Sitting alone on a worn-out bench, a boy with short, tightly curled hair and a light brown complexion stared blankly into the distance. His eyes were dull—empty, really. The kind of look you see in someone who's already lived through the worst and doesn't expect anything better on the other side.
"I guess luck's never been my thing," he muttered, voice rough and tired. He took a slow sip from a paper cup of coffee. It was lukewarm at best, but the bitterness stirred something faint inside him—familiar, almost comforting.
"Still tastes like home," he added quietly, half to himself.
He let out a long sigh and crushed the empty cup in his hand, tossing it into a nearby trash can without looking. The motion felt... final, somehow. Like turning the last page of a story you didn't enjoy.
Pushing his hands into his pockets, he stood up and started walking. The street was quiet, grey skies hanging heavy above. A few blocks later, he stopped in front of the local police station—plain concrete, windows like tired eyes staring back at him. Nothing welcoming about it.
He stepped inside. The heat hit him first, sharp and almost too much after the chill outside. A police officer looked up from the front desk, eyebrows rising slightly at the sight of the boy—his ragged clothes, his worn-out expression.
"You alright, son? You lost?" the officer asked, voice polite but cautious.
The boy paused. He was tired-so tired-and the words took a moment to form in his head. "I wish it were that," he said, voice low. "I wish I were just lost and not about to say what I'm going to say."
The officer straightened slightly. There was a tension in the air now.
The boy exhaled slowly. "As demanded by the Third Special Directive-or whatever it's called-I'm here to surrender myself... as a spell carrier. Or was it Nightmare Spell? Doesn't matter. Same crap."
The officer's face paled. His hand hovered near the emergency call switch.
"Are you sure?" he asked, voice sharp. "When did you start having symptoms?"
Miguel-because that was his name-shrugged, his body swaying slightly from exhaustion.
"A week ago. Or maybe five days? I don't remember. Whatever this thing is... it's been chewing through my mind like rust on metal."
That was all it took.
The officer slammed the alarm button. "We have a Code Black! I repeat, CODE BLACK!"
Minutes later, Miguel found himself strapped to a heavy chair in a sterile, high-security holding room. The restraints were made of reinforced metal-cold, unyielding. He didn't resist. There was no point.
Standing across from him was an old man in a military-style coat. His face was lined with wrinkles, but his eyes were alert, sharp like a knife.
"You got a name, kiddo?" the man asked.
Miguel looked up at him, unmoved. "Miguel."
The old man nodded. "Alright, Miguel. We don't have much time, so I'll be brief. I assume you know what the Nightmare Spell is?"
Miguel blinked slowly, his head heavy with fatigue. "Kinda. Enough to know it's bad."
"Well, here's the short version," the officer said. "You're going to be sent into a simulation of the past, built inside the Dream Realm. Once inside, you'll receive an Aspect. That's the thing that defines your powers, your path."
Miguel's eyes narrowed slightly, trying to focus.
"The first thing you'll need to do is understand what your Aspect is. Know its nature, what it responds to. That'll increase your chances of surviving. And listen closely to this: don't let fear take hold of you. The Dream Realm will feed off it. You'll need a clear head and sharper instincts if you want to make it out."
Miguel nodded slowly. It was hard to concentrate. The more the man talked, the heavier his eyelids felt. His body was giving in to the spell's effect, dragging him toward unconsciousness.
"One last thing," the officer said, leaning in a bit. "Please... try to survive. If you die in there, my men die here-senselessly. Got it?"
Miguel gave one final nod. There were a thousand of snarky comments forming in his head but he remained silent.
Sleep took him like a wave. His body slumped, his breathing slowed and then everything went black.