Darkness swallowed everything. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in an old, dark room. Looking at the statues and candles, he felt it was something similar to a church. But there was no cross to worship; there were a few statues, which were some animals and some women in beautiful poses, but seeing where they were placed, it was not for worship—and they were cracked, too.
The room was spacious enough.
"Where the fuck am I? I was in the university, wasn't I?" This was the only question on Drayen's mind.
Seeing the strange environment and the eerie atmosphere around him, terror crawled up his spine. He was just an eighteen-year-old boy—what was he supposed to do in a place like this?
What's happening? Am I dead? Jesus Christ… did I end up in hell?
Confusion, shock, disbelief—everything crashed into him at once. But above all else, fear rooted itself deep inside his chest.
"Maybe… maybe this is a dream," he whispered to himself.
He pinched his cheek hard.
"Haaa—!" He flinched. "It hurts even more than usual. Fuck…"
The confused and scared Drayen started to explore as he took nervous steps, his legs shaking. He didn't go toward any of the statues; as an otaku, he feared they might come alive and chew him. He didn't want to risk his life. He held his breath as he came near a door. There were many doors.
He touched one door, his hands shaking even more as he felt the rough wooden surface. He gulped his saliva. God, I hope nothing comes out.
He checked the door one last time by listening for any sounds as he leaned against it. Sweat was dripping from his shoulders, and his school uniform was fully wet. Sweat soaked into the wood as he pressed his face against it.
"Huff… no voice. It should be safe… I guess."
He opened the door slowly. The door made a creaking sound, which further intensified his fear. It somewhat looked like a hallway. He let out a big breath as he took a step forward.
Suddenly, he heard a weird echo in his ears. Drayen screamed, "Haaaaa! Fuck, what is it?!" He didn't turn around to see what it was, but the edge of his eye caught a black shadow moving. His legs burst with strength as he sprinted. "Oh God, will I die in this place?!"
"I am an Otaku not a mage, this is so unfair! I haven't even seen the world yet! legs don't stop—run faster, run faster!"
He breathed loudly as he sprinted. He saw a wall ahead, but to his luck, there was a door to the right. He slowed down but still crashed his shoulder into the wall. He didn't look behind him; he was afraid of what he would see. He fixed his gaze on the door as he slammed his shoulder into it to open it.
But—
"Damn my luck! It's not opening! Fuck, this is the end, this is the end!"
He nervously looked at the thing he was afraid of. It was a black shadow, and it hopped onto him. Poof, space distorted as he disappeared.
The shadow shifted, warped, and slowly took on a human shape. In seconds, it solidified into a young woman—maybe twenty or twenty-one—with an unsettling smirk playing at the corner of her lips.
Her mouth oozed a hot wine smell. "Well… this is interesting."
----
Drayen gasped loudly, "Haaah—!" as he woke up. Sweat was dripping from his forehead. He looked around as a sterile smell hit his nose. It seemed like the nurse's office, judging from the bed and the curtain drawn around it.
Before he could take any action—something appeared out of nowhere.
[ System initializing ]
[ System starting ]
[ System returning the memory to the reborn Rael ]
His vision blurred instantly. His eyelids sank as unbearable drowsiness washed over him, and before he could resist, he collapsed back onto the bed and fainted once more.
He could live through the memories. He felt that every memory was his. His eyes were dripping with tears as scenes flashed before him.
A middle-aged woman was begging on her knees before a man. "Please, forgive my son. Please don't kill him."
Drayen felt himself on the floor, his legs unable to move. "Mother, don't beg these rascals!"
The man scoffed. "I am generous. I'll grant your son his life."
Then—
BANG.
The bullet pierced the woman's head. She collapsed without a sound.
"MOOOM!" he screamed, voice cracking with agony. His useless legs dragged behind him, dead weight. His palms pushed against the cold floor, slipping from sweat as he tried to crawl toward her.
