Shadow Slave: The Four Horseman of Deviants

"So it's been like what? A day since I've been Isekai'd— no, more like got transported into the Nightmare spell. "And so far it's been like hell! Just got out of the ruins with this guy named Niro, which was also coincidentally friends with the body I'm currently in, Mason.

"Well anyways, I've been arrested by these two grown adults. They knocked me and Niro out and brought us into a dungeon for questioning.

"They kept on asking me if I knew what happened at the ruins or what my relationship with the secret cult is— But I just kept on saying that I don't know a single thing about what happened before and I lost my memories all together, but they kept on asking the same questions over and over again. It was getting annoying so I just kept my mouth shut.

"Well after that day, I was given house arrest. They separated me and that Niro guy so we couldn't work together to escape. Well at least I'll only be here for a month.

….

"I was thinking about how big this place is. Like, the ceilings are so high you could probably fit a whole concert up there. The walls? Covered in books—like, seriously, there's more paper than I could ever read in a lifetime, but it's kind of cool, like a personal fortress.

"The living room's huge, too, with these big, plush couches that make you feel like you're sinking into them. It's probably the most comfortable spot to just lounge around in and pretend you're on top of the world. And then there's the bedroom, tucked away in the back. Not that I need to sleep much, but there's something about that place that makes it feel like the world is quieter when I'm there. Kind of like being wrapped up in a blanket, but the blanket is... isolation? Yeah, maybe that's it.

The kitchen's old, though. I'm talking, ancient appliances that take forever to heat up or make noise like they're about to fall apart. But, hey, it has its charm, like it's seen a million people come and go and somehow still manages to stay standing.

Honestly, this place feels like a time capsule—just missing the ghosts and secret passages."

…

"Okay, so imagine if our world actually had magic (even though I'm currently in one). No Harry Potter stuff where you're waving wands around in secret, but magic as a normal part of life—like ordering coffee or paying for gas. You could get yourself a new outfit if you spill coffee all over yourself or teleport to skip traffic on Mondays.

I feel like it'd make life wild in all the right ways but, like, also kind of a mess. Everyone would probably try to outdo each other with spells and charms, like, 'Who can charm the fanciest car?' or 'Who can make the most over-the-top Insta posts with enchanted filters?' And the drama? Endless. Imagine breakups where people curse each other to get pimples before every date. Or neighbours casting hexes just because your music was too loud one time. It'd be fun to watch, but exhausting to actually live in.

And yet, knowing me, I'd still want to experience it at least once. Just to see the way people really are when anything is possible. I mean like in the real world is cool and all, but sometimes it feels like everyone's just going through the motions. Magic would shake all that up—force everyone to get real.

….

"Turns out this body's parents and ancestors were famous for being Artisans! Just found this out by looking through Mason's stuffs when I was bored lmao.

"This family of his specialize in Metal Bending. Pretty bad ass but they only used it in smiting so far, and nothing else.

"I mean like, I could use these powers and bend the metal around me, yeeting these metals towards my enemies!

"But as I read more about it in the book, I realize that there are certain restrictions regarding this kind of abilities. Such as sheer focus of what kind of shape that you want to make, and also limited area of bending the metal.

"I still can't use it yet though, and I really want to bend metal, so I also plan on going to Mason's main house and beg Mason's dad to teach me how to bend metal. "I already imagine myself as Magneto! Damn, it's going to be badass!"

….

 "Dang… I miss everyone. "I miss mom's cooking--she always cooks the best food. I miss playing with my dad, he's always fun to hang out with, helping me with school projects were one of the best times of my life.

"I miss the dudes. "I miss Andrew's face when I tease him, his nerves pop out from his head whenever he gets mad. It was always funny to look at.

"Damian's music was kinda boring, Jazz ain't my favourite, but when the guys listen to those type of music, it kinda just seems right in the mood.

"And geeking out with Will was also one of my favourite moments. We'd always talk about anime and manga series. Debating about which character was better or stronger, which character could beat whom, and one of those role-plays that we secretly do when we are bored lmao. "Man… I miss our gaming sessions, playing online games until midnight at Friday nights. Doing trends online and posting it online while only gaining 20 reactions lmao.

"Those times when we talk about random topics whenever we hangout, going to restaurants, going to the arcade, group studies, and talking about the future.

"But I think that's a topic for another day, and right now, there's still a week remaining before I get out of here."

 ….

