Konrad dreamed of a boundless mountain. Grey fog surrounded the mountain. Splitting the veil of dense grey fog, on top of the mountain lays an ancient ruined manor. Then suddenly time reversed to thousands of years back. It rained, snowed and stormed backwards.
The celestial bodies, the white sun, three grey moons moved in reverse. Backward in time. Until the manor became pristine. It is a giant gothic style mansion.
Then suddenly Konrad found himself surrounded by cold stone. the chilling cold seeped into his body as he body was laying on cold black stone.
The air was damp and cold, seeping into Konrad's bones as he lay motionless on the rough black stone. A chilling breeze whispered through the narrow space, carrying the scent of damp earth and ancient stone. His breath came out in shallow gasps, his mind reeling from the strange vision of the ruined manor and the reversal of time.
Now, reality had settled in. He was trapped.
"I am stuck."
Konrad forced himself to sit up, his body shivering from the biting cold. Tall, imposing stone walls surrounded him on all sides, their surfaces slick with moisture. A narrow opening far above let in a sliver of pale moonlight, casting long shadows across the confined space.
"I need to calm down."
For a moment, panic clawed at him, a desperate urge to scream for help surging through his mind. But he clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. He had spent years preparing for this moment—panic would only kill him faster.
"Focus. Assess the situation."
Konrad exhaled slowly and willed the Nightmare Spell to respond.
Status.
Runes appeared in his vision, glowing faintly like etchings of moonlight across his mind. He scanned the information carefully.
***
Name: Konrad.
True Name:
Rank: Aspirant.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Memories:
Echoes:
Attributes: [Nightwalker], [Outerspawn], [Flame of Divinity], [Clairguard].
Aspect: [Haunted].
Aspect Rank: Dormant.
Aspect Description: A poor soul haunted by revelation and knowledge beyond it's comprehension, drowning in it's horror.
***
Konrad focused on the attributes.
***
[Nightwalker]
Attribute Description: Your body is resilient to cold to the point of reveling in it and your eyes can see through darkness as you can breathe in the abyss.
[Outerspawn]
Attribute Description: You're born outside of this realm and becoming a variable.
[Flame of Divinity]
Attribute Description: Your soul burns with the flame of divinity.
[Clairguard]
Attribute Description: Your mind protected while your senses aline with revelation.
***
Konrad's eyes lingered on the descriptions. Out of his four attributes, only [Nightwalker] and [Clairguard] had immediate benefits. The former explained why he could see so clearly despite the lack of light, and why the cold—though biting—wasn't completely unbearable. The latter gave him a sense of stability, helping him suppress the rising anxiety.
The other two attributes were mysteries and had other implications. But had no immediate benefits. So, Konrad didn't lingeried on it.
"No time to worry about that now. I need to get out of here first."
His eyes traced the stone walls around him, searching for a way up. They were damp, with patches of moss clinging to their uneven surfaces. The walls stretched high, at least ten meters, before reaching the opening above.
It would be a brutal climb.
Konrad stood, testing his limbs. He was sore, his muscles stiff from the cold, but there was no real pain. His body was light, malnourished even—his ribs were faintly visible beneath the ragged clothes he wore.
"I have no strength advantage. My malnourished body is weak. I need to be smart about this."
He ran his fingers along the stone, feeling for indentations or cracks. The wall wasn't completely smooth—age and erosion had left small crevices in the surface. Not much, but enough.
He reached for the first handhold, his fingers digging into the rough stone. He pressed his foot against a small protrusion and pulled himself up.
The moment he left the ground, he realized how difficult this was going to be.
His grip nearly slipped immediately. The stone was slick, and his arms trembled as they struggled to support his weight. He gritted his teeth and adjusted, pressing his body close to the wall to distribute the strain.
He moved slowly, reaching up with his free hand to find the next grip. His fingers brushed against a sharp edge, and he grasped it tightly. Step by step, he ascended.
The cold was making it worse. His muscles stiffened with every passing second, and the dampness made his grip weaker. His ragged clothes were no protection against the chill or dampness, and his bare feet struggled for purchase on the slick surface.
After climbing three meters, his breathing had already turned ragged. His forearms burned, and sweat slicked his palms despite the cold.
His foot suddenly slipped.
Panic shot through him as his weight lurched downward. His grip faltered, and for a terrifying second, he felt himself falling—
But his fingers clenched instinctively, digging into a crevice at the last moment. His body slammed against the wall, scraping his elbows and knees against the stone.
Pain shot through his limbs, but he held on.
"I can't fall. My stamina is limited and this body can't support another climb."
Teeth clenched, he took a deep breath and forced himself upward once more.
---
By the time Konrad reached six meters, his arms were shaking violently. Every movement was agony, his muscles screaming in protest. His breath came out in ragged gasps, and his vision blurred from the strain.
His fingers felt raw, torn by the rough stone, but he couldn't stop now.
A gust of cold air brushed his face, and he looked up. The opening was closer now—moonlight poured down on him, illuminating his path.
Just a little more.
He reached for another hold, pulling himself up inch by inch. The last few meters felt like eternity, each movement requiring every ounce of strength he had left.
Finally, his hand reached the edge.
He clenched his fingers around the lip of the opening, his grip barely holding as he tried to pull himself up. His arms felt like lead, his shoulders screaming from overuse.
He kicked against the wall, swinging his legs to gain momentum. Once. Twice.
Then, with a final desperate heave, he flung his upper body over the edge, dragging himself onto solid ground.
He collapsed.
His chest heaved as he gasped for air, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. His fingers throbbed, blood trickling from small cuts across his palms. His legs burned, his bare feet scraped raw from the climb.
But he wasn't stuck within a stone coffin.
Slowly, he rolled onto his back, staring up at the starless heaven above. Above him stretched an endless expanse of darkness, broken by three glowing moons. Their light cast eerie shadows across the desolate landscape.
Jagged mountain peaks rose from the abyss, piercing through the dense grey fog towards the vast heaven, swirling fog that coiled and shifted like a living thing.
A gothic mansion on the mountain peak bathed in silver light. He recognized the mansion.
Time had reversed in his vision, showing it in both ruin and grandeur. Now, from where he stood, it was whole, its dark silhouette outlined against the sky. Towering spires, arched windows, and intricate carvings adorned its walls. A monstrous, ancient manor that defied time itself.
Konrad's breathing steadied as he took it all in. He looked around while laying down. There was an ancient black stone paved road winding up the mountain to the gothic manor.
Then, Konrad felt it.
A deep, primal dread sank into his bones.
When he looked at the fog a chill spread throughout his being. The grey fog was moving.
It slithered upward, creeping up the mountainside, swallowing everything in its path. The closer it drew, the heavier the air became. The weight of an unseen presence pressed against his mind.
His intuition was telling him something very terrible would happen to him if he comes in contact with the fog. And unfortunately the fog was raising up the mountain like the sea during a tide.
Konrad knew something terrifying was waiting for him above there. But he also knew the fog would be fetal for him and let's not talk about the inhabitants of the fog. So, the manor was his only choice.
Konrad pushed himself to his feet, his legs aching from the climb. His body protested, but fear drowned out the pain. He had to reach the mansion before the fog caught up. Konrad hastily walked towards the top of the mountain.
---