"Master, your time is up."
The woman's voice echoed softly through the room, breaking the silence like a stone thrown into still water. In that instant, a sharp vibration began to emanate from Nemor's body, making the air around him tremble. Blue and black sparks exploded from his chest, tearing through space with growing violence. The energy spread rapidly, swallowing every corner of the room until nothing could be seen beyond that chaotic pulsing force. The vibration intensified even more, making the walls shake, and then everything dissipated at once. The energy disappeared like smoke carried by the wind. He was no longer there. The winged woman had also vanished. The room remained empty and silent, only the papers scattered on the floor moving slightly with the breeze coming through the window.
In another place, far from there, Nemor felt the irregular texture of rubble under his feet. He opened his eyes slowly, heavy eyelids, and found himself facing a scene he knew all too well. Black mists danced around like living creatures, undulating in hypnotic movements that seemed to follow some invisible pattern. The winged woman wasn't by his side this time. He was alone. His voice echoed through the desolate environment, loaded with resignation: "Back to the nightmare."
The sky above was an infinite expanse of opaque gray, without any trace of life or hope. Destroyed buildings rose like skeletons around him, most reduced to rubble and ruins. He began to walk carefully, dodging the debris while observing the environment. At various distant points, blue and black rays appeared and disappeared like silent lightning, bringing other people to that cursed place. He murmured low: "Yeah, looks like everyone's already inside."
He continued observing the rays that appeared in different directions. The pattern was always the same—a bright flash, a figure materializing, and then silence returned. But something changed. The air behind him vibrated intensely, different from the others. His muscles stiffened by instinct. He turned quickly, body tense, prepared for the worst.
The same type of blue and black ray appeared a few meters away, tearing through the air with a sharp sound that made his eardrums ache. The rays vibrated violently before disappearing completely, leaving someone behind.
It was a tall woman with long black hair that fell like a cascade down her back. Her skin was soft and impeccable, and her expression revealed someone deeply accustomed to comfort and luxury. The strands briefly levitated with the residual pressure from the rays before falling softly back into place.
He stared at her for a moment, assessing whether she was a threat. Then he released the air he'd been holding in his lungs. For a second, he'd thought it might be an Unsleeping One appearing. The woman, completely ignoring the danger around her, held her hair with delicate movements to arrange it, as if she were in front of a mirror at home. That's when he noticed the marks on the backs of her hands: a red cross and a horizontal bar. Symbols of power.
Before he could process that, she screamed far too loud, her shrill voice echoing through the debris: "WHY DID I HAVE TO BE AN INTO?!" She looked up at the grayish sky, hands on her hips. "GET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU IDIOTS!"
Nemor squeezed his own arms, fingers digging into his skin. That noise pierced through his neurons like needles. He shouted back, irritation evident: "LOWER YOUR VOLUME, GIRL!"
She turned her head slowly, dramatic movement, and looked him up and down with superiority. The way she looked was particular—like someone evaluating a disposable follower on social media. "Whoever you are," she said with natural authority, pointing her finger at him, "I demand that you protect me during these fifteen minutes inside this nightmare. Understood?"
His eyes widened, incredulous. Is this woman joking? "Get lost, woman! Every man for himself. Get your own track!" He turned deliberately, giving her his back, and began walking through the debris on the ground. The black clouds danced ahead of him like a horde of restless shadows.
The woman, without any hesitation, followed his steps. Her heels clicked against the broken concrete in an irritating rhythm.
A familiar voice echoed inside his head. It was the winged woman: "Master, the person you sent the track to is right behind you." He quickly looked back. The girl was following him as if he were an expendable henchman, keeping a safe distance while using him as a human shield. He took a deep breath once. Then again. Irritation burned in his chest, but he didn't have time to deal with that.
