Lightning flashed above the obsidian castle, briefly illuminating the darkness inside. The luxurious building rose like a black blade, its edges swallowing what little moonlight remained. Several floors off the ground, a man could be seen sprinting up a flight of stairs.
Lunar's exposed feet were no less black than the structure he was walking on, frostbitten by the cold and worn by the journey. With each step, glass windows — sleek with ice — reflected the boy's treacherous complexion.
The wind screeched, whipping at tornado speeds before slicking back his frosted hair. The floor was slippery, enough to make anyone slow down, but Lunar couldn't.
He didn't have the time, nor the luxury.
He panted, each breath expelling a gust of hot air as his lungs burnt with fatigue. Beneath his pale lips, a stream of frozen blood dried against his skin.
"I…"
Lunar's body weakened, as if suddenly becoming hollow, but that didn't stop him. The toxic air was harrowing — enough to halt his movements, but not his resolve.
"I will…"
The boy tripped, falling to the floor. He shot his arms forward to catch himself, but when his stiff fingers collided with the ground, they cracked, bending in an unnatural way before severing completely.
"A…ah… Haah… mm!"
He groaned in pain before choking on his own spit. A second, more ambitious flow of blood cascaded from his mouth, pooling onto the floor and painting his cleaved fingers red.
"Ah… I…"
Lunar furrowed his brows, ignoring the pain and standing up again. Biting his lip, he jogged up the stairs, unable to sprint
"I will not—"
Outside, the lightning cracked, momentarily shaking the castle. Lunar lost his balance, falling to the side and colliding with the wall.
"No!"
He gathered all of his remaining strength and pushed himself off of the black wall, repurposing that momentum into his final ascent.
"I will not die like this!"
With a blood-curling scream, he propelled himself up the stairs, his mind resolute.
"Agh!"
Step. Step. Step.
…
"Haah... Haah... Hgh..."
Finally, after a long and arduous climb, Lunar stood at the castle's peak, his shivering muscles relaxing as his mind was enthralled by a sudden tranquility.
As if responding to his victory, the environment shifted. The storm faded away, replaced by a warm beam of sunlight. The clouds split, revealing an ethereal blue behind.
"..."
He wanted to laugh, to express his joy. After all, he had done the impossible. With a body like this, nobody could have done what he did.
"Hah."
This was the first time Lunar felt truly accomplished.
"Haha…"
Now, all he had to do was—
—Badump! Badump! Badump!
!!!
Lunar felt a dreadful sensation in his chest.
"Ah…"
'A heart attack...'
Once the sun warmed him up, he originally planned on walking down the stairs, reaching an alabaster statue and concluding his First Nightmare.
But now… he didn't have the time.
Both walking down and staying still would lead to his demise. So, Lunar took a deep breath, acting before the issue could worsen.
With one final sigh, he tensed his legs and jumped, throwing himself over the edge of the building and beginning his descent.
He was high, incredibly high. If Lunar had to guess, he'd say he was 30 floors high, and he was at the very top. A fall from this height was just as fatal as a heart attack…
…but it was his only choice. This was the only option where living was a possibility.
As he fell, he summoned his runes, praying to the gods above as he reread his Aspect Description.
Aspect: [Faithful Puppet]
Aspect Description: [The Puppeteer has attained many dolls, but none were as loyal as this one. Perhaps she favors it, or perhaps she does not.]
'Please…'
Below him, a flawless alabaster statue waited. Each carving — every curve — was carefully crafted by a professional sculptor, and despite the weathering of time, her skin remained smooth.
The beautiful woman was, of course, the "Puppeteer" described in his Aspect. And in the end of that same description, the Spell said, "Perhaps she favors it".
"It", of course, was Lunar, her [Faithful Puppet]
He was betting that the Puppeteer would recognize his Aspect and admire his "faith" for her, somehow saving him in the process.
'Please!'
After a four second fall, Lunar's body collided with the sculpture's hand, his back curling at an impossible angle before nearly breaking on impact. His spine shattered, yet his consciousness remained.
Nothing happened.
He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, and he certainly couldn't feel anything. The only part of Lunar that still worked was his vision and his mind, and his mind was in shambles.
'I'm about to die,' he thought, a stream of warm tears washing down his cheeks. 'After all that effort, I'm really going to die.'
But at the very last second, the familiar voice of the Spell resounded in his swollen ears.
[You have offered yourself to Bliss.]
[Your soul bears the mark of divinity.]
[You are a faithful puppet.]
[The Demon of Bliss sends a blessing from the –Unknown–.]
[Remnant of Illusions, receive your blessing!]
Above Lunar's astonished eyes, the statue's head suddenly twitched, as though coming alive. Her solid lips curled into a wicked smile — and as he watched, a heavy warmth spread throughout his damaged body.
Her massive hand moved, shifting upwards as she brought Lunar in front of her face. The next second, she balled her fist, crushing Lunar's frail body between her slender fingers. His vision went black, but somehow, his thoughts remained.
The Spell then whispered:
[You have acquired a new Attribute.]
[Wake up, Lunar! Your Nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal…]
—
—
—
Authors Note:
- Word Count: [1142]
- Please read the disclaimer, the world will make much more sense, and you might feel confused without it.
- Was the chapter alright? I have a really hard time judging my own writing after I've written it since I have been staring at it for so long, so please point out any issues it has. For example, I have a habit of moving through things too fast so please tell me if I do that so I can fix it. I'm working on my writing as much as possible, so I just hope it's good enough to read for now. Of course, when I get better, I'll probably go back and edit early chapters.
- Is there anything in particular that you want to see in this fanfic?
- Also, would you like me to make a few official illustrations for each volume? I'm not godly at digital drawing, but I think I'm good enough for it to add to the experience.
- If you read the previous first chapter, please don't be confused. The reason it's all different is because I decided to begin this fanfic in a different timeline. So now, you know more than everybody else.