Shadow Slaves
Chapter 1: The Nightmare Begins
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 hand – not the cheap synthetic shabby rat he could access, but the real deal. This cup of plant-based coffee, usually only available to high-class citizens, cost him most of his savings. But on that day, Sunny decided to pamper herself.
Anyway, his life will be over soon.
Enjoying the warmth of the luxurious drink, he lifted the cup and enjoyed the aroma. Then, hesitating, he took a slight sip and immediately grimaced.
“Ah! Very bitter!”
Staring intensely at the cup of coffee, Sunny sighed and forced herself to drink again. Bitter or not, he is determined to get his money value – cursed tastes.
“I should have bought a piece of real meat. Who knew coffee was actually so disgusting? Well. At least it'll keep me awake.”
He gazed into the distance, fell asleep, and then slapped his face to wake up.
“Ck. Totally rip-off.”
Shaking his head and cursing, Sunny finished his coffee and stood up. The rich man living in this part of town rushed through the small park on his way to work, looking at him with a strange expression. Looking haggard with her cheap clothes and sleep-deprived, thin and pale unhealthy, Sunny was indeed out of her place here. Also, everyone looked very tall. Looking at them with a hint of envy, he threw the cup into the trash.
“I guess that's what you'll do three full days for you.”
The cup missed the trash bin by a wide distance and fell to the ground. Sunny rolled her eyes desperately, walked over and picked it up before carefully throwing it into the trash. Then, with a slight grin, he crossed the street and entered the police station.
Inside, a tired-looking attendant gave him a glance and frowned with obvious dislike.
“Are you lost, Son?”
Sunny looked around curiously, noticing the reinforced steel plates on the walls and the tower nests poorly hidden in the ceiling. The officer also looked messy and evil. At least the police station stays the same wherever you go.
“Hei! I'm talking to you!”
Sunny.
“Eh, no.”
Then he scratched the back of his head and added:
“As requested by the Third Special Directive, I am here to surrender myself as the bearer of the Nightmare Spell.”
The officer's expression instantly changed from irritated to alert. He looked at the young man once more, this time with a piercing intensity.
“Are you sure you are infected? When did you start showing symptoms?”
Sunny shrugged his shoulders.
“A week ago?”
The officer looked even paler.
“Cotting.”
Then, in a hasty motion, he pressed a button on his terminal and shouted: 'Hurry:
“Consideration! Code Black in the lobby! I repeat! CODE BLACK!”
***
The Nightmare Spell first appeared in the world a few decades ago. Back then, the planet was just beginning to recover from a series of devastating natural disasters and the ensuing resource war.
Initially, the emergence of a new disease that causes millions of people to complain of fatigue and persistent sleepiness does not attract much attention. But when they started to fall asleep, with no signs of waking up even a few days later, the government ended up panicking. Of course, at that time everything was already late – the initial response could not make any difference.
When the infected began to die in their sleep, their corpses turned into monsters, none of whom were ready. Nightmare Beings quickly overwhelm the national military, plunging the world into total chaos.
No one knew what the Spell was, what strength it had, and how to fight it.
In the end, the Risen One – those who survived the first trial of the Spell and came back alive – who stopped his rampage. Armed with the miraculous abilities gained in their Nightmares, they restore peace and create a new semblance of order.
Of course, it was only the first calamity inflicted by the Spell. But as far as Sunny is concerned, all of that had nothing to do with himuntil a few days ago, when he first started having trouble staying awake.
For most people, being chosen by a Mantra is a risk as great as the odds. Children learn survival skills and fighting techniques in school, if the chances of getting infected. Wealthy families hired private tutors to train their children in all kinds of martial arts. Those from the Awakened clan even had access to a powerful legacy, using the Memories and Echoes passed down in their first visit to the Dream Realm.
The richer your family is, the better your chances of survival become the Resurrection.
But for Sunny, who had no family to talk about and spent most of her time begging for food instead of going to school, being chosen by the Mantra gave absolutely no chance. For him, it was basically a death sentence.
***
A few minutes later, Sunny yawns while several police officers are busy holding her. Soon she was tied to a large chair that looked like a strange mix between a hospital bed and a torture device. The room they were in was located in the basement of the police station, with thick armoured walls and a sturdy-looking vault door. Other officers stood near the wall, with automatic rifles in their hands and grim expressions on their faces.
