Painful!
Very Painful!
That's the only thing Ash can think of; his whole body hurts as if he had been hit by a truck. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't; all he could see was the black void.
Ash woke gasping, breath coming too fast, too shallow. When his eyes flew open, all he saw was blinding white light, sharp enough to make his head throb. He squeezed his eyes shut, then forced them open again.
The light faded into sterile walls, a low ceiling, and unfamiliar machines humming nearby. A steady beeping marked time. Pain wrapped tightly around his chest as he shifted, and he sucked in a breath. Bandages covered most of his upper body, thick and restrictive, pinning him to the bed.
Confusion set in. This wasn't anywhere he knew.
The door opened with a soft click, and a young nurse stepped inside in a standard uniform. She stopped short when she saw his open eyes, surprise flashing across her face. A moment later, she smiled, gentle and calm, and walked closer.
"Hey, you're finally awake," she said softly.
"You were caught in a category three nightmare gate and severely injured. We even had to call in an awakened healer to heal you; you were clinically dead for three minutes, but we somehow managed to save you," she explained, then looked at him with pity, sighed, and continued.
"Unfortunately, your parents were not as lucky as you. They were killed by nightmare creatures along with the others before the awakened could arrive. You're the only survivor." She was not sure how to comfort him; his parents had died along with everyone in that mall. She was not sure whether to call him lucky or unlucky.
Ash looked at her, dumbfounded. 'Nightmare gate? Awakened? What is she talking about?'
Suddenly, he was hit with a splitting headache. It felt like someone was drilling straight through his head, and he heard whispers. It sounded like thousands of people were speaking at the same time. He couldn't understand what they were saying. He clutched his head and screamed in pain. Blood started dripping from his eyes as if he were crying tears of blood. Thankfully, it stopped within a few seconds.
The young nurse watching this was petrified. She shook his shoulders and said, "Hey! Are you okay? Should I call the doctor?"
Ash was still in a daze and couldn't listen to her; his thoughts were swirling, and he was finding it difficult to quell them. He was hyperventilating and still clutching his head. The nurse saw this and went to call the doctor.
After a few moments, he calmed down. Now he possessed new information that was not his own, and he finally understood what had happened. He had been transmigrated into one of his favorite novels, Shadow Slave. Ash was just an ordinary college student one day when he was returning to his apartment after buying groceries. He was hit by a truck, and the next thing he knew, he woke up inside the novel; coincidentally, the body he possessed was also called Ash.
The Ash of this world was just as ordinary as he was. His father worked for the government, while his mother worked as administrative staff at the Awakened Academy. They were not rich, but they were still well off. As the nurse mentioned, one day they went to the mall, and that's when the category three gate opened.
As he was going through the information, he suddenly got very dizzy, and everything went black. The last thing he heard and saw was the panicking noise of the young nurse and the blurry image of the doctor.
When he woke up again, it was night. His head was still throbbing a little, and he slowly sat up and saw the young nurse sitting in a chair nearby with a shocked expression.
"Hey, are you alright?" she asked him with a worried tone. Ash just shook his head. She saw this and let out a long sigh. "You scared me for a second there, you know? The doctor said that you fainted because of exhaustion, and you are perfectly fine." She hesitated a little before adding, "A-as for why your eyes were bleeding, even the doctor was not sure about that, but he said it's nothing major and you can be discharged in a few days."
She then stood up and continued, "Well, I have other work to do. If you need anything, feel free to call me," she said, and went outside.
After she left, Ash scoffed and thought to himself, 'What kind of doctor says he doesn't know why his patients were bleeding? And he said I fainted because of exhaustion? Bullshit! He just made a random excuse and went on his way, and what kind of nurse panics at the first sign of a problem from the patient?' He sighed heavily, 'Well, at least I can leave this stupid hospital soon. That's something.'
He was still not sure what had happened to him back then; the only thing he could think of was that his soul and this body were synchronizing, and it was too much for the injured body. He shook his head, 'Whatever, I'll think about this later.'
A few days later, he was discharged from the hospital. He still had the original Ash's memories, and he took a taxi to go to his home. A few moments later, he arrived. The house wasn't grand, but it was warm in a way only lived-in places could be. The ground floor opened into a large hall that blended into a combined dining area, filled with mismatched furniture and quiet familiarity. The walls were lined with photos of Ash and his parents smiling, laughing, growing older together.
A separate kitchen sat just beyond, well-used and practical. Two bedrooms were on this floor: a spacious master bedroom with an attached bathroom, and a smaller second bedroom with a separate bathroom down the hall.
Upstairs was quieter. One master bedroom mirrored the one below, complete with an attached bathroom and a small balcony overlooking the neighborhood. The rest of the floor was taken up by a large storage room, crowded with boxes and forgotten things.
Ash looked at the photos of the original Ash and his parents with a complicated look. He was not sure how he possessed this body or what had happened to the original owner of this body. He remembered the nurse saying something about being clinically dead for three minutes. Could it be that the original Ash had died then, and he had possessed this body later? That's the only logical conclusion he could think of.
