A boy walked through the middle of the street. The buildings around him were dark and bleak with dark alleys between them. Often you could hear hushed voices from these alleys, usually communicating about how to get their next meal.
The boy had a pale-tan skin tone and blond hair, he also seemed to be around 15-16 given his height. He was wearing a dark grey hoody and had a pair of roughed up jeans.
Eventually he made it out the outskirts, entering the city. Luckily, even though he was a bit malnourished and skinny, his hoody hid it pretty well, so he did not get many weird looks. After a while, he made it to the front of a police station.
Entering, he found police men and assistants running around and making phone calls.
Eventually a man who seemed to be the chief noticed him. Asking in a hurried voice the chief said,
"Hey kid, we're kinda busy right now, if you could-"
Before he could continue, the boy interrupted him by saying,
"So busy that you can't afford time with someone who has been infected by the Nightmare Spell?"
The chiefs eye's widened in shock, he stood stunned for a moment before saying,
"Gods! Another one!? We just had one half an hour ago!"
Though the boy was shocked, he was not too surprised.
'I feel a little bad for the awakened who has to deal with this.'
Eventually the chief just sighed and brought the boy to the register. He clicked on the computer a few times before asking,
"How long have the symptoms been-"
He stopped mid sentence, contemplated for a few moments, and sighed again before saying,
"Actually, that doesn't matter, what's your name?"
The boy froze, wondering what he should say. Eventually he took off his hoody, revealing golden eyes which seem to creep out the chief a little. Then he responded with,
"Star"
The chief did a double take, no doubt about the nature of his name. He seemed conflicted and asked,
"Is that really your name?"
Star clenched his fist, this was the first name that was given to him. While others found it weird, it was what reminded Star of why he needed to survive. To find his siblings, and apologize to his brother.
Star stood there for a moment, then with his teeth clenched, he hissed out his response.
"Yes."
The chief flinched slightly, not expecting this amount of anger from the boy. The chief eventually typed a few letters and said,
"Well, I believe you. Actually that other kid had a strange name too, not that is matters."
He typed a few times on the computer and asked,
"Age?"
"15."
The chief paused, looked up from the computer and said,
"15? Doesn't the spell only affect people who are 16 through 18?"
Star shrugged, then said,
"How the hell would I know? I guess I must just be an early case or something."
The chief the just sighed once more. It looked like he just aged around 10 years and it wasn't about to slow down anytime soon.
Eventually he got out from the computer and led Star to a room. There in the room was a weird chair which we looked like a mix of a hospital bed and a torture device.
The chief than gestured for Star to sit down.
Complying, Star sat down and the chief started putting on the restraints. While doing this, Star asked:
"Where are the others?"
The chief just gave him a questioning glance.
"Others?"
Star just rolled his eyes and said:
"Your cop buddies or whatever."
The chief just gave a chuckle at that. He just looked at Star as if the answer should be obvious.
"They're guarding the other carrier, actually I should be trying to contact an awakened instead of handling you, but carriers do take priority."
Star just looked at the chief amused.
"And you think bullets are going to do anything against a Nightmare Creature?"
The chief just laughed. Pulling on the restraints hard on accident and making Star flinch.
"Oh, oh, sorry. It's just- of course I don't think they will do anything, unless we're lucky and the beast had weak defenses. I'm laughing because the main reason those guards are there is for their own comfort!"
The chief laughed again, and Star couldn't help but chuckle too. Even though the chief seemed a little cold hearted, it was the undeniable truth. Star didn't believe the officers guarding the other carrier could handle the Nightmare Creature even with their weapons. Maybe if they brought out some of the new equipment meant for dealing with Nightmare Creatures they might stand a chance, but a regular police station didn't have access to such high level stuff.
"Oh, and by the way. I should let you know the nearest awakened is a couple hours away, so our lifes will be in your hands."
The chief gave a cheeky smile at Star. Star could only curse internally at the man. Now, he not only had to worry about himself, but also the people inside the building.
'Well if I'm dead, it won't be my problem.'
The chief finished putting on the restraints on Star and had a serious expression. At this sight, Star too had become serious.
"Here's some advice kid, when you enter your Nightmare, immediately check your Aspect and Atributes. While you may not get any ability until you complete your Nightmare, you might get something to help you out."
"While the spell might seem cruel, it will be the only thing keeping you alive. Don't forget that. The spell isn't a executioner, from what I gathered, it's a helper. It won't give you a unfair trial, and if it does, it just means your aspect and atributes are just that overpowered."
"You might be at a little disadvantage by being from the outskirts, but it just means you're that much harder to kill."
Star just nodded gratefully, for the outskirts compliment and the advice.
"That's about all I can give you, stay alive and survive."
Star nodded again, and began to close his eyes.
"Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to remember it, and don't do anything to my body, or else I might just die as fast as I can."
The chief paled and nodded immediately.
"Don't worry about that, I'll personally keep watch over you until the Awakened arrives."
Star gave one last smirk, then let his head fall and body relax.
"Good. I'll see you again when I'm a Sleeper, or in whatever afterlife there is."
The last thing Star heard was a nervous chuckle and a few mumbled words before he saw darkness.
In the darkness, Star heard a voice.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your first trial..]