[You have slain awakened tyrant, Guardian Spirit of the Undead Forest.]
[Wake up, Audun! Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal...]
I blinked, I had been transported from the destroyed clearing to a seemingly infinity black void filled with stars. Silver strings were interwoven between the stars creating complex patterns.
[You have received a Memory: Bones of the Forest]
"huh?, I guess I did get something from killing the spirit."
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[Waking up In an ominous forest corrupted by &*^#@$&Y, the lonely star wandered, forsaken and left to rot. Taking up arms, the lonely star fought off the corruption, purging the the guardian spirit of the undead forest and it's offspring with it's blinding light.]
[You have defeated a dormant demon: Offspring of Decay]
[You have defeated twelve awakened monsters: Decaying Wyvern]
[You have defeated an awakened terror: Guardian Spirit of the Undead Forest]
[You have been blessed by the Stars]
[You have achieved the impossible!]
[Final appraisal: Glorious. Your brilliant starlight lit the treacherous path to victory.]
This whole situation was incredibly disorienting. I was clueless, possessing absolutely no information about the Nightmare Spell, why I was thrust into a trial, or even where the hell I was. I had just gone through an arduous battle, literally life or death, and now some "Spell" was critiquing my performance like it was a talent show.
[Dreamer Audun, recieve your boon!]
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Star of Solidarity.]
Are you serious.
Even in a new body, even though I'm in a completely new world— I can't escape that stupid name.
This isn't fair man, that title sounds so cringey. I should've never let those bastards in the grey tower come up with my title.
I had friends y— well uh.... I considered them friends.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?] the spell said.
Huh?
The voice paused, seemingly waiting for my confirmation.
"Sure..?"
[Dormant Aspect Sword Expert is evolving...]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine]
I stared at the runes sceptically.
"Divine? That seems a tad bit over the top." I murmered
[Aspect name: Constellation.]
[Aspect description: You who possesses the blessing of the stars, bathe the night sky in your platinum radiance. Purge those who oppose you and guide those who support you with your celestial light. Hang up your stars on the canvas of the night and forge a grand constellation with the light of your achievements.]
Innate Ability: [Sword expert]
Ability Description: [You have walked the path to mastery with the sword. Coat your blade in your will and cut down your enemies with your steel companion.]
Nothing has changed, but that's a good thing. I can rely on the experiences and techniques I honed in my last life, something I hadn't had the luxury of during my first reincarnation. I don't know if the "Nightmare Spell" will limit my progression with trials, but worst case scenario I can attempt to brute force my level back to transcendence with my insight and stars.
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
From the pit of my soul, I felt a warmth rush over me. The heat enveloped my body, reconstructing and improving every inch of my form. The blood vessels in my body widened, my bones grew stronger, my muscles tore and reconstructed rapidly, forming something greater. The spell had fast forwarded my progress, accelerating the development of my body and bringing me to the absolute peak of the sword expert level.
I let out a satisfied breath, content with this reward.
The nightmare Spell spoke once more in it's neutral voice.
[Aspect Ability acquired]
[Aspect ability name: Star formation]
Aspect Ability description: [Create stars to form your constellation.]
It really is listing off all of my abilities. Is it perhaps granting this new body the powers I previously possessed? Maybe transferring some of the authorities I used in my last life? I had no idea.
I manifested the shining runes, curious how they've changed.
---------------------------------------------------------
Name: Audun (Alfmalfa Olsen).
True Name: Star of Solidarity
Rank: Dreamer
Star count: 1
Memories: [Skeletal Chain], [Bones of the Forest].
Echoes: -----
Attributes: [Blessed by the Sword] [One who Stood at the peak] [Mark of the Stars]
Attribute: [Blessed by the Sword]
Attribute description: [You are one with the blade, your body is perfectly suited to wield the blade and you are graced with an otherworldly talent for the sword.]
Attribute: [One who Stood at the peak]
Attribute description: [You have the demeanour of a true transcendent being. Your gait and posture radiate a quiet sense of authority.]
Attribute: [Mark of the stars]
Attribute description: [Your soul is lit up by the brilliant light of the heavenly bodies.]
******
----------------------------------------------------------------
While I was stuck in thought, staring at the text, the cold impartial voice of the spell spoke once more.
[All power has a price.]
Wait what?
[You have received a flaw.]
Nah, you can't be serious...
Flaw: [The Weight of their Stares]
Flaw description: [You are unable to communicate properly, the weight of the opinions of others filling your mind with feelings of anxiety and stress.]
Oh.
My expression contorted into one of disbelief.
The runes shone in front of me, taunting me with it's message.
I started absentmindedly, my mind slowly but surely processing the words.
A cold voice suddenly cut through my thoughts, bringing me back to reality.
[Wake up, Star of Solidarity!]
The infinite void swirled, before promptly disappearing.
_________________________________________________________________________
(Authors note: yeah, I'ma be honest, this was a slog to get through. It took me a while to figure out how to transfer the IPOTE power system into an aspect. I've spent most of the past few days thinking about when the events of this fic should start, and I've finally decided. I wanted to take a slightly different approach, focusing a little bit more on the Nightmare Spell and juicing my OC up a lil bit before I focus more on character interactons. His venture into the dream realm will still be on the forgotten shore, probably just getting there a bit earlier then Sunny, Nephis, and Cassia to give Audun some time to grow a little. On the topic of the name, I'll address it in the next chapter, so please keep reading!)