A Lonesome Spark

Lumien dreamt of a vast, mountain-sized cliff, a black spire that pierced a seemingly endless sea of darkness. The cliff's surface was jagged and sharp, like blades forged from the very rock, glinting ominously even in the pervasive gloom. Above, a dark sky stretched endlessly, swallowing all light and casting the world into eternal night.

Below, the inky sea churned with a viscous, oil-like consistency. Shadows writhed within its depths, hinting at unseen, malevolent creatures. This abyssal sea extended infinitely, with no landmark save for the cliff, a solitary sentinel in the dark.

Time seemed to pass with an unreal momentum, as if reality itself were warped. Lumien watched as the dark sea slowly rose, its inky tendrils climbing higher, engulfing more of the jagged cliff. Amidst the encroaching darkness, a lonesome boat suddenly appeared from the horizon, cutting through the black waters. A single, indistinct figure fought valiantly, fending off the shadowy creatures that leapt from the sea.

These beasts, grotesque and nightmarish, clung to the boat, their forms shifting between ghastly apparitions and decaying monstrosities. They stained the vessel with their essence, slowly dragging it under. Despite the figure's desperate struggle, his features remained a blurred, mist-like visage, his identity obscured by the consuming darkness. His efforts to steer toward the vast cliff seemed futile, the wounds inflicted by the relentless creatures sapping his strength.

As the boat neared the cliff, it splintered against the unforgiving rock. In a final, desperate act, the figure leapt from the sinking vessel, his strength nearly spent, and landed upon the very bottom of the towering, mountain-like cliff, where liquid met rock. The darkness below churned hungrily, as if waiting to claim him should he falter.

[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial.]

An instant later, Lumien felt pain, fatigue, and a dozen wounds assault him. He cried out in shock and fear, but his voice failed to escape his throat. Only a throaty gasp, reminiscent of a wheeze, escaped his bruised lungs.

He had somehow become the lone figure!

Lumien felt the jagged rocks of the cliff dig mercilessly into his flesh, tearing away at his clothes and skin. He struggled to move, his body fatigued and bloodied from the incident before. The darkness around reeked of malevolence. It was oppressive, and the air was thick with an eerie stillness that amplified his sense of isolation and dread.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw the inky sea of darkness below him creeping closer. Tendrils of black ink reaching out as if to claim him. Panic surged through him, giving him a burst of desperate energy. He clawed at the cliff face, pulling himself upward with every ounce of strength he could muster.

But as Lumien scrambled upwards, his body seemed to fail him. His strength was already depleted, or rather, this body's strength was.

But he pushed on, afraid of the creatures below him. He could tell a moments slip would cause an eternity of misery.

And Lumien didn't want to die!

Just as he felt he might be making progress, a cold, slimy grip wrapped around his ankle. Lumien looked down in horror to see a dark creature, its form shifting and amorphous, emerging from the dark sea. Its grip was like iron, pulling him back toward the inky depths. Next to it, others were emerging from the sea of black, ready to follow and devour him. 

Their features shifted from those of animals, to amorphous abominations.

"Let go!" he shouted, his voice a raw edge of panic.

Fear and adrenaline coursed through him. He kicked out with his free leg, trying to dislodge the creature. But it only tightened its hold, dragging him inexorably downward, towards it brethren who also started stretching their limbs to grasp him. Desperation clawed at him as he felt the jagged edge of the cliff scraping against his body.

In the back of his mind, he noticed that their bodies were emitting smoke, as if they were being cooked by the environment of the cliff around them.

In a last-ditch effort of survival, to avoid being grasped by the others, Lumien grabbed a loose rock, which resembled the shape of shark tooth, and bashed it against the creature's hand. The impact caused the monster's grip to falter, its solid form briefly dissolving into a mist-like darkness. Seizing the moment, Lumien yanked his leg free and scrambled upward with renewed urgency.

"Not today, monster," he muttered through gritted teeth, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

The black sea of creatures below roared in frustration, the darkness churning more violently. Lumien's heart pounded in his chest as he continued his ascent, each movement driven by sheer willpower and the primal urge to survive. The vast, mountain-sized cliff loomed above him, a devilishly daunting path to salvation amidst the sea from hell.

