'Huh, where am I'
'It's dark I can't see a thing'
'I could've sworn I left my nightlight on, is this a prank, have I been kidnapped?'
'Okay, calm down let's try to remember, I know I was preparing for college, I was reading a novel on my phone, then... Sigh that's all I remember'
'Where am I even?'
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare spell Prepare for your first trial!]
.
"What the f__"
In the plain empty area with a field of grassland and a blue sky, Austin found himself lying flat on the ground with dazed eyes staring at the sky.
"Ugh, my head hurts" Austin sat up and rubbing the back of his head as he looked around, first on his tattered clothes, then the surrounding.
"What just happened, where the hell am I?"
"Nightmare spell....., first trial...., Hell no don't tell me I'm inside shadow slave, this is confusing as hell" He sat on the plain grass as he began recalling his memories.
"This can't be real right?" He pinched himself on the cheek, feeling the pain he sighed, then did a few more painful tests, and they all confirmed one truth.
This was his new reality.
"If this is real then first I need to start with this nightmare" he muttered helplessly.
"But then again where am I? All I see is absolutely nothing and somehow everything" he looked around and saw a picture perfect view.
"If I didn't hear the spell's voice, I would've thought I got reincarnated into one of those Windows 8 PC background, now that I think about it" he thought for a while and recalled some details.
'Status' he said inwardly as golden runes shimmered into existence.
Name: Merlin Hermes
True Name: _____
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: [???]
Echoes: _____
Attributes: [Fated],[Mysteries],[Mark of Divinity]
Aspect: [Vessel Of God]
Aspect Description: [You are a soul not from this world, Your body has been tempered and created to house Gods. You bleed with their essence therefore you are the vessel of ???. ]
"What am I even looked at, and what's up with the question marks" sighing Merlin got up and started walking in the direction of the sun.
'I don't even know where I'm going there's nothing within sight for probably miles, though I'm lucky no abomination has tried to kill me I'll definitely be cooked if I meet anything right now'
After two days of walking, Merlin finally found something in the distance, a pale white temple that stood high enough to be seen from the distance, and a few armed knights and warriors standing around.
'Finally people I've been walking forward for two days straight without eating or sleeping, I don't know if it's because of the God's essence but I'm already at my limit, I just have to get there and get information'.
After a few more hours of walking he finally reached the temple.
"Uhm, hello excuse me please, I'm lost and I don't know where to go" he walked up to a grunt looking knight who had already drawn his sword and taken a stance.
Raising his hands above his head, Merlin stopped at a considerable distance away from the knights, as a few others were already moving to circle him warily and alert.
"Please Like I said I'm lost, I __"
"Stop right there now!, Identify yourself!" the knight commanded with a stern voice.
"I'm ___"
"Wait Commander, look at his ankle" another scruffy looking knight spoke to the captain.
'Ankle, what ankle' looking down he saw a brand like mark of a rune on his skin.
'I have a feeling that something isn't right here'.
"That mark.. so you've decided to run back after having nowhere to go right, even after you spent all your effort in running away from your destiny, Ralph, tie him up and send him to the cell underneath" the commander sneered at him.
"Yes commander" the scruffy man sheathed his sword and with insane speed and strength pinned down Merlin.
"What!?, H-hey let me go!" He struggled, but to no avail, his weak bod couldn't do anything.
'fuck, what are the chances that this guy just escaped from here only for me to drag my sorry ass right back, I'm very sure that damned Fated attribute is at maximum output'
Hours later, He was now in a cell, locked up and chained below the temple with a bunch of other children, teenagers and youth all separated by age grades in different cells.
'From what I've heard so far it seems this damned fanatic worshippers of the Heart God are trying to use our blood as sacrifices to revive their God'
'I mean what the hell, even the God's can't revive themselves why the hell are you guys even trying at all'.
Minutes later, the scruffy knight walks in and opens his cell, then drags him out, pulling him into what seems like a makeshift treatment area, or so he think because all he could see were injection, drugs, operating tools, a bed with chains.... wait chains?
'Damn what the hell is this place a torture chamber?' he gritted his teeth as his face went pale.
"Looks like you'll be spending quite some time with our doctor, next time you'll stick to your cell, but don't worry, you are an important piece of the sacrifice so you won't die, yet" Scruffy says with a fanatical look and an eerie smile while binding the struggling Merlin to the bed before leaving.