"Do you think I'm going to go around fighting Unsleeping Ones like some warrior princess?" She got even closer, invading his personal space, forcing him to stop. "I need to keep my skin intact." She ran her fingers over her flawless face, checking for any imperfection. "So you're going to protect me, understand? When we get out of here, I'll add you as my new follower."
He slapped his own hand to his face, rubbing it with frustration. Does this girl have her head on straight? The internal voice responded immediately: "Yes, master. She is a normal person, but selfish enough not to be trustworthy. My recommendation: ignore her."
"That's what I'm doing," he said aloud, exhausted, resuming his walk.
"Who are you talking to?" she asked, frowning her perfectly outlined brows.
"Nobody."
She stared at him for a moment, clearly finding it strange. "Okay, fine. You're weird." She tossed her hair back with a rehearsed movement. "My name is Alya. I'm only saying it because today you're going to be my shield."
He opened his mouth to respond with something probably rude, but then the sound came. BOOM. BOOM. Massive impacts echoed from distant zones, making the ground tremble slightly under their feet. Alya's body visibly trembled with fear, and she quickly clung to him, fingers gripping his shirt with force. It was obvious. Confrontations were happening in other parts of the nightmare. "Looks like," he paused, listening to the echoes of battle, "some are already dancing."
The black clouds grew increasingly dense, swallowing visibility bit by bit like ink spreading in water. Alya held his shoulder tightly, nails almost piercing the fabric. "I hate this place," her voice came out trembling but loaded with anger. "I hate the gods' shit."
Then he coughed. The sensation came suddenly, throat burning. When he covered his mouth, he saw red staining his palm. Alya also coughed immediately after, body curving violently. Both their breathing became heavy and difficult, as if the air itself had become thicker. He looked at the blood dripping on his arms and said breathlessly: "What's that smell?" The odor permeating the air was something far beyond simply putrid—it penetrated the nostrils like toxic chemicals, making the eyes burn.
The internal voice alerted with urgency: "Master, I've detected an Unsleeping One six meters away."
He clenched his fists tightly, preparing himself. Alya stayed right behind him, practically using him as a living shield. Then VROOMM. The air tore along with the mists, a deep sound reverberating. A creature appeared ahead, materializing from the shadows themselves.
Humanoid appearance, but grayish colored like the very sky of that place. Its white clothes were torn and worn by time. The eyes remained closed, as if eternally sleeping. But the most disturbing detail was the circles of golden dust rotating around its fists and head, completely defying gravity. Its face was raised, pointing directly at them with impossible precision.
Alya pushed him forward with both hands. He stumbled two steps. "Go on!" she shouted. "Kill it before it attacks!"
He turned his head quickly, anger burning in his eyes. "I'm not your henchman, idiot!"
The creature took a heavy step toward them. The sound of its foot hitting the concrete echoed threateningly. He clenched his fists and asked mentally: "What's its level?"
"The Unsleeping One's power level is seventy-seven. Yours is eighty."
A bitter smile appeared on his lips. Three levels difference. He could handle it. "And if I kill it, do I increase my level?" Brief pause. "Then I'm going in—"
He couldn't finish. The Unsleeping One was already millimeters from him, movement so fast his eyes barely registered it. He tried to dodge by throwing his weight back, but the golden dust came with the punch, spreading like a cloud. He inhaled and felt something piercing every muscle in his body, as if a thousand fine needles entered at once. Blood gushed from his nose before the physical blow even connected.
BOOM. The impact was devastating. His body was thrown violently, flying through the air until hitting the debris of an already collapsed building. Pain exploded in his back when he collided with the concrete. The Unsleeping One maintained its strange posture, eyes still closed, as if nothing had happened. Alya quickly disappeared behind the rubble, hiding.
He stood up spitting blood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Every muscle in his body screamed, but he ignored it. Red energy began to wrap around his arms and legs, crackling like living electricity. The red cross appeared on his forehead, shining intensely. In a brutal impulse, he launched himself at superhuman speed. The Unsleeping One did the same, golden dust leaving trails in the air. The two collided with devastating force, a shockwave making the surrounding rubble tremble.