He tried climbing faster, fueled by the fear of the darkness that had nearly claimed him, but his body was simply too fatigued. The air he sucked into his lungs didn't seem to help, as it felt freezing and thick, like it was steam.

"Come on, Lumi," he whispered to himself. "You can do this. Just keep moving."

With every inch gained, he left the dark creatures further and further behind, their malevolent presence fading. The dark sea's tendrils were no longer in reach. From the corner of his eye, he could see the smoking creatures retreat back into the black water. Lumien's breath came in heavy, labored gasps, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached a narrow ledge. He pulled himself up, collapsing onto the rough surface, his body trembling with exhaustion and relief. The cliff stretched on above him, but for the moment, he had a small reprieve. He lay there, staring up at the dark, starless sky, trying to catch his breath.

Lumien had survived the first assault and it proved to almost be his undoing. Forcing his body to peer over the ledge, he let out a gasp as he saw what was occurring. 

The black water was climbing the cliff face faster than it was when he was in a dream-like state. It seemed to be traveling at least an inch per second and in about 5 minutes or so, Lumien was sure it would reach his position.

'This is crazy. How am I supposed to survive this Nightmare?!' He complained inwardly. he couldn't even muster the strength to cry as his body seemed to be shutting down from fatigue.

The oppressive darkness seemed to press down on him, the black water below was steadily climbing ever closer and he could see the creatures tentatively reaching out to climb onto the spire but were hesitating.

He forced himself to focus, to analyze what had just occurred. The monsters, the darkness, the jagged rocks... everything was truly a nightmare made real.

"Nightmare spell indeed."

He scanned his surroundings, taking in the sharp, jagged rocks that had torn at his flesh. Focusing on the rocks around him... he couldn't help but think something about these natural resource was odd. Looking closer, he suddenly realized with a chilling clarity that these weren't just rocks.

They were bones!

Bones which were blackened and fused together to resemble the shape of rock and stone. The rock he had picked up earlier, which looked like a shark's tooth, was probably a real shark's tooth!

Lumien's heart pounded as he looked around again, a sickening realization settling over him. The entire cliff was not just a cliff, but a cliff of bones. He was surrounded by the remains of countless creatures, their twisted, almost white-bleached, blackened forms creating the illusion of a rocky surface.

The air seemed to grow even colder, the dark sea's encroaching presence a constant reminder of his peril.

What horrible event could have caused a structure such as this to form? Bones fused and blackened, like they were cursed and struck by lightning. Their seemed to shine with an almost pale aura and had sharp edges that reminded Lumien of blades.

If he was to get caught by the black liquid, would he too become another pile of bones that fused with the landscape? Would his flesh be sloughed of by the nightmare beasts below him and devoured?

Lumien didn't know, but he certainly didn't want to stay long enough to find out.

Forcing himself to calm down, Lumien took a few deep breaths and pushed himself into a seating position. He didn't have a lot of time to rest and had to keep climbing to avoid the creeping liquid of darkness.

Lumien just hoped that there was something at the top of the cliff that would help him against the black liquid. 

Perhaps a jetpack with infinite fuel so he could fly away from this hell?

Shaking the stupid thoughts from his head, he stood from his perch and kept analyzing his surroundings, attempting to determine the best route to climb. He was thankful that his body seemed to have recovered slightly from the crippling fatigue and had settled into a state of extreme fatigue instead.

Better than nothing, but beggars couldn't be choosers... or whatever that saying was.

In this situation, Lumien was more akin to a starving, malnourished rat, being preyed upon by a humongous cat.

"Shit. Focus, Lumi. You think about your macabre future later. Now, you need to climb." He shook his head, muttering to himself before staring up the rock of dead carcasses.

Now that he had ascertained the entire mountain-sized cliff was a massive pile off fused bones consisting of creatures of all sorts, he felt slightly hesitant at touching the environment before him, even ignoring the fact that everything was sharp and would certainly cut his flesh apart.

"Stupid Nightmare spell, bringing me into an impossibly hard situation!" Lumien cursed before forcing his body to grab what looked like a a skull of a human that was fused with a ribcage of... well he didn't know.

Using it as a crutch, he pulled his body forward, one foot at a time.