Samael dreamt of a castle. A white castle. It's exterior was covered in weird markings and the structure of it was alien, something that wasn't made quite for humans but something like humans. Pillars of white stone rised into the heavens in the background as a white mist enveloped the ground. There were also something akin to streetlights, adorned with 4 horns on top of them.
Samael found himself in front of a gate, it had something akin to wings or petals of white marble across it and the gate itself was also adorned with 4 horns, the exact same as the previous ones. If there was something even stranger was that the gate itself didn't have a door, it was more so just an entrance to the main building, but the mysteries didn't stop there.
Samael felt a pull, a strong desire to enter the palace, as if someone had put a rope on his body and was pulling from inside the gates. But the single most harrowing thing about it all was that Samael felt... peaceful. As if it was his duty, his purpose, to enter and see what would become of him, what would shape his being what would strengthen his mind and soul. He took a step forward, then another.
Rap, tap, tap. Was the only sound that could've been heard from Samael, his breathing could hardly be called that as he just walked slowly, caring about nothing else than to finally fufil what was fated for him. As he got closer the pull got stronger, his pace quickened as the desire to finally become what he desired all his life was near him. Another step and he'd cross the gates, another step and he'd finally do it.
He took the last step needed to cross the gates, what he saw inside made him dread his decision from before. He saw... him, the one he was supposed to serve purpose to, the one who'd grant him everything he needed... dead, on his throne, a cracked shell was all that was left on his, no, "its" mask. The last thing Samael felt was the world turn upside down as his head left hid body, catching the silhouette of a guard that was guarding a dead castle, the guard's schyte wasn't made for slicing, it was made to shred, instead of one clean blade it had many little blades that were covered in Samael's blood.
Then he woke up.
***
A cold sweat ran through his forehead as Samael practically jumped from the bed, the covers were uncomfortable from all the heat and salty water that was covering the whole body of Samael by now. His heart quickened but then it calmed down, a single thought passed his mind.
'A nightmare, it was just a nightmare.'
But something didn't quite sit right with Samael, his brows furrowed as he sat on his soft bed. It had the covers of a rock band he liked, one from the past at least, he jad to give it to the people before the dark ages, they had a taste in music. But now wasn't the time to flatter the music of the dead.
Dreams, or in this case a nightmare, were usually something familiar, something that has happened before or at least the person dreaming had caught a glimpse of, but this was different. It felt as if the memory of the dream wasn't his own, Samael had never encountered a white castle like this, even the drawings of Bastion he had seen weren't quite the same as this, it was completely new to him which wasn't normal for dreams...
'Then again, with how the world is this isn't all that strange. But what does it mean though?'
In a world that was defied by dreams and nightmares Samael didn't think for a second that this was a coincidence, not to mention the bizzare nature of the dream. He also felt something else right now, he was sleepy. He certainly didn't go to sleep early yesterday beacuse of certain reasons... but Samael felt tired before, and this was like nothing he had ever felt before. His eyes widened as he gasped for air.
His once before quaint and comfortable room now felt like a prison, one he was going to be forcefully pulled out of and thrown into the world outside his cell, the world of the Nightmare Spell.
His right leg started to shiver up and down as he clasped his hands together and put them to his lips, a habit he had developed over the years when he was stressed, but now he wasn't stressed, primal fear gripped his heart as he realized what this meant. Honestly he knew that something like this was bound to happen, with his luck or lack thereof, he was a prime candidate for the Nightmare Spell, he was 17 years old and was a boy that didn't felt like he belonged anywhere. Perfect to be thrown out into the dream realm and fight just for survival, that was, if he survived the first of his nightmares.
"Ah no really, was it such a sin, to save myself? Am I being punished? By the dead gods I want to go back to that pleasant dream I just had, it's a lot more better than what will happen to me next..."
Samael checked his phone, it was 6 in the morning, the moment his eyes met the screen he automatically thought 'Oh, I still have some time left, I'll get some sleep' but then he realized. The moment his eyes closed he'd have to survive, no dreams were left for him, only horrors that wanted him dead, maybe even people if he was truly unlucky. There was also another thing that troubled him.
'What am I gonna say to my parents?'
They were by all standards, respectable people. They had raised Samael well enough, they certainly indulged in his games as a child, they helped him through when he was feeling down. They were everything he could ask them to be and that's what made him wonder from time to time, in a world full of crazy people, religious devotees that believed the gods were not dead and people that were akin more to beasts than humans, how could his parents be so... sane? It was a stupid thought sure but he still to this day found it odd that they had never once despaired too much, as if they were unable to. Samael didn't even feel like he belonged in his home, he was too different from his parents, which wasn't unusual but it was definitely to a degree that made him question his very being from time to time.
"I should probably wonder how not to die in my first nightmare though."
Samael finally stood up from his bed, he opened the door that lead to the hallway, the familiar feel of the wooden floor hit him with a different sensation than before. He put his hand on the white walls, feeling their texture, it was smooth and st times bumpy. He felt the light of the lamp above his head hit his eyes, he examined the design of black and gray flowers for just a moment more than he usually did, then his hand was placed on a silver doorknob, opening it he entered the bathroom. The first thing he saw was the sink, it was like a ceramic white bowl, a single drain stopper was in it's middle, pushing it down would well, stop the water from leaking. Then came the mirror, and the face Samael wore.
His blue eyes had bags under them as he splashed water on his face, the tips of his black hair near his forehead got wet and became darker than he rest. His cheekbones weren't pronounced and were instead rather thin, a few hairs grew on his chin as he massaged it, noticing that he hadn't shaved yesterday or today, one of the few habits he somewhat liked to do for some reason.
