'Ugh… My head hurts'
Just start it already, You don't have to drag this out. It's one thing to suddenly get infected by the spell on your fifteenth birthday and go to your first nightmare that same night, and it's another thing to get stalled in this empty dark void.
'I'm sure the staff at the orphanage are all freaking out because of me'
That was the moment the spell finally decided to speak.
[Aspirant. Welcome to the nightmare spell. Prepare for your first trial]
'Oh I'm so going to die' I thought as I began to laugh or at least tried to.
Opening my eyes I saw a… Desk? It's a desk with lots of paper on it.
They were in a strange foreign language, but I could somewhat understand them. It's like a switch was flipped inside my head.
Coming closer I tried to read the contents of the papers. That was when a sudden burst of pain ran through my head, it felt like getting shot in the head but the bullet kept on twisting and turning inside.
An influx of memories flashed through my mind, memories that didn't belong to me. It had started when I got infected by the spell. These mind-shattering headaches and the fragments of memories left him nauseous and dazed'
That's when he decided to stop and take a good look at himself.
He was wearing a simple white tunic with a dark gray cloak, both were carved gold with something that resembled runic dialect. He had a simple belt around his waist that was equipped with two small pouches.
Forcing his mind to focus, he resumed reading. It was… instructions on some basic spells. "This guy must be a sorcerer'' With that, he sat down and looked at all the pages one by one. "I wasn't exactly a good student but I'm not stupid, I can study well if I want to, if it has a meaning which correct me if I'm wrong, it does when my life's on the line" He said while eyeing the papers.
As I've read I started to understand this 'sorcery' more and more and I'm a bit excited. This kind of thing usually happens in webtoons after all. "I've learned of something called the sorcery of names but that's about it, the names itself were a torture to remember let alone saying them out loud, not that I learned them enough to do so'
Finished with the stack of papers, he put them down and organized them as best he could, standing up he scanned the room for anything that might indicate where he's at. Unfortunately or fortunately, there were only books about sorcery much to his delight. The room was like a small library full of books, full of knowledge.
'Oh right I should check my stats' he focused his mind on the word status and spell or runes, and that's when he got them' The words flickered In his mind and manifested'
Name: Li.
True name: —
Rank: Aspirant.
Soul core: Dormant.
Echoes of the dead: [2/125000]
Memories: [Nights Comfort]
Echoes: —
Attributes: [World's Favor], [Vast Soul], [Echoes of the dead].
[World's Favor] Attribute description: You are recognized by the World.
[Vast Soul] Attribute description: you have a vast and unfathomable soul.
[Echoes of the dead] Attribute Description:
[dead and forgotten, they wander away,
Pleading and longing, in shadows they stay.
Yet mourn not, lost souls, nor dwell in regret,
For all shall live on; your soul won't forget.
Encompassing all, it gathers their light,
A beacon that burns through sorrow and night.]
Aspect: [Long Awaited].
Aspect description: [You have the ability to turn into a beast, you have a deep connection to the World, and you can use and manipulate its essence as you wish.]
"A transformation ability and some elemental control?" Li was confused by the last margin of his aspect. Is it elemental control or something else? The word essence can have a variety of meanings depending on how one interprets it.
With a deep breath, he tried to activate his aspect and closed his eyes, but nothing happened for a few moments and then some more, finally he felt it, the way his body was beginning to shift. He was ready for a train of horrible pain, if he was going to transform like in the webtoons and movies, he was cooked.
But nothing of the sort happened. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his hands.
They were way bigger than before and his fingers ended with sharp, menacing claws. His fur was jet black and smooth to the touch. He soon hurried to the nearest mirror to take a look at himself.
.
.
.
He was indeed covered with black fur all around, his face however felt strangely human-like. His eyes are a shade of purple like two deep sapphires, there is a glint of sadness and strangely, mischief in his eyes. he has a row of sharp white teeth that seemed too sharp for his own good, so sharp that he accidentally cut his index finger while checking them.
He is around 10ft tall with a long and soft tail which he might have spent too much time playing around with. He was as he had expected, huge and bulky, he radiated an overwhelming aura of strength and danger, so much so that he scared himself.
And then he looked down, his clothes were not going to last much longer as they were struggling not to tear apart. He tried to deactivate his aspect but instead shrank in size. Dumbfounded he looked at the mirror once more.
Nothing has changed except the fact that his face was now more animated and human-like, "I have to admit, I look quite cute in this form" he patted his own head, it felt kind of… Nice.
He was now standing at around 7ft tall, he was much leaner and muscular now, He looked like a professional athlete.
***
After experimenting with his newly found strength he deactivated his aspect and this time, he was successful. It was then he found out that, he was indeed a wizard. He could control and create elements on his own like fire, water, wind, and earth.
With a content sigh, he started to explore the room more thoroughly and find the name of the person that he possessed. His name is Aian, the official army commander and now Ruler of the Selim Kingdom after his brother's death, King Night.
'Now where did I hear that name? It's strangely familiar… Right, I had a memory that mentioned his name' He summoned the runes again and focused on the memory.
Memories: [Nights Comfort]
[Nights Comfort] Memory description: [an endless pouch, a gift for King Night from his brother, this gift was a source of great joy and he didn't hesitate to show it off to everyone who would listen, "Look what my dear brother has made for me, isn't it wonderful? He said he made it so I don't have to worry about losing my belongings anymore, such a thoughtful and caring little brother I have" and so he made sure to have it on his person at all times, for it was prof of the bond they shared.]
So that's why he had the memory on him from the start, he must have gotten it after King Night's death. When his gaze fell on King Night's name he felt the same nauseating sting in his head. Before it could get any worse, he dismissed the runes.
With a sigh he straightened his back and went to the door of the chamber and walked along the halls of the palace, it was quiet and peaceful, too quiet. 'Strange… Why haven't I seen anyone here?' indeed the palace seemed… Empty.
.
.
.
.
.
He soon passed the gates, there were at least people there. Seeing his arrival the gourds saluted the King and let him pass through. They seemed… Off somehow. 'I knew all of this is supposed to be an illusion but this is different, their aura seems… Evil?'
'I'm just mistaken, likely so' With that thought he strolled to the streets and talked to the people of the city. They were happy to see their King in person, 'too many people' he thought to himself, but tried to not make any strange faces. The people seemed to have not notice his sudden change of face.
A few things stood out when he was conversing with them, they seemed sick, all of them. After questioning some locals he'd found out that they were in fact sick.
As it turned out, after King Night's death six months ago, a strange illness had fallen on the people of the capital. Symptoms included headaches, nausea, and dizziness. The same things he had experienced on his arrival to the nightmare.
The locals much like the guards, were radiating a sense of wrongness and foreboding. Like they were trying so hard to look human. On their eyes, where a flicker of soul should have been, stood empty. Their Smiles seemed forced. He could swear that he saw a flicker of dark smoke coming from them.
.
.
.
He kept his composure and continued to talk to the locals, his mind on fire. He didn't even realized that he had arrived at the resting place of the former King.
He'd unconsciously followed the seemingly invisible smoke that radiated from the people. He entered the building and looked around, there was nothing there, just a door and some torches on each side of the wall.
Opening the door he saw a long stretch of stairs leading downwards. Taking a look at the door behind him, he gulped and went down.