After years of studying.
Training.
Preparing for her First Nightmare.
The day had finally arrived.
Liu had awaited this moment for so long that, at some point, she began to desire it.
To long for it.
Not for glory.
Not for recognition.
But because the Nightmare seemed simpler than her life.
There, the rules were clear.
Kill.
Or die.
No social expectations.
No fake smiles.
No need to maintain lies.
Just her.
And her sword.
The only thing she had left.
That morning, sleep came differently.
It wasn't ordinary exhaustion.
It was weight.
Dense.
Inevitable.
Her limbs grew heavy.Her vision blurred.Her consciousness dragged downward.
She recognized the signs.
She moved calmly.
With the serenity of someone used to enduring worse things.
Compared to the constant cold in her chest…
The fear of the First Nightmare was light.
She informed the teachers.
She was taken to an isolated room.
A place prepared to protect her body while her mind crossed the threshold.
She lay down.
Closed her eyes.
And then she heard it.
A voice.
Ancient.
Imposing.
Cold.
But not hostile.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Spell of Nightmare. Prepare yourself for your First Trial…]
She did not respond.
She didn't need to.
When she opened her eyes again…
She was no longer there.
Liu found herself in a strange place.
But not inside it.
It was as if she were observing from the outside.
Like an invisible spectator.
Before her stood a small kingdom.
Peaceful.
Green fields.
White towers.
Children running through the streets.
Time began to accelerate.
Days passed in seconds.
Seasons turned.
And then—
War.
The sky darkened with smoke.
Gates were broken.
Soldiers invaded.
Fire.
Screams.
Blood on pale stone.
The peaceful kingdom was consumed.
Devastated.
Reduced to ashes.
Liu watched.
Unable to interfere.
She saw mothers embracing their children before blades fell.
She saw soldiers hesitate.
She saw despair.
That was hell.
"That is the cruelty of war…" she murmured.
There was no romanticism.
No honor.
Only destruction.
She watched until the last scream faded.
Until nothing remained but smoke.
Ash drifting in the wind.
Her chest tightened.
Not with fear.
But with understanding.
The sword she had trained with for years…
Was an instrument of this.
"Will I be able to do it?" she whispered.
For the first time in a long while, doubt appeared.
She was strong on the training field.
But there?
There was real death.
Real consequences.
If she failed, there would be no second chance.
The scene began to unravel.
Ashes rose.
The world cracked like glass.
And the voice returned.
[The Trial begins now.]
The ground vanished beneath her feet.
And this time…
Liu was no longer a spectator.
The world fell.
And Liu felt the impact.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a small room.
A single bed.
A simple desk.
A mirror fixed to the wall.
And hanging from a hook, an old military uniform.
Worn.
Stained by time.
It took her a few seconds to understand.
She was not observing.
She was inside.
She had taken someone's body.
"How troublesome…" she murmured.
If she were a civilian, she could simply flee.
But a soldier?
A soldier defends.
And defending is harder than attacking.
She walked toward the mirror.
And stopped.
"What is this…?"
She had always heard that in the Spell, one assumes a body similar to one's own.
But this…
The face was hers.
Delicate features.
Restrained expression.
But the hair—
White.
Long.
White like freshly fallen snow.
And the eyes…
Red.
Dull.
Without their usual brightness.
She touched her face.
Felt the skin.
Real.
"How strange…"
She tilted her head slightly, analyzing.
"I look better with white hair…"
There was something about it that fit.
Something that felt… more true.
It was uncomfortable.
Yet, at the same time, far too natural.
At that moment, a soft knock echoed at the door.
Liu turned.
Opened it.
On the other side stood a tall man wearing the uniform of that kingdom.
Rigid posture.
Serious gaze.
But the moment he saw her, he looked away.
His face flushed slightly.
"General… we have bad news."
General.
So that was it.
She looked at herself.
Nightgown.
Of course.
When she had taken over the body, it had been sleeping.
"Wait."
She closed the door.
Changed quickly into the uniform hanging on the hook.
Practical movements.
No hesitation.
She felt no embarrassment.
There was no room for that.
Her life was at risk.
Exaggerated reactions would be a waste of energy.
She opened the door again.
"Speak."
The soldier straightened.
"The Kingdom of War has begun its final advance. They intend to end the conflict once and for all."
Liu remembered the images she had seen from above.
The massacre.
The flames.
So she had entered just before that moment.
"Our superiors have left the defense planning under your responsibility, ma'am."
Hope shone in his eyes.
Expectation.
Again.
Liu's mind went blank for a second.
She knew how to wield a sword.
Not an army.
"Why me?" she asked, keeping her voice firm.
The man looked confused.
"Because no one is more capable than you, General."
The admiration was evident.
The invisible chains tightened around her wrists.
Once more.
"Conditions?" she asked.
To survive meant to win.
"The enemy army will reach the capital in three days."
Three days.
"How many are they?"
"About five thousand."
She absorbed the information.
"And us?"
The soldier hesitated.
"Approximately twelve hundred."
Silence.
Almost five times fewer.
Liu began walking down the corridor, even without knowing the place.
The soldier followed.
"Do we have walls? High ground?" she asked.
"Yes, General. The capital is surrounded by tall walls, but our supplies are scarce. Many soldiers are exhausted."
Numerical disadvantage.
Fatigue.
No guarantee of reinforcements.
She searched her memory for everything she had learned at school.
Formations.
Basic tactics.
Containment theories.
But this was different.
This was real.
People would die because of her decisions.
She stopped in front of a window.
In the distance, the city looked peaceful.
Unaware of what was approaching.
Future ashes.
"We are five times smaller…" she murmured.
The soldier remained silent.
Waiting.
Trusting.