'What did I even do here…?'
So many souls were walking in front of him, helpless people with an ember of hope burning inside them. So weak, so fine that the cold wind of Antarctica could have snuffed it away. But no one could blame them; every change could be terrifying, and this one was quite a large one. Countless civilians were walking in the direction of a weird portal, the thing so gargantuan it reached the sky as if it was nothing. Since the Dark Age, it has become natural to flee when a Nightmare Gate opens; children were crying, and the parents did not have the words to comfort them. All of them were reaching for the easiest and maybe the sweetest train of thought.
"Don't worry, my love, there's no danger. Look, the government is here; if it were dangerous, they would have told us so."
"...I know, I know, I miss Daddy too... I'm sure he's waiting for us on the other side…"
"...There's a lake, look at it, isn't it beautiful? And the castle!"
Lie. All lies. They know well that the truth is harsh. Peace was never a thing to begin with, but within each lie resides a small piece of hope. In this world, that's the only thing that keeps humanity afloat. But hope can only delay despair, not vanquish it. That would be for another day.
He didn't know why he was here. Why did soldiers have to die this very same day against some Nightmare Creature if there was someone this strong on humanity's side? His help would be like a drop of water in the deepest ocean. He needs to become stronger. That is not a wish, but a truth.
A small scream echoes in this endless march; it seems close enough for him to look for the cause of it.
His body started moving, walking against the flow of people. He was not massive, neither in height nor thickness; only his armor made him stand out from the crowd. A soldier. Those who looked at him closely would have surely shivered. Why would he look like he is in-
Not enough time; the man was already moving toward his goal. Which seems to be an elderly man, with not enough fat nor cloth to protect him from the icy environment. Other people were walking around them, avoiding any interaction with this man who could be their grandfather. One look was enough to see the problem: a bump just behind him, him being unable to stand up, and what was left of it melting after each step against it only to turn into a cold and slippery mud. No word was spoken, a hand was given, and...a stick?
A flying stick, to be precise.
-"Take this to help you walk toward the Gate. Don't worry, it will stay with you until you reach the other side."
Another small scream was heard, then another. With this much movement, it was predictable, at the very least. Accumulation of fear with a hint of limitation, and one can easily break. All of them were slowly breaking, reaching for their limit if not already reached. The reason was simple, a question that those who know the harshness of life could ask without a doubt.
'Since when? Since when can the head of the Valor clan do...this?'
No one is truly good, because goodness tends to get discarded the more power you get. People in power will only move when they have something to win...or to prevent the loss of a valuable asset. Of course, those who decide to hide their face from the truth will thank them blindly. Fortunately, not everyone is like this, and they can be easily spotted right now because they are all looking at the sky with doubt and rage. The concept of good timing is not based solely on luck. There are just two sides: one had the power to influence things, and the other had to pray that he would be saved. The world didn't turn on luck but on calculus with people as numbers. And sadly, this one wasn't a good sign. You can call him paranoid; he won't give a damn. You should never trust those in power blindly; you have to keep questioning their every action. One word can hide multiple truths.
Did he really want them to believe that he had challenged his Fourth Nightmare alone? Sure, there are some unique people in this world. Some challenged their Second Nightmare alone and survived, and even fewer try to do so with the Third and survive to tell the tale.
Still, some "anomalies" exist to show the boundless potential of humanity, like the last member of the Immortal Flame clan who had challenged her Second Nightmare alone as a sleeper. And then, it doesn't explain anything; anyone with enough brain cells can find it weird. He wants them to believe that he overcame his Fourth Nightmare alone, knowing the Chain was happening? Even before, the Obel scale was less and less accurate, and we did find out about the possible Chain of Nightmare.
No one would have done that, or at least alone. But if he was not alone, where were the others? All the Saints that came with him, where are they?
Every government agent, with enough time, will come to hate the current Great Clan. Song and Valor are fighting each other like freaking children while people are dying from lack of help and strength. How many funerals did he attempt? How many were lost because of them? Friend, family, or loved one. He is serving the people while being seen as a meatbag by those he would trust to have his back. Sure, there were some people in each domain who still had some heart; that shouldn't be a special trait but a norm.