Sunny doesn't care about them much. The only thing he could think of was how much he wanted to sleep.
Finally, the vault door opened, and a gray-haired policeman walked in. He had an experienced face and firm eyes, looking like someone who had seen many bad things in his life. After checking the restraints, the policeman glanced at his watch quickly and then turned to Sunny: 'Sunny:
“What's your name, Son?”
Sunny blinked a few times, tried to concentrate, then moved uncomfortably.
“Without sun.”
The old policeman raised an eyebrow.
“Without Sun? That's a strange name.”
“What's weird about that? At least I have a name. On the periphery, not even everyone gets it.”
After yawning again, he added:
“That's because I was born during a solar eclipse. My mom has a poetic soul, you know.”
That's why she got this strange name and her little sister was called Rain at least when she was still living with them. Whether it was the result of poetic imagination or simple laziness, he did not know.
The old policeman snorted.
“Do you want me to contact your family?”
Sunny just shook her head.
“Nobody. Don't bother.”
For a moment, there was a dark expression on the police's face. Then his expression turned serious.
“Alright, Sunless. How long can you stay awake?”
“Eh.. not long.”
The policeman breathed.
“Then we don't have time for the full procedure. Try to hold on as long as possible and listen to me carefully. Okay?”
Not waiting for a response, he added:
“How much do you know about Nightmare Spell?”
Sunny gave him a questioning look.
“As anyone, I guess? Who does not know about Mantra?”
“Not the fancy things you saw in the drama and heard in the propaganda broadcast. I mean how much do you know?”
That's a hard question to answer.
“Don't I just go to the Dream Realm, kill some monsters to complete the First Nightmare, receive magic power and become the Resurrection?”
The old policeman shook his head.
“Listen carefully. Once you fall asleep, you will be transferred into your First Nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by Spells. Once inside, you will definitely meet monsters, but you will also meet people. Remember: they are not real. It's just a conjured illusion to test you.”
“How do you know?”
The policeman just looked at him.
“I mean, no one understands what a Spell is and how it works, right? So how do you know that it's not real?”
“You may have to kill them, son. So do yourself a favor and just think of them as illusions.”
“Oh.”
The old policeman waited for a while, then nodded and continued.
“Many things about Nightmare First depend on luck. In general, it shouldn't be too difficult. Your situation, the tools you have and the creatures you must defeat must be within your reach, at least. After all, the Spell set up an experiment, not an execution. You are slightly harmed because.well. But the kids from the outskirts are tough. Don't give up on yourself first. “
“Uh-uh.”
Sunny's getting sleepy. It becomes difficult to follow the conversation.
“About “magic power” you mentioned. you will indeed receive it if you survive until the end of Nightmare. What that power is, exactly, depends on your natural affinity as well as what you do during the trial. But some of it will be ready to help you from the beginning.”.
The old policeman's voice was heard further and further away. Sunny's eyelids were so heavy that she struggled to keep her eyes open.
“Remember: the first thing you should do once inside Nightmare is to check your Attributes and Aspects. If you get battle-oriented Aspects, something like Swordsman or Archer, things will be easier. If it was strengthened by physical Attributes, then it was even better. Combat aspect is the most common, so the chances of receiving it are high.”
The armoured room is getting dimmer.
“If you are unlucky and your Aspects have nothing to do with fighting, do not despair. Magic and Aspects of utility are useful in their respective ways, you just have to be smart about it. There really is no useless aspect. Yeah, almost. So do anything with your strength to survive.”
“If you survive, you will be halfway to being the Risen one. But if you die, you will open the gate for Nightmare Beings to appear in the real world. Which means my colleagues and I have to deal with it. So please don't die, Sunless.
Half asleep, Sunny felt somewhat touched by the police's words.
“Or, at the very least, try not to die right away. The nearby Awakened will not be able to arrive here for a few hours, so we will be very appreciative if you do not make us fight the creature itself”
‘What?’
With that last thought, Sunny finally fell into a deep sleep.
Everything went black.
And then, in the darkness, came a rather familiar voice:
[Candidate! Welcome to Nightmare Spell. Prepare Your First Test]