2 A

"About those "magic powers" you

mentioned... you will indeed receive

them if you survive until the end of

the Nightmare. What those powers

will be, exactly, depends on your

natural affinity as well what you do

during the trial. But some of it will

be at your disposal right from the

start.."

The voice of the old policeman

Sounded more and more distant.

Sunny's eyelids were so heavy that

he was struggling to keep his eyes

open.

"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 is reinforced by a

physical Attribute, then that's even

better. Combat Aspects are the

most common, so the probability of

receiving one is high."

The armored room was growing

dimme.

"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 just do

anything in your power to survive."

"If you survive, you will be halfway

to becoming an Awakened. But if you die, you'll open a gate for a

Nightmare Creature to appear in the

real world. Which means that my

colleagues and I will have to deal

with it. So... please don't die,

Sunless."

Already half-asleep, Sunny felt a bit

touched by the policeman's words.

"Or, at least, try to not die right

away. The nearest Awakened won't

be able to get here fora few hours,

sO we would really appreciate it if

you don't make us fight that thing

Ourselves..."

"What?"

With that last thought, Sunny finally

slipped into a deep slumber. Everything became black.

And then, in the darkness, a faintly

familiar voice rang:

[Aspirant! Welcome to the

Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your

First Trial...]

Sunny dreamt of a mountain.

Jagged and lonesome, it dwarfed

other peaks of the mountain chain,

cutting the night sky with its sharp

edges. A radiant moon bathed its

slopes in the ghostly, pale light.

On one of the slopes, the remnants

of an old road stubbornly clung to

the rocks. Here and there,

weathered paved stones could be

seen through the snow. To the right

side of the road, a sheer cliff face

rose as an impregnable wall. To the

left, a silent black sea of

nothingness indicated an endless

fall. Strong winds crashed into the. Mountain over and over again,

screaming in powerless rage.

Suddenly, the moon fell over the

horizon. The sun rose from the

west, streaked across the sky and

disappeared in the east. Snowflakes

jumped from the ground and

returned into the embrace of

clouds. Sunny realized that he was

seeing the flow of time in reverse.

In an instant, hundreds of years flew

by. The snow retreated, baring the

old road. Cold shivers ran down

Sunny's back as he noticed human

bones littering the ground. A

moment later, the bones were gone,

and in their place, a slave caravan

appeared, moving backwards down

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