Huh?
What's this now?
I opened my eyes in an inexplicable dreamscape.
I was surrounded by a dense canopy of trees, presumably in a forest in god knows where.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial...]
I stared at the words in front of me in confusion.
This is certainly a first.
I didn't have my sword with me, I was wearing what looked to be noble attire, and I was covered in blood.
"Not my blood apparently" I mused as I stared at the unfamiliar sight before me.
There were corpses strewn about, some shredded into ribbons, others simply mashed into a bloody serving of pulp. This tapestry of death was certainly a sight to behold, but I had no time to appreciate the "art" in front of me.
I had no means of defense, nor did my clothes provide me with any real protection.
In short, I was defenseless and vulnerable in the middle of butt fuck nowhere with no idea how I got there.
I thought I had died in my battle against the Cursed Dragon, and yet I stood here, clearly breathing and alive.
The message welcoming me to the Nightmare Spell hadn't disappeared either, and now that I'd gathered my bearings, I started to try and figure out what the hell was going on.
I tried gathering my sword aura, quickly realizing I had none.
I tried feeling for my stars, to which I had a small bit of luck.
The gleaming star in my palm was the "Star of Memory". It was a testament to my story as a transmigrator in that accursed world and helped me draw on my memory of my journey. While it might seem like an inconsequential ability, in the battlefield of stars, where your story being forgotten is paramount to death, this star was a lifeline that prevented me from becoming a Forgotten One.
I drew on memories of my first life, memories of a more modern time when I had done nothing but read novels and fence. This situation was reminiscent of a few novels that I had read, especially the floating message in front of me, but I didn't recognize the content of the message from any of those novels from the past.
'If only I had a status window or something' I thought bitterly
and to my pleasant surprise, a shimmering set of runes wove itself into reality in front of me.
*******
Name: Audun (Alfmalfa Olsen).
True Name: ----
Rank: Aspirant.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Memories: -----
Echoes: -----
Attributes: [Blessed by the Sword] [One who Stood at the peak] [Mark of the Stars]
Aspect: [Sword Expert]
Aspect Description: [Since humans have picked up arms, the sword has accompanied them. Swordsman, you have departed down the arduous road of mastery, and have now found yourself able to produce an aura that will enhance you and the sword that accompany you.]
Aspect Abilities: [Sword Aura]
Aspect Ability Description: [your sword bathes in the color of your soul, enhancing you and your steel companion on your path to mastery.]
******
Reading this "status" in front of me, I was hit by a belated realization.
I was truly in another world, this one hopefully more optimistic and uplifting than the last!
'Nah, who am I kidding.'
'There's no way in hell that whatever divine being that's fucking with me is giving me a break.'
'Even if there's no constellations to mess with me here, whatever killed those guys is 100% coming after me next' I thought bitterly
Well
First things first
I should probably figure out where the hell I am, and hopefully find some food.
Those rations in the battlefield of stars barely qualify as sustenance.
More importantly though,
I need to find a sword.