“Stay behind me!”
“W-what is going on…?!”
Mo stood in front of his sister, using his tall muscular figure to block her from the horde of monsters creeping around them.
They were in a wide hallway made of black stone, dimly lit by a few torches here and there. The scenery hadn’t been too unlike the crypt Somnu had been in.
The Nightmare Creatures, however, were nothing like anything Somnu had seen. Not on the Abyss of Lethe, nor in the forgotten lands of Nirvia.
They looked like vicious black dogs, except they were much bigger and had at least a dozen crimson eyes painting their faces. The skin on their bodies seemed almost incorporeal as the edges defied form and gravity to float. Beside walking on four legs, what made it obvious they were canines was the long jaw, filled with sharp and pointy fangs as steam and saliva jotted out from between them.
Even Somnu, through a simple vision made possible by his legendary Memento, was beginning to feel his active fears kick in as he saw them.
And if he knew anything about his once adopted sister…
Leyna is terrified of black dogs…
“N-no! Momo, please…! Keep them away from me!” She screamed, latching on the back of her brother.
“Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out… I can do this…!” Mo clenched his fists, fixed his posture and glared at the monsters. “I guess I have to use it even if I don’t like it…! I’m sorry, Leyna, I know how you feel about fire, but…”
FWOOOSHHH!
Was that…?! Somnu questioned, watching Mo shoot a typical fireball skill and hit one of the Nightmare Creatures. Mo using fire? How come?
Everyone around Mo knew this. He was obsessed with becoming a firefighter. For him to use the one thing he was aiming to fight against, felt completely wrong.
And yet, he had done so to protect his sister. When it came to the heart of a firefighter, protecting and saving was all they were about. It was quite literally their motto to ‘fight flames, save lives.’
“!”
Nevertheless, his fireball had barely done any damage to the one Specter, and there were more quickly closing in.
“Leyna, I can’t fight them off if you cling to me like that! You have some strong moves too, help me out here!” Mo tried to push his sister with some tough love, knowing full well she would need to start facing her fears in this new world or she would fall behind.
“B-but… my knees…”
“...” The firefighter aspirer narrowed his eyes and ignited both of his hands on fire. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that…”
FWOOOSHHH!
He blasted fireball after fireball at the enemies, each of them beginning to explode upon impact, likely due to the constant level ups he was going through every time he managed to burn a Specter. At the same time, he took slow steps backwards to the side, making sure his sister would be between him and a solid wall.
From both sides of the hallway, enemies jumped over each other and the flames, growling and howling. It wouldn’t be long before they overwhelmed Mo alone.
Dammit! They are in danger! Is there nothing I can do here but watch?! Is this even happening right now?! Somnu directed all his frustration at his Memento. Why do you always show me visions with no explanation?! Show me directly if they are safe or not!
“Get down, you two!”
“?!”
Who…?!
Before Somnu could figure out the owner of the new, yet familiar-sounding voice, a beam of blinding light enveloped one side of the hallway, bringing everyone to a stop, especially the black dogs with their countless, now turned eyes.
A few seconds later, the entire one side of the hallway was completely empty, with only steam and blood splatter remaining of what once was.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“You… aren’t you that new girl in town?” Mo asked with a puzzled expression. “You’re here too?”
“Come on, let’s go! I’ll explain on the way!”
Mr. Emberlyn’s granddaughter sent another strike towards the other side before urging the two siblings to run in the direction she had come from.
What…?! She’s here too?! What is going on…? Why are they all suddenly in the Nightmare Realm…? Somnu questioned as he tried to focus on the vision. And she’s wearing the same clothes as that vision in the hospital!
Somnu was right. She was still wearing her dark leather jacket over a close-fitting shirt. A belt held her skin tight cargo pants in place, while the bottom end of them were tucked into her sturdy combat boots reaching up to her calves.
The only real difference seemed to be her hair. While her eyes still shined with a light aqua color, her hair seemed longer now, as well as being a color between pink and blond, as opposed to the golden color Somnu had seen her in before.
At the very least, she still had her feather bracelet around her wrist.
***
It wasn’t long before the three reached a safe room and caught their breath.
“T-thank you for saving us…” Leyna stepped forward and lowered her head slightly to her savior, the new girl currently leaning on the wall to the side.
“Don’t mention it, I’m just glad I made it in time.” Mr. Emberlyn’s descendant then looked Leyna up and down, hesitated for a moment, then built up her courage. “Say, it’s not really my place to judge, but we need to find you some better clothes.”
“U-um…”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it doesn’t look good on you, because it does. It’s just… not quite practical for this kind of thing, you know? Maybe-”
“Enough.”
“...?”
“Leave her alone. It’s not like we had many options to choose from before being sent here.” Mo stepped forward and glared at his savior.
Why are they fighting over something so trivial?! Sure, I agree with her, but this isn’t the time or place! Somnu commented inwardly while studying their clothes.
Mo was missing his striking amber jacket and was donning his dark blue undershirt that hugged his muscular frame. Around his neck hung a silver ring, reaching down to his heart. His baggy black pants and dark boots were just the usual aesthetic he went for.
His tattered, unruly dark hair was all over the place, but that didn’t interrupt the intense gaze he was sending out.
“I get it, I’m sorry for bringing it up.” Although unfazed by the glare, the girl at the receiving end simply closed her eyes calmly and decided to not pursue the matter.
“...”
Behind them, Leyna held her elbows, crawling into herself. Somnu could see she, out of all of them, was the most uncomfortable in what she had been wearing.
A sleek black dress that clung to her shapely figure, something that was both daring and elegant. Thin, silver straps criss crossed her chest, creating a subtle pattern that accentuated the sharp lines of the fabric. A diamond-shaped cutout framed her collarbone, but she had blocked it with her brother’s amber jacket. The dress ended high on her thighs, revealing a single dark strap wrapped around one leg.
Somnu never saw her in such an outfit, nor did he ever imagine her wearing one, but the dark blue hue of her braided hair, along with the glasses covering her hazel eyes, were all but normal.
“What was your name anyway? What is the plan here?” Mo stepped back and closer to his sister, but still addressed the girl to the side.
“I’m Aurora Emberlyn, I already know your names.” The girl finally straightened her back and walked forward. “I saw you two at the hospital and I can pretty much guess what you’re planning to do next.”
“Oh yeah? What is that?” Mo narrowed his eyes at her.
“You want to find him right? Your brother, I mean?”
“!”
“He should be here, on this First Layer somewhere too…” Aurora looked to the side, trailing off. “I need to find him too.”
“How do you know all of this?!”
“Momo, don’t!”
“No! We still don’t know who attacked him and put him in that coma!” Mo stepped closer, getting in Aurora’s face again. “Do you know who did it too?! Or, was it you?!”
“...” Aurora shut her eyes, and just when she was about to say something…
“What’s this now?”
“?!”
Suddenly, everyone turned to the entrance, an unfamiliar voice grabbing their attention.
“Who are you?!”
“Relax, I come in peace, I swear!” The new arrival raised his hands in the air despite the opposition getting ready to attack him.
No… It can’t be! Run away!! Somnu tried to scream it out loud, but to no avail. RUN!!
He wanted to warn them, to tell them how dangerous it was to associate with that person.
It was a man of tall height, and that was all one could really make out.
The rest was covered by a tattered and ripped dark cloak. It enveloped his entire figure from head to toe. His features and face were all hidden, similar to Almon, except the eyes were glowing white.
It was another Sleeper with the [Unseen] Personal Skill, a follower of the Faceless Forager too.
And likely another one of John Doe’s pawns.
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