[Dreamer Yoru, receive your Boon]
[You have been bestowed a True name: Wish Upon a Star.]
Nathan grinned from ear to ear and looked up at the non-existent ceiling with bliss and pride written on his face.
"Yoru you beautiful bastard, you did the impossible and won US a true name! If you were alive I would kiss you."
The Spell continued and Nathan swore he could a hear a hint of detest in its voice.
[Your aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve aspect?]
"Absolutely."
[Dormant Aspect Saviour is evolving...]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine]
"As expected."
He played cool outwardly, as if trying not to embarrass himself in front of the Spell, however mentally, he was fist pumping and performing all sorts of gymnastics.
[Aspect name: Will Shaper]
The name alone sounded powerful. The odds of actually surviving this ruined world seemed to get better and better with each word the Spell said.
'How do I take a look at my runes?'
Shimmering runes appeared in front of him and he found that he instinctively understood them. Nathan always assumed that the spell actually translated the runes into English or whatever language the people of this world understood, but actually, the runes remained the same but the meaning behind them was evident. Nathan began to read his runes from the top.
______
Name: Yoru
True Name: Wish Upon a Star
Rank: Dreamer
Soul core: Dormant
Memories: [Marauders Love]
Echoes:-
Attributes: [Tyranny] [Cherished] [?#"£$%]
Aspect: [Will Shaper]
Aspect description: [Your Being is a tragic misstep in fate yet accounted for nonetheless. You are a miracle to all that ever is and ever will. You do not dream... but others do that for you.]
"Hold on what does it mean by "misstep"? Am I not supposed to be here? am I a mistake? Why is it tragic? and why can't I dream by myself? what the hell is this supposed to mean?"
Nathan knew the spell was cryptic and weird about everything but the description of his Aspect really unsettled him. Forcing himself to move on despite his discomfort, he shrugged and continued reading:
Innate Ability: [Cricket]
Ability description: [You know the deepest wishes of those who know your true name, you hear them like a whisper in your ear, being able to fulfil them even if they don't tell you.]
'Eh? That just sounds like a bootleg version of Nephis' [Longing]. Still, I can already think of some ways to use this like… blackmail.'
A hideously evil grin plastered across his face.
[The First Seal is broken]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
A slumbering thing woke up within Nathan. It was powerful and scorching hot, working its way from his chest where it originated and spreading to every inch of his body. Despite its heat, it wasn't painful and brought him no discomfort, it was euphoric and familiar, a flame with the properties of water, cooling yet heating his cells, organs, bones and blood. Eventually, that serenity entered his brain and finally his eyes. The world felt much more pronounced and defined compared to before, not only was there an improvement in his physicality such as his eyesight becoming sharper but even his emotions themselves became clearer allowing him to identify them much easier.
Simultaneously, he seemed to appear or rather, perceive two places at once. He was still within the inside of the Spell, but he also stood atop a silent and dark sea.
Above his head hung a boundless sky of gleaming stars, each emitting a brilliant radiance in various shapes and sizes. The sea beneath his feet was motionless and tranquil, and within its reflection were the very same stars that hung above, making it seem as if Nathan was walking upon them.
He couldn't help but be captivated by the beauty of his starry Soul Sea, letting out a low whistle.
"My soul is glorydamn beautiful."
He then noticed one peculiar star that wasn't the biggest or the smallest but the closest to him. It shined much brighter compared to the others and had a small orb of light surrounding it.
'I take it that's my Soul Core.'
He let out a tired sigh thinking to himself, 'And its in the shape of a star...this theme is becoming slightly irritating now.'
He turned his attention away from the peculiar shape of his Soul Core and instead focused on the light orbiting it. He quickly identified it as his only Memory [Marauder's Love]. But before he could summon the Memory, the Spell spoke once more:
[Awakening Aspect Ability…]
Nathan bit his lip in anticipation.
This would decide whether he actually survives the Dream Realm when the time comes or any other event that may threaten his life before that.
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Genie]
Nathan hurriedly looked for the runes related to his ability and read it's description.
Aspect Ability Description: [You may grant Wishes]
Nathan blinked.
And blinked again.
"Seriously…?"
He let out a shaky laugh and stumbled backwards.
"No way…that's way too overpowered!"
Of course, Nathan understood that the Spells description of his Dormant ability was pretty lacklustre in terms of actual details but based off face value alone he may be able to just wish to return home and do it.
'No, that's just wishful thinking, this is only a dormant ability and I'm still a sleeper after all.
Perhaps when I get stronger…'
The spells voice spoke over his internal thoughts.
[All power has a price]
[You have received a Flaw]
A new set of runes appeared beneath his aspect ability.
[Your flaw is…]
Nathan's eyes widened and his jaw clenched.
"You've got to be fucking kidding."
Flaw: [Karma]
Flaw Description: [Nothing comes without sacrifice, not even miracles. With each miracle performed, a tragedy befalls you.]
Nathan tried to force out a laugh, but each attempt would just die in his throat. Nothing about his Flaw was funny.
At first glance, the Flaw seemed…alright. Sure, slightly ominous and terribly foreboding but not something as immediately bad as always burning when having to use his Aspect. However what Nathan saw when he read the runes irked him and shook him to his core.
The reason for this was because his Flaw was not something he was able to supersede or counter against. Everything about it was left up to fate and not his own actions. He didn't know what the spell would justify as a miracle and it's not like he could decide whatever tragedy would fall on him. It was a Flaw that he had no control over whatsoever.
It scared him.
Living in an apocalyptic world like this one and surviving could be considered a miracle. Doing anything in this world was a miracle! Nathan just had to hope that the tragedies he'd come to experience wouldn't be too great to bear, but he knew that was too good to be true.
With dispirted hopes and terrible premonitions of the future, Nathan heard the Spell once again, this time announcing his departure.
[Wake up! Wish Upon a Star]
The starry void spun and disappeared.
****
This was now the second time within the space of an hour that Nathan had found himself waking up, missing the comfort of his familiar bed.
Staring upwards, he was faced with the expected armoured ceiling of the police stations vault. The space felt cold and unalive, as if some unapproachable omen of death lingered within. In this case, that omen would be Nathan himself.
Despite the rejuvenation he had experienced from his earlier awakening, his body still felt incredibly stiff and…unused for lack of a better term.
Craning his neck with a groan, Nathan scanned the room and his eyes quickly landed upon the most beautiful woman he ever had the pleasure of seeing.
She had short, raven-black hair and icy blue eyes. Her flawless skin was smooth, supple and as white as snow. His mouth hung slightly ajar, stunned at her beauty and his eyes seemingly refused to look away from her enchanting figure.
The beautiful woman let out a deep sigh and said, "I would ask what're you looking at, but I recently found myself in the same situation less than an hour ago. So I'll save you the pain of being slapped and ignore you're gawking."
With that, Nathan's mouth quickly snapped shut biting his tongue slightly, ushering a silent curse at not only the pain but also the embarrassment of having been caught staring.
'Great first impressions…'
The woman shook her head and a smile slowly worked its way onto her lips.
"Anyways, congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare Sleeper Yoru. Welcome back to the waking world."