Shadow Slave: Eternal Madness

[Prepare for appraisal…]

Raphael found himself in a new world, the place around him was beautiful, breathtaking, and other words, but it's still couldn't justify the Nightmare Spell.

Raphael remembered a quote from the novel he read.

[The Nightmare Spell was like a space between dream and reality. It was an endless black void illuminated by a myriad of stars. Between those stars, countless strings of silver light were woven into a beautiful and inconceivably complex net, forming various nexuses and constellations. It was truly breathtaking.]

This place was like a masterpiece, drawn by the greatest artist in history.

'Sunny really didn't do it justice.'

Suddenly, a voice echoed, not coming from one direction, but from all sides. It felt as though the universe itself was speaking. The Spell had completed its appraisal.

[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]

[A nameless Gladiator lived in a village doomed to extinction. He foresaw the coming danger, but unlike other gladiators, he didn't fight. Instead, he hid underwater. When a beast tracked him by his heartbeat, he clutched his chest and stopped his heart, deceiving both the monster and death. He survived the annihilation of his kind.]

[You have achieved the nigh impossible.]

[Final appraisal: Legendary. Your perseverance knows no bounds.]

Raphael gazed at the appraisal, surprised. He had expected a rating like Excellent or Remarkable, possibly earning him either a Transcendent or Supreme rank.

But now, it made sense. The Spell had given him a Legendary appraisal.

"It must be because of the [deceiving death]. It wasn't impossible since someone had already done it — the one who escaped the Shadow God domain."

[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]

Raphael smiled, though there was a trace of disappointment.

'It seems I didn't get a true name… Sigh, on the bright side, I wouldn't be a slave to someone.'

He didn't dwell on it and focused on the more important matter: his Aspect.

"Yes, evolve."

[Dormant Aspect Gladiator is evolving…]

[New Aspect acquired.]

[Aspect Rank: Sacred.]

Raphael didn't show much emotion. He had expected the Sacred rank. What mattered more was the nature of his new Aspect.

[Aspect Name: Undying.]

Raphael was shocked.

'Does this Aspect make me half-dead, half-alive? Or does it give me control over the dead, like the Queen of the Dead, Ki Song?'

There was an easy way to find out! By summoning the runes and examining the lines that described his Aspect.

Aspect: [Undying].

Aspect Rank: [Sacred].

Aspect Description: [You are one who deceived death, escaping its grip and breaking its chains. But beware, for death will not let you escape again.]

Innate Ability: [Immortality].

Ability Description: [You are immortal in Blood, Bone, Flesh, Soul, Spirit, Mind, and Shadow. In essence, you cannot die.]

Raphael collapsed, stunned.

'Holy shit… Immortality. No way… With this, I can survive everything. This is a blessing.'

[Your Attribute Super Regeneration is evolving…]

Still reeling from the shock of his Immortality, Raphael noticed another notification. He quickly moved to check it but was interrupted by another announcement.

[The First Seal is broken.]

[Awakening dormant power…]

Raphael felt something stir inside him. A strange sensation welled up in his chest. He kneeled, clutching his chest as he understood what was happening — his soul core was awakening.

It felt as though a sun was burning within him, radiating waves of heat that spread throughout his body.

As the heat engulfed him, his body began to rebuild and rejuvenate. Raphael no longer felt human. He was becoming something stronger, faster.

It was euphoric.

After a while, the sun inside his chest began to cool, and the coldness washed over his body. It moved up through his body, reaching his brain and, finally, his eyes.

His vision strangely doubled.

He was still in the void, yet at the same time, he was in a different place.

A lively world with a blue sea and gentle waves stretched before him. Above, a star hung in the sky — the visual representation of his soul core — burning brightly and filling the Soul Sea with a warm, blinding light.

Raphael felt peace in his Soul Sea.

The Spell's voice suddenly pulled him back from the Soul Sea.

[Awakening Aspect Ability…]

Inhale.

'Give me an offensive ability, give me an offensive ability, give me an offensive ability…'

[Aspect Ability acquired.]

[Aspect Ability Name: Self Sovereignty.]

Raphael quickly summoned his status.

Name: Raphael.

True Name: —

Rank: Dreamer

Soul Core: Dormant.

Soul Fragments: [0/1000].

Memories: —

Echoes: —

Attributes: [Fated], [?ᛁ@# ?4ᚨᚢᛚ€£], [Instant Regeneration].

Aspect: [Undying].

Aspect Rank: [Sacred.]

Aspect Description: [You are one who deceived death, escaping its grip and breaking its chains. But beware, for death will not let you escape again.]

Innate Ability: [Immortality].

Ability Description: [You are immortal in Blood, Bone, Flesh, Soul, Spirit, Mind, and Shadow. In essence, you cannot die.]

Aspect Abilities: [Self Sovereignty].

Aspect Ability Description: [You can control your Body, Soul, Spirit, and Mind to your desire.]

Raphael wasn't disappointed with his ability. While it might not be as OP as Nephis or Sunny's abilities right now, he knew that in the future, when he awakened his Soul Essence, it would get a massive boost.

'Right now, I can only control my body to a small extent — like shifting an organ, extending my bones to make my hand longer, or manipulating my blood to form a blade. Of course, the blade will be as strong as I am, so if I get stronger, the blade will too.'

Raphael then summoned another set of runes.

Attribute: [Instant Regeneration.]

Attribute Description: [You can heal a critical wound in a minute, a broken bone in 10 minutes, a missing limb in an hour, and your entire body in 12 hours.]

"I'm an absolute tank." Raphael couldn't help but chuckle to himself

The Spell's voice echoed again in the black void.

[All power has a price.]

[You have received a Flaw.]

[Your Flaw is: Masochist.]

"What the fuck…"

Raphael summoned the runes to confirm, making sure he wasn't seeing things.

Flaw: [Masochist].

Flaw Description: [You will feel pain three times more intensely than a normal person.]

'Well, it's not that bad… I could live with it, as long as I have time to adapt to the new pain.'

The Spell spoke once more.

[Wake up, Raphael!]

Raphael woke up in the police station. It took him a moment to adjust to the light, and then he heard someone speaking — it was Awakener Brian.

"Welcome back to the living world, and congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Raphael."

"Thank you, Awakener Brian."

"Then I'll begin. As per protocol—"

But before Brian could continue, Raphael interrupted him. He already knew what he was going to say and didn't need to hear it twice.

"Sorry for the interruption, but I already know the protocols. First, no, I don't need psychological counseling. Second, yes, I will go to the academy. There's less than three weeks left, so I need to move quickly."

Brian wasn't upset by the interruption. On the contrary, he was glad to get things moving quickly so he could return home.

"I understand. I'll call someone to take you to the academy."

After concluding the conversation with Brian, Raphael was escorted to a shower room.

He was ecstatic; he hadn't had a proper shower in over a week!

Once finished, he put on the clothes given to him — with the iconic police-issued tracksuit.

Finally, the person who would take him to the academy arrived. He said his goodbyes to the officers and got into the car.

Raphael stood in front of the massive gates of the academy — the place where the Main Character currently resided.

His plan for the academy was simple: attend Wilderness Survival, avoid engaging with the Main Characters, at least for now. Of course, he'd interact with Sunny, but he would keep his distance, as would Sunny. And most importantly, he would not be in the same room as Cassia.

"Simple, right?"

——————————

I can't stop, I can't stop, I can't stop…

Finally finished the chapter, the next chapter will be the academy, and the entrance to the dream realm.

Folks believe me when I say, the dream realm arc will be an absolute cinema, something you wouldn't see in another Fanfic at all..