gain just one more point in combat classes. Small differences that improved his everyday life.
'Today should be no such exception.' That was the mindset Milo had, even as he walked away from the small corner store having bought his sister Lucy a chocolate donut with his allowance because she spent all of hers on merch for Queen Bee.
"I mean, I get being a fan of Queen Bee and all that, but how did you spend one hundred dollars on merch?" Milo questioned his sister. She looked up at him with disappointed eyes, followed by a disappointed sigh.
"You've had a girlfriend, right?" Lucy asked in between bites of her donut.
"Once, what about it?"
"Bet it didn't last long. Either way, your instinct was to buy matching things or show photos of her to your friends and be like Look at how beautiful my girlfriend is, isn't she awesome?' Now replace girlfriend with favorite Dreamscape champion."
Milo pondered the idea for a moment, then shook his head. "But you don't even know them like that. The reason I would be willing to spend money on a girlfriend is that I know her and love her. I'm a fan of other people like Leo Striker and The Fool, too, but you don't see me sending them donations on their streams or even buying merch of theirs, just feels like a waste."
"Do you still know that girl you dated now? Was it worth spending that money?" Lucy teased.
"Wow... where did you learn to be this brutal? But, yeah, I'd say it was worth it." Milo's voice was tinted with a sarcastic sadness.
"I only learn from the best, which happens to be you, or dad when he watches Dreamscape sports tournaments. The Aspects make it really interesting."
Milo nodded along. "Absolutely." He then looked ahead and noticed Lucy's school was up ahead. Milo was in high school already, so the two would go their separate ways until the day ended.
"Okay, be good, Lucy, don't let anyone beat up on you and get revenge when combat training comes around, alright?" He kissed her on the cheek. "Love you, be safe."
Lucy waved him off. "I will be."
Milo continued his walk to school. Combat classes in the morning seemed unlucky at first, but that happened to be the opposite. The mats would usually get dirtied by sweat after other classes had their turn, which meant there was only one time when they would be clean. That would be in the morning.
So Milo went along his way happily, praising his luck in his head.
When he arrived at school, it was a bit early before classes started. So he ate a light breakfast of small pancakes with honey. Honey had been one of the many replacements for maple syrup, which had disappeared a couple of years back.
'It always hits perfectly.'
Milo looked around the cafeteria; it seemed none of his friends were here yet. Then a hand smacked his back roughly, nearly forcing him to spit out the mini pancake he had been chewing.
"Ow! What's your problem, douch-" Milo turned around to a truly disappointing sight, it was simply his friend, Callum. "Oh, hey, Callum."
"Caught you by surprise, didn't I? You seriously looked ready to kill me."
"Something like that, my sister got a real nasty hit on me this morning, so now I'm gonna cope by beating your ass in sparring."
"Yeah, sure, whatever keeps you going. Not like you could whoop my ass in a million years." Callum mocked with a shrug.
Milo, meanwhile, shook his knee impatiently. There was a reason he was so excited to spar, and it was because he beat a big shot back in the Dreamscape. It was a fan competition; whoever won would receive the award of a soul shard, yes, a soul shard. A real soul shard, not those ultra-realistic replicas.
Milo had managed to win by a series of luck, really, or skill? Milo couldn't tell. He dodged attacks he shouldn't have been able to, thrusts that should've missed knicked the side of the big shot. Slashes that were overcommitted moved him out of the way of attacks.
'A streak of genius luck...'
But some part of him held out hope that it was just talent manifesting.
----
Sparring class began. Milo was dressed in a white dobok, and a flat wooden stick was his weapon. Mundane weapons were used in training but never in sparring.
Milo took in a deep breath as he faced off against Callum. The instructor scanned the room, then shouted. "Begin!"
Milo stepped forward with a light thrust that Callum side-stepped. Callum retaliated with a wide swing that Milo blocked and redirected to off his balance. Milo then upped the pressure. He swung downwards, then used the momentum of his body to follow up with a side kick.
Milo didn't stop there, swing into a thrust, into punch. He felt himself following a flow he rarely got into. It felt like he was in the Dreamscape, fighting the combative AIs at night once again.
Milo was on the verge of winning, just a single hit, it was all he needed. Milo feinted a thrust at his chest, redirecting into a slash at Callum's chest, but before he could finish however, the school's speaker erupted with an alarm blare.