He yawned and frowned; he had been very tired and sleepy for the last three days. The phony doctor said he was fully healed, but why did he still feel so tired? He suddenly stopped mid-yawn. 'Co-could it be I am infected by the nightmare spell? Goddamit, why can't I even rest for a few days?' he was frustrated, but he was starting to get very sleepy; even walking felt like he was walking through mud.
He was very scared because he knew how bad nightmares could be. It was fun when he was reading about them, but when it was happening to him in real life, it was terrifying. He started trembling unconsciously, thinking about how he could die there, and this time, his death could be permanent. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Despite his effort, his legs were still shaking, but he had to accept reality; he was infected by the nightmare spell, whether he liked it or not. He sighed and accepted his fate. He left the house and went to the nearest police station.
Inside, a tired-looking officer glanced at him and frowned.
"Are you lost, boy?"
Ash looked around with curiosity, noting reinforced armour plates on the walls and poorly hidden turret nests in the ceiling. The officer, too, looked scruffy and mean.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Ash cleared his throat.
"As demanded by the Third Special Directive, I am here to surrender myself as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell."
The officer's expression shifted from irritated to wary. He looked the young man over again, this time with piercing intensity.
"Are you sure you're infected? When did you start showing symptoms?"
Ash shrugged.
"A few days ago?"
The officer paled.
"Shit."
Then, with a hurried motion, he pressed a button on his terminal and bellowed:
"Attention! Code Black in the lobby! I repeat! CODE BLACK!"
A few minutes later, Ash was yawning as several police officers secured him in restraints. Soon, he was fastened into a bulky chair that looked like a strange mix of a hospital bed and a torture device. The room was in the basement of the police station, with thick armored walls and a formidable-looking vault door.
Other officers stood near the walls, automatic rifles in hand, grim expressions on their faces.
Ash didn't particularly care about them. The only thing he could think about was how much he wanted to sleep.
Finally, the vault door opened, and a gray-haired policeman walked in. He had a seasoned face and stern eyes, as if he had seen a lot of terrible things in his life. After checking the restraints, the policeman glanced at his wristwatch, then turned to Ash:
"What's your name, kid?"
"Ash."
The policeman just nodded.
"Do you want me to contact your family?"
Ash shook his head.
"There's no one. Don't bother."
For a second, a dark look crossed the policeman's face. Then his expression turned serious.
"Alright, Ash. How long can you stay awake?"
"Uh… not long."
The policeman sighed.
"Then we don't have time for the full procedure. Try to resist for as long as you can and listen to me very carefully. Okay?"
Not waiting for a response, he added:
"How much do you know about the Nightmare Spell?"
Ash gave him a questioning look. He knew about them from the novel, but that's about it.
"As much as anyone, I guess? Who doesn't know about the Spell?"
"Not the fancy stuff you see in dramas and hear in the propaganda broadcasts. I mean, how much do you really know?"
That was a hard question to answer. Without waiting for his answer, the policeman continued.
"Listen carefully. Once you fall asleep, you will be transported into your First Nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by the Spell. Once inside, you will meet monsters, sure, but you will also meet people. Remember: they are not real. They're just illusions conjured to test you."
Ash was very tired, so he just nodded.
The old policeman waited a second and continued.
"A lot of things about the First Nightmare depend on luck. Generally, it shouldn't be overwhelmingly hard. The situation you're in, the tools you have at your disposal, and the creatures you have to defeat should be within the range of your abilities, at least. After all, the Spell sets up trials, not executions."
Ash was growing increasingly sleepy. It was becoming hard to follow the conversation.
"About those 'magic powers' you mentioned… You will indeed receive them if you survive until the end of the Nightmare. What those powers will be, exactly, depends on your natural affinity as well as what you do during the trial. But some of it will be at your disposal right from the start…"
The old policeman's voice sounded more and more distant. Ash's eyelids were so heavy that he was struggling to keep them open.
"Remember: the first thing you must do once inside the Nightmare is to check your Attributes and your Aspect. If you get a combat-oriented Aspect, something like a Swordsman or an Archer, things will be easier. If it is reinforced by a physical Attribute, that's even better. Combat Aspects are the most common, so the probability of receiving one is high."
The armored room was growing dimmer.
"If you're unlucky and your Aspect has nothing to do with combat, don't despair. Sorcery and utility Aspects are useful in their own ways; you'll just have to be smart about it. There are really no useless Aspects. Well, almost. So just do anything in your power to survive."
"If you survive, you will be halfway to becoming an Awakened. But if you die, you'll open a gate for a Nightmare Creature to appear in the real world. Which means that my colleagues and I will have to deal with it. So… please don't die, Ash. Or, at least, try not to die right away. The nearest Awakened won't be able to get here for a few hours, so we would really appreciate it if you don't make us fight that thing ourselves…"
Ash finally slipped into a deep slumber.
Everything became black.
And then, in the darkness, a faintly familiar voice rang:
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]