No. Maybe this being just doesn't care anymore what people think of him at this point. Even if we complain about him, what could we do about it? Clouds made of blades were flying above them; he really despises the Legacy clan. Not because of his work as a government agent. Not because of the inequality that they impose. No, it was just far simpler than that.
He hates them because they exist.
Back at his post, his short brown hair was floating with the wind while a groan escaped from his lips. As he stretched his body, the cracking sound of his bones and the friction of the fur from his suit against itself became one.
Maybe he could just be thankful, being happy for those who are walking out of this freezing hell. But what about the others? Those who died just before his arrival. No, better. What about those in Erebus Field? Or Falcon Scott? The entire campaign in Antarctica Center could have been far more successful if someone with his power was there. Did he just choose not to come, or was it something else? That didn't matter; he will do his job.
His tongue clicked, restraining any slur that might come after. If onl-
Something changed in the air; his eyes were looking everywhere, searching for something that was never there to begin with. A slight fog seemed to wrap his mind, but before he could do anything, the world became white, a wave of heat came crashing against his body... against everyone around. Screams rose again, but far more frenzied, and the number kept rising. A moment was needed to focus on this... thing. What he saw was a giant figure made of white flame, which disappeared a moment later. Panic kept rising; everybody was starting to push his neighbor, who pushed them back in return.
-"Fuck this s-"
'No, seriously, what am I doing here?'
Any movement that he was planning to do was interrupted. Something was definitely wrong. His hand rose slightly to reach his head, but he froze. His eyes widened.
'Since when did I become this... jacked up? Why is my skin this pale? Am I sick?'
What were those stupid questions? He had more important matters at hand right now. He needed to
'Hum, where am I?'
What? No, but... That's a good question. Where was he? Since when was it this cold in summer? Everything felt... weird? Like every sensation was too much. Each sound. Each smell. Each touch. Too many details. And what he saw… was not possible. He was in armor? Thousands and thousands of people in front of him who are screaming? What was the giant... thing? His head became weightless, something was stuck in his throat, and a knot was forming in his stomach. All he could do was fall on the snow behind him. His hands positioned themselves without him knowing it, preventing him from falling completely. His breathing was accelerating with no way to calm it. All this was too much. If it was a dream, it was a bad one. With no way to confirm his doubt, his body finally found solace. With his consciousness slipping away, one last thought was created.
'Go fuck yourself… Flaw of mine…'
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The weather was heavy; even if he could burn outside from the heat, he could smell it. The dust, the humidity—a storm was coming. Xavier was walking back from his shopping trip with only cat food in one hand. The other was holding a phone and was reading some chapter of a web novel. Not that he could do anything else, he had no one to call. No family alive, no friend available. The harshness of life at his pinnacle.
But hey, at least he wasn't really alone; Goblin was here! "Goblin the Cat" was...a cat. His cat, the poor beast, had no luck when he was named; a moment of craziness, and he was stuck with a weird name, if you could call it a name to begin with. At least Goblin the Cat was not to be pitied since he was living like a king! He had all he wanted: food, space, and toys. His fur was brushed, and his master was not stingy with the petting and all those hugs. Xavier can say without a doubt that his cat was happy. Not that he could say the same for himself.
Not that he was truly unhappy, but he felt that he was lacking something. Something to put some stars in his life. He was missing the passion, the fierceness! And the sad thing was that he didn't notice it until he started this web novel.
Walking under this sun would surely be a bad idea, so he chose to go to the nearest bus stop. Was it an excuse to be at ease while reading on his phone? Yes, absolutely. It was one of his treats in his pale and insipid life. But could he be forgiven for his sloth? After all, the storyline was just breathtaking, and now there was a lot of lore dropped about the Weaver! There was also the Mad Prince and the plot twist with Cassia! Breaking fate, time loop, a lot of battle—this is what he needed. What he wanted, what he wished for.