"Hoo, looks like there's a new specimen, I've been told not to kill you so I'll be extra gentle okay, need to make sure Master's vessel stays intact" A fat man with blue leather clothes walk in with equipments ranging from cutters to scapels to iron whips and all other tools.
...
Screams tore through the temple as Merlin ended up battered, laying chained to a chair, bloodied and torn clothes, missing fingernails and toenails, dislocated joints, missing teeth, slit tongue and all other kinds of wounds around his body.
'Kill me, Please somebody kill me' he kept repeating, as his mind had broken from days of endless torture.
Finally the commander walks into the chamber, looking at what could pass for a mutilated corpse, he picked up the keys and releases the bindings on Merlin.
"You're in luck, it's time for you to be offered, thank My God for relieving your suffering" he says as he dragged Merlin's bloodied body away from the room.
Arriving at an altar that looks almost sacred, he was dropped on the altar with his body limp and mostly broken, from the corner of his eye he saw a priest in a black robe, supposedly preaching to a large congregation of people.
"Praise the Heart God!, Praise the God of souls!" The priest chanted to the congregation.
'Curse you all, I'll find a way out and I'll definitely kill all of you' Merlin cursed them with his last energy.
As the ceremony began, the priest walked up to him on the altar and pulled out a short dagger from his ceremonial robe and then slits his wrist. Although it hurt, Merlin had already become numb to that pain after these past few days.
Blood flowed out of his body unto the altar, as his vision began to fade a clear voice resounds in his ears
[You have been sacrificed to the Heart God]
[You have received the blessings of the Heart God]
[Your Aspect has evolved]
[Vessel Of God--- Child of God]
[The Heart God is reviving within you]
[??? Is interfering with revival]
[Your memory has been revealed]
[Cloak of Mysteries]
[Revival process has been terminated]
Name: Merlin Hermes
True Name: _____
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: [Cloak of Mysteries]
Memory Description:
Name : Cloak of Mysteries
Rank: Divine
Tier: VII
Type: Tool
Description: [A Cloak bestowed by ???. It corresponds to sequence 1 Attendant Of Mysteries, the weilder will be able to use corresponding abilities as long as essence is supplied, when worn the weilder is immune to all types of mental and soul attacks, however with every use the weilder will be stripped of their humanity little by little.]
Echoes: _____
Attributes: [Fated],[Mysteries],[Mark of Divinity]
Attribute Description:
Fated : [You are an anomaly in the strings of fate, therefore you will be closely watched by them and this will increase the probability of bringing good or bad events towards you. ]
Mysteries: [You have been marked by ???, You are immune to the strings of fate but you will bring great opportunity wherever you walk.]
Mark of Divinity: [Your soul bears the mark of the Divine.]
Aspect: [Child Of God]
Aspect Description: [You are a soul not from this world, Your body has been tempered and created to house Gods. You have been blessed with their essence and you are now recognized as a being of their potential. You are a blessed of ???. ]
On the altar, Merlin stirred as a black and golden cloak shimmered into existence wrapping itself around his body.
All injuries and damages dealt by his torturer are repaired in an instant, and the congregation oblivious to the situation are all celebrating in praise at they witnessed what they thought was the revival of their God, immediately their body become stiff like old dolls and their thoughts become broken making it hard to form a single thought, within seconds, the countless congregation have all become marionettes, and then the slaughter begin as they all attack each other fighting to the death.
The sounds residing in Merlin's head as he watches with dazed eyes
[You have slain a dormant human, Unknown]
[You have slain a dormant human...]
[You have slain a dormant...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
[You have slain a...]
...
[You have slain an awakened human, Unknown]
[You have slain an awakened human, Unknown]
[You have slain an awakened human...]
[You have slain an awakened human...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
[You have slain an...]
...
[You have slain an ascended human, Unknown]
[You have received a memory, Formless.]
In a matter of minutes, the once holy temple is now filled with blood, corpses and silence.
Merlin looked as the scene with vacant eyes as the cloak disappears with series of shimmering lights and immediately he collapsed on the altar, bleeding from all orfices, his brain overworked that the only word he could say was "What the f___" and darkness immediately took his consciousness.
[Wake up, Merlin Hermes! Your Nightmare is over. ]
[Prepare for appraisal...]