But he kept his foot planted on the ground, toes pressing the cracked concrete with all his strength. He delivered a power-charged blow that connected with the creature's torso, launching it backward like a projectile. The Unsleeping One collided exactly with the rubble where Alya was hiding. She screamed, jumping to the side as pieces of concrete flew. The creature dragged itself a few more meters, leaving a trail on the ground.
Alya stood up quickly, shaking the dust from her clothes with frantic movements. She looked at him with indignation: "You idiot! Watch where you throw your things! What if you'd damaged my beauty?!" She checked her face with her hands, looking for scratches.
He didn't care. He launched himself again, red trails following each movement. When he got close enough, the Unsleeping One raised its arms brutally. BOOM. An explosion of golden dust took over the entire place, a dense cloud swallowing everything.
Instantly he lost speed. His legs weakened as if the muscles had been cut. Strength drained from his body in seconds. He fell to his knees on the hard ground, impact sending waves of pain through his legs. He bled from his nose and mouth, red liquid dripping onto the concrete. The same happened to Alya a few meters behind, body collapsing.
When the dust finally began to dissipate, breathing returned—but gasping, difficult, each inhalation hurting. He tried to stand, forcing his legs to respond. But then he felt something holding his head with brutal force, fingers digging into his scalp. Looking up, he saw the grayish face of the Unsleeping One right above him, eyes still closed. Without hesitation, the creature threw him upward with absurd force. Before he could process it, a kick connected with his abdomen, expelling all the air from his lungs. He was thrown against a wall, cracking the concrete with the impact.
He slid to the ground, every part of his body protesting. He stood up trembling and asked breathlessly: "How much time is left?"
"There are still four minutes until reaching fifteen minutes."
He spat more blood. "Are you sure it's level seventy-seven?"
"Absolute certainty, master."
The Unsleeping One approached slowly, heavy steps. The golden circles continued spinning, hypnotic. Then something clicked in his mind. "I get it."
"What do you get, master?"
"The dust." He wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes gaining new focus. "Just don't inhale and I won't lose strength." He stood up, red energy exploding around his body again, more intense than before.
The Unsleeping One attacked with a punch charged with golden dust. He held his breath purposefully, filling his lungs before holding them. He crouched in fluid motion, dodging by centimeters. He felt the air being cut right above his head. When he stood up, his right arm wrapped in crackling energy connected with the creature's jaw in a devastating uppercut. The sound of bone breaking echoed. The creature was launched backward.
But before hitting the ground, the Unsleeping One supported its arm against the concrete, using the momentum to stay upright. Then, without any hesitation, it changed targets. It launched itself toward Alya.
She was completely exposed, eyes widened in pure terror. There was no time to flee. The attack would be certain. He planted his feet on the ground and shot at high speed, red trails cutting through the air. He reached Alya in a fraction of a second, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to the side. He shouted: "The dust! Don't breathe!"
Too late. By speaking, he inhaled the poison. Both coughed blood simultaneously. The Unsleeping One kicked them with brutal force. He hit the ground, dust rising around him. Alya scraped against the debris, and a sharp shard of tile cut deeply into her face, opening a red line on her cheek.
She stood up slowly, touching the wound with trembling fingers. She looked at her own hand stained with blood. Her expression changed completely—from fear to something much darker and more dangerous. "How dare you," her voice was low, trembling with contained rage, "damage my beauty?!" She clenched her fists with force, nails digging into her palms. "What if my followers stop following me because I became a monster with scars?!" She shouted with fury: "This is unforgivable!"
He was surprised by that disproportionate reaction. In that moment, something extraordinary happened. The marks on her arm disappeared instantly, as if they'd been erased. And they reappeared in the center of her right eye, glowing with supernatural light. The Unsleeping One took two steps. When it tried the third, Alya's marked eye caught the creature in its vision.
