"Shaaaaaman… die."
Mikel's eyes dilated, his pupils shrinking as the choking grip tightened around his neck. His oxygen waned, his face flushing red as he tried to pry the woman's fingers from his throat. Despite all his efforts, this was the first time he felt utterly powerless.
Shit, she won't budge!
He kicked at the air and punched at her arm with his free hand, but it was useless. The person crouched on his chest only laughed maniacally.
Stop!
He kept punching and punching, his desperation growing in each swing.
Has my long hospital stay made me this weak? How could she take hits like that and not flinch?"
Damn it!
"Hahaha! Pluck the bud before it blooms," the woman chanted, laughing maniacally in between. "Pluck the bud before it blooms. Pluck it. Cut it. Pull it out of its roots! Then… kill it! HAHAHAHA!"
Her laughter echoed along with his grunts, almost like she was making fun of him.
Gritting his teeth, Mikel's mind raced at what felt like four hundred miles per hour, thinking of any way to escape. He couldn't just die — not like this, and not for something he didn't even understand.
Then, a strange blue grid glowed before his eyes.
[Warning: Threat Detected]
[Type: Nightbound - Nightmare]
[Overview: Nightbounds are malevolent spirits primarily tied to the realm of dreams and sleep. They're not just figments of the imagination — they're real entities that feed on fear, trauma, and suppressed emotions. They manifest during sleep, but their effects can bleed into the waking world.]
[Skills: Inducing sleep paralysis, invasion of dreams, psychological torment]
[Threat Level: Low]
[Objective: Engage and purify]
Are you kidding me!? Now of all times?!
Irritated more than confused, Mikel barely registered the text hovering before him. In this situation, trying to understand one thing was not an option.
His breath hitched as the woman's hair began to move independently, like a mass of writhing snakes. His eyes widened as one slithered its way down his jaw right before his eyes.
Shit!
Suddenly, her hair shot toward him — aiming directly for his eyes. But the first strike was deflected mid-air with a metallic clack, like metal hitting metal.
What the…
He held his breath as the attacks kept coming, all repelled by some invisible force. But the distraction was short-lived. The grip on his neck tightened again.
"Ugh!" Mikel latched onto her arm, using every ounce of strength to pry her off.
[Host, would you like Doom to engage?]
He ignored it.
[Would you like Doom to engage?]
Still ignoring the glitching prompt, Mikel ground his teeth and focused only on one thing: surviving. Twisting his head, even while restrained, he watched as more strands of hair prepared to strike.
Screw it!
As another lock came at him, Mikel lunged forward and bit it down — hard.
What followed was a piercing shriek that filled the ward. The woman tossed her head sideways in pain, and her grip on his neck loosened.
With his adrenaline surging, Mikel seized the moment and shoved her off. As she tumbled from the bed, he leapt to the opposite side.
"Ahhh!!" she screamed and screamed, clasping her head in pain.
"Shit…" he spat out the strands of hair in his teeth, his chest rising and falling in rapid bursts. He glanced at the old man in the corner of the room. Thanks to his hearing issues, he was sleeping like a baby.
Shaking his head, Mikel yanked the IV from the back of his hand and turned to the woman slowly rising from the floor.
"Ah… for god's sake!" He glanced over his shoulder again, then bolted from the ward.
Mikel sprinted down the hallway, his thoughts racing faster than his feet. The danger clung to him like a shadow. And like anyone in his shoes, the logical next step was to ask for help.
But…
"What the fuck?" he gasped, stopping dead at the empty nurse's station.
This was a hospital. How could it be empty?
"Help! Somebody!" he shouted, running and hoping to bump into someone — anyone. But it wasn't just the station. The entire hospital was abandoned.
"What the hell is going on…?" he whispered.
Then the grid reappeared again.
[Warning: Threat Approaching]
[Speed: Fast]
[Threat Type: Nightbound - Nightmare]
[Overview: See prior entry.]
[Skills: Sleep paralysis, dream invasion, psychological torment]
[Threat Level: 1]
[Status: Active. Ready to Engage.]
This time, Mikel skimmed it quickly.
"Who… who are you?" he muttered.
[I am Doom.
Butler of the Upholder of the Protocol. I will be at your service until the end, Master.]
A thousand questions flooded Mikel's mind, but there was no time for any of them.
Behind him, wicked laughter echoed. He turned to the corner and saw something slithering down the hallway — hair, endless and black, devouring the light in its path.
"Hey, Doom," he rasped, eyes fixed on the end of the hall. "What is that thing again?"
[A Nightbound.]
"Summarize it. Short and simple."
[Yes.]
[Nightbound Summary: It's a nightmare. But not really. You need to wake up and purify it.]
"…" His eye twitched. "How do I wake up?"
[You must engage and weaken the entity. Or Perish. That is also an option.]
His face contorted, eyes still fixed on the demon. "Didn't you just say it affects reality? So, if I die here… doesn't that mean I'll die in the real world too?"
[Yes.]
Then, why is that an option!?
[Status plane: Lucid-Paralysis Layer - Nightmare and Reality have merged.]
His breathing slowed. At the far end of the hallway, the entity appeared. A demonic woman in a mud-stained nurse dress, her black hair crawling over walls, floor, and ceiling, painting it all in darkness. Her pupils were pinpricks in a sea of sclera, black veins spidering across them.
"Mikeeel," she called, black fluid dripping from her chin.
Strangely, Mikel — whose vision should have been weak — could see her perfectly. Every horrifying, beautiful detail of that godforsaken beauty.
His eyes gleamed.
"Doom," he whispered, "what are my chances of winning?"
[...]
He winced as a loading screen blinked. "Just say it!"
[Host has a 10% chance of survival with current status.]
"Ten percent?" Mikel said, gripping a nearby IV pole. "That's all I need to kick her ass."
Yet, despite the confidence, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as a spike of fear hit him in the gut.
"Tehehe~!" the woman giggled, eyeing him like prey.
And in the blink of an eye, she was already right in front of him.
"Pluck. The. Bud. And. Kill. It."
The moment those rolled out of her long, twisted tongue, Mikel swung the pole to repel the hard hair lock coming at him. At the same time, he breathed out,
"Doom, engage."