[Prepare for appraisal…]
Yves found himself suspended in a space between dream and reality. It was an endless black void illuminated by a myriad of stars. Between those stars, countless strings of silver light were woven into a beautiful and inconceivably complex net, forming various nexuses and constellations. It was exactly how it had been described in the novel.
Yves took in his surroundings with wide eyes. He was looking at the inner workings of the Nightmare Spell itself—it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Truly a masterpiece.
[You have received a Memory: Songweaver's Raiment]
Yves's eyes widened slightly.
'I got a memory from that thing?'
An Awakened memory of the sixth tier, no less. That was an excellent reward to receive from his First Nightmare. Of course, he didn't necessarily need it—he could always acquire something from the clan—but it was nice to have regardless. Plus, this memory could possess immensely powerful enchantments, so it was still a great reward.
There was no time to examine it, though, since the Spell was finished with its appraisal.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[A stranger came to a dying village and earned their trust with ready smiles and willing hands. When he heard the singing in the dark, he took their steel and walked alone into the cave. Nine servants of twisted flesh awaited him in the depths. All fell to his blade. Broken and bleeding, he refused to stop. He crawled through his own blood and drove steel into the throat of an ancient thing. It thrashed. He held on. It died.]
[You have defeated nine Dormant Beasts: Songweaver's Puppets.]
[You have defeated an Awakened Terror: Songweaver.]
[You have achieved the impossible.]
[Final appraisal: glorious. Your will truly knows no bounds.]
'Glorious? Well, I was kind of expecting it, but actually receiving it makes me feel really good about myself. I can't lie.'
As Yves mentally patted himself on the back for such an excellent rating, the Spell continued.
[Dreamer Yves, receive your boon!]
Yves held his breath.
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Wandering Dream.]
Yves blinked. A True Name?
'Is this for real?'
Yves had received a True Name. Of course, he should have guessed he would receive one based on his appraisal, but it still came as a huge surprise. A smile tugged at his lips.
'I guess that means I can boast to my elder sisters about getting my True Name in my First Nightmare. That'll be fun.'
The Spell continued.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
"Absolutely."
Yves responded without hesitation.
[Dormant Aspect Mirage is evolving…]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
Yves grinned widely.
[Aspect Name: World Mirage.]
Yves was ecstatic. He had obtained a Divine-ranked Aspect—it was the best possible outcome from this trial. He couldn't help but smile like a fool.
'What a great boon'
Yves summoned his runes and immediately focused on the Aspect lines.
Aspect: [World Mirage]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Description: [You are a mirage left behind by someone long ago. Untethered from reality's constraints, you exist as pure possibility—endlessly free, endlessly curious, shaped only by imagination's whim.]
Innate Ability: [Sphere Control]
Ability Description: [Manifestation of dark spheres that can be shaped into weapons or shields. Absorbing them amplifies your physical strength.]
Yves blinked in surprise. An Innate Ability that wasn't conditional? That was something he hadn't seen before, although that was mainly because most people didn't have them at all.
'It seems like it's very powerful, though. An ability that grants me both defensive and offensive capabilities, as well as physical augmentation. Not bad at all.'
Thankfully, it wasn't an Innate Ability that gave others the power to enslave him. If there was one thing Yves would never surrender, it was his freedom. Well, there was his mother to consider, but he didn't really have to worry about her. Yes, she did have the tendency to control others in ruthless and cruel ways, but that only applied to the vassals of the Song clan. Yves highly doubted she would force him to do anything against his will.
'At least not yet.'
The Spell pulled Yves from his thoughts.
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
Yves felt something stirring deep inside of him. With a sharp intake of breath, he clutched his chest and stared into the void, trying to understand what was happening. The sensation was neither painful nor unpleasant, yet it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was as though his soul was being pulled from slumber, flooded with strange new energy.
However, that energy did not come from some outside source. Rather, it was rising from within, as though it had always been there, dormant and waiting. The energy spread through every fiber of his being. Yves felt his emotions becoming sharper and more vivid. Then, his body began to change as well.
He felt as though something was burning in the center of his chest, but it didn't hurt. Waves of sensation radiated outward from it, gradually reaching his stomach and shoulders, then his arms and legs, then his hands and feet.
Beneath that burning, his bones, muscles, organs, and blood vessels were being remade and strengthened. Yves felt like he was being reforged from the ground up. He was becoming stronger, faster, healthier. It was exhilarating.
With each passing second, his transformation grew more intense. After some time, the fire in his chest finally began to fade. The burning gave way to a soothing coolness. That coolness swept through Yves's body, washing away accumulated aches and tension he hadn't even realized he'd been carrying. Then it rose higher, reaching his mind and, finally, his eyes.
