At that time somewhere else.
******
The runes shimmered in the sea of white flames. A lone bright sun hanging above making the place look divine and breathtaking.
Name: Nephis.
True Name: Changing Star.
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: dormant.
Soul Cores: [1/7].
Soul Fragments: [34/1000].
Memories: [Dream Blade], [Dreamveil]
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Dreamspawn], [Nephilim], [Flame of Divinity], [The Fire] [fated destiny]
[Dreamspawn] Attribute Description: "You are born of two worlds, belonging to both, but welcomed in neither. Your soul exists on the edge between nightmare and reality."
[Nephilim] Attribute Description: "There once were terrible creatures born of an unholy union between the divine and the profane. Nephilim were the most beautiful, and the most harrowing of them all."
[Flame of Divinity] Attribute Description: "Your soul is aflame with the light of divinity."
[The Fire] Attribute Description: "You have inherited the lineage of Sun God."
[fated destiny] Attribute Description: ''Your destiny guides you towards your fate"
she hesitated for a bit, studying her Attributes.
'So that's how it is…'
She wondered if was it her innate Attribute — the one that was at the centre of all the rest, the core of her being, was that made her clear this nightmare; that it was tied to drive, battle prowess, or will.
But it was not.
Instead, her innate Attribute was called [Dreamspawn] and tied to her nature as a child of a Hollow mother. In a sense, she was connected to the Dream Realm — and the Nightmare Spell — from before she had even been born.
Her core trait was duality.
If her guess was correct, that duality was further expressed after she had conquered her First Nightmare and received her Aspect, as well as a new Attribute — [Nephilim]. Once again, it described a half-blood creature: half divine, half profane.
"Questions, questions…'
With a sigh, She turned to the runes once again.
Aspect: [Light Bringer].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a creature of light that was banished and doomed to exist in the darkness. You bring radiance and warmth to wherever you go, but with it comes indescribable longing.]
Aspect Ability: [Soul Flame].
Ability Description: [Your soul burns with the purest of flames. That flame can both restore and destroy and is both a blessing and a curse.]
Innate Ability: [Halfbreed.]
Ability Descriptions: [You can directly absorb a portion of the soul essence of any Nightmare Creature destroyed by your flames, as well as of any human.]
Flaw: [Pristine Soul].
Flaw Description: [You must suffer to use your power.]
her face grimaced suddenly remembering the harrowing pain of burning herself alive to end it...to end that nightmare, to end that awakened terror.
''I'm one step closer to killing you bastards now!'' that was her lost thought before the spell marked the end of her trial.
but unbeknownst to her the moment the runes appeared a small almost invisible strand of ethereally golden silk made its way into her being merging and coalescing into her very roots joining her to something insurmountable something impossible to be described by the mere words of a man.
*****
It was a medium-sized room, plain and unremarkable, yet completely out of place in the rough, forgotten part of the city where it stood.
The walls, made of smooth stone, were lined with small and large maps, each marked with symbols and lines showing the many missions and tasks the youth had completed over time. To his right was a long row of bookshelves filled with advanced communication devices—far beyond the cheap, faulty models one might expect from an organization like this.
These were spell-grade quality, the second highest level of technology humanity could produce. At the end of the shelves was a door leading to an elevator.
To the youth's left, nine figures knelt with their heads bowed. Each wore a hood that concealed their faces, but their presence was unmistakable. They exuded an aura of strength—an aura that would make anyone rethink their decision to fight them. These were no ordinary people. These were the Nine Kings of the Outskirts, the powerful awakened who ruled this land with iron fists.
Yet, right now, these so-called "mighty overlords" were kneeling in fear—not from the youth's presence, but from something far deeper. It wasn't his power that scared them, but his mind that scared them.
Had Sunless seen this, he would have almost fainted on the spot. The kneeling figures were none other than the feared Nine Kings, the ones who controlled the outskirts and shaped its laws. They were the ones who defined order in this dangerous region.
The youth, however, showed no sign of concern. His tone was flat, but his face and voice betrayed irritation as he spoke.
"I didn't expect the spell to change my body so dramatically," he said. "So there's no need for apologies."
Despite his words, all nine of the kneeling figures apologized again in unison, their voices filled with fear.
The youth, however, was none other than Fang Yuan. After exiting the nightmare realm, he had told master jet that he would visit some familiar faces in the outskirts before leaving. But in truth, he had gone straight to his organization's headquarters.
"Forget it. Tell me how things went while I was gone. Did anything unexpected happen?" he asked.
"My lord, there were no problems in your absence," one of the figures spoke up in a hoarse voice. "Though, the government is starting to suspect we are not enemies, but allies. They still hesitate to act against us without more information."
