After confirming the change in appearance — fun fact: the original owner of this body and I shared a pretty similar build — I headed toward the bed, trying to recall everything I knew about the First Nightmare and how to survive it.
The First Nightmare, as many called it, was the initial trial conjured by the Spell so that the afflicted could evolve beyond human limits — an Awakened.
Of course, Awakened beings, though not the strongest, were the elite in the fight against Nightmare creatures — something a normal human could never hope to match.
And I… was on my way to becoming one of them. This stage is called Latent, a state halfway between a Sleeper and an ordinary person.
As a Latent, you have certain… privileges. The main one being the ability to access the Nightmare Spell's functions and, through them, see your Sleeper status.
Something I definitely wanted to try. If I got lucky with a good crafting-oriented Aspect, I could land a well-paid job in a renowned clan and live far away from danger.
With renewed hope, I started trying ways to access my status, using words like "status," "information," and so on. Curiously, the phrase that actually worked was:
Could you show me my status?
Name: Bell
True Name: —
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Inactive
Memories: —
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Philology]
Aspect: [History Apprentice]
Aspect Description: "As an apprentice of history, you must study it to understand its complexities, contradictions, and wonders. But like time itself, history is infinite — and we will never know it completely."
…Alright. There goes my dream of relaxing with a good salary in a respectable Legacy clan.
Although apparently, I do have an attribute: [Philology]. And… that's a little depressing.Others get things like [Regeneration] or [Iron Skin].I get [Philology]. What even is philology?
[Philology] — Attribute Description: "One of the main tools a historian must master to properly explore history is the ability to understand ancient writings — something you already seem familiar with."
So… I'm multilingual? Or infinitilingual?
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
The sound of the door interrupted my train of thought.
—Yes? —I asked whoever was behind the door.
—Derick, it's time to come down for breakfast, —a male voice replied from the other side.
(Who's Derick?)
—Sure? I'll be down in a bit, —I answered, trying to convince whoever it was to leave.
And so, the person behind the door walked away, apparently satisfied with my response.
(Who was that? One of the Nightmare's enemies?)
Those were the questions that ran through my head after that brief exchange.
(Should I go down and check what he meant? Is he even trustworthy? What if he's some kind of monster that can't enter without an invitation—like a vampire?)
Paranoia — or as I like to call it, precaution — filled my mind with questions about how to handle the situation.But in the end, one thought rose above all the rest:
(Well… there's no food here, so… should we go?)
Yes, this body was hungry, and that hunger pushed me to risk my life.Is that a good reason to die? Absolutely.
Finishing my train of thought, I got up from the bed and stepped toward the unknown.When I left the room, I found myself in the hallway of a normal house, with papers scattered everywhere.
As I walked down the corridor, I came across a staircase leading downstairs. I descended, searching for the kitchen. When I arrived, I saw someone sitting at the table, eating.
He was a tall man, even while sitting. He looked a lot like the body I now inhabited — probably a close relative.
—Hello, son. Come eat, I've got something incredible to show you.
…Yeah. Family. Wonderful.