[Prepare for evaluation...]
Euler was in a space filled with distant stars, connected by long silver threads into one huge, intricate pattern.
All of this could be mistaken for outer space if one didn't know that this was what the Nightmare Spell looked like from the inside,and that it more closely resembled a vast mind, with the stars and threads being its nerve endings.
Euler observed it all with detachment,thinking that his first Nightmare had passed quite simply. Compared to others, he didn't have to fight hundreds of thousands of monsters or survive for long months—everything was decided in a couple of hours. An surprisingly short time, but he could only be glad about it.
At that moment,the Nightmare Spell reminded him of its presence again:
[Aspirant! Your trial is complete.]
[The Wandering Knight found himself in a tournament and defeated all other opponents without receiving a single wound; even the last crazy trickster was led by the nose. In the end, he spared an opponent, showing nobility. Even the ruler appreciated his efforts and rewarded him royally.]
[You have defeated four Sleepers, names unknown.]
[You have received the Ruler's Blessing.]
[You have achieved greatness.]
[Final Evaluation: Excellent. You are a true warrior.]
Euler read all this with interest, feeling better inside than ever before, but trying to keep it to himself.
Surprisingly,he had done well, and quite quickly.
He was even satisfied with the evaluation.
However,he needed to understand what else he would get for it.
[Dreamer Euler, receive your gift!]
Euler read the next line with interest:
[Your Aspect is ready for evolution. Evolve the Aspect?]
Euler, naturally, agreed. However, what happened next surprised him a little.
[The dormant Aspect 'Wandering Knight' is evolving...]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Supreme.]
For the first time in a long while, Euler was genuinely surprised.
[Aspect Name: Waking Dream.]
Euler was simply in shock for some time. A Supreme Aspect! It was just incredible. Of course, it probably wasn't the absolute best, but what difference did it make? It was still better than it could have been. Living in a world where the words "it could have been worse" are a compliment, a Supreme Aspect was magnificent.
Finally calming down,though still amazed, Euler turned his attention to the Aspect's description.
---
Aspect: [Waking Dream].
Aspect Rank:Supreme.
Aspect Description:[The ability to manifest your fantasies into reality. Who wouldn't want that? And dreams? However, be cautious, dreams are not always good.]
---
It sounded like some kind of simple-minded nonsense, but in principle, Euler understood that he could manifest dreams into reality. Or fantasies? In short, he could do something. He could figure it out later.
And still,a Supreme Aspect! It was simply incredible.
But Euler was no idiot and suspected that this had only become possible thanks to the lord's blessing.It seemed his decision to rely on him back then had been the right one. Euler liked to play the long game, and a sword could never compare to an Aspect, no matter what it was. Well, not exactly, but generally speaking, that was the case.
Now he wasn't just a minor government official,but a true Dreamer!
He had once dreamed of becoming one,and now his dreams had come true.
Now he had not only passed his first Nightmare but had also received a reward fit for a king!
True,he would still have to survive in the Dreamrealm itself in the future, but he would think of something.
At that moment, more inscriptions appeared:
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
After these words, Euler felt a huge stream of some kind of energy beginning to flow into him, as if a plug had been pulled from a barrel and water was gushing out. It filled him smoothly and systematically, and he felt his muscles strengthening, his mind clearing, and himself becoming taller and stronger.
It didn't last long,but it was firmly etched in his memory.
When it was over,he remained in confusion for a few more seconds, but then finally came to his senses and looked towards the center.
There he saw what all Awakened were supposed to have—a lone sun hanging in the center,flooding the world with a murky radiance. Only, Euler noticed that unlike others, whose Cores he had heard described, his Soul Core was different.
It was a murky,whitish color, and seemed unreal, as the stars and threads were visible through it.
However,Euler knew that not everyone's Core was the same, so he took it in stride. He couldn't change anything anyway, so why try?
But Euler roughly understood that such a Core reflected his Aspect,'Waking Dream', appearing as if it were unreal, like a dream.
So it wasn't unusual,just adapted to him personally.
His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the Nightmare:
[Awakening Aspect Ability...]
So now he would finally understand what he could do with his ability. It should be completely clear here, not as vague as in the description. After all, this was his ability, not just words.
[Aspect Ability Acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Somnal Guide.]
Euler looked at this with interest, then quickly opened his runes to see what he had gotten.
---
Name: Euler.
True Name:—
Rank:Dreamer.
Soul Core:Inactive.
Soul Fragments:[0/1000].
Memories:[Stone of Wishes], [Eldest Daughter's Raiment].
Echoes:—
Attributes:[Warrior].
Aspect:[Waking Dream].
Aspect Rank:Supreme.
Aspect Abilities:[Somnal Guide].
Aspect Ability Description:[Your dreams, hell, and not only yours, can be manifested into reality. You only need to wish for it. However, be cautious, dreams are not always good.]
---
Euler smiled sincerely in that dark space.
Now he could truly consider himself a Nightmare survivor.
Having obtained a Supreme Aspect and such an ability,he was not useless!
But just how does one sincerely wish for a dream to become reality?Euler didn't know yet, but he had time to figure it out.
At least he still had a whole week until the next winter solstice.