"Warning, warning, this is not a drill. A gate opening has occurred nearby. Please follow the evacuation protocol."
The rest of the students began murmuring; the instructor was talking over his communicator. Milo noticed his lips mouth "Shit."
"Everyone, follow protocol and get out of here-"
Before the instructor could finish, the ceiling collapsed as a grotesque Nightmare Creature pushed him into the ground. The padded mat ripped from the force alone.
The Nightmare Creature itself looked like a deformed, rabid, and much too big bat. It had skinless wings that still spanned about double the side of Milo. It's claws were a shaded black and red... no that was just the blood from the instructors flesh. Its claws were biting into the instructor's back, likely constricting around the spine.
There did not seem to be another Nightmare Creature nearby, so what the hell was this one doing here?
'Did the defenders not hold it down in time?'
Regardless, this was a Nightmare Creature, and the instructor was clearly dead... or at least close to it. So, Milo did what anyone would do... get the hell out of dodge, of course.
His feet already braced, but the Nightmare Creature was much quicker than that. The damn thing had already begun to speed over to another student. Milo watched
'It's not worth it, you can't beat that damn thing! That guy is as good as dead! You have a mom and dad and sister waiting for you!'
But so did he, did he not? Didn't that other student want to live too?
Milo cursed at himself as he grasped the wooden stick and rushed towards the Nightmare Creature. He locked his shoulder as he tackled it into the Nightmare Creature. It veered to the side with a shriek, its claws barely missing the other student who was frozen in place.
"Go! Get out of here now!" Milo shouted as he scrambled towards the exit, but the other student still wasn't moving.
"Shit, come on!" Milo grabbed the student by the collar and began to drag him away. That seemed to wake him from his haze as he began moving on his own. By then, Milo had practically shoved him through the exit to the locker room, and Milo was about to follow.
Then he heard a shrill screech from behind him. The Nightmare Creature lunged at him, nearly splitting him in two with its claws. Milo barely stepped out of the way; it had taken off his left arm.
Milo let out a scream, frankly it was one he didn't know he was capable of. It stung like no pain imaginable. Milo fell to the ground weakly. He raised the wooden stick to protect himself, in the next second, it had been split into two like it was nothing more than cotton candy. The splinters of wood flew everywhere, and some stabbed into his arm.
Then Milo tried something ridiculous. He grasped the part still held in his hand and tried to stab the jagged edge into the Nightmare Creature, to no effect.
'I'm going to die! I don't want to die! Come on! Someone, anyone!'
Milo didn't have the strength to speak. Then the demented bat looked at the jagged piece of wood. It bit down on the jagged edge and tossed it to the side. It was toying with Milo. It let out a shriek as it raised its claws and brought them down on Milo's stomach.
Milo let out a shrill and quiet whimper; the claws grasped around something in there. Tears began to flow from his eyes, and blood exited his mouth with violent coughs.
"It hurts, it hurts," Milo muttered weakly. The Nightmare Creature yanked its claws back, pulling out bits of his flesh and the track of his intestines alongside it, at least part of it. Milo desperately clung to consciousness. The Nightmare Creature raised its other set of claws, this time aiming right for his neck. Milo raised his hand, covering its path. The Nightmare Creature swiped down regardless.
Two of its claws pierced through the palm of his hand. It didn't try to pull back and get another angle. It pressed down its claws, the sharp edges biting down into his neck, piercing through the skin.
Milo couldn't push the claws back up. He tried, by the gods he tried, but he failed. He felt memories pass by him, memories of watching Lucy grow up, of playing with his parents, of his first win in a local Dreamscape tournament for one hundred dollars. His first girlfriend. It all passed by in milliseconds, yet each memory felt like it lasted forever.
Despite the searing pain, despite the burning sensation of his own stomach acid pouring onto his skin, Milo smiled. He hadn't lived long, but he lived a fulfilling life, that was enough...
'No, no... that's not true. I still want to try more things. I want to become a Dreamscape legend. I can't die, please don't let me die.'
Milo felt relief enter his right arm as the pressure pressing down on it subsided. The Nightmare Creature grew still, eventually falling to his left side. Milo's mind was hazed; he was falling in and out of consciousness. He saw a leather-covered figure look over him. In their hand was a bloody spiked mace. The figure picked him up.
