Lightning flashed through the overcast sky, briefly illuminating the dark city. Lucien lay still atop the ruins of a particularly tall building. Cold winds battered his face, causing his long black hair to flutter into his eyes, but he made no effort to brush it away. He could not divert his attention now.
Below, a couple hundred feet away, a tall olive-skinned woman battled a fallen abomination. A giant spider covered in thick plates of wrought iron. It moved faster than anything of that size should be able to.
The woman dodged with practised ease, stabbing its underbelly with her spear as she moved. Lucien breathed in deeply and pulled back his bow, he had one job, distracting the beast at a crucial moment, allowing Effie to finish it off.
He waited patiently as the two fought, watching for the signal. He watched carefully, trying to memorize how she moved with a spear. Keeping her distance, she kept attacking it relentlessly, slowly moving into the favorable position. With her back turned against Lucien now, she spun her spear along its longitudinal axis so that it rotated like a drill bit, giving him the signal he was waiting for.
Lucien released the arrow. It sliced through the air, embedding itself between the spider's eyes. The beast flinched, momentarily stunned. It flinched, opening its mouth in surprise. And it was in that instant that Effie struck, straight through the soft inside of its mouth, through the roof, and into its brain. It shuddered violently, collapsing as life faded from its eyes. Effie pulled out her spear and flashed him a grin, lifting one of the spider's legs in triumph.
Lucien sighed. "I guess we're having spider meat today."
He stifled a yawn as he got up, packing up his gear. His eyelids were heavier today, he was getting tired. He hadn't slept for the past few days, and he knew what that meant. He sighed again as he began making his way down. He had maybe a few more hours before he succumbed.
By the time he made it to their temporary safe house, Effie had already lit a fire and had begun cooking the meat. He sat down beside the fire, stifling another yawn. The warmth was not helping keep him awake.
"Nice of you to finally join us Lucy," she grinned, holding up a severed, cooked spider leg towards him, "I saved a piece for you."
Lucien rolled his eyes and accepted the meat, "Can you please stop calling me that? It's outlived its welcome."
"Nope," she trailed off, dragging the word.
He sighed and began eating his share of the meat, he'd need as much food as he could get. There was no telling how long he'd be stuck for.
"Hey, Effie," he continued after finishing it, "can we return early today?"
"Huh, did something happen?" She looked him up and down, looking for any injuries. She stared at his eyes, or rather under them, "Lucy, when was the last time you slept?"
"A few days ago," he admitted. "I've been infected."
A grim look fell over her face. "Does your mother know?"
He shook his head. "No."
Effie leaned over and thumped on his head. "That's stupid, why didn't you tell her."
"I didn't want her to worry," he explained, rubbing the top of his head. "You couldn't have been a bit gentler with that?"
"You deserve it," she said, getting up and killing the fire. "Let's go, we need to get you back to your mom before you fall asleep or she'll kill me."
"I would pay to watch that," Lucien chuckled, only barely escaping yet another punch. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. No need to be so violent, geez."
She shook her head and grabbed his waist, picking him up like a sack of potatoes.
"Wha-Hey! Put me down, woman! I'm not your plaything."
"Oh? Plaything huh, so that's the kind of stuff you're into."
"That's not what I meant! Let go of me!"
"Nope. We need to get back fast, and I'm not having you slow us down."
"I'm not that slow."
"Whatever you say, Lucy."
"Again with the–" His words died in his throat as Effie began sprinting towards the castle, much faster than they usually moved.
He did not speak any more, it seemed Effie was indeed slowing down considerably just to allow him to keep up.
When she finally put him down, they had reached the base of the castle. He wobbled on his feet for a few moments before regaining his balance and looked up. Built from pristine marble, it stretched into the sky like a white mountain. The frontmost tower was wide and imposing, with a tall decorated gate and a grandiose staircase leading down from it to a vast stone platform that the road ended with.