A sharp pain exploded in the Unsleeping One's body. It froze completely, every muscle locked. It couldn't move or breathe. Alya ran brutally, taken by frustration, and delivered a punch to the paralyzed creature's face. The impact was surprising—much stronger than her delicate body suggested. The Unsleeping One was launched through the debris like a rag doll.
He stood open-mouthed, processing what he'd just seen. He approached quickly. "Are you kidding me?!"
The marks returned to her arm. She turned to him with disdain. "What do you mean, you failed protector?! How could you let my beauty be crushed?!"
He ignored the ridiculous question. "This whole time you could use your power and you let me get beaten up?!"
The Unsleeping One rose brutally from the rubble. Pieces of concrete and metal flew from side to side with the force of its movements. "I need you to use it again."
Alya crossed her arms, turning her face away. "Get lost. You don't boss me around."
"Just use it!" The urgency was clear in his voice.
The Unsleeping One raised its arms. Golden dust exploded everywhere. He held his breath immediately and threw himself toward Alya, covering her nose and mouth forcefully so she wouldn't breathe. She tried to grumble, struggling, but he pressed too hard.
When the dust finally ceased, he released her and grabbed a rusty iron bar from the ground. "Now!"
"Too annoying, weakling," she said, fixing her hair. But she did what he asked. The marks went to her eye. When she caught the Unsleeping One in her vision, it paralyzed completely.
Red energy exploded around him with brutal intensity. He launched himself at absurd speed, reappearing in front of the frozen creature. In one fluid and deadly movement, the iron bar emanating energy pierced directly through the Unsleeping One's head, going through the skull. Black blood dripped down the metal.
When the energy ceased, the body fell lifeless to the ground, raising dust. He also fell to his knees, completely exhausted. "I want to take a peaceful nap."
Alya approached, completely ignoring the corpse. "I need something to make this scar disappear."
The voice echoed in his mind: "Congratulations, master."
"Congratulations for what?" he asked, confused.
"Master just leveled up to ninety."
Before he could process that information, the air around them vibrated suddenly. Blue and black rays appeared out of nowhere, forming a bright portal that tore through reality. He stood up quickly, body tense, looking at the man who calmly walked through.
Alya frowned. "Who are you?"
The man wore a perfectly fitted black suit, without a single stain. On his forehead, clearly visible and glowing slightly, were a red cross and four horizontal bars. Four bars. Much more powerful. His voice came out calm: "My name is Hansel." Deliberate pause. "And the question I have for you is..." Another pause. "Do you want to leave the nightmare forever?"
Alya raised her hand in the air immediately. "I do!"
Hansel raised both arms elegantly, one pointing at Alya and the other at him. An intense blue light emerged from his palms, shining brightly. When it dissipated, it had materialized into two photographs that floated before falling softly. "I've already distributed these to all the Intos present here. He wants you to find this girl and bring her to him alive."
He extended his hand and grabbed the photograph. His eyes widened in shock. The face in the image was unmistakable. It was exactly the same girl he had saved before. He asked hurriedly: "What's so special about her that—"
He couldn't finish.
Blue and black rays exploded around them, enveloping the three in a whirlwind of crackling energy. The voice echoed one last time: "Master, fifteen minutes completed successfully."
Then the energy pulled them with irresistible force. The world distorted, colors mixed, and they disappeared from that place in a flash of light.
---
He opened his eyes slowly, feeling the familiar mattress beneath his body. He was back in his room. The same soft sunlight entered through the window. The same curtains swayed with the breeze. As if the last fifteen minutes had been just a nightmare.
But in his hands, he still firmly held the photograph. Proof that everything had been real.
The winged woman's voice echoed in his mind: "Master, my recommendation: avoid approaching the girl."
He continued staring at the photograph in silence, her face looking back through the paper.
**END OF CHAPTER 2**