No Return (Shadow Slave Fan-Fic)

A pretty-looking young man with pale skin and dark-circles around his eyes was sitting at the back of the classroom. He had slight bite marks on his fingers as he was writing something down on the paper. Despite excelling in English, Levi found himself unable to concentrate on the exam.

After all , he may die just today.

He had been trying to stay awake for 4 days now , he had drank many cups of coffee and even inflicted himself some injuries-such as biting his fingers, but he didn't think he would be able to keep this up. Eventually it wont be long before he succumbs to the feeling of exhaustion.

If he had to be honest with himself , he was scared-he was gripping the pen harshly as his hand shook. After all , his surviving chances were low , at least that was what he believed. Levi wasn't a rich kid , his family was.. lower middle-class. He attended a public school , the school of course taught them some survival skills and fighting skills. 

Levi himself was proficient in hand-to-hand combat , the streets they lived at were not very safe so he had gotten into many fights , he had experience in real brawl rather than just training. But of course.. against a Nightmare Creature, his fists would be as useless as a whisper in the wind.

*****

The exam was coming to an end , Levi was staring at the blank sheet in front of him. He was also worried about his pregnant mother. After all , now that he was carrying the Nightmare Disease there was a high chance that his younger sibling would have to face a nightmare too when he or she reached their late teenage years.

The bell rang.. everyone handed out their sheets. Levi sat at his usual seat at the back after handing out the blank sheet. He decided to take a look around the classroom , his classmates were discussing about how the exam went , and there were ones who were chatting.

Levi felt envious of them.. why did he have to be forced into a Nightmare while these people enjoyed themselves..? He was feeling bitter , and the bitterness wasn't helping his exhaustion.

He had made his decision.. he was going to the police station after today's school was over. After all he didn't want to endanger anyone by falling asleep elsewhere in case he died...

Levi sighed

'Am I really going to die..?'

He wasn't thinking of informing his parents , or any of his friends. It would cause quiet some trouble for him , and he didn't want to deal with it , not in this state at least. He didn't want to waste any more energy since he might fall asleep anytime right now.

*****

One step at a time. That was all he could do right now. He was having trouble focusing on his steps. His legs felt heavy , his stomach felt hollow , his hands were shaking and his vision was getting more blurry.

He had exited the school grounds. He looked back at the school building. It was most likely his last time visiting this place. He felt like he was leaving something valuable behind. After all this place was where he had spent most of his life. He was leaving his friends , teachers , and mostly his childhood behind.

He was either going to die , or he was going to become an awakened.

Levi felt a sense of something.. he didn't know how to describe it. He felt something stir inside him. A faint whisper, a pull toward the future. He didn't want to disappear. Not yet.

'I will become an Awakened.'

He didn't know if this was exhaustion getting to his mind or not , but it was a sweet feeling. Even if it was small , he felt a bit motivated. With heavy steps, Levi walked toward his fate.

****

He crossed the street and walked towards a Police station. With a slight frown on his face he finally entered the station with heavy steps.

Inside , a wary looking officer looked at him and frowned.

"Another one? Why are you here boy?"

Levi stared at the man expressionlessly. He was too tired to show expressions , but what did he mean by 'another one?' He scratched the bite marks on his hands and replied calmly.

"As demanded by the Third Special Directive, I am here to surrender myself as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell."

The officer's eyes widened in contempt. The man was clearly irritated , but Levi did not know why. With hurried motions , he pressed a button on his terminal and bellowed:

"Attention , another Code Black in the lobby! I repeat , SECOND CODE BLACK"

****

A few minutes later , Levi was staring into the ceiling while multiple policemen was putting him.. and another guy into restraints. Soon they were fastened into a bulky chair that looked like a weird mix between a hospital bed and a torture device. The room they were in was situated in the basement of the police station, with thick armored walls and a formidable-looking vault door. Other officers were standing near the walls, with automatic rifles in their hands and grim expressions on their faces.

Levi took a look at the guy next to him. The boy was covered in filth , he did not look healthy at all , skin and bones as one would say. They said he was a carrier of the Nightmare Spell too. Levi hoped that the small guy.. would survive , even if his chances were low.

"What you lookin at?"

The small guy said to him as he saw Levi staring at him. Levi kept his expressionless gaze and finally answered calmly.

"It is nothing.. sorry for staring."

The small guy narrowed his eyes, lips curling into a mocking grin.

"What, never seen a dead man before?"

"...."

Levi didn't know how to respond to that , his humor.. was as dark as his eyes.

"Good luck... I suppose we both will need it."

He snorted, an almost amused glint flickering in his eyes as he looked at Levi.