Drayen opened his eyes in horror as teardrops fell from both sides. He was missing the woman—his mom from his past life. His eyes were no longer those of a playful otaku boy; they were mature, the eyes of a man who had once lost everything to the world.
His heart was drowning in darkness. His stomach twisted with nausea as the flood of memories settled—memories of another life, another him… another mother who died in front of his eyes. He pushed himself off the infirmary bed with trembling legs.
Fedric and Zuko were lying behind the other curtains, but Drayen wasn't in any state to check on them. His mind felt like it was splitting apart.
He wandered out of the nurse's office like a wandering ghost.
The hallways were empty as the students and teachers had left long ago. His footsteps echoed faintly as he drifted aimlessly through the building, unable to digest the fragments of a life that wasn't supposed to be his.
At some point, he found himself on the rooftop. The sky had started to turn dark—almost night. Wind brushed past him as he sat on the edge, leaning against the metal railing, staring blankly at the falling dusk.
He didn't know how long he sat there. His throat felt tight. His eyes burned. "M…mom…"
The word escaped before he realized it.
A sudden voice behind him broke through his haze.
"Drae? Oi, what the hell are you doing up here?"
Drayen flinched and turned.
It was Fedric, his hair messy, uniform half-buttoned, breathing heavily like he'd rushed everywhere looking for him.
"I've been searching the whole campus! You scared the crap out of me, man!"
Drayen tried to speak, but his voice cracked. "Fed… I…"
Fedric's expression softened instantly. He had experienced a nightmare too—it had been scary, but nothing like this. After Mr. Dordo's explanation, he could tell Drayen had been through something far worse. After all, every nightmare awakening was different.
"What happened?" he asked quietly as he stepped closer.
Drayen's lips trembled. His eyes reddened again. Fedric kneeled beside him. "Get up, man. We'll talk later."
Drayen swallowed hard and slowly started to stand, his legs still shaking.
Fedric helped him get up, and a warm hand settled on Drayen's shoulder. "Let's go. Your mom has been waiting at the gate."
Drayen froze.
Mom… is here?
His heartbeat jumped painfully against his ribs. The memories of his past life overlapped violently with the reality in front of him.
Fedric sighed, patting his back. "She looked worried when she came. I'll walk you down."
Drayen's eyes blurred again—not from trauma this time, but from overwhelming relief.
As soon as they reached the main gate, Drayen spotted her.
His mother—his real mother of this life— her arms crossed behind her back, and she was pacing around nervously… but the moment her eyes met his, her tension melted into concern.
"There you are! Do you even know what—"
Her voice cut off when she saw his trembling expression.
"…Drae?"
Drayen couldn't hold it anymore. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Mom…"
She froze, shocked. "W-What happened? Do you feel unwell or anything?"
Drayen hugged her tighter, burying his face in her shoulder. "I… I'm fine… I just… missed you."
Fedric stood at a distance, not interrupting.
Soon, his mother softened completely and gently stroked his head. But as her eyes shifted to the professor standing nearby, her expression darkened. When he had called her earlier, he had spoken in a strangely roundabout way—avoiding her questions, skipping details, and never properly explaining what had happened to Drayen.
"What happened to him? Why did he faint?"
Marcellus, their class professor, tried to shrug it off. "Mrs. Wraithwing, it's probably because he hasn't been sleeping well."
The teacher was inwardly relieved that he had noticed the bags under Drayen's eyes. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to explain anything about the Nightmare Realm to her.
Seeing Drayen's condition, the professor didn't feel it was right to explain everything. "Drayen, the doctor suggested you take a two-day leave, boy. It's better for you. He might babble nonsense—he was sleep-talking some weird things," he lied.
His eyes didn't look like those of someone dismissing Drayen as mad. Instead, they were sharp as he stared at him.
His mom was about to open her mouth, but Drayen said, "Yes, sorry for the trouble, Professor," as he gently pulled her away. He wanted to spend time alone with his mom.