He opened the drawer on his left, it was a little bit above the sink itself so there was room underneath it, there, a decorative plant was placed, devoid of any life, Samael never had to water it but it would also never grow either, he thought it an accurate representation of himself. His hand reached for a shaver, his family was definitely not poor but they would rather not get one that was powered by essence or whatever it was that made the things move, instead it was a normal shaver with 4 razor blades all at an angle that were attached to a blue head. He felt the familiar rubber when he held it, the weight of it was made just right for him, after going through a few models in a few years he found the perfect one.
He brought it to his chin, he didn't use any kind of shaving cream, all he had done was water it with the faucet and that was it. The blade glided across his chin, then close to his hair and finally on his neck, Samael wasn't quite thinking straight and so the shaver bit into his skin as a drop of blood fell on his shirt, staining it, as if this was just the beginning of something worse. He stared at it for a few moments before he dropped the sharp object. He curled up in a ball as a single mutter escaped his lips.
"I'm gonna die."
***
A police officer was standing behind his desk. Arms crossed and the face of a man who was too tired to think anymore. Today was just as uneventful as any other day, as uneventful as it could be. He wore the standard police uniform that was required of him from the government, a blue attire with a vest and a badge, that badge was worth less than scraps but it was still something. Then a young boy entered the station, looking back and forth as if unsure of what to do, the man immediately spoke up.
"Hey kid! Are you here to report a crime or are you lost?"
Honestly, he wasn't getting paid enough to care but was paid enough to pretend to care. The boy shifted, his eyes wavering between the ground and the officer. The officer raised an eyebrow, the kid was getting on his nerves by being so quiet, if he had something to say he should've spat it out a long time ago, just as the officer was about to wave the kid off he finally spoke, his voice was shaky and dry.
"A-as demanded by the Third Special Directive... I am here to surrender myself as a carrier of the N-Nightmare Spell... sir."
The officers rage was replaced by a worried look, he shot up from his chair almost immediately as he stared the boy in the eyes, his tone was dead serious, as if his very life was on the line right now, and it technically was.
"Kid, how long do you say you've been infected?"
The young boy thought for a few moments, his eyes were barely open as he replied weakly and with a yawn.
"I think it was 7 days ago, sir..."
The officer immediately hit a button under his desk as his face went pale, panic was an understatement to describing his current state.
"Code Black! I repeat, Code Black!"
***
Samael was walking down a corridor, the lights above were shining red as he was being escorted to a chamber by a few officers. They were all armed with some sort of high tech guns, at least by Samael's standards, and were ready to pull the trigger on him the moment he went to sleep and died, something that would've created a nightmare creature, certainly not of a high rank or class but it would still cause mayhem.
After a few minutes of walking they reached a room, the doors to it were made of highly reinforced metals, it was 2 floors underground for obvious reasons and was far away from any exit for even more obvious reasons. One of the officers scanned his hand on a screen besides the door as it opened, a soft hiss was heard while the heavy doors were being moved by mechanical engineering and some advanced power source.
The room itself wasn't too big, it was nothing more than a cube that housed a few tables that were human sized, said tables had leather straps as restrains to make sure any individual that got on them wouldn't be able to move in their Nightmare. Currently, one of them was being occupied by a young man, similar to age of Samael, he had black hair and pale skin, no muscles or fat on him, just skin and bones, maybe even the spite to live just beacuse he felt like it, Samael already knew why the boy was here, after all, he was there for the same reason. Four of the officers left the room as the doors shut behind them, leaving only Samael, the Pale boy and a senior officer with white hairs and a firm look in his eyes, he wasn't an awakened but being old in such a profession demanded respect, after all, he had survived what many couldn't, and as a mundane too. His voice was stoic and serious, his brown eyes locked onto Samael.
"You could fall asleep any minute now so I'll cut to the chase, are you familiar with the Nightmare Spell and what you should do in your first nightmare?"
Samael chuckled inwardly, how could he not? The world revolved around the damn thing and there were hundreds of thousands of novels, webtoons, shows and movies about the Nightmare Spell. He himself did his research one day, fear gripped onto his heart as he wanted to at least be prepared... now he really wished he'd have payed more attention In those training drills.
"Yes, as much as I can be at least. The Spell is unforgiving and relentless but it's not unfair, that much I've heard, I should also check my attributes the moment I enter the nightmare, right?"
The man nodded as he strapped Samael down, his legs and arms were unable to move as his head wasn't capable of turning at the very moment.
"That's correct. As you said, it will definitely be hard but possible, the first Nightmare is suited for the individual and so is the perfect first trial, you may also find yourself in the body of someone else, but don't worry too much, the spell should provide you with a similar body to yours. But there is one final thing you should remember, the most crucial one."
The officer's voice was getting distorted as Samael's eyes felt heavy, he was tired, so tired, maybe it wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for just a moment, just an instant, he would've done so if he didn't receive a slap on the cheek.
"Stay awake while I'm talking! Remember, this is a dream, nothing more than a fabricated lie from bygone eras, who you will meet aren't real people, at least try to make yourself a favor and think this beacuse people are the most dangerous creatures of them all. You might have to kill, it's either their life or yours, and I don't want to deal with a monstrosity before backup arrives, you understand boy?"
Samael, despite being a little angry at the man finally slapping him, nodded. It really was either them or him... and with his track record Samael would chose himself every time. The last of the world faded into oblivion as Samael finally closed his eyes. This time, he wouldn't see a dream or nothing, he'd see a Nightmare, a Nightmare that he couldn't afford to die in.
The last thing he heard was a voice, unfamiliar and infuriating, as if someone was mocking him.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your first trial...]