"Luck? Yeah, sure. But you'll need more than that to survive whatever hell's coming."

He paused, looking away as if not wanting to waste any more words on the conversation.

"But hey, good luck anyway, if that makes you feel better."

Levi did not respond as he saw him turning his head away.

'Weird guy.. even I am not as sarcastic as that..'

Finally, the vault door opened, and a gray-haired policeman walked in. He had a seasoned face and stern eyes, looking like someone who had seen a lot of terrible things in his life. After checking the restraints, the policeman glanced quickly on his wristwatch and then turned to both of them:

"What's your name kids?"

"Levi"

"Sunless"

They both replied in order. The old policeman raised a brow.

"Sunless? That is a strange name"

Levi looked at the small guy.. so his name was Sunless. How fitting..

Sunny tried to shrug, but found himself unable to move.

"What's so strange about it? At least I have a name. Back in the outskirts, not everyone even gets one."

After another yawn, he added:

"It's because I was born during a solar eclipse. My mom had a poetic soul, you see."

The old policeman grunted , then looked at Levi.

"Do you want me to contact your family?"

Levi thought about it for a few seconds , then replied.

"No need. They are around , but I do not think they would care."

"How dramatic."

Sunless scoffed as he replied sarcastically. Levi rolled his eyes.

"Alright, you both , enough talking. How long can you stay awake?"

"Uh ... not long."

Levi did not add anything , letting Sunless do all the talking.

The policeman sighed.

"Then we don't have time for the full procedure. Try to resist for as long as you can and listen to me very carefully. Okay?"

Not waiting for a response, he added:

"How much do you know about the Nightmare Spell?"

Sunless gave him a questioning look.

"As much as anyone, I guess? Who doesn't know about the Spell?"

"Not the fancy stuff you see in dramas and hear in the propaganda broadcasts. I mean how much do you really know?"

That was a hard question to answer.

"Don't I just go into the Dream Realm, kill a few monsters to complete the First Nightmare, receive magic powers and become an Awakened?"

The old policeman shook his head and Levi let out a scoff. , was this guy being serious..?

"Listen carefully. Once you fall asleep, you will be transported inside your First Nightmare. Nightmares are trials created by the Spell. Once inside, you will meet monsters, sure, but you will also meet people. Remember: they are not real. They're just illusions conjured up to test you."

"How do you know?"

The policeman just stared at him.

"I mean, no one understands what the Spell is and how it works, right? So how do you know that they're not real?"

"You might have to kill them, kid. So do yourself a favor and just think about them as illusions."

"Oh."

Levi did not know how to react to that. He always knew , in a fight to survive you have to kill. But of course , he had never killed anyone before.

The old policeman waited for a second, then nodded and continued.

"A lot of things about the First Nightmare depend on luck. Generally, it shouldn't be overwhelmingly hard. The situation you're in, the tools you have at your disposal and the creatures you have to defeat should be within the range of your abilities, at least. After all, the Spell sets up trials, not executions. You're a bit disadvantaged due to ... well ... your circumstances. But kids from the outskirts are tough. Don't give up on yourself just yet."

"Uh-uh."

Judging by the small guy's tone , he was not going to last much. He looked extremely tired.

"About those "magic powers" you mentioned ... you will indeed receive them if you survive until the end of the Nightmare. What those powers will be, exactly, depends on your natural affinity as well what you do during the trial. But some of it will be at your disposal right from the start ... "

"Remember: the first thing you must do once inside the Nightmare is to check your Attributes and your Aspect. If you get a combat-oriented Aspect, something like a Swordsman or an Archer, things will be easier. If it is reinforced by a physical Attribute, then that's even better. Combat Aspects are the most common, so the probability of receiving one is high."

"If you're unlucky and your Aspect has nothing to do with combat, don't despair. Sorcery and utility Aspects are useful in their own ways, you'll just have to be smart about it. There are really no useless Aspects. Well, almost. So just do anything in your power to survive."

"If you survive, you will be halfway to becoming an Awakened. But if you die, you'll open a gate for a Nightmare Creature to appear in the real world. Which means that my colleagues and I will have to deal with it. So ... please don't die, Levi , Sunless."

Levi felt a bit touched by the policeman's words.

"Or, at least, try to not die right away. The nearest Awakened won't be able to get here for a few hours, so we would really appreciate it if you don't make us fight that thing ourselves ... "

With that Sunless fell into slumber. Levi heard the policeman sigh , and felt his gaze on him. His vision was also growing dimmer , it would not be long before he slept.

"Good luck Levi."

"Thanks.."

With that last thought, Levi finally slipped into a deep slumber.

Everything became black.

And then, in the darkness, a faintly familiar voice rang:

{Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial... }