"Good. Stick to the plan I gave you," Fang Yuan replied, his tone cold.
"Yes, my lord." The figures spoke in unison again.
Fang Yuan walked over to the large chair at the head of the table and sat down. He glanced around the room before continuing.
"How many people are with each of you?" he asked.
"Six, my lord, with the exception of Bella. She has seven," came the answer.
"Hmm." Fang Yuan thought for a moment.
"From now on, I'll be attending the Awakened Academy until the winter solstice. After that, I'll begin my first nightmare. Don't contact me until I do. Not even to speak with each other. Keep yourselves hidden from the government and the legacies. Follow my orders. And be ready to act on your own if things take longer than expected."
"Yes, my lord," came the unified response
''my lord but I don't understand something why did you go to the police station for your trial, one word and we could've arranged a better facility even properly hidden'.
''are you doubting my decisions now bella?'' fang yuans gaze became sharp and eyes increasingly cold as he spoke this.
under the gaze Bella the middle-aged seductive beauty known as charmcaster by all flinched and spoke in hurry ''never my lord, this servant would never dare think that way''
"Then do as you're told," Fang Yuan snapped. "Soul Reaper was in charge at the police station. I had to leave quickly, or she might have started asking questions. This appearance is already a hassle."
The anger in his tone was sharp and sudden, but it quickly faded as he looked away, his mind already elsewhere.
'Terrifying.' The old awakened who had talked just moments before shuddered at the thought of Fang Yuan. No matter how many times he looked at the youth, he couldn't comprehend him. It was like trying to grasp something vast, ancient, and incomprehensible. Fang yuan as a mundane had these awakened under his proper control something one wouldnot expect from this lawless land. He wasn't stronger, influential, resourceful then them but then why they feared him?
'His mentality and thought process,' although young everyone knew how overbearing this kids scheming ability was the example he set 8 years ago but ending the 10th king was still deep in the minds of all present here, one might think they can use him but Jordan knew very well that it never was the case because he just knew everything from the slight way of act he could decipher someone's deep intentions and use these against them and end them by mental game.
'a war isn't won when its begun its won even before the thought of it comes to form' these were the words the kid said to him on that night while ending the powerful empire of shadow blade curt and the day he vowed to follow him till the end as his servent.
his duty was clear: to serve him, to help him achieve greatness—not to question him. he was known by all as the mind king a figure born before the age of the spell and the only ascended in the group the strongest and most feared existence of the outskirts. a first gen veteran. And just having him the boy conqured the other 8 rulers in just 8 months all while being hidden from the eyes of all. A man born to rule that was all Jordan thought when he looked at this young man now his master.
Fang Yuan turned to the him and said. "Jordan, you'll be in charge of the HQ and management while I'm gone. Be cautious. and wait I have you make some preparations for my first nightmare"
''of course my lord and I will not disappoint'' Jordan said in a respected toe with a slight bow.
With a final word, Fang Yuan ended the meeting. One by one, the eight figures rose and left the room.
*******
Once alone, Fang Yuan let out a long sigh. He had been on edge for days, dealing with the strange effects of the spell. But now, there was something else on his mind.
"This damn flaw," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Had the Nine Kings seen him like this—acting almost like a child, without restraint—they would have been shocked to the core. But who could blame him? his flaw was like this.
With a long sigh, he left the underground room and emerged to the surface, stepping into the small, two-room house that had once been his home. The walls were old, termite-infested, and marked by time, yet it was the place where he had spent twelve years of his life.
Fang Yuan stood still for a moment, his eyes sweeping over the familiar space. There wasn't much to pack—just a few clothes and personal items—but something about this place, the place where he had hidden for so long, made him feel a strange sense of relief.
Seven years. That was how long Fang Yuan had concealed himself as the true ruler of the outskirts, hidden from the government's eyes and from the world. And 12 years was how long he had lived in this grim world.
was it easy? no, it wasn't.
was it hard? Not really.
But to Fang Yuan these were just meaningless gains only stepping stones on the long and argues journey ahead of him, but still, a step he needed to take to get closer to the end of this long journey.
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AUTHORS NOTE:- ik I could have just made FY live a low life but it felt like out of character since he knows about him being manipulated to do something and since I have a good plan for the first nightmare these fodders will help him by a lot .
the back story of 12 years will be coved during his 2nd night mare plus a little spoiler to you all our grand lord will not be a pussy friendly guy to the cohort he will manipulate and kill if necessary so steel your selves for the future and his flaw and true aspect abilities will be revealed soon I thought a little suspense was needed [ my dumbass just couldn't settle itself on a flaw and the cores funcanality]