While the first two weeks following the Revelation had been dominated by panic, riots, accusations, and political turmoil, a different side of humanity had also begun asserting itself.
Curiosity.
It turned out that while fear was powerful, fascination was often stronger.
Because for all the arguments about secrecy, memory alteration, martial law, and government overreach, one fact remained impossible to ignore.
Magic was real.
Not the fictional kind that people had read about in books or watched in movies.
Real magic.
Real superpowers.
The world had spent generations believing that such things belonged only in stories. Then overnight they had been told that not only were those things real, but thousands of awakened individuals had been quietly living among them for decades.
The result was exactly what one might expect.
The internet exploded.
Search engines became flooded with questions regarding runes, Aura, Will, the Dream Realm, Grimm, LUCID, the Nightmare System, and the various ranks of awakened. Entire communities sprang into existence dedicated solely to discussing newly revealed information.
Some people remained terrified.
Others became obsessed.
Talk shows, podcasts, interviews, and news channels began competing aggressively for awakened guests.
For the first time in history, ordinary people were able to directly ask questions of individuals who possessed supernatural abilities.
One such interview quickly became one of the most watched broadcasts of the month.
The host was a famous Vale podcaster named Darren Holt, who had somehow managed to convince a Rank 1 awakened to appear on his show.
The awakened himself was surprisingly ordinary looking.
He wore casual clothing, had short brown hair, and looked more like a university student than a supernatural warrior.
Which, Darren quickly pointed out.
"You know," Darren said while adjusting papers on his desk, "this is probably the weirdest part for me. I expected awakened to look... I don't know... cooler?"
The awakened laughed.
"Cooler?"
"Yeah. Maybe glowing eyes. Lightning coming off your shoulders. Something dramatic."
"Sorry to disappoint, Mr Holt."
The audience chuckled.
Darren leaned forward.
"Alright. Let's start with the big question everybody keeps asking."
He tapped a card.
"Runes. What exactly are they? Are they connected to magic?"
The awakened nodded.
"In a sense, they really could be considered as magical. However, unlike real magic, the only source of runes are from the Nightmare system. Every awakened receives them the same way. First, we need to kill the creatures of Grimm to receive rune fragments. After we receive 100 rune fragments, we can then use them to create a runes. Each rune possesses unique properties. Some are simple while others are incredibly complex."
"Like superpowers?"
"Basically."
Darren's eyes widened.
"You do realize how insane that sounds, right?"
The awakened smiled. "I've been awakened for seven years and it still sounds odd even to me."
The audience gave off a few chuckles again.
Darren quickly continued. "People keep hearing about normal runes and meta runes. What's the difference?"
This time the awakened's expression became slightly more serious.
"Meta runes are generally considered superior and stronger in many different ways when compared to normal runes."
"Why?"
"Because meta runes, compared to normal runes have what we call the unblockable aspect."
Darren blinked.
"The what?"
"The unblockable aspect. Most normal runes can be resisted under certain circumstances. Higher Will stats can usually weaken their effects or even outright disperse the runic energy of a rune that is flowing into your body. Other runes can also counter them and certain environmental conditions can interfere with them."
He paused.
"Meta runes don't follow those rules quite as much. Every meta rune possesses some form of fundamental quality that allows it to bypass resistance. The exact nature differs from rune to rune, but that's generally what separates them. To this day, the only thing that acts as a shield against meta runic energy is innate Aura. Everything else falls short."
"So they're basically broken."
"Pretty much."
Darren grinned.
"I appreciate the honesty."
He leaned back.
"Can you show us the power of a rune?"
The awakened shrugged.
"Sure."
He lifted his hand. For a brief moment nothing happened. Then, blue electricity crackled between his fingers.
The cameras zoomed closer.
Arcs of lightning danced across his palm like living creatures, snapping through the air before gathering into a small glowing sphere.
The electricity illuminated the entire stage.
Darren stared.
"Okay."
The podcaster swallowed. "That is significantly cooler than I expected."
The awakened nodded before dismissing the energy and causing the lightning to vanish instantly. The audience immediately broke into applause.
By the following morning, clips of the demonstration had accumulated tens of millions of views across every major platform.
People watched them repeatedly and not because they doubted the Revelation anymore but because seeing it with their own eyes still felt unbelievable.
The interviews continued throughout the week. Some focused on runes and others others focused on combat. Many focused on the Nightmare System itself.
One particularly famous discussion featured a veteran LUCID operative who had spent nearly twenty years fighting within the Dream Realm.
The interview began simply enough.
The host adjusted her microphone before asking the question that had been appearing constantly online.
"Can you explain the different ranks?"
The operative nodded.
"Rank Zero is essentially the starting point. You're awakened, but you can't manifest power in reality."
The host frowned.
"At all?"
