Five years passed in a blur of poverty, bruises, and quiet determination.
Evander grew into his body—fifteen years old now, lean but strong in a way that didn't match the slums. Every day he trained, pushing the limits of his small frame. Punching cracked walls. Running rooftops. Wrestling gang members twice his size because it was "good practice."
Sunny trained beside him sometimes… though often reluctantly.
"Do we have to?" Sunny groaned once while doing push-ups.
"Yes." Evander replied, not stopping his own. "You're scrawnier than me. That's unacceptable."
Sunny glared. "You're insane."
Evander grinned. "Maybe."
Life was harsh. But these moments kept him sane.
Until, one morning, everything changed.
He woke up sleepy and at that moment he knew that his time has come.
His vision blurred. His limbs felt heavy. His heartbeat thundered like a war drum.
He knew the symptoms.
He staggered outside still not happy about what's going to happen.
Sunny" What's wrong with you?"
Evander "I am going forward" he grinned like a maniac.
Sunny's face turned pale. He knew what Evander meant by going forward.
Everyone will think it's a death sentence being affected by the nightmare spell especially in this shithole only this maniac will say something like going forward.
But maybe only some one like him with that mentality will survive in this accursed world.
After a couple of days
The police checkpoint loomed ahead—near the same one Sunny himself would visit in two years.
Officers glared at Evander as he stepped in.
One stepped forward. "Kid. What are you doing in here?"
Evander clenched his fists and met the man's stare and grinned.
"I'm infected and it's almost a week now." he said firmly.
The officers exchanged tense glances.
One cursed under his breath and shout's. "CODE BLACK"
They hauled him into a quarantine chamber and strap him to a the door sealed shut.
Evander sank to the floor, breathing hard. He felt time stretching thin… pulling… collapsing.
Light exploded around him
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your
first trial!]
He stood alone in a vast, void-like space. Everything was silent.
Then something moved.
The world reversed.
Flames rose… downward. Screams played backward like warped echoes. A massive temple—burned, shattered—reformed itself in reverse time. Stone walls rebuilt themselves. Corpses stood, revived, walking backward into
formation.
Nightmare creatures shrieked silently as they were sucked back into shadows.
A wall—towering, colossal—mended itself piece by piece.
The fire died… before it was lit.
Reality rewound.
Evander's breath caught.
'What… is this place?'
Then everything snapped.
He opened his eyes.
He was lying in a muddy trench. Rain fell from a stormy sky. Shouts echoed in the distance. Explosions shook the earth. Soldiers shouted in languages he didn't recognize.
He was in the body… of someone else.
A teenage soldier. Fifteen or sixteen years old.
Evander sat up slowly.
"I'm… alive?" he whispered.
A sharp pain stabbed his mind.
A blue flame ignited in his vision—words appearing before
him:
"Helllowwww this is your wish granter and your greatest benefactor!!!
And this is your boon I promised you, this will be the last time you'll be
hearing from me."
Good Luck kid.
Another burst of text.
Name: Evander
True Name: -
Rank: Aspirant
Aspect: Mighty Soldier
Description: You are an unwavering force of will and might, a soldier forged from
indomitable iron. Your body and spirit exist to endure, fight, and overcome.
Memories: -
Attributes: [Unnatural Strength], [Peerless Talent], [Unyielding Will], [Predatory Instinct],[Inverse Eyes],[Fateless]
[Unnatural Strength]
Strength beyond human limits.
[Peerless Talent]
Monstrous affinity for all forms of combat.
[Unyielding Will]
A mind like a fortress. Resistance to fear and mental attacks.
[Predatory Instinct]
Cold battle intuition. Perfect analysis of enemy weaknesses.
[Inverse Eyes]
Your eyes see more.
[Fateless]
You do not posses a destined ending, you can be The great in the future or die tomorrow.
"That shitty smoke"
Evander's heart pounded.
'These… these aren't normal attributes, So these must be the
boon he promised me.'
They were monstrous.
'Fateless huh, So I'm the author of my own story'
The merged potential of Garp and Gun—shaped by theNightmare's harshness.
A shadow fell over him.
A tall soldier in battered armour stared down. "Kid! On yourfeet! Training starts now! Move!"
Evander blinked. "Training?"
The man grabbed his arm and hauled him up.
"You're with the recruits! Don't fall behind!"
Evander obeyed, feet moving automatically as instinct stormed through his brain.
He looked around—the war camp spread out in all directions, tents, soldiers, barracks, massive war machines.
Thousands of lives preparing for a war he didn't understand.
'So this is my First Nightmare…'
He clenched his fists.
And for the first time since arriving in this universe,
he smiled.
A real, dangerous smile.
'…I'm home.'