Upon entering the Nightmare Realm, the atmosphere shifted instantly.
The air grew heavier. The wind carried a scent of ash and something older something forgotten. The sky above was a deep, blood-red canvas, streaked with black clouds that churned like smoke from a distant fire.
A group of armored scouts sprinted toward Lane, desperation etched into their faces.
"There's an attack at the west gate, sir! Please you have to help our Sovereign!"
One of them collapsed to his knees, clutching Lane's chestplate.
Lane stared down at him, expression unreadable.
"Team, prepare for combat," he said coldly. "I didn't expect a fight this early… but the Nightmare Realm is random."
[ A Sub-Trial has been triggered: Eliminate the beasts at the Western Gate. Progress: 0/20 ]
Percy swallowed hard, fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade.
The Sovereign broke into a sprint.
They arrived at the gate and were met by twenty awakened, monster-class goblins. Their bodies were twisted, their eyes glowing with hunger. They clawed at the gates, desperate to breach the tombs of Boreas.
"Percy, Rain stay behind us. Provide support," Lane ordered, unsheathing his blade.
He dashed forward.
The goblins shrieked and lunged, but Lane moved like lightning. Thunder cracked overhead and then it struck. Bolts of raw energy slammed into the goblins, their bodies convulsing with crackling noise.
Lane blurred past them, his blade flashing once.
Then again.
Then twenty times.
Each goblin fell, severed cleanly.
'Wow… that was amazing', Percy thought, watching Lane wipe blood from his blade.
"Good work, Luna," Lane said.
Luna smiled, cheeks flushed.
The Sovereign leader bowed in gratitude. Most hadn't lifted a finger but he thanked them all the same. Together, the Sovereign and the Weather Reporters entered the gate to the Boreas Tombs.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the sky shifted.
Gone was the red haze.
Above them stretched a brilliant blue sky, dotted with soft clouds. The air was fresh. Flowers bloomed across the hills. Grass swayed gently in the wind. Nature thrived here impossibly vibrant for a realm born of nightmares.
"This is the Nightmare Realm?" ,Percy asked, eyes wide.
"This scenery is… too beautiful," he muttered.
Ruko slapped his back.
"Come on, short stuff. We don't got all day well, actually, we do. In Boreas space, the sun doesn't set."
Percy blinked.
"What do you mean? Did we enter a new realm?"
"Not exactly," Ruko replied as they descended the mountain. "We're still in the first Nightmare Realm. But there are different spaces zones that shift when you pass through a gate. Northern, Western, Eastern, Southern. Each leads somewhere different."
He paused.
"And then there's the central land. Dropped right on top of Japan. Left it in ruins."
Percy's mind reeled.
Realms inside realms. Gates that warped space. He hadn't realized how vast the Nightmare Realm truly was.
They followed a winding path down the mountain.
"We'll head to the tavern," Lane said, slinging a bag over his shoulder. "To grab a quest."
"A tavern? In a world filled with monsters and entities?" Percy raised a brow.
The Weather Reporters turned to him and sighed.
"You sure do ask a lot of questions," Rain muttered, adjusting her pack.
Percy stared at her blankly.
"Alright, kid," Lane said. "Not every entity here is a threat. There are human towns. Settlements. Bases. Not everyone's an entity."
Percy braced himself for another lecture.
He was still painfully uneducated about the Nightmare Realm.
"So, for starters," Lane continued, "there are two kinds of entities: demi-human entities and ordinary ones. Demi-humans are the apex. The rest are mindless beasts. Their intelligence varies by class and rank."
Percy frowned.
'Entities with minds? That could think?'
His thoughts soon shifted though worrying more about the other issue he had.
He glanced at his wisp bracelet, checking his mastery.
'I need to kill something fast… if I want to get stronger.'
They walked for what felt like an eternity.
Percy wanted nothing more than to collapse into a bed.
But the group had other plans.
They entered the tavern a dimly lit space filled with star-crossed adventurers and the scent of old wood.
"Hit us with an Astral Rank, barkeep," Ruko said, slamming a hand on the man's shoulder.
The barkeep looked miserable. Bags under his eyes. Movements sluggish.
He tapped his wisp bracelet.
[ You have been given a Sub-Trial: Slay the Astral Beasts in the Tombs of Boreas. ]
Percy glanced at the message.
Lane turned to the group.
"Alright. Everyone prepared?"
They nodded.
But deep down, Percy was thinking about something else entirely.
A nap.