— What do you mean, "Nobody will be"? I don't even know you!
Great, now I've been kidnapped and will be forced to befriend a lunatic. Damn Spell!
— Don't worry so much about it. We have at least two days to become best friends.
— Two days? Why so specific? What's going to happen? — Alice shifted in her chair.
Two days… Would she be killed in two days? What was supposed to happen in that time? Wait, could it have something to do with the city being destroyed?
— What? You don't know? You came at a terrible time! In two days, our city will be attacked by the kingdom. As you may know, the Children of War are not the most beloved people among the kingdoms, so wherever we go, there's always someone trying to drive us out. This city we're in may belong to the servants of the Goddess of War, but we're within a kingdom ruled by the Children of the God of Storms, so our authority here is almost nonexistent. However…
Rubin turned toward Alice and walked over to the bed.
— By the gods, who do they think we are? We are the Children of the God of War! The Children of the God of Life! We will not bow our heads to just anyone. So yes, Nobody, we are going to war.
Alice listened carefully. She needed to understand what was happening to figure out how to get through the nightmare.
"So that's it..."
If what Rubin was saying was true, then this nightmare… was the worst possible one.
A war? The Spell must be joking with her! If things were as she imagined, the objective of this nightmare would be to help one side emerge victorious… or to make sure neither of them won.
But apparently, the Spell already had a preferred side. However, Alice didn't have to follow its will. She could very well ally with the kingdom and go against what the Spell wanted.
"That would be my revenge for this whole situation!"
But that also had its own risks. It would be better to think carefully before making any decisions.
— And you, Rubin? What will you do once the war begins?
I could think of many answers, but Rubin was… unhinged. She'd probably say she'd fight with honor or something like that.
— Tomorrow, I'm going to invade the temple and kill everyone there. And you're going to help me! — Rubin sat on the bed, then grabbed a brush and started combing Alice's hair as if they had been best friends since childhood.
Alice, on the other hand, was so stunned she didn't know what to do.
She hated not having control over her own life. Having grown up with few opportunities, she thought the Nightmare Spell would finally allow her to take charge of her own fate. But now… even the spell itself wanted to impose its will on her. And now this girl too?
Who does she think she is? She doesn't even really exist! She's just an echo of someone created by the Spell, a mere illusion trapped inside her mind.
— Hey, don't drag me into this war. I have nothing to do with it! And what do you think you'll gain by invading that temple?
— Haha! Well, we'll obviously destabilize the kingdom, of course. Don't think I'd be stupid enough to go in there alone. A few more people will be coming with us. You can just stand back and watch… or carry our weapons, since you're too much of a coward! Hahaha!
I should say something to try to get out of this… or just run away. But this war is going to happen no matter what.
It was supposed to start in two days, but with this attack, it will begin tomorrow. That gives me even less time to escape.
So… all that's left for me is to face this war and lead one of these sides to victory.