The operative nodded and continued. "Rank One individuals can manifest ten percent of their Dream Realm capabilities."
The host scribbled notes.
"And Rank Two?"
"Fifty percent."
The audience murmured and the host's eyes widened.
"That's a huge jump and what about Rank Three?"
The operative smiled faintly.
"One hundred percent."
Silence filled the room.
The host blinked and she leaned forward in curiosity.
"Wait. One hundred percent?"
"Correct."
"How does that even work?"
The operative folded his arms.
"It is a little complicated but that requires explaining the laws of reality."
The host looked immediately confused.
"The laws of reality?"
"Our reality and the Dream Realm both possess rules."
The audience listened attentively and the operative continued. "The stronger an awakened becomes, the more hidden rules they can ignore."
The host frowned.
"Ignore?"
The operative pointed toward a glass of water sitting on the table. "Physics says that glass remains where it is unless acted upon."
The glass suddenly floated into the air and the audience gasped. The operative calmly took a sip before setting it back down.
"Will allows us to challenge those rules. Essentially imposing our own Wills onto the world and outright forcing the world to allow our Will's to govern it."
The host stared.
"You just casually proved telekinesis."
"Not exactly the same as telekinesis, but to a lesser extent, yes."
The audience was very intrigued at that point.
The operative continued.
"As awakened grow stronger, they become increasingly capable of bypassing restrictions imposed by reality itself. Rank Three is the point where certain barriers stop applying altogether."
"What kind of barriers?"
"Realm traversal. The Dream Realm and reality naturally reject one another."
He tapped the table.
"Reality does not want Dream Realm entities here."
The host slowly nodded.
"Okay."
"The Grimm are native inhabitants of the Dream Realm."
A holographic image appeared behind him and several Grimm creatures rotated across the display. Beowolves, Ursa and Nevermores.
"They are born from the Sleeper's subconscious desire to end life. However, despite their power, Grimm cannot simply walk into reality whenever they want."
"Why not?"
"Because the rules of reality simply won't allow it."
The host blinked.
"So how do they get here?"
The operative nodded. "Excellent question."
A new image appeared behind him and this time it displayed a twisted black mass.
An Amalgamation.
"This is an Amalgamation."
Several audience members immediately shifted uncomfortably and the operative pointed at the image.
"Amalgamations are unique. They possess the ability to infect humans from the dream realm."
The host frowned.
"Infect?"
"Yes specifically infection of the mind or rather... their dreams. They essentially use humans as hosts."
A murmur spread through the audience. "The infection gradually creates a bridge between reality and the Dream Realm."
The host stared.
"So the existence of nightmare zones...."
"Are created by Amalgamations."
The room fell silent.
The operative continued.
"When people hear that the Sleeper creates Grimm, that's accurate however there is more to it. What she primarily creates are Amalgamations. Those Amalgamations then establish Nightmare Zones."
The display changed again. This time showing expanding regions of corruption in the Dream Realm.
"Nightmare Zones eventually generate Grimm."
The host rubbed her forehead.
"This is somehow getting more terrifying."
The operative nodded.
"That's a reasonable response. If an Amalgamation fully completes its infection cycle, the result enters reality."
The host frowned.
"And then?"
"Then you have a very serious problem. Because once that transition occurs, the creature bypasses limitations that normally suppress Dream Realm entities."
The host slowly understood.
"The Grimm becomes stronger?"
"Its not that the grimm become stronger, but that they simply have access to their full capability of the dream with the living world. Operatives are limited in their capabilities, but the grimm, once spilt over into reality are unbound by the rules. Which is why awakened spend so much effort destroying Nightmare Zones before they spill over."
The room fell quiet.
For perhaps the first time, many ordinary citizens began understanding what awakened actually did every night.
The host eventually asked another question.
"So all these years..."
The operative looked at her.
"Yes?"
"You were fighting these things while everyone else slept?"
The operative smiled faintly.
"More or less."
The host sat quietly for several seconds. Then she looked toward the camera. "I think a lot of people owe some of these individuals a thank you."
For once, there was no joke or laughter.
Only sincerity.
Across the kingdoms, millions of people watched broadcasts like these. Some remained skeptical and some remained angry.
Many still opposed the martial law and many yet, still questioned LUCID's decisions. But alongside those debates, something else had begun growing.
Wonder.
For the first time, humanity had glimpsed the hidden machinery that had operated behind their world for generations.
They had learned about runes, about Aura and Will. About the Nightmare System, the Grimm and the Dream Realm.
The truth was frightening.
Yet it was also extraordinary. And slowly, amidst the uncertainty and fear, the public began discovering something unexpected.
The hidden world they had inherited was terrifying.
But it was also magnificent.
.
.
AN: I forgot to release this chapter yesterday.
Oops