Shadow Slave

That was something Sunny was keenly interested in.

Of course, he had a general knowledge of how things were set inside the Spell. But the First Nightmare had already shown him that reality was different from how it was portrayed in popular culture in a number of small, but infinitely important ways.

He needed to separate truth from the myths. And, of course, it was very advantageous to hear it from the mouth of someone who had actually been to the Dream Realm. So Sunny was all ears.

Awakened Rock began to speak:

"Most people are aware of what Nightmares are — because they have an impact on the real world and their lives. All of you have been warned before entering the First Nightmare that, should you perish there, a Nightmare Creature would be allowed to cross the threshold and enter reality."

Yup, that was the reason why Master Jet had to wait patiently by his side, prepared to deal with the monster if it appears.

"First Nightmares are unique, because each of them is individual. That's why only a single Creature can appear. However, starting from the Second Nightmare, things become much more dangerous. These Nightmares are not tied to an infected person. Instead, they are born in the Dream Realm. While the Seed of the Nightmare is growing, any number of Awakened can attempt to conquer it."

Hunting down Nightmares was the main responsibility of the Awakened. Sunny knew that much.

"Should they all die or fail to find the Seed before it matures, a Gate will open in the real world, letting through countless monsters. You all know the consequences. Other Awakened will be forced to withstand the onslaught on this side, but then there can be massive destruction or losses among the civilian population."

Opening Gates were something that every person on the planet feared. It was also the second disaster brought upon by the Spell after the initial appearance of the Nightmare Creatures. The main difference was that, in that initial wave, there were only dormant beasts. However, Gates had ranks of their own, and any type of Creature could potentially step through.

Not long before Sunny was born, a Rank 5 Gate opening left a whole continent uninhabitable. Luckily, high-rank Gates were very rare.

Awakened Rock's voice grew solemn.

close them before any harm could befall the real world. From this, you can see that the Dream Realm and the Nightmares are connected, but are not one and the same.

Awakened

It is vast, mysterious and mostly unexplored. It is also dead. There is no life out there except for the Nightmare Creatures, corrupted ecosystems… and now us. But it wasn't always dead. We can tell that once, a long time ago, the Dream

lost civilizations were not really primitive, it's just that their development was centered around soul cores and mysticism as opposed

were destroyed

as one of its illusions, just on an unimaginably larger scale, or if it's real, with the Spell only serving as a pathway between two realities. However, we do suspect that the illusions conjured up inside the Nightmares are based on its history. They are replicas of past

in reverse at the beginning of his Nightmare. He thought about how things would have ended up without his involvement. Did the nameless temple slave perish in Mountain King's maw with the rest of

would the Spell remember

'I wonder.'

between the Dream Realm and the Nightmares. Firstly, it doesn't have a "story". There is no predetermined conflict you are forced to resolve. You can move freely and explore, provided that

good to know,' Sunny

was pretty certain to end up in some kind of trouble. So that freedom Awakened Rock had mentioned was relative in his

Meanwhile, the instructor continued:

Realm except for those who came from

cold sweat running down his back. Nightmare Creatures mimicking humans? So creepy! Since

and noticed that

in the real world if you die in the Dream Realm. It may sound cruel, but that's a good thing. Awakened forces are already

spend weeks, sometimes even months in the Dream Realm, there was

lastly, and most importantly. Unlike Nightmares, which are bound by the rules of fairness, there is no limit to what kind of Creature you can meet in the Dream Realm. During its trials, the Spell won't pit

'Oh really?' Sunny sneered.

to agree with Awakened Rock. Even though both Hero and Mountain King were way out of his league, they were still

regions with enemies on par with your own rank. It's not an ironclad guarantee, but at least there will

was even better.