He was unlucky in that regard—to Awaken so late.However, we have no power over our fate, so Euler wasn't too worried about it. Come what may.
But Euler well remembered that gifts often come with a catch,and now he was about to receive his.
[Everything has its price.]
[You have incurred a Flaw.]
[Your Flaw: Not Oneself.]
Euler tensely opened his runes and called up the description.
---
Flaw: [Not Oneself].
Flaw Description:[You will no longer be your former self, you will not be your former self at all. Accept it or struggle.]
---
Euler looked at the runes and read them again, trying to understand what was happening, but then the Nightmare's voice sounded again:
[Awaken, Dreamer Euler!]
---
Euler slowly regained consciousness and opened his eyes.
He saw the ceiling of his house and felt that he had finally returned to reality.
But as soon as he shifted his gaze from the ceiling to himself,his eyes widened and he screamed loudly in a high-pitched voice:
"What the hell is this?!"
Instead of himself, he saw someone completely different.
Long silver hair down to the knees,instead of his short chestnut hair.
Small,delicate hands instead of his large, calloused ones. His viewpoint was much lower, as if he had become shorter, and most importantly—two large breasts.
He jumped up in horror and rushed to the mirror in a panic.
And what he saw there shocked him.
He was now a silver-haired girl with long hair down to her knees,with large breasts, green eyes, a height of 165 centimeters, and dressed in clothes that were huge on her.
Now he understood what the Flaw meant.
"How can this be?"
he asked himself and heard a high,melodious voice instead of his own.
Then he flew into a rage and punched the mirror with all his strength,shattering it into heaps of shards. He had forgotten that he was no longer an ordinary person. His strength was far greater than before.
After smashing the mirror and leaving several dents in the walls,he fell into despondency. Instead of his years of trained body and mind, he had received a weak female body and a highly emotional mind. Before, he would never have allowed such rage, but now... Now everything was different.
At that moment, he didn't notice how he ended up in an armchair.
And while lost in thought,he suddenly remembered that there hadn't been a single armchair in the bathroom.
He jumped up,got tangled in the clothes, turned around, and saw a completely new armchair in front of him that hadn't been there before.
But it wasn't just new;it was somehow wrong, alien to this world. The back was too high, the armrests too low.
Euler,or... probably he... or she... better get used to the fact that she was now a girl. Or was he a girl?
"Ah, how complicated! Why now!"
At that moment, the armchair simply up and disappeared, as if Euler had wished for it.
And indeed,Euler had wished for it to disappear.
At that moment,she understood what had happened.
"So that's how it works. Well now, what if..."
Euler wished to become a lord. However, after a minute of futile effort, she realized that nothing was working, and again he... or she... started switching pronouns.
Sitting on the edge of the bathtub,Euler pondered.
"So, outwardly I'm a girl, though inside I'm a man. But the problem is, people only see the outside. So everyone will refer to me as female anyway. In the end, I need to make a choice: either prove to everyone that I'm a man, or accept the reality of the situation.
And I think I'll choose the second one.Now I am Euler. Ha ha, a good name I have, it works both ways. The main thing is to remember that I was once different. Or to be him? A-a-a-a, what's the difference, I'm so tired, I'll figure it out later."
But at that moment, she remembered the clothes she was wearing.
However,she had no clothes of a different size, only larger ones, because she used to be 199 centimeters tall, not a pitiful 165. Moreover, she didn't know if it was exactly 165, as that was just an estimate.
And sitting on the edge of the bathtub deep in thought,Euler suddenly remembered the gift from that woman in the Nightmare.
Summoning the runes,she decided to examine the Memory.
---
Memory: [Eldest Daughter's Raiment].
Memory Level:Awakened.
Memory Type:Armor.
Memory Description:[The clothing of the eldest daughter from a nameless clan lost to the ages. However, it is made with quality and can serve well for a long time yet.]
---
Euler immediately wanted to summon it, but first remembered her old clothes. Stripping off all the old clothes, she summoned the Memory.
Immediately,she felt clothing appear on her body.
Approaching the second mirror,which wasn't broken yet, a now calmer Euler looked into it.
Now she had a tight white chest wrap covering her upper body.
On her legs were wide cloth trousers with knee pads and soft black boots made of very soft and durable leather.
On her hands were white leather gloves,and they felt like a second skin, meaning she barely felt them, but there was a sense that they were very sturdy, and they reached up to her elbows.
And so,now Euler truly looked like someone who had survived a Nightmare. And a very beautiful person at that.
After admiring herself in the mirror for a bit,she suddenly realized that she now had many problems to solve. Who would she be, 'he' or 'she'?
What about the second Memory?
She needed to prepare for the winter solstice,as she had barely a week left.
She needed to sort out her job situation.Everything needed doing.
But at that moment,she just said 'to hell with it all,' deciding only the first question.
"Now I am 'she,' because why not? Who's going to stop me?"
And then Euler went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bunch of various foods and several cans of soda, then went to her room, lay down on the bed, and started playing video games while simultaneously eating donuts and washing them down with soda.
Everything could be solved somehow later. For now, she could just rest.
I tried and even wrote something, as for me it's quite good, of course it could have been better, but alas, I'm not in a very good mood, so for now it's just like that