It was a blur from there, possibly because he was dying, or because the Awakened carrying him was moving through the school at inhuman speeds. He saw empty halls he once talked with through friends, and he saw the courtyard, normally filled with only a couple of students, now packed with them. He heard murmurs of worry and concern. Possibly because they almost died.
How could Milo have possibly known that those murmurs were over him, as his gutted and mutilated body was carried by the Awakened off towards the ambulance there?
---
Milo awoke to a bright light above him. The first thing he felt was the lingering pain of his injuries. Milo tried to sit up, only to yelp in a mix of pain and surprise. He looked down and noticed the lingering scar on his stomach. He also had scars on his arm and two noticeable circular pink spots on his hand.
Then he remembered what had happened. The Nightmare Creature, his stupidity, and his near-death.
"Ah, you're awake." A woman's voice startled him as he looked to his left. Sitting on the stool nearby was a beautiful woman with light brown hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a mix of brown and green tunic robes. along with a long, brown dress that covered the entirety of her lower half.
"I'm Awakened Liyou, your healer. I'm glad to see you're okay. Unfortunately," Milo didn't need to be told the bad news; he looked down at his left arm, or at least what used to be his left arm, now it was just a stump that barely left his shoulder.
"My arm wasn't recoverable?"
"Yes, despite my best efforts, it simply refused to heal. It's like its very existence just seized to be."
Milo took in the information, then looked around the room.
"Where are my parents? Or my sister?"
"Your parents are currently in the waiting room. Visiting hours are over, so they chose to sleep there so they can visit you first thing in the morning."
"In the morning? How long was I out?"
"About a day, you got her at around 9:30 AM, and it is currently 3:30 AM. Do you think you could walk? Your injuries are healed but not completely; they'll still hurt."
Milo contemplated for a moment, then tried to stand. It hurt, but nowhere near as bad as what he had experienced.
"I'll manage."
Awakened Liyou led Milo to the waiting room. There, he found his sister sleeping peacefully with puffy eyes. His mother and father were awake, however. Their eyes lit up with joy when they saw Milo. It seemed like they wanted to hug him, but were too afraid of hurting him to do so.
Lucy didn't seem to care. As soon as she heard the commotion, she practically jumped into her brother's arms, causing him to yelp in the process.
He returned home with the advice to take it easy and to stay home from school for a week. The drive back home was awkward, not because of any issues but because of one particular conversation.
His mom turned to him from the passenger seat of the PTV, and her look had a mix of both pride and disappointed in it. "I heard what you did, Milo... I couldn't be prouder or more disappointed in you. You saved that boy's life, and from what I heard, you didn't even hesitate. Do not forget that fact. You saved a life. Yet, you nearly lost yours in the process. Please don't ever do that again."
"You did well, Milo... but as your mother says, you were way out of your league. It's a miracle that the Awakened who saved you got there on time. Apparently, he had been nearby because his younger brother attended that school, and he was waiting to pick him up early for a doctor's appointment. People love you, Milo, we do, your aunts and uncles and grandparents do. Your friends were also worried sick. Callum insisted on staying in the waiting room, but we insisted he go home and get rest."
'...Really?'
Lucy remained silent; she simply stared at Milo with tears quietly trailing down her face. Milo wiped them off and held her in a gentle side hug, which she happily leaned into.
"I won't. I don't think I'd ever have the guts to do that again." The word guts echoed in his mind. The terrible sight of that grotesque bat ripping his stomach open with its claws. A phantom pain suddenly emerged, along with a shudder. The only comfort that he was okay being the warmth of his sister at his side and the music playing over the speakers of the PTV.
Arriving home, Milo went to his room and laid down. He looked at the stump of his left arm.
'This... is going to take a while to adjust to. At least until my prosthetic gets here.'
Milo felt awfully tired... that couldn't be right. He had just slept through the entire day. Milo resisted closing his eyes and got up out of bed. He walked down the flight of stairs and went to the living room where his mom and dad were talking.
"Guys, I think I contracted the Nightmare Spell." He felt another myriad of problems and stress wash over his mind. Today must've been his unlucky day.