Hey there, just a heads up — I won't be writing Nightmare 1 for either of them right now. That part will be skipped entirely. Partly because it doesn't really matter much, and mostly because I'm kind of lazy (my bad). I do have a rough idea of what it's going to be, though, so it might show up later in a future scene, and you'll hear Kaeya and Talion mention theirs soon as well.
Talion and Kaeya were soon escorted down to the basement of the police station. Several officers surrounded them — some were fitting restraints on their wrists and ankles, while others kept their guns trained on the two.
Talion would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous and even scared.
He glanced at Kaeya, who was already looking at him… then suddenly tilted his head upward with his eyes closed, mimicking that one golden retriever meme — the one where the dog looks like it's praying.
'This guy's for real joking at a time like this,' Talion sighed internally. 'Though, I guess he's just trying to cope.'
Once they were fully restrained, another officer entered the room. He started asking routine questions about their names and family backgrounds. Both Talion and Kaeya stuck to the orphans from the outskirts route.
The officer nodded, not looking surprised, and began explaining the Nightmare Spell — what it was, how it worked, what would happen next. Both of them listened quietly, even though they already knew most of it.
When the briefing was close to its end, Sleep suddenly hit them hard.
'Shit, I forgot to say something to…' Talion's thoughts drifted as his eyelids grew heavier. Some kind of parting words would've been nice. But then again, saying something that only the two of them would understand — in front of all these cops — would've just been weird.
Darkness closed in.
And then, a voice rang in Talion's ear.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]
___
[Dreamer Talion, receive your boon!]
"Finally, the moment of truth." Talion clasped his hands together in a praying position. The earlier shock from the nightmare had finally started to fade, helped along by his attribute.
"Please, please, please, something good…"
He knew he'd receive a Divine Aspect — his Nightmare had given him a Glorious Appraisal, after all. But he obviously wasn't sure what it would be.
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Grave Walker]
'Grave Walker, huh?' That sounded cool.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
[Dormant Aspect Blood Scribe is evolving…]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
[Aspect Name: Wraith Wright.]
He immediately opened his runes to check what he got.
Aspect: [Wraith Wright].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You shape the unseen into form. Where others see emptiness, you see potential. The wraith within you does not destroy — it creates.]
Innate Ability: [Wraith World]
Ability Description: [Your eyes pierce into the Wraith World, granting you sight beyond the ordinary.]
Talion quickly skimmed through the aspect rank and description. He couldn't make much sense of it, so he moved on and read the innate ability instead.
'That doesn't tell me shit!' Either the ability was underwhelming, or the spell had done a terrible job translating the runes. Because from what he could tell, the only real takeaway was that his eyes were better than normal.
But was that really useful enough?
He sighed and decided to wait, to see what kind of aspect ability he'd actually gotten.
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
Then it hit him — a feeling unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It started in his chest, spreading outward through every vein, every nerve, until it filled him completely.
It wrapped around his limbs like fire and lightning, reshaping him. He felt stronger, faster — sharper.
It was euphoric.
And then, just as quickly, it was over.
The voice of the spell returned, pulling him out of the haze.
[Awakening Aspect Ability…]
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Harvest of the fallen]
Talion quickly summoned his runes again. Excitement coursed through him. He decided to start reading from the top to savor the final reveal.
Name: Talion
True Name: Grave Walker
Rank: Dreamer
Soul core: Dormant.
Soul Shards: [0/1000]
Memories: [Pain Eater] [Sword of vengeance] [Ranger's Cloak]
Echoes:
Attributes: [Crimson Ally][Battle Master][Iron Will][Scholar's Vision]
Aspect: [Wraith Wright]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Abilities: [Harvest of the fallen]
Aspect ability description: [Those you kill do not vanish completely. You can claim their body as your own, or bind them to serve you.]
"Let's see… what's this about?" he murmured, eyes scanning the description.
'A necromancer-type aspect?' His eyes widened in surprise.
The "Wraith" part of his aspect's name should've hinted at it, but it still caught him off guard.
Before he could think further, the spell's voice interrupted again.
[All power has a price.]
[You have received a Flaw.]
Flaw: [Rotten Carcass]
Flaw description: [Every use of your aspect rots the body you are in.]
"What the fuck?!"
Talion froze, his brows furrowing in confusion and shock.
'That's too bad!' He had hoped for a simpler flaw. Rotten Carcass was basically a worse version of Nephis's flaw — while she only experienced pain, she could still use her body afterward. His, on the other hand, would become completely unusable after some time.
Even if there was some hope thanks to his [Crimson Ally] attribute, it still needed time to work — time he definitely wouldn't have in the middle of a fight.
The spell, however, didn't seem to think it was necessary to give him even a moment to process. Its voice echoed again before he could come to terms with it.
[Wake up, Grave Walker!]
The soul sea spun and disappeared.
Thanks for reading the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. There wasn't too much happening besides Talion's aspect reveal, but still.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks again for reading, and see you next time.