It was only a few days after that fateful day that something happened—something that should not have happened, but did nevertheless.
Murphy started becoming extremely drowsy and slept most of the time, even in school. At first, the teachers thought he was just being lazy and punished him. But after it happened a few more times, they started having a bad premonition. After discussing it with his parents and observing him further, they became sure of their suspicion.
Murphy had been infected by the Nightmare Spell—something that didn't even happen on the day of the Cataclysm. A child, only eight years old, got infected by the Nightmare Spell.
Murphy's mother and father, Arie and Paul, were devastated. Meanwhile, Murphy sat blankly—shocked, consumed by a myriad of emotions that no one could comprehend.
A child—someone who had never even held a sword, let alone knew how to swing it—was now supposed to enter the treacherous First Nightmare. A place where even those lofty Legacies, trained since before they could walk, had lost their lives.
At this moment, Paul was explaining the Nightmare Spell to him.
"How much do you know about the Nightmare Spell?"Murphy thought for a few moments, not daring to meet their lost, hollow eyes.
"As much as anyone, I guess? Who doesn't know about the Spell?"
"Not the fancy stuff you see in dramas or hear in the propaganda broadcasts. I mean—how much do you really know?"
That was a hard question to answer.
"Don't I just go into the Dream Realm, kill a few monsters to complete the First Nightmare, receive magic powers, and become an Awakened?"
Paul shook his head, his voice filled with warmth.
"Listen carefully. Once you fall asleep, you'll be transported into your First Nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by the Spell. Once inside, yes, you'll meet monsters—but you'll also meet people. Remember: they are not real. They're just illusions conjured up to test you."
"How do you know?"Paul's voice echoed after a pause, as if he had just made a difficult decision.
"I mean, no one understands what the Spell is or how it works, right? So how do you know they're not real?"
"You might have to kill them, honey. So do yourself a favor and just think of them as illusions."
"Oh."
Paul waited for a second, then nodded and continued.
**"A lot of things about the First Nightmare depend on luck. Generally, it shouldn't be overwhelmingly hard. The situation you're placed in, the tools you have at your disposal, and the creatures you have to defeat should all be within your capabilities—at least in theory.
After all, the Spell sets up trials, not death sentences. You're a bit disadvantaged due to… well, your age. But don't give up on yourself just yet."**
"Uh-uh."But he knew—Paul and Arie had already given up on him.
"About those 'magic powers' you mentioned… you will indeed receive them if you survive until the end of the Nightmare. What those powers are depends on your natural affinity, as well as what you do during the trial. Some of it will be at your disposal from the start..."
He was struggling to decide whether he should gather the courage to look at his parents.
**"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's reinforced by a physical Attribute, then that's even better. Combat Aspects are the most common, so the probability of receiving one is high.
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 do everything in your power to survive."**
Finally gathering his courage, Murphy lifted his petite head, seeking some confidence and motivation from his parents—but what he saw was not what he expected.
He couldn't quite comprehend what their eyes were telling him—or perhaps, he didn't want to comprehend it.
Because their eyes were telling him that they weren't looking at the child they had raised for eight years… but at the dead body of that child. Or worse—a monster who might one day kill them.
For them, Murphy was already dead.
But it's not like he could blame them.
Even he considered himself dead.
It was strange.
When the news of the Nightmare Spell's inevitable infection first reached him, fear, panic, and desperation had spread through his mind like wildfire, throwing it into utter chaos.
...But now, a strange calmness permeated his thoughts.
He had already surrendered himself to fate—or perhaps "given up" would be the more accurate term.
As soon as he let go of hope, his fear disappeared.His panic subsided, too.
"Murphy, honey, you should go into your room. Mom and Dad have something to talk about."
Arie tried to appear confident and gentle, but she couldn't hide the slight tremors in her voice—or the choking feeling behind her words.
As Murphy walked toward the stairs, he was deep in thought.Surprisingly—or perhaps unsurprisingly—his thoughts weren't about his eventual First Nightmare.They were about his parents.
Honestly speaking, Murphy was impressed.He couldn't quite believe how his mother had managed to stop her tears from falling.If he had been in her place, he would have cried on the spot and wouldn't have even been able to form words.
'I guess mothers really are brave, huh.'
Paul, on the other hand, seemed like he wanted to say many things but couldn't find the words.
'Like father, like son.'
'Wait… did I just start seeing them as my real parents? Or is it because of the memory fragments of the original Murp—'
Sadly, he couldn't complete that thought.Otherwise, he would have realized that even in his subconscious, he was already referring to himself as Murphy, not □□□□.
Because he lost consciousness right then and there.
The last sight he saw, and the last thing he heard, was his parents running toward him in panic, screaming—
"MURPHY!!"
With that final cry, Murphy finally slipped into a deep slumber.
Everything turned black.
And then, in the darkness, a familiar line he had seen in books—but never heard—echoed for the first time:
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]
After hearing that mysterious voice, he dreamt of a Nightmare—perhaps the most horrifying of them all.