He could still see the void populated by an endless pattern of stars. But he could also see something different now.
An ethereal sea stretched before him, its surface gently undulating with slow, dreamlike waves. Above it hung a luminous sun that shifted through a spectrum of colors—sometimes violet, bleeding into azure, then gold, then rose, then back again in an endless cycle. The light it cast painted everything in those same shifting hues.
Yves recognized this space immediately. It was his Soul Sea. But it looked nothing like the descriptions he'd read in the novel or heard from others.
The ocean below and the sky above were identical, creating a dizzying optical illusion. There was no horizon, no clear boundary between up and down. The colored light reflected off the water's surface, making it impossible to tell where the sea ended and the heavens began. It was disorienting and beautiful, like standing inside an infinite mirage.
His soul core—manifested as that color-shifting sun—pulsed gently with each transition, and with every pulse, faint ripples of light spread across both sky and sea simultaneously.
Looking closer, Yves noticed two spheres of light circling the sun, drawn by its gravitational pull. A faint smile crossed his face.
His only Memory: Songweaver's Raiment
'It's so beautiful.'
It was the most beautiful thing Yves had ever seen, and the most unusual. It was just so unreal. But there was one thing that bothered him slightly.
'It's much different than how others' Soul Seas were described.'
Of course, Yves had never seen one besides his own, but the way other Soul Seas were explained was much different.
'Sunny also has an unusual Soul Sea. Does it have something to do with Divine Aspects?'
Yves couldn't ponder that thought for long because the Spell wasn't finished.
[Awakening Aspect Ability…]
Yves crossed his fingers hopefully.
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Illusion Creation.]
[New Attribute acquired.]
Upon hearing that, Yves immediately summoned his runes and looked at his information.
Name: Yves
True Name: Wandering Dream
Rank: Dreamer
Soul Fragments: [46/1000]
Memories: [Songweaver's Raiment]
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Mark of Divinity], [Sanctum], [Greed], [The Beast], [All-Seeing], [Third Eye]
Yves looked at his Attributes carefully. He had received a new one. He focused on the Attribute to see its description and what it could do.
Attribute: [Third Eye]
Attribute Description: [You perceive what others cannot.]
'What a vague description…'
The description didn't tell Yves much of anything. Well, it didn't tell him anything really useful, at least.
'I guess I'll have to wait and see what it actually does.'
He continued reading and found his Aspect Ability.
Aspect Ability: [Illusion Creation]
Aspect Ability Description: [You have the ability to create convincing illusions of anything you can imagine. You can also subtly manipulate others' emotions.]
Yves's eyes widened considerably. He had received an Aspect Ability that allowed him to create illusions and manipulate emotions.
'This is amazing!'
Yves couldn't contain his excitement and broke into a huge grin. This was one of the best Aspects he could have possibly asked for—one with countless implications and tremendous potential.
Of course, it wasn't purely a combat-oriented Aspect Ability, but that was perfectly fine with Yves. He didn't really need one since his combat skills were already exceptional, and it wasn't as though you needed a combat Aspect to be effective in direct confrontation. Plus, he had his Innate Ability, which was already combat-focused in and of itself.
Yves couldn't stop smiling. He had received an amazing Aspect, one that granted him both utility and combat versatility. This was a great boon!
Yves was pulled from his celebratory mood by the voice of the Spell.
[All power has a price.]
[You have received a Flaw.]
[Your Flaw is: False Joy]
Yves immediately turned to the runes that displayed his Flaw and its description.
Flaw: [False Joy]
Flaw Description: [You cannot feel sadness.]
Yves looked at the runes in disbelief, his expression going blank for a moment. He didn't quite know how to feel about it all.
Of course, not feeling sadness wasn't terrible compared to other Flaws he'd heard about, but that was only in the short term. Long term would be different—navigating through the world while being completely indifferent to heartbreak or tragedy. Of course, he still had other emotions, but that didn't change the fundamental nature of his Flaw.
Yves simply sighed. There was nothing he could do about it now.
'I guess my Flaw has already kicked in. I mean, I could get angry about it, but I'm not the type of person to waste energy being mad at something that can't be changed.'
As Yves stood there quietly, gazing at the runes before him, the Spell spoke for the final time.
[Wake up, Wandering Dream!]
———
Author's Note:
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even if it was just the appraisal!
I'd love to know what you guys think about his True Name and Aspect.
Also, please give me some grace about his Innate Ability—it was something I wanted to add really badly, and I also have plans for it in the future. So please forgive me if you don't like that it was implemented into an illusion-type Aspect 😞🙏
Thank you for reading!!!