 "Been reading through a lot of this books lately, and so far they only consist of the history of the World here— various different cultures, races and economic developments. "But what interest me the most was weaving— from what I know--they were like spell casting that I usually see in anime. This again really got me interested--I really want to learn it! "I read through the book and it turns out that the caster needs to discover their True Name, it's kinda disappointing since I'm still in my first Nightmare, and getting a True Name is already a rare case. "But I really want to have a True Name, come on Spell, when I finish this Nightmare at least give me a True Name! So I could use Weaving!"

…..

"I always wonder what was the Feeble Scholar Mason like, was he like a strict scholar, or was he some sort of fanatic who loves exploring knowledge. But who know, maybe his just some guy who loves learning new things. I gotta ask this in the Academy by the time I get out."

….

"Its kinda been boring here, not much things to do here other than read. So I tried cooking for the first time, I'm in bad luck right now since Mason doesn't have any books about cooking. I tried experimenting, picking up some food in his drawers and washing the vegetables since some of them were still covered in dirt.

"Anyhow, I started throwing foods at the cauldron and trying to make it somehow work. I put onions and garlic first since that was what mom usually does, I don't really know how to slice them so I just put them as it and then I just put random vegetables and some meat into it.

"After what's been like forever, I tasted it—taking a bite into it made me want to puke, it tasted like it was burnt, and I took another bite and it tasted like barf. Turns out a vegetable that I put in it was already rotten. So I had to kind of throw out the food into the trash!

"Note to self, try to get the guys teach me how to cook."

….

"Man, some isekai MCs just go all out with the copy-pasting. Like that slime guy—starts a whole country just because he remembers a few tricks from his old life. Or that dude building castles and towers like he's playing SimCity, cashing in on every little 'innovation' he didn't really invent.

"But, if it were me? Nah. I'd want something that's mine, you know? No blueprint I cribbed from some textbook or half-forgotten Wikipedia page. Feels like a rip-off to the real creators.

"Anyway, I'm probably talking to myself by now. But, hey, better that than getting tangled in more messes. If I blow this, its game over for me."

…..

"Shit, the food is boring here, and cooking ain't one of my options. Eating them plain as they are makes me want to throw them out. But I really don't to since this is the only thing that's keeping fed. God, I just want all this to be over."

….

"What day is it...who even knows? I think time's bending on me.

"So, this is what it feels like to be on house arrest in a magical world. Well in a Nightmare Spell specifically. It's like every step I take is the world's passive-aggressive way of saying, "Nope, sit down." This whole place has me under its thumb, practically whispering, "Try to leave. Just try." Not that I haven't tried. Oh, I have. I tried talking to the walls, begging the floorboards, even tried to convince a shadow in the corner that I was on an urgent mission to finish my Nightmare Spell. But the walls stayed quiet, the floors didn't budge, and the shadow just. Rude. Or am I just tripping and just assumed that everything around me is alive.

….

I swear, if I don't get out of here soon, I might just lose it. It's not even the walls that are driving me crazy—it's the nothingness. The silence. The hours drag on like a bad dream, and I can feel my mind just splintering into a million random thoughts. One minute, I'm daydreaming about skydiving into a field of clouds, and the next, I'm wondering if I'm losing touch with reality.

I keep thinking, maybe this is it—maybe this is how people snap. Like, if you just sit still long enough, all the noise inside you start to catch up. It's like being in a box, and the more I try to escape, the smaller it feels. Am I just supposed to live in my head forever? What happens when I can't even tell the difference between what's real and what I'm imagining anymore?

I need something new, anything. I need a distraction, a door that opens to something else. This place is a time-warp of nothingness, and I can feel it pulling me under! But maybe that's the trick, right? Keep moving, keep running. Even if it's just in my mind.

…..

"Damn, I think I'm losing my mind. I think my time here is almost up, can't say that I didn't keep track. I wonder if the other guys are already done with their nightmares, I already imagined myself as this some sort of mechanic genius like Ironman with Magneto's powers. The things I could do with it, I could probably make a mech suit or make some weapons for me and the guys to use against monsters.

"I kind of think that the world I'm currently in--still justify things that usually happen in real life, I'm not really ready for that some sort of life, I just kind of want to live my life freely and not be influenced by anyone else. But I don't think Will would want that for me, I think he'll do whatever it takes to convince me in joining his grand plans on whatever he plans on doing to get back home.

"I kind of want to find my own purpose here and maybe if I could, find somebody to love and marry one day. I hope that Will understands this decision of mine, and support me as his friend."

….

"Today is the day, I finally got out of that damn house, and the same guys that arrested me were also the same guys that set me free. Well anyways, I just wanted to write something in this journal before going out. I won't be missing this house that's for sure.

"Well, anyways first thing I need to do is go to the Academy and meet Niro there. Just hoping that he could help me out as a friend of this body."