On both sides of the frontmost tower, brought slightly forth, two others stood as bastions, connected to it with arched aerial bridges and accompanied by smaller companion towers of their own. Behind them the main keep soared even higher, as though trying to challenge the menacing Crimson Spire that loomed above the world far in the distance.
He stared at the spire, feeling his skin crawl. Something about it felt wrong.He shook his head and looked down at the dozens of crude, makeshift hovels huddled on the stone platform. They had been built from pieces of rubble, rotting wood, and monster hide. They weren't much, but they got the job done.
He sighed and stared at the one he shared with his mother. A knot twisted in Lucien's stomach as he stared at his hut. If he failed and turned into a monster, would his mother be forced to kill him?
"Any tips?" he asked. "You've been through your first nightmare, what's it like?"
"It's tailor made specifically for you." she said. "It will show you the future of where it takes place before time rewinds, that's the hint. You have to change something in there."
She stared into the distance as if remembering her own nightmare, "Expect the worst. You might have to face humans and monsters."
Lucien sighed. "Well, hopefully I survive."
She grinned, wrapping an arm around his neck, "Of course you'll survive, who do you think taught you to fight?"
"An insane woman?"
Her grip tightened. "You shouldn't speak ill of your elders."
"Even if it's the truth?" he wheezed out, struggling against her grip.
Effie's eyebrow twitched as she released him. "When you return, I'm going to train you so hard you won't be able to walk."
"Yeah right, train," he grinned. "Seems like you have fantasies of your own. That flaw of yours acting up huh?"
Her grin turned dangerously wide, as she began cracking her knuckles.
Lucien's grin faded. "You know, I'm feeling sleepy, I'm gonna go and start my nightmare."
He didn't wait for a response and bolted towards his hut. He could hear Effie laughing behind.
His mother was inside, cleaning the spoils of her hunt. She raised an eyebrow when Lucien walked in. "Well you're awfully early today."
Lucien smiled. "Hey mom, how was your hunt."
"As it usually is." She shrugged. "Is there something you need to say?"
His smile grew forced. "Yeah, I may have been infected by the spell."
She put down the piece of monster hide she was cleaning and got up. "I know."
He blinked in surprise. "You…do?"
"What, you think I didn't notice that you haven't slept for days now?" She crossed her arms, "Why did you not tell me?"
He sighed. "I didn't want you to worry, especially when you're out hunting."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not that incapable."
"No, but where one mistake could end your life? I didn't want to take the chance." he said. "Not like it worked, you figured it out anyway."
She sighed. "How long do you have before you fall asleep."
"Not long," he admitted. "I'm only barely hanging on right now."
"Sit down," she said. "There are some things you should know before you start your nightmare."
He didn't question her and sat down at his 'bed', which was nothing but a bunch of monster fur layered over each other.
She sat down next to him. "Your nightmare will be one connected to storms, maybe at sea too."
"You can't possibly know what the spell has in store for me."
"No, but I know what blood is coursing through you." she said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "We are children of the Goddess of Storms, her blood runs through our veins."
Lucien looked down at his arms. "We're descendants of a goddess?"
"Well, less descendants, more direct creations," she sighed. "It's a lot to explain in the time we have, but know that the storms have always been your ally."
"That makes sense, your aspect is to control winds." Lucien said. "So mine will probably be something similar?"
"Not likely, your aspect is tied to who you are. Not what runs through your blood. What kind of person you are determines what kind of aspect you unlock." She got off the bed and knelt in front of him, looking him straight in the eyes.
"You will survive, no matter what. Do not be ashamed, do whatever you need to survive. I will love you just the same." She grabbed his shoulders, pulling him into a hug.
Lucien leaned into her warmth, he didn't know when he would be back. But his mother was right, he would survive, no matter what.
He felt his eyes grow heavier, and the exhaustion crept up at him. He could barely move anymore, he just wanted to sleep.
With each blink his eyes opened less and less, until…
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]