[You have slain an awakened terror, the Heartworm Weaver.]
The Spell whispered, its voice echoing with tender softness — stirring fragments of a lost life. The Peregrine’s memories began to take shape, dancing through the ethereal space of his scattered recollections.
"That voice… Sunless once said it sounded like Cassia's," he thought, letting himself be enveloped in a familiar yearning.
He recalled how Sunless, ever astute, used to describe the world around him with a near-poetic intensity. In that moment, the boundaries between reality and fiction grew thin, like a delicate veil.
"He saw the entire river of time within Ariel’s tomb," he continued to remember, "and discovered that it ended at its own beginning — a loop."
The Peregrine smiled.
"What is GuiltyThree cooking up in the plot of 'Shadow Slave'? Are the characters reliving the same events over and over, since the very beginning of the story? Is he truly the one who created this world?"
Literary universes entwined in his mind.
"Are the authors of these stories divine beings, capable of creating new worlds? Do all humans in this world share that same potential? Or is 'Shadow Slave' merely a self-contained reality?"
The Peregrine had no answers, but in that surreal space, the possibilities seemed endless.
[Awaken, challenger! Your nightmare is over.]
The gentle voice returned, firm and encouraging.
[Prepare for evaluation…]
***
The Peregrine found himself in an endless black void, lit by a multitude of stars. Among them, silver threads of light wove a complex network, forming countless nexuses and constellations. It was truly breathtaking.
"This is the inner working of the Nightmare Spell," he recognized, the sight evoking the image of a celestial neural network.
That idea made the Peregrine shudder.
"Is the Spell sentient? After all, in the novel, its behavior conveyed emotions — at times, even subtle ones," he questioned inwardly.
Logic dictated that the Spell was not a living entity, yet in that moment, the Peregrine felt as though he stood before a vast and divine being. A chill ran down his spine as the weight of his own insignificance set in.
Questions and doubts pressed upon him, but soon his focus sharpened, and his heart beat steady, ready to receive what the Spell might offer.
[You have received a Memory: Dream of the Deep Heart.]
The Peregrine’s face lit up, a smile blooming at the corner of his lips. That Memory had belonged to an awakened terror — a rare and valuable prize.
"I hope its enchantments are passive," he murmured, evaluating potential uses. He longed to explore the Dream of the Deep Heart, but couldn’t — the Spell had already concluded the evaluation, and his unanswered questions would only grow.
[Challenger! Your evaluation is complete.]
[You have defeated a dormant human: -nameless-.]
[You have received the blessing of the -unknown-.]
[You have defeated an awakened terror: the Heartworm Weaver.]
A sudden wave of vulnerability washed over him.
"Unknown… the Forgotten God of Dreams?" he pondered. Could 'He' be the reason for his transmigration?
"The god who might be corrupted?!"
Reeling from the weight of that possibility, turbulent thoughts filled his mind: Would the blessing bring power? Destruction? New responsibilities? Or would it reduce him to just another pawn in an incomprehensible, vast game?
[You have achieved the impossible!]
[Final evaluation: Glorious.]
[-nameless-, welcome to the world!]
[-nameless-, receive your blessing!]
Though he longed to understand the precise meaning of those words, he knew that many answers still lay beyond his reach.
"Wait, did the Spell say: ‘Welcome to the world’?"
Slowly, a warmth of excitement began to bloom within him, and a smile brightened his handsome face.
[You have received a True Name: Ariandel.]
The Peregrine’s eyes gleamed.
"A True Name… I’ve been given a True Name!"
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
He tried to control his emotions, but failed: "Yes, please!" exclaimed, clenching his fists.
[Dormant Aspect: Dreamwalker is evolving…]
Anticipation surrounded Ariandel like a wave.
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
"It’s divine," he whispered, brushing back his hair with trembling fingers.
[Aspect name: Thread of Dreams.]
"Divine…" Ariandel echoed, almost in disbelief. The surprise struck so deeply that, for a moment, he lost consciousness.
"Am I awake?"
He blinked.
"Or rather, aware, since I’m still technically asleep in the underground station chamber."
Stunned, he summoned the runes and found the lines that described his Aspect:
===
Aspect: [Thread of Dreams]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Description: [You are a creature woven from dreams, betrayed and destined to wander alone. Yet, something within you insists on enduring, bearing lyrical powers born of pure imagination.]
Innate Ability: [Kaleidoscope]
Ability Description: [Your eyes perceive hidden nuances and interpret the world with a depth beyond the ordinary.]
===
"This is… a lot to process."
To begin with, his heart recognized:
"A Divine Aspect," it pounded, elated.
[The First Seal is broken.]
The Spell continued:
[Awakening dormant powers…]
Ariandel felt something awaken within. Clutching his chest, he gazed into the darkness, focusing on the sensation. He couldn't describe what he felt — it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. A power not from without, but within, as if it had always been there, asleep.
The energy filled every fiber of his being. He felt as though a miniature star was burning at the center of his chest. He felt his body begin to change. Waves of heat radiated from the star, reaching his stomach, shoulders, arms, legs, and finally his hands and feet. Beneath that heat, bones, muscles, and organs were being reconstructed and renewed. He felt reborn.
Ariandel was growing stronger, faster, healthier, smarter.
"How fantastic!" he exclaimed.
Each passing second intensified his transformation, and he laughed, a mix of uncertainty and the joy of living in such a vivid world. A new confidence rooted itself deep within his heart.
Ariandel would no longer be just a nameless boy from the outskirts, fearful of life’s uncertainties.
He would no longer be a helpless youth, as vulnerable as he had been in his first life.
With his powers awakened and his will tempered by the trial of the First Nightmare, he now saw a future brimming with possibility.
After a while, the burning star within his chest finally cooled. The intense heat gave way to a calming cold, washing over his body and dispelling aches and discomforts he hadn’t even realized he carried.
That cold ascended, reaching his brain and, at last, his eyes. And then, his vision began… to bend in a strange way.
No… no, it was the world itself that bent impossibly.
"Like the refraction of light around a black hole, I guess…"
A vortex of colors emerged from the void, fracturing the universe.
The void was not empty; it was a starry sea, reflecting impossible lights, overflowing with mystery and beauty.
"This is my Soul Sea."
At the center of that silent ocean, a vortex of colors spun — infinite and unfathomable.
It was… beautiful.