Gray turned towards Nym, glancing at her. "You got all that right?" he asked hurriedly.
Nym nodded her head, seemingly bored, "From what you've told me, this Nightmare shit is easy." She muttered with a yawn.
Gray sighed, "This is not a matter to joke about Nym!" He snapped, sparing her a glance.
"Yeah, yeah. Chill," she muttered, stretching lazily. "There are some things called Nightmares in this world, which is basically a trial created by the Spell, whatever that is.
"Monsters, people—whatever. We're infected, we go in, beat the First Nightmare, and gain ninja turtle princess of power type of abilities if we conquer it." She said with a grin.
Gray glared at her, his lips twitching ever so slightly. "Can you not joke about this? If we don't conquer the First Nightmare we'll die."
Nym turned her head, "Don't worry, we're both smart transmigrators, not the retards that in webnovels. I'm pretty sure we could beat this thing, I mean literal twelve year olds are beating this thing. How hard could it be?"
Gray reached out suddenly, his hand landing firmly on Nym's shoulder just as she was about to push open the police station door.
"Wait."
She blinked and looked back, "What now?"
Gray's expression hardened, his eyes tightened as he gazed at her intensely, "Listen carefully. When we get dragged into that Nightmare… don't just follow the script. Try to change your fate in there as much as you can."
Nym raised her eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curled up, "Oh? And why is that?"
Gray scoffed.
"You shouldn't be so unserious. Our lives are at stake," he muttered. After a long pause, he continued, "The more you defy your fate in the Nightmare, the higher the rank of the Aspect you're given when you conquer it.
"At the lower stages, the rank of your Aspect doesn't matter much. But when you ascend higher, the gap is apparent. The higher the rank of your Aspect, the stronger the abilities you receive. Got that?"
Nym's smirk faltered for a brief second, as if deliberating what to say. But then she scoffed lightly. "Got it, boss. Change fate, get stronger, don't die. Easy enough."
Gray watched her enter the station, glaring at her. "Let's hope it really is," he murmured.
Saying that, he ran after her.
Inside, a tired-looking officer gave them a quick glance and frowned with obvious distaste."Are you lost, children?"
Nym shook her head, flashing a half-smile. "As demanded by the Third Special Directive, we are here to surrender ourselves as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell."
She then turned back, "Was that right?" She asked with a grin.
Gray nodded, exasperated.
The officer though froze mid-motion. His bored expression vanished, replaced by a wary frown. He looked them over again, this time like he was staring at a pair of ticking bombs.
"Are you sure you're infected?" he asked quietly. "When did both of you start showing symptoms?"
Gray shrugged. "A week ago?"
The officer blanched. His hand jerked toward the console on his desk. "Shit," he muttered, slamming a red icon on the terminal.
Alarms blared instantly.
"Attention! Code Black in the lobby! I repeat! CODE BLACK!" the officer shouted into the microphone.
Nym blinked, glancing around with exaggerated calm. "Well… that escalated quickly."
***
Nym let out a tired sigh, "Isn't this a bit much?" She asked while glancing down at the policemen who were tying her down with layers of restraint.
The room they were in was situated in the basement of the police station, with thick armored walls and a formidable-looking vault door. Other officers were standing near the walls, with automatic rifles in their hands and grim expressions on their faces.
But much to her dismay, they ignored her and continued restraining her with a dreadful expression.
The vault door opened, and a gray-haired policeman entered the room. He had a seasoned face and stern eyes, looking like someone who had seen a lot of terrible things in his life. After checking the restraints, the policeman glanced quickly on his wristwatch and then turned to them.
"What's your name, kiddos?"
Gray's eyes drooped, struggling to stay awake. Finally, he answered in a tired voice, "I'm Gray and that's Nym."
The seasoned policeman smiled, "Good names."
Gray could see completely through his act. The old geezer was just comforting them because he was worried they might die.
The old policeman gave them a look before continuing.
"Do you want me to contact both your families?"
Gray didn't answer this time, fully focused on staying awake slightly longer.
"No need. There's no one, we're both siblings." Nym answered wearily.
"Alright. How much do you know about the Spell kids?" He asked.
"Enough. Just tell me the core things." Nym said, this time in a harsh voice.
"Remember: the first thing you must do once inside the Nightmare is to check your Attributes and your Aspect. If you get a combat-oriented Aspect, something like a Swordsman or an Archer, things will be easier. If it is reinforced by a physical Attribute, then that's even better. Combat Aspects are the most common, so the probability of receiving one is high."
The armored room was growing dimmer.
"If you're unlucky and your Aspect has nothing to do with combat, don't despair. Sorcery and utility Aspects are useful in their own ways, you'll just have to be smart about it. There are really no useless Aspects. Well, almost. So just do anything in your power to survive."
"If you survive, you will be halfway to becoming an Awakened. But if you die, you'll open a gate for a Nightmare Creature to appear in the real world. Which means that my colleagues and I will have to deal with it. So… please don't die, kids."
Nym groaned, getting more and more sleepy.
She then turned to Gray who seemed to be struggling against the call of the Nightmare, "Good luck….. try not to die out there…brother."
Gray grunted, silently acknowledging her.
With that, the pair slipped into a deep slumber.
In the darkness, a faintly familiar voice rang.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]