But wishes never come true…
Sitting in silence, one leg on the other, he kept reading his fantasy. The main character was quite peculiar; his search for freedom was something Xavier could understand but not approve. It was easy to imagine that to be free of everything would mean that you have nothing. If he wanted to be free of taking care of Goblin, he would just lose him. The same goes for his duplex; if he wanted to be free of paying the landlord, he would become homeless. Sadly, Sunless was flawed. Far from being perfect, and that's the reason why his growth was interesting.
But nothing is eternal, and he was about to reach the end of the volume. Yet, he kept reading it with hunger; he wanted to know what would happen! Soul Weave was discovered, the Vile Thieving Bird had ambushed Sunny, and… He wasn't able to see correctly; the sunlight blinded him. From what he had seen, the Nightmare Spell had reacted to the attack.
A weird noise suddenly came into his eardrum; something was...buzzing? Moving his head in discomfort, his eyes looked at the sun. Blinded by it for a second, his mind suddenly seemed to be asleep, only emerging from its slumber little by little. The first thing that he saw was the lack of road. Then it was his hand and forearm that looked changed... The rest was hard to remember: the coldness of the snow against his hands, the portal... Nothing was logical, so the imagination took over.
'If it's really this, I'll punch someone. What was it? Be careful of what you wish for.'
He had indeed wished to have a life full of adventure, but there is a problem…
What about Goblin the Cat!?
Someone had to take care of him, to give him love and peace. No, no one else can do it except him. Finally, Xavier was able to perceive his surroundings; it was the same feeling as finding a specific instrument in music and not being able to not hear it afterward. His perception seemed to have changed a bit, but now he was really lost. Looking at himself, all was back to normal, no more muscle, pale skin, or overflowing energy. He didn't know if he needed to be sad or not for those points in particular. After a while he had decided to keep his calm until he got to find some information about his situation...until his eyes looked at the water under his foot.
Under him, a vast and endless lake, or at least it seems so. He had already thought of the worst, so when the first clue came to his attention, a long and exhausted sigh left his lung. The "Sea" of the Soul Sea. Slowly but surely, his gaze moved to find a star. The Soul Core was supposed to be as bright and warm as sweet sunlight. But here, he was...sick? No, veiled.
The brightness was not extinguished but surely suppressed. To him, it looked like the Soul Shard was trapped inside a fishing net. He stared at it in silence, without any movement, then…
-"Seriously!? The dwarf breaks fate, and I'm pulled inside the story?!"
Not only that, but he couldn't wake up. He was either stuck here, or he just didn't know the correct way to do so. He did allow himself to break down for now; the tears would wait until there was no other option. After all, maybe he just had a stroke, and he was now imagining things. There was no proof that he was really here to begin with. And yet, even in this situation, he was thinking about one thing.
'When I get back, Goblin will be grumpy…'
Without any idea for now, Xavier decided to just sit down. There was surely an exit, a way out, a solution. What to do… What's the basis of a Sleeper in this damn world? The Nightmare Spell?
He was not sure if it would work since, as far as he knew, he did not walk past his First Nightmare; he wasn't even infected. But at the same time, being in a Soul Sea would mean that maybe you are recognized by it.
'I have nothing to lose... I hope so at least.'
Closing his eyes, he didn't know what to say or what to think, so eventually, he just tried to visualize it the same way as it was in the web novel. Name, Rank, Aspect, Attributes, Abilities, Echo, Memories, and Flaw… Or maybe it was not in this order? Without searching too far, he kept going with his attempt. It was maybe after half an hour that he finally sensed something. Far from being painless, it was like a sharp, burning needle wanted to poke his brain. He wanted to stop it, but at the same time, something appeared in front of him.
The Soul Sea was slightly warmer; maybe there was just a little more light. He didn't know since he hadn't seen much since his first attempt until now. But his attention was caught by the flying window; things were written on it, but the majority was blurred. There was only one exception.
Aspect Rank: Transcendent
After all this time, there was finally something new! Not only was he able to summon his Rune, but he was also able to get something from it. Yes, it was not that big, but if he was able to get this, maybe he'll be able to get more with more time.
After that, it was not like there was someone waiting for him at home.
Closing his eyes, he continued to work to unlock more of his Rune. At the same time, the veil around the Soul Core was slowly but surely getting thinner and thinner.