"Hey man! You still reading that dorky novel? C'mon out to beers with us bro, it ain't fun without you."
Riley felt a slap against his back, his overgrown bangs turned around to meet the gazes of three of his coworkers. Each housed a cocky grin and lecherous smiles, clearly the alcohol was secondary to checking out girls.
He sighed and shut his laptop.
"Yeah. Same novel, but count me out."
Riley shook his head as he turned to leave.
7:27
'Best time of the day! Home time.'
He pushed through his three 'friends' and left the main room. Though he didn't get far as he felt a pressure building up.
'Bathroom time. But will I make the next train?'
He didn't even bother checking, this was clearly a bigger issue than getting home on time.
The light's turned pitch-black, his steps changing from muffled carpet to echoing stone. An extremely faint scent of copper filled his nostrils, something he hadn't quite smelled before.
'Where the hell am I? Is this not the bathroom?'
No matter how much he searched, he never once bumped into a wall. Instead, he grew sleepy, his shoulders slacked down and eventually his knees could no longer prop him up.
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]
Riley's eyes snapped open, a vast plain of sapplings stretched farther than the eye could see. In the centre of it all was a small gazebo of sorts. It towered higher than their surroundings by several meters, and in it was an extremely handsome man.
His delicate features were decorated with a smile that sent shivers down Riley's spine. His breath hitched as the man pulled his face toward the table with a thin finger.
"Your move."
His voice was enchanting and otherworldly, like a choir of children in a large cathedral, but it was unsettling nonetheless.
'Beautiful man, board game, fear…'
All colour drained from his face as the final piece clicked in the puzzle.
"Ariel?"
The handsome man stared at him in confusion, almost as if he had sprouted seven more heads and started talking to a strange rock.
"Yes? Petty strategies won't win you the game."
He chuckled lightly to himself, even his taunts were ethereal.
'Am I…losing?'
Riley looked down at the chess board. He was no pro, but even he could tell the situation wasn't in his favour. Even so…this must be his first nightmare. Which by extension means that…
'It's hard to believe, but I think…I have entered the world of Shadow Slave…'
He rubbed his temples, even thinking of smacking his head against the jade pillars of the gazebo.
Ariel however was growing much more confused, and a drop of suspicion forced his next question.
"You are not -unknown- are you? Strange."
Riley looked at Ariel, a deep feeling of dread consuming his being. He could feel his heart pumping excess blood to his legs, hoping to escape.
But he bit himself, his tongue already bleeding.
'Pull it together Riley! This a cruel world that would never allow escape as an option.'
With a deep exhale he smiled back at the beautiful demon of dread.
"You are correct. I am in fact not whoever you thought I was. This is my first nightmare, ah, but you might not know what that is-"
"You insult me. I hold dominion over all that is truth. No such information would escape my grasp. Next blasphemous comment you make will be your last."
Riley felt a ton of bricks land on his soul, shaking its boundary to the brink of destruction.
Ariel vanished in his own thoughts, the pressure of his aura softening slightly, enough for Riley to breath normally.
In the short pause, Riley took in the surroundings. While most plantlife here were still sapplings, there was a large tree already sprouted. It reached for the heavens above, the top completely out of view.
"I've got a grasp on the situation. It is the vile heathen's doing. Very well, let the game continue."
Riley didn't know whether to be scared or impressed by his deductions.
'Awe won't help me win. Altering history is all that matters, and I doubt I can beat him head on.'
Chess was not a game Riley excelled in. Despite having played it when he was younger, no major events were won. He had always placed in the middle. And it always ended with a tantrum, as Riley was a very sore loser.
An idea crossed his mind. And he did not enjoy it one bit, but it was the only shot he had.
"Let's make a bet."
His beauty radiated, and the small smile on his face acted as a thumbs up.
"Perfect. If you don't win, then I wish for you to create a lineage for me. And if you win, then it would mean I am not worth of it."
Ariel stared at the -unknown-, then burst into laughter, breaking the beautiful mask apart.
"Forgive me. I did not wish to ridicule you. We demons are forbidden from having offspring-"
"Weaver did it."
And a deep silence nestled into the small world of the nightmare.
Ariel's face had darkened into one of a gothic beauty. The world shook as his fists clenched, deep gashes ripped through the earth surrounding them.
"Vile cretin. Creature of all that is lies and mischief. It shouldn't surprise me, especially at such a sensitive time."
With a band of silk he wrapped his long hair up into a ponytail and picked up one of the captured pieces, twirling it around his fingers.
"I will add a condition. Foil his plans. Rip his tapestry apart."
Riley shook his hand. Finally he could breath a sigh of relief, but everything turned still.
"Well, that's assuming that you can beat me."
Sweat dripped down his face, the grooves of his smile bent awkwardly upward.
"Bring it on."