As the chaos of the challenge faded into silence, Morpheus took a deep breath, the lingering pain from the healing potion still evident on his face. With their strength depleted and their minds worn out, he turned to his companions and said:
"We have one day to rest. Darkness will approach soon, and we can't afford to be caught unprepared. Let's use our points to buy camping gear and share the supplies."
Rosemar and Isaac exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. Though the idea of spending their points on something other than weapons or potions felt unsettling, they trusted Morpheus's judgment.
Together, the team browsed the store. They purchased sturdy tents, one for each of them, and basic provisions to sustain them. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the alien landscape, they worked together to set up camp.
Under the eerie crimson-streaked sky, they finished constructing their shelters. Exhausted from the grueling day, each retreated into their tents, seeking a much-needed rest.
But for Morpheus, sleep brought no peace. Instead, it plunged him into a realm of suffocating darkness.
In his dream, Morpheus stood in an infinite void, devoid of light or sound. The air felt heavy, pressing against him as though trying to crush him. He attempted to move forward, but the ground beneath his feet dissolved, pulling him into the depths.
A cold shiver ran down his spine as he realized he was sinking into the darkness. Panicked, he began to run, but no matter how fast or far he moved, the void stretched endlessly around him.
Then, the hands appeared. Shadowy limbs emerged from the abyss, cold and unyielding, clawing at his body, gripping his arms and legs, dragging him deeper into the consuming void.
He struggled to break free, but their grip was unrelenting. From the depths of the darkness, a voice echoed—a voice saturated with madness, its words reverberating through his very soul.
"Become the Absolute Darkness… Devour the world, King of Nothingness."
The words coiled around him like chains, pulling him further into the abyss. He tried to scream, but the void swallowed his voice, leaving him in crushing silence.
Morpheus woke with a start, gasping for air as though he had been drowning. His body was drenched in cold sweat, his heart pounding violently in his chest. He clutched his head, attempting to steady his rapid breathing.
"Was that… a dream?" he muttered to himself. But it didn't feel like an ordinary dream—it felt far too real, as though he had experienced something tangible.
Unable to calm his racing mind, Morpheus stepped out of his tent into the cold night air. The fire they had lit earlier had long since died out, leaving the campsite shrouded in silence.
He knelt and reignited the fire, more for comfort than warmth, and sat beside it, gazing up at the crimson sky.
The jagged red cracks that stretched across the heavens seemed to pulse faintly, like veins carrying an ominous energy. As he stared, a strange loneliness settled over him. For the first time since arriving in this world, he was struck by a harsh truth:
"I'm alone here… There's no one to save me from my suffering."
He lowered his gaze to the flickering flames, their dance casting shadows on his face, and thought about the words he'd heard in his dream—the dark invitation and the title bestowed upon him.
"King of Nothingness," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the crackle of the fire.
As he sat in the stillness of the night, another thought struck him. He recalled seeing coffee in the store during their earlier shopping session. Perhaps something simple could distract him.
Opening the store interface, he purchased a small pack of coffee. As usual, it appeared through a glowing violet portal. Carefully, he brewed the coffee, savoring its warmth as he sat by the fire.
With each sip, his thoughts turned inward, questioning his purpose in this world.
"What am I doing here? What's my goal? Can I even survive?"
Morpheus remained awake until dawn, lost in contemplation. The fire crackled softly, the sky above shifting from its crimson glow to the faint light of a new day. As the warmth of the coffee in his hands comforted him, he resolved to face whatever lay ahead, no matter the cost.