The first time I laid eyes on Mongrel was when I went down to my living to get a glass of water. I had gotten thirsty after playing with my friends on an online game, my voice was already sore from all the talking--mostly yelling--I did. I almost cringed at the thought of going back and playing another round only for my friends to sell the game.
While filling my glass with water, I heard a gasp behind me. I turned around to see my father, leaning forward on the couch, his eyes practically glued to the screen. He had a hand over his mouth, but I could see the hint smile between the fingers. While taking a drink from the cup of water I had in my hand, my eyes moved up to the T.V screen mounted on the wall.
I saw the familiar sight of the Dreamscape, which almost always was on screen when my dad was using the T.V. Though it was the Dreamscape, I haven't seen this battlefield before.
On the screen were two figures facing each other. The first figure was named Mongrel. Mongrel was dressed entirely in black, a black mask with two holes where the eyes were. Staring into them made me feel dizzy, as if I would fall asleep any second. I turned my gaze to the second figure, who was much more pleasant to look at. She had dark raven hair, her alabaster skin was a total contrast to the simple black tunic she wore. She had one hand behind her back, while another held an unremarkable straight sword. Her scarlet eyes were set on the masked person in front of her, pure confidence radiated throughout her pose.
I now recognize the red-eyed woman as Morgan of Valor, the Princess of War. My awakened politics class had taught me plenty about the three Great Clans, and though I wasn't completely paying attention, I had remembered the names of the most important figures of each clan. So to see Morgan had made me forget about the game upstairs. Finally I tuned into the words she was speaking.
"-Although…a piece of advice for the future…you should really be careful what you wish for…"
Then the fight began, and I'm pretty sure I held my breath the entire time. The speed of their movements, the beautiful arcs that slashed through the air, and the power behind every clash--I couldn't keep my eyes away. Though I barely knew anything about swordsmanship, I could tell these two were talented beyond all reason.
Though they were moving faster than I could see, I could Morgan hand the edge, though Mongrel…
In the end…Morgan won, quite one-sidedly.
Me and my dad let go of the breaths we were holding, remembering to inhale and exhale again. My father chuckles, an awful expression on his face combined with his grin. He then looks at me, "What a duel! Morgan was amazing, no wonder she's called the princess of War! What do you think, Vincent?"
I nod, still looking at the screen which displayed Morgan, a triumphant smile on her face. I responded to my dad, "Yeah…can you tell me more about Mongrel?"
***
"Hey, Vincent!" Ford called out to me when I was walking down the sidewalk to my place. I pull my eyes away from the biotracker screen displaying Mongrel fighting an awakened who could levitate, to see Ford behind me.
He had a wide smile on his face, his flawless white teeth like a crescent moon on his night skin. When he reached me, he slapped my back, "How's my local Mongrel addict doing this fine day?" He teased, though I was used to it by now.
I smiled back, "Doing better than you, my local Morgan fanboy."
Ford, made a complicated expression, but in the end had a smug look on his face. "I'll never understand your obsession with Mongrel, Morgan's way better!"
"I like Mongrel because he's a fearless fighter who never backs down, you like Morgan because of her looks" I argued.
Ford scoffed, raising two hands as if he was being arrested "Wow, you got me. I'm a simple 15 year-old guy! I don't need big reasons to like something, that's all. Well, actually those reasons are quite big but.."
I laughed darkly, "Man, if she ever met you, she'd rip you to shreds."
"Yeah…" Ford didn't seem so pleased imagining that terrifying scene playing in his head, so he simply laughed it off.
We spent a bit more time taking jabs at each other's idols, until we stopped at a red light. It was a bit silent then, but it wasn't awkward. I've known Ford since the 2nd grade, we were practically like twin brothers except for our physical appearances. I was of a bit above average height, though I was thin. My almond skin and curling black hair was a mix of the key features of Mother and Father, respectively. For was a large guy who dwarfed everyone else in our high school, both in height and muscle. Though despite his rough exterior, he was more of an awakened nerd like me. We had actually watched the duel between Mongrel and Morgan on the same day by chance, and though we rooted for different people, we both loved the battle the same.
