1 Welcome
[ 45XX. 21/XX]
A frail, small young man moved quietly through the rundown alleys of the slums. His thin body showed signs of neglect, with wounds scattered across his undernourished skin. Dressed in torn clothes that spoke of poverty, he walked slowly, his steps heavy and tired as if carrying a heavy burden. His hollow blue eyes scanned the maze-like streets, searching for something that seemed out of reach.
'At last... after 16 years in this hellish world, ah... I can barely recall anything... shit.'
'Damn... even after 16 years they haven't cleaned this place,' he thought to himself, looking around in disgust.
"Hah... to think I'd end up literally transmigrated into this damned novel just because I argued with someone about it on Reddit," he muttered to himself, clearing out a spot to lean on.
"Now, where is that damned police station?" he muttered, resuming his walk after catching his breath, searching for a place where he could find safety while his soul played in fire.
As he traversed from the slums into a city bustling with affluent individuals rushing through the traffic, he couldn't help but notice the curious stares directed at him. To them, he was like a black dot on a pure white canvas. It was the first time since arriving in this damned place that he encountered people who were tall, well-built, adorned in expensive suits, and jewelry.
"I guess that's what three meals a day does to your body," he muttered, casting a glance at his own meager form.
He continued through the bustling streets, meticulously clean in stark contrast to the slums, while ignoring the disgusted and annoyed looks he received. Amidst the throngs, he spotted a boy similar to himself outside an expensive café, sipping on a coffee with a complex expression, a mix of sadness and disgust perhaps due to the bitter taste of the coffee.
"Sigh... I guess it's time."
Ignoring the boy, he pressed on through the streets, where people made way for him in disgust at his tattered clothes and scent.
The boy walked across the streets, into a rather large police compound. Inside, a tired-looking officer gave him a glance and frowned with obvious distaste.
'Now... what was it that he told him?' the boy pondered silently.
"What do you want, kid? Are you lost?" the officer asked him in a tone filled with annoyance and disgust.
The boy looked around with hollow eyes, as if searching for a more intelligent creature to talk with.
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"What does this boy want?" Samuel, a new officer recently transferred after his training, hoping to become one of the best officers filled with pride, was appointed to work as a guard for the police entrance. He currently stared at a boy who appeared to be from the slums, his odor justifying the theory. Nothing special.
That was until what he said.
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"Umm... I am sleepy...?" the boy replied in a crinkled and tired voice, suggesting his current state.
'Nightmare spell!?' Samuel thought, instantly changing his expression from irritation to wariness and anger. He looked at the young man once again, this time his gaze filled with weariness and suspicion.
He asked, "Are you telling the truth? When did it start, and what is your name? Where are you from, and what about your parents?"
The boy, extremely sleepy and unable to eat anything for the past day, had difficulty understanding what the police officer asked in such a continuous form and struggled to frame his response.
Noticing the boy's dilemma, the officer asked again, slowly, "When did it start, and is it true?"
The boy, while nodding, replied, "About a week ago."
The officer instantly paled, muttering something incomprehensible to the boy. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath.
Then, in a hurried motion, he pressed a button and screamed at the top of his lungs, "ATTENTION!!! CODE BLACK!! I REPEAT, CODE BLACK!!!!"
'Ahh... should've covered my ears. It's not that big of a deal... I mean, Sunny was able to clea— ahh no, that bastard was favored by both fate and the spell. Lucky bastard,' the boy could only sigh, contemplating ways to survive once his soul were to go to a Lovecraftian fantasy horror world.
without the power of fate or the plot he could only wait until the slep to deciede what would happen to his current life
******
[A/N: The following is just what Guilty3 wrote about the Nightmare Spell. You can skip it if you already know about it, or if you have time to waste, then go ahead and enjoy ;-) ]
The Nightmare Spell first emerged in the world a few decades ago. Back then, the planet was just starting to recover from a series of devastating natural disasters and subsequent resource wars.
Initially, the appearance of a new disease causing millions to complain of constant fatigue and sleepiness didn't attract much attention. But when individuals started falling into an unnatural slumber, with no sign of waking even days later, governments finally panicked. By then, it was already too late—not that an early response could have made any difference.
As the infected began dying in their sleep, their corpses transforming into monsters, no one was prepared. Nightmare Creatures quickly overwhelmed national militaries, plunging the world into complete chaos.
No one understood what the Spell was, its powers, or how to combat it.
Ultimately, it was the Awakened—those who survived the initial trials of the Spell and returned alive—who halted its rampage. Armed with miraculous abilities earned in their Nightmares, they restored peace and established a semblance of order.
However, this was just the beginning of the catastrophes brought on by the Spell. Yet, as far as Sunny was concerned, none of it had anything to do with him—until a few days ago when he began experiencing trouble staying awake.
For an average person, being chosen by the Spell posed as much risk as opportunity. Children learned survival skills and combat techniques in school, in case of infection. Wealthy families hired private tutors to train their children in various martial arts. Those from Awakened clans even had access to potent legacies, wielding inherited Memories and Echoes in their first journey to the Dream Realm.
