For Ash, the world he found himself in was truly strange. Being a person from the 21st century thrown into a world very similar to his own but totally different, set hundreds of years in the future.
Although many things remained the same, others varied. For example, the matter of religion.
Although there wasn't a specific religion nowadays, in the past many sects and religions of different deities had emerged. However, most dissolved or were eliminated by the unified government when the Nightmare Spell emerged.
Yet even with that, the existence of the six gods was a fact everyone naturally knew.
Ash thought this was something the Goddess of War, Life, and Technology had implanted in the minds of humans. He remembered that humans were born from the weak embers of the Flame of Desire, and that the gods simply left them in their divine realms like pets.
Anyway, it's not like he cared. Maybe it was because he had fought against Nothingness itself, struggling to survive being erased, that he lost some of his emotions. Or maybe it was the fact of his Nightmare that had changed him.
He really didn't know, but he felt calmer and with his mind clearer than ever.
Even when he looked at his new room in the Sleeper complex. It was an entire room for himself alone. There was a bed with a soft mattress, a table, a dressing room, and a bathroom. From what he could smell, everything was new and fresh, with no trace of being previously used. There was even a kind of projection that perfectly mimicked a window showing the nearby park he had seen.
His eyes focused on the set of clothes with the Academy emblem.
For now, Ash paid no attention to the sets of clothes. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the mirror. Since he had time, he decided to examine all his Memories.
Summoning the runes with a thought, he observed the floating letters. His intention turned to his Memories, scanning the sword first.
Memory: [Fang of Mist]
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Level: I
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [Forged with the essence of a Spawn of Mist, this weapon retains part of its ethereal nature. It is said that those who wield it can feel the presence of the mist before it appears. Or perhaps it's just the imagination of the dying.]
Enchantments: [Ethereal Edge]
[Ethereal Edge] Enchantment Description: [This blade can pierce physical defenses with ease, as if the mist itself guides it.]
'I see. So that's why I was able to land the killing blow on the Terror. I guess that by stabbing the sword into its body and causing continuous damage, and the arrival of the mist counted as me killing it. That's what I call luck.'
"Alright..."
Ash summoned the sword. He observed golden sparks appearing in his hands until he felt the weapon. The sword had the appearance of a longsword, dark gray in color. Its hilt was covered with a kind of material that was comfortable to grip and non-slip. There was also the fact that it was incredibly light, to the point of weighing almost nothing when held.
Being an Awakened weapon of the first level, it could face creatures of the same rank, even one of a higher rank, as long as he didn't do something crazy that would break it.
Ash dismissed the sword and looked at his second Memory.
Memory: [Nebulous Bow]
Memory Rank: [Awakened]
Memory Level: II
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [This bow was forged in the depths of the mist by a hunter. Using it for so long, the bow adopted the properties of the mist, being as silent as it is deadly.]
Enchantments: [Sure Shot] [Silent]
[Sure Shot] Enchantment Description: [When you fix your gaze on an enemy and shoot an arrow, the arrow will always hit the target with great precision.]
[Silent] Enchantment Description: [This enchantment allows you to block sound in a surrounding area when firing.]
'So, two passive enchantments. The first makes arrows never miss their target, and the second blocks sound in an area around you. However, I don't have any arrow Memories to unleash its maximum potential.' Ash analyzed as he summoned the Memory.
After a few moments, he observed himself holding a gray bow with undulating white limbs resembling mist that covered it completely.
Ash dismissed the bow and decided to summon his last Memory.
Memory: [Mantle of the Mist]
Memory Rank: Ascended
Memory Level: VI
Memory Type: Armor
Memory Description: [Knowing nothing but the mist, a powerful hunter ventured into its depths to discover its secrets. Over time, he hunted and eliminated many corrupted creatures until he himself was corrupted. Going mad and furious, with his last shred of consciousness, he tore off his thick, hard skin to become a mindless beast. In time, a group of travelers found the skin and with it created armor.]
Ash blinked reading the description. If he put the three descriptions together, it seemed he had the weapons of the hunter who became corrupted.
'Was that Fallen Terror the hunter?' he thought, confused.
Enchantments: [Mist Field] [No Madness] [Unbreakable] [Misty Augmentation] [Camouflage] [Tally of Nothingness]
Ash blinked reading the six Enchantments the mantle possessed. Without waiting a moment, he read the descriptions of what they did.
[Mist Field] Enchantment Description: [This enchantment generates a field of mist around the user that can be used to attack or escape.]
[No Madness] Enchantment Description: [This enchantment allows the user to have a calm mind in moments of crisis, as well as largely blocking any type of mental attacks.]
[Unbreakable] Enchantment Description: [As long as the user has an Unbreakable Will, they will receive an increase in strength.]
