A blinding disc of an incandescent sun was bathing the tall dunes in a flood of immolating heat. The sands of the desert were flawlessly white, and the azure sky above him was deep and boundless like an ancient ocean, with not a single cloud blemishing its silken expanse.
Somewhere in the distance, inky-black ruins rose from beneath the sand, scattered across the desert like the bones of a half-buried giant.
In this vast expanse of white, a legion marched forward. All the troops advanced at a steady pace due to the supplies they were carrying.
Among the few troops, some were carrying vexillia signifying the kingdom of War. And this legion was guided by a valiant king, who was currently...
In a state of shock.
'So, I am... in my first nightmare. And I am walking in a dead zone, while being a dormant human.' Wren, unknowningly, shed an imaginary tear of despair.
"I should calm myself down." He muttered quietly as he summoned his runes.
Name: Wren
True Name: —
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: —
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Curse to Divinity], [???], [??? of Darkness]
Aspect: [King]
Aspect Description: [A king can be either a useless wretch with no skills or a powerful individual with an arsenal of skills. Conviction is the key to victory for a King.]
'I am at a disadvantage no matter what. To think I wasn't even able to get some information about this nightmare, which I should have had at the start. This is concerning.'
Reading the information about his attributes made the situation more dire for him.
[???] Attribute Description: "It will be revealed on awakening the dormant powers."
[Curse to Divinity] Attribute Description: "Your soul bears a curse, though it does not bring harm to you and other people; it is a poison to other divinities who try to mark their presence on your soul."
[??? of Darkness] Attribute Description: "Darkness recognises you as their #@%&!e."
Wren's grip tightened on the leash of his horse.
It wasn't helpful. Not at all.
The first attribute was essentially useless to him; he found the second attribute to be quite strange as well. The third attribute, however, although described vaguely, might come in handy to him.
What he truly needed right now was information about his current situation. And the first thing he needed to know was the destination of his journey.
Noticing the supplies, which included food, weapons, armour, and tools. They were all definitely carrying war supplies for another army.
Not only that, due to his keen senses, he noticed many strong presences moving among the legion he was supposedly leading, with one very close to him.
There were definitely awakeneds here.
Meaning, these items were very much essential, and such protection meant that the place they were all heading for was definitely at war.
'The more I realise, the more my chances of remaining alive seem to narrow down.' He thought while closing his eyes.
Wren could sense the unfriendly gazes of the awakeneds.
'What a hassle!'
He turned his gaze to the knight moving beside him, then asked in a stern voice, which, for some reason, surprised and also annoyed the knight, though he didn't show it on his face.
"How much time until we arrive?" He asked.
The knight remained silent for a few moments, as if he didn't like the way his king talked to him, but answered with strange politeness.
"It will take us two more days, your majesty."
Listening to the words, Wren asked again:
"It will be dusk soon. Send scouts to find a place for rest, also send one awakened with them. It will be better considering how dangerous this place is."
The knight was silent. His smooth skin stretched to show faint signs of surprise, his dark eyes seemed a little shaken, but he chose to comply.
"As you say, your majesty."
Wren looked at the knight, who wore dark black armour, clearly distinguishing him from the other troops' usual silver. This indicated that he was someone of a special position, like a commander, but he was also an awakened.
'His eyes definitely showed signs of annoyance and surprise during the few exchanges of words in our conversation. Was the owner of this body very pathetic, or was he too tyrannical and a hypocrite?'
He didn't know.
The legion followed the scouts, who had somehow found a desolate, ruined fortress nearby. Dusk was approaching, and the dangers of the night were also coming with it.
As the distance closed, Wren's gaze turned towards a gigantic pyramid. He had been seeing it from the time he woke up in the nightmare.
The Tomb of Ariel never seemed close, despite their travels; the inky black structure remained isolated from its surroundings.
The legion stopped its steps. Holding the leash of his horse through the gauntlets he was wearing, Wren's gaze went through the entire desolated structure.
"This would suffice, if my rotten luck doesn't show its magic, that is." He muttered quietly before stepping down and walking towards the ruined fortress.
The ruined fortress was barely standing. It was frail, just one strong blow, and it would fall apart.
Wren turned around and raised his voice.
"Set the supplies outside, relay guards to it. Others set camps around the fortress. Four people go to the top of the fortress and stay there to alert about the corrupted ones. The commanders come with me."
He spoke before entering the fortress. The sound of metal clanging against the ground indicated they were heeding his orders.
***
At the centre of the fortress, a circular table with eight seats surrounded seven individuals, each possessing a strong presence, particularly the one with auburn hair sitting next to Wren.
He settled his elbows on the armrest before crossing his ten fingers. He looked at each individual, one bowman, a spearwoman, three sword users, excluding himself, and two people who didn't show their weapons.
"You all must have noticed the problem with this fortress, and that's why you chose to comply with my decision. However, this is not what I have called you to discuss."
The seven individuals remained silent.
"I already know that once we reach the battlefield, there is no going back. What I want is your trust. Although I know your leader is someone else, and listening to orders from someone supposedly beneath you doesn't feel right."
Listening to his words, a few of them had wicked smiles on their face except the one who was the strongest among them.
"But it doesn't matter. You are the one working for me, not the other way around; you are under my protection, no matter how minimal. Before the blade reaches you, I will be the one to take that blade through my heart."
What followed his words was absolute silence.
Wren then put his hand on the table and said:
"I am sure this keeps you upright. We will move forward as soon as the dawn reveals itself, use your time and take rest, the night isn't peaceful every time." As he said those words, he left the table and walked outside to watch over the process.
The awakened individuals, however, weren't as quiet as they seemed before. One of them, who kept a burly beard, scoffed and put his legs on the table, clearly showing his discontent.
"If it weren't the orders of the leader, I would have already cut his head off with my sword. Did you look at that stupid face of his? I wanted to punch him to death because of his arrogant words," he said with an irritated expression that spoke volumes of his frustration.
"But did you? Everyone knows your temper, Baldur; even you were caught off guard by those words," the spearwoman retorted. She leaned her upper body seductively on the table, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers.
"I have to say, I find this worthless king rather worthwhile, you know. Something is amusing about him."
The two of them started bickering.
But then, suddenly, someone clapped their hands loudly to draw their attention. It was none other than the auburn-haired man, the man named Orion.
He was no normal mortal, but someone who had become ascended in mere five years after becoming an awakened.
"Now now, don't cause more trouble. Take some rest before the night comes," he said calmly. Orion was a man of few words, which is why he was always respected among his comrades. His wisdom was apparent, and everyone knew to heed his advice.
Baldur clicked his tongue in frustration.
"I am listening only because of you, Orion; otherwise, I would've already ripped out the tongue of this witch." His annoyance was palpable, but he couldn't deny the authority that Orion carried.
The spearwoman, Riana, touched her lips in a playful manner and chuckled softly.
"Quite a rough man you are, Baldur," she said teasingly before walking out to meet the king, who had caught her eye, her smile alluring.
Not long after, night fell, draping the world in darkness, and thus, the dangers it brought also came creeping out from the shadows.