The wealthier your family, the greater your chances of survival and becoming Awakened.
But for him,with no family and spending most of his time scavenging for food rather than attending school, being chosen by the Spell offered no opportunity. To him, it was essentially a death sentence.
[A/N: Like I said, it's the same, and for new readers, I'll say it again: go read the original novel "Shadow Slave" itself.]
******
A few minutes later, the boy found himself being tied to a bed reminiscent of those used in his world to restrain individuals with mental instability. Once fully secured to the bed, it bore a striking resemblance to what Sunny once described as a torture device. The room, located in the basement of the police grounds, carried a lingering scent of decay for some inexplicable reason. If the boy weren't in his current predicament, he would undoubtedly have attempted to flee.
The room itself was covered in thick, military-grade walls and formidable-looking vault doors. Other officers stood near the walls, clutching automatic rifles with grim expressions on their faces.
'Why do they look like they're seeing a ghost? Hmm... while the room does look like an emergency underground bunker, similar to what he stated, still, the worst that can happen is someone like Jet will come and kill me if I fail. At least... yawn... I'll die peacefully.'
'Ah... let me sleep for Christ's sake.'
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, an old man similar to the one Sunny described entered through the iron door-like vaults into the bunker-like basement. Staring at the boy as if he were the cause of the man's family death, the old man thought, "First that sunless boy, and now him. I should inform the government in case they turn into Nightmare Creatures."
"What's your name, boy?" the policeman asked the boy.
"Alex Stark," Alex replied while rapidly blinking, trying to resist the gentle lullaby of the spell.
"Finally, someone with a common name," the policeman muttered under his breath.
"Any family member or guardian you want me to contact?" the policeman asked Alex, trying to gather as much information about him as possible.
Alex simply shook his head after failing to shrug due to the restraints on him.
The policeman sighed, remembering what occurred a few minutes ago in a different basement to a similar boy who was also from the slums.
"Alright, Sun—Alex, how much longer can you stay awake for?"
Alex stared at the policeman before replying with a sigh, "For about 6-8 minutes, I guess, not for long, probably."
"Okay, let's utilize this time while I explain the whole thing. Do you know about our condition?"
'Better than you and most, I guess,' Alex thought while replying.
"Yes... as much as anyone, I guess? Who doesn't know about the Spell," Alex gave him a questioning look.
The policeman asked Alex again, this time with a hint of seriousness in his voice, "Not the fancy drama stuff and propaganda spread by the broadcast, but the actual facts."
Alex tried to answer, resisting falling asleep while trying to act as innocent as possible, at least in his new body.
"Don't I just go to the dream world, kill some monster, receive magic, and become an Awakened?"
The policeman sighed in an exasperated tone while muttering under his breath, "He's even worse than the sunless boy."
The policeman informed Alex about the trials while shaking his head. "Listen carefully. Once you fall asleep, you will be transported inside your first nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by the Spell. Once inside, you will encounter monsters we call Nightmare Creatures, as well as people. But remember, they are just illusions and nothing else, at least believe so if you want to survive," the policeman informed Alex in a rehearsed tone.
Alex innocently nodded his head.
The policeman waited for a few moments before continuing, "A lot of things about the first nightmare trial are based on luck. It's always fair and will always try to help you. And remember, all aspects are useful, and there are no useless aspects."
Hearing the last sentence spoken by the man made Alex chuckle, which quickly turned into gasping for air. "Hehehe... ha...h...aaa."
The policeman chose to ignore Alex while continuing, "And... about those 'magical powers' you mentioned... indeed, you will receive those in the form of aspects, generally given to you after you complete your first trial. But don't worry, some will be with you... f...u."
All the noise from the surroundings was tuned out by the spell as Alex fell asleep.
The last thing he heard was, "At least don't die for a few minutes, not until Jet arrives."
'What?'
With that, Alex slipped into a deep slumber, which could be for a day or for an eternity.
And then everything turned black as a faint voice whispered in his ears:
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your Trial...]
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[A/N: Before anyone gets worked up about me borrowing some elements, let me clarify that this is a one-time occurrence. I wanted to set the pace for the MC entering the trail after Alex, and I copied some information about the Nightmare just to summarize the spell itself. While I'll stick to the main plot, there will be differences, as you'd expect from a fanfic. And no, I won't be doing this again; I've got plenty of original ideas for this fanfic.
Regarding Alex seeing Sunny sipping coffee when Sunny was supposed to be the first to sleep... let's just say Alex arrived at the station first, but the old policeman spoke with Sunny before speaking with Alex.
If you have any issues with this chapter, feel free to comment, and I'll try to address them. I know I'm not the best at forming sentences or crafting stories, so sometimes things might feel a bit forced or sentences might not be clear. If that's the case, please let me know so I can improve as I go along.
Since this is my first fanfic, there may be some plot holes (hopefully not), but while I'll put my own spin on things, major events will remain the same as the original plot. For example, Alex won't be Sunny's master, and I'll explain why in future chapters.
[Original novel by Guilty3]
[Shadow Slave]