[Misty Augmentation] Enchantment Description: [While surrounded by mist, you will be stronger.]
[Camouflage] Enchantment Description: [This enchantment allows you to blend in well with the environment, going unnoticed if you stay still.]
[Tally of Nothingness: 0/6000]
Ash was confused seeing the last enchantment.
"Could it be similar to the Underworld Mantle, and I have to defeat enemies until I fill the counter and obtain a new attribute?" he murmured, confused.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
Ash summoned the Memory. He watched curiously as threads of sparks wove together for a few seconds until he felt a different weight enveloping his body like armor. It was made of a soft, light gray fabric with various elements, like bracers and pauldrons crafted from the same material.
The armor was light and discreet but also possessed a certain hunter's style that didn't restrict his movements and muffled the sound of his movements. Finally, there was a long gray coat that fell down his back, along with a low hood.
Wearing the armor, he undeniably felt stronger thanks to the Unbreakable enchantment.
Dismissing the Memory, Ash took a quick shower, changed clothes, and then went to his interview with the administrative staff member.
Arriving at the office, he entered where the employee was waiting for him. With a calm and friendly demeanor, the employee began the interview quickly.
To summarize, they offered him psychological counseling, which he rejected. Then they asked him questions about his Aspect.
"Would you mind telling me about the type of Aspect Ability you received, such as combat, sorcery, utility?"
"I received a utility one," Ash responded honestly.
His Sleeper ability was just a compass that led him where he wished to go, although it didn't warn him of what would be on the path.
"Alright. Can you tell me what kind of utility ability, please?"
"An exploration one, from what I could test."
The interviewer nodded, noting a few more things. Since the room he was in had a wide variety of enchantments to detect lies, the Sleepers would have to speak the truth, but it depended on them how much they wanted to reveal.
After that, they asked him a few more questions about details of his Nightmare or the monsters he saw.
Ash responded enough to fill in details but also kept the details somewhat vague.
After the round of questions, the interviewer looked at him.
"Alright. Is there anything else you want to say?"
"Yes, I obtained a True Name," he added, watching as the interviewer's eyes widened greatly.
"A True Name? Are you sure?"
"Yes."
The interviewer quickly recovered from his initial shock.
"I see. What is your True Name?"
"Dream of Oblivion."
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Ashfall," the interviewer said, noting a few more things.
Ash nodded, standing up and leaving the office.
...
After leaving the office, he headed to the cafeteria. Using his Aspect Ability, he felt a pull indicating where to go.
Following the pull, it only took him a few minutes to reach a large buffet-style cafeteria with a huge amount of food to choose from. Best of all, there were no limits, and he could eat as much as he wanted.
Ash took a tray and began to fill it with a variety of different options until he formed a small pile. Walking to an empty table, he began to eat, filling his hungry stomach.
After a few minutes and emptying the entire plate, he was truly satisfied. Leaving the tray in a special bin for used trays, he decided to return to his room to sleep early. But not before registering for the classes that interested him: wilderness survival and the combat class.
After registering, Ash lay down on the bed and fell asleep instantly.
Early in the morning, Ash washed up, put on clothes, and headed to the cafeteria, which was somewhat crowded with other early-rising Sleepers who were still a bit nervous and anxious, while others were talking.
Ash looked around, observing the table where he could be most at peace: the one with the blind seer.
Approaching the table, he sat down without saying a word and began to eat. A few minutes later, someone else sat down: the most treacherous protagonist.
No one said a word, reaching an understanding of acknowledging each other's existence and nothing more.
After finishing his breakfast, a commotion occurred.
Many Sleepers were gathered around the large screen hanging on the cafeteria wall, their faces full of excitement and amazement. The screen displayed a list of names ranked from strongest to weakest, based on the interview results.
Ash looked for a bit, searching for his name on the list, blinking somewhat surprised to see his name in second place, just below Changing Star, and next to it his True Name.
1st—Nephis—True Name: Changing Star.
2nd—Ashfall—True Name: Dream of Oblivion.
3rd—Caster of the Han Li Clan.
Ash simply stood up, took his tray, and then left the cafeteria, taking advantage of the commotion to slip away silently.
Ash yawned slightly, using his dormant ability to guide himself towards the wilderness survival classroom.
"I should have had a coffee before coming," he murmured, stopping in front of the classroom after a few minutes of walking.
Upon entering, he observed one of the best characters in his opinion. His appearance was undoubtedly that of an elderly man around fifty or sixty years old. Of course, he could be older, considering the Spell descended less than a hundred years ago – seventy or eighty years at best.
"Come in, young man!" said Professor Julius.
"I am the Awakened Julius. You can call me Master Julius. Sit down while the other student arrives! What's your name?"
"Ashfall," he responded, sitting in one of the front seats.
"But you can call me Ash."