While we continued for the light to turn green, Ford spoke, "Have you ever imagined becoming awakened?"
The question surprises me even though it shouldn't, me and Ford talked about awakened nonstop when we were together, but oddly enough we never imagined ourselves as one. Maybe we idolized those supernatural humans too much, but the topic never came up until now.
While I thought about my answer, Ford said his answer, "I'd want to become one. Fighting monsters, fighting others awakened in dreamscape, and protecting the world is awesome…but I want to see the dream world."
I raised my eyebrow at that, "Huh, never took you as an adventurous type." The light turned green and we started walking while Ford continued talking, "The dream world is so amazing! There's so many places to see, and only 30% of it is mapped--Imagine how many crazy cool places are there waiting for me to map them!"
Monsters too, I said inside my head but didn't say it out loud. I smiled, "Sounds like something you would do now that I think about it."
"What about you?"
"Me? Um….nahhhh." I say, rejecting the notion of becoming awakened, "I'm not cut out for all that fighting stuff."
Ford had a complicated expression on his face, but he nodded in the end, respecting my answer. "I can see that, but for me, I wish I could be sent to the dream world right now!"
"Don't jinx it."
***
I finally, breathing a sigh of relief. Tomorrow is the weekend, so I could stay up as long as I wanted. I went straight to my bedroom after exchanging a few words with my dad, apparently mom would be coming late from work today.
I closed the door to my bedroom behind me and fell onto my bed. My shoulders relax, releasing all the exhaustion it built up over the week. I move my head to see the nightstand beside my bed with a Mongrel action figure on it. I pick it up and examine it, looking straight at the mask. Though the mask was the exact copy that Mongrel wore, I didn't get the weird nauseous sensation I got when looking at Mongrel on screen.
I'm reminded of the video I was watching before Ford interrupted me, so I pulled out my biotracker. While watching Mongrel's swordsmanship that seemed far too fluid and powerful than a human should be capable of, I heard the question Ford asked me at the stoplight.
Have you ever imagined being awakened?
I scoff. Sure, maybe once or twice, but the idea didn't sit long in my head. I was a normal suburban kid who lived with his ordinary parents. I wasn't below average, but I wasn't special either. I definitely wasn't a genius like Lord Mongrel or the Princess of Valor.
"But.." I stare at Mongrel on my screen, who had gained victory over his opponent. Though it was an intense fight, he barely seemed tired.
The chance of someone normal like me meeting a notorious awakened like Lord Mongrel was impossible, but if I was awakened like him…
"I guess, I wish to be one too." I whispered, barely audible
Then my vision turned black. No, not just my vision, all of my senses were cut off. I couldn't feel anything, I couldn't move, I couldn't feel anything…then suddenly it was as if I was hit by a waterfall at full force.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]
I could barely register what I had just heard, barely understanding the gravity of it.
I got up, shrieking and clawing at my surroundings. My hands touched something wet but solid, like wet dirt or mud. My sense of smell returned, filling my nose with a smell similar to after rain. My vision came back, and I was suddenly met with a soft green light.
The source was the heads of translucent mushrooms that grew out from the side of the walls of where I was…I took a better look of my surroundings as I got up. It was a perfectly cylindrical tunnel, all around me was dirt packed up against the wall to prevent it from falling. Small drops of water dripped from the ceiling, finding its way through the dirt down to my feet where it pooled.
I would be almost impressed if I didn't remember what I heard before getting here…Welcome to the Nightmare Spell.
I suddenly remember what my teacher said: if we were ever pulled in by the dream spell, check your status immediately. I did and-
Name: Vincent.
True Name: ---
Rank: Aspirant.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Memories: ---
Echoes:---
Attributes: [Healing Factor], [Mark of Divinity].
Aspect: [Bloodfeed]
And…
Aspect Description: [You are food. They might play with you, but either you will be eaten or a rotting corpse. Pick your choice.]
I fall onto my knees, my eyes looking at the aspect description but also looking at nothing. Mind was like a thunderstorm while my entire life flashed before my eyes. I settled on the words that Morgan said before facing Lord Mongrel, "…you should really be careful what you wish for…"
"SON OF A-"