I know everybody gets to experience the nightmare lands differently but this was similar to where I have dropped with along my brother. We were treated as crazy people and were imprisoned thus never to fulfill the missions given by the Dream Lords but I remember it very clearly. When we came out it was something our ancestors dreaded to face in the Nightmare Lands. It all came down to similar results, that was to get imprisoned or killed by weapons that spew fire and metal.
Worst part is that everybody was powerless and arrived in as humans, even the humans were killed or imprisoned. I remembered how the looks of those people changed when I asked why there were no mana in that world. It was so unlucky for me to arrive in that nightmare being called as crazy but I could never forget the looks of the buildings around me. It was very similar to what's behind Brad in the image.
All the knowledge, the creativity and weird things Brad owned seemed to make sense to me now.. If he came from that Nightmare Land then he might be dangerous like those people who imprisoned me for being 'a bother' to the populace. She was one of the young nobles that time who dreamed of getting a gift from the Dream Lord should she be able to finish her mission Completely.
It was a place where the best of the kingdoms nobles and royalties were sent every ten years but they all failed in that weird nightmare. Records always show that they all failed by either getting imprisoned, killed or mugged and harassed in a dark alleyway. Trauma always follow those who get to experience that type of nightmare. I was so stunned as a sudden thought appeared in my head, is Brad a being from the nightmare Lands?
The Dream Lord always appear every ten years to ask for help in cleaning the nightmare lands, it was a land between the Dream Plane and Reality which is infested by the bad dreams on a collective group of people thus making the Nightmare Lands. The Various races never knew why but they all participated because of the generous awards given by the Dream Lord should you come out successful.
But there were times in history where the cleansing were not enough thus some nightmares come out to reality and wreak havoc. Some were very harmless beings but others were very dangerous, some were mass murderers like that nightmare that appeared in a human kingdom, who I remembered to be called Jack the ripper. There was also a place where a mysterious street appeared called Elm Street that harvested the life of hundreds of innocents before Abbot Tien cleansed the land.
I looked at Brad feeling conflicted, things were showing enough evidence to categorize him as a nightmare but I feel all sorts of emotions right now. He is really sweet and helpful, if he really is a nightmare then I should warn the others. I walked back in emotional turmoil that I almost forgot the meal I brought for him. I carried it back and slowly closed the doors then walked down to the kitchen where I found Kent brewing a cup of tea.
I placed the food tray and slumped at the kitchen counter. I felt really troubled and in denial but the image alone could tell many things about why Brad has knowledge already of various things that helped him survive. Yet he is very nice and not like those told in history about how destructive and dangerous those beings that came out from those Nightmares.
The Dream Lord had also said that any nightmare released to reality is mostly the most dangerous of that particular nightmare land. Some even released a godlike entity that needed the intrusion of the Dream Lord himself, the battle was so vast that other mortal realms were affected by the battle. Someone from the Higher Realms even came down to help the Dream Lord fight this monstrous entity.
Thus it became a duty by most races of any mortal realm to go inside the nightmare lands to cleanse it every decade. No one knows when it started but it had been there since the first history of the Elves were born. Many wanted to send armies in there but the Dream Lord said it would do nothing to the nightmare Lands. Only the best and talented individuals were sent to follow missions that'll change the outcome of the nightmares would it make the result matter.
Now realizing Brad is probably a nightmare rattles me to the core, why would this happen when I finally get interest towards someone of the opposite gender. I sighed and sighed that Kent finally spoke.
"Something troubling you Ashea?" I looked at his worried face and was hesitant to say anything.
"It's n-nothing, I'm just a bit t-tired." I'm not sure if I should tell him but I am sure I couldn't reveal this to Rhean and Brendel. They were really serious about Brad which I am too but It'll break their hearts.
"It seems there is something, if you don't want to speak about it then that's okay." Kent smiled at me and I realized he is the only one I could confide this with.
"A-actually Kent.." I looked at the Kitchen door and closed it carefully then went back to the Kitchen counter to tell Kent about what I found. More into the things I found Kent seemed to be getting serious by the minute. He kept silent as he too looked shocked as I revealed how I deduced Brad to be a Nightmare.
"A Nightmare huh, now that changes things. But he doesn't seem to show the tendencies of one." Kent said skeptically
"I know right? He is nice and caring and many good things but he doesn't match the description of a nightmare. Evidence shows he is one with that weird thing by his bed but he still is very accommodating to us!" Ashea was torn at what she should do.
"Maybe, even if he is a nightmare he might be a good one." Kent said something that shocked me.
"A good one? But the books of my ancestors says about how dangerous they are." I seemed curious at how Kent went to this conclusion.
"Look, maybe the ones recorded in history are the baddest of them all but what if Brad was a good guy inside those Nightmares. I've been there too and I could not distinguish the differences between real and the nightmare at all. It felt like a new world inside, and besides you remember when the Dream Lord Awarded someone and that young hero asked for one of the characters in those dreams be his woman.
The Dream Lord gave his wish by making that nightmare into reality, though that woman is a part of the nightmare lands she was not a bad person. She even became queen of the Kingdom of that hero, maybe Brad is a nightmare but maybe he is good too. The nightmare I got into was a weird place that has people getting power by eating these weird fruits but also losing the ability to swim.
My mission in that nightmare was to stop a group of pirates into breaking in a large prison along with other participants but we still lost as that group of pirates could very well be a bunch of Adamantine Rank with it's leader wielding the power of darkness." Kent said a story that made me amazed at how he calmly said his experience, then it dawned to me of another way of seeing to it that Brad is not a bad person.
"Maybe your right, maybe he isn't bad. That's it! I won't be going back with you all!" Kent looked like he will drop his eyeballs at my sudden outburst.
"What! Why!" Kent asked me.
"I'll stay here to see who he really is and I'll try to make him a very nice person!" I felt that my decision was so immature but I doesn't want the first guy I liked to turn out into a nightmare.
"But you'll be in danger if you stay, what if you were right? You'll be harmed by him!" Kent tried to dissuade me.
"Like you said, he might also be a good person." I smiled as I made up my mind. Kent sighed as he too knew how stubborn I am. That was why I stayed and tried to keep quite as it was already eating me up inside to ask Brad about the truth.