The first step I was taught in order to survive is to locate water and food.
So, when I arrived at the dream realm it was the first thing I was looking for when looking around as I also put on [Prideful Sin] – a coat I received during the first nightmare and comes with leather boots and drawstring pants made from the same material.
However, I cannot find anything.
And not just resources, but I can't make out any of my surroundings.
The entire space is enveloped with heavy fog that blinds the sight.
I could only find dry, brown soil beneath my feet. Walking around it feels like my sense of sight was cut off, but I keep walking cautiously as if I'm a blind person in an unknown environment.
Eventually, I reached a landmark in the bland soil. A gravestone.
The stone was gray and pale, covered in dust and dirt which accumulated with the passage of time, clearing off the dirt, the gravestone appeared to be blank without any carvings.
A while passed and the fog slowly dispersed. That's when I noticed it was not one grave around me.
The entire place is a graveyard. Each of the tombstones is just as ancient as the first with a blank surface.
The entire place looked abandoned and shrouded with thick fog, making the entire environment appear mystical, chilly and creepy.
Walking through the graves, I finally spotted a different structure that stood out.
In the middle of the abandoned graveyard, stood a large structure of a tomb.
'why would a tomb stand in the middle of a graveyard?'
The tomb looks like a palace in comparison to the simple graves standing around me.
Even though I could come up with theories, I wouldn't know unless I'll look inside myself.
Stepping within the tomb, I was blinded by the darkness shrouding inside. Even with the enhanced vision with my Regret Spirits, I couldn't see a thing.
Walking watchfully – or rather not, due to the blindness – I drowned deeper within the darkness until I could not even see the light coming from outside.
Suddenly, I hear steps walking in the distance.
The steps were light and slow, as if they bear no weight under them like a ghost walking all around.
With a dead silence following, the entire place was lit up by torches on the walls around the room.
The entire place was a throne room, a red carpet laid in line at the middle and accompanied by countless soldiers in clads of armor, leading to a throne where a sole figure looks down upon the hall in arrogance and judgement in the lifeless eyes.
The monarch upon the throne wears a torn half crown which sits on half of his head while the other half of his entire head reveals his skull.
One of the ruler's eye holes were empty while the other one was covered in darkness.
His attire was luxurious yet tattered and torn as if it roamed through the depths of history alongside its wearer.
The entire place died in silence with no motion from any figure in the room.
None of the soldiers revealed a bit of skin yet they all emit the same domineering aura.
With the entire scene sinking in, the sudden pressure within the room made my stomach turn upside down and shut down my legs, making me fall onto my knees and throw up just from being within the room.
The ruler before me was no ordinary person nor he was an ordinary Awakened. He was closer to a god, and an ominous one at that.
I do not dare raise my head but resort to bowing down with my head stuck to the floor.
The king spoke at last; his speech was different from anything I heard up until now, nonetheless, I still understood it well.
"What have brought you here, child of Weaver?" the emission of his majesty's voice carried a weight of threat and anger, yet he did not resort to the worst outcome just yet.
Thinking about my answer thoroughly caused a small gap of silence to creep the room. However, the monarch had no patience and before I could let out my voice, he raised his tone and ordered.
"Speak."
With the fear of death, I answered out of instinct, abandoning any answer I had come up with up until now.
"I've stumbled within your domain by chance, forced to undertake the trial of The Spell."
Drops of sweat dripped from my face and landed on the cold dark stone floor. That's when I noticed a strange phenomenon.
The dust left on the floor has vanished.
In fact, it could even be considered clean.
The entire room never even once changed ever since I went in… aside from the sudden ignition of the torches.
Worries filled my mind with so many questions appearing one after another. I had to find out more, but the figure in front of me has no intention to let me go.
"Raise your head." The voice commanded.
Following the simple instruction, I could see the body of the king clearly.
His demeaner never fainted, however, his head was no longer half gone.
Standing in front of me, stood a glorious king in luxurious shining armor.
His facial features were clear as day with light facial hair covering his face with a short beard.
His eyes were cold blue and felt like they could see right through my soul.
His gray hair fell back to his shoulders and on top of his head stood a golden crown, shiny and new, with carvings of numerous runes. The runes did not make sense, but they do have significant meanings and stood out exceptionally.
These were the runes of names, used and crafted by a name sorcerer.
Lastly, each and every soldier did not hide in clad of armor any longer.
Their helmets were and every single one of them stood on their post with the same posture…
Each one of them wore the same face but eyes that made them feel like corpses than people.
The soldiers wore the face of the very same ruler sitting on the throne.