''DARE TO DREAM''
THAT'S WHAT THEY USED TO SAY...
BEFORE OUR NIGHTMARES BECAME REALITY.
EPISODE 1
REAL COFFEE.
NOT THE CHEAP SYNTHETIC STUFF I'M USED TO GETTING IN THE SLUMS.
SINCE IT COST ME EVERYTHING I HAD LEFT...
IT BETTER BE WORTH IT.
AFTER ALL, MY LIFE IS COMING TO AN END.
DAMN! THIS IS WAY TOO BITTER.
I SHOULD'VE JUST BOUGHT A PIECE OF REAL MEAT INSTEAD.
WELL... IT'S GOING TO KEEP ME AWAKE, AT LEAST.
TSK. WHAT A RIP OFF.
I'M STILL SLEEPY...
JUST...
MAKE IT TO THE POLICE STATION...
...I JUST HAVE TO HOLD ON.
NORTHERN QUADRANT SIEGE CAPITAL, PRECINCT 7
ARE YOU LOST, BOY?
AS DEMANDED BY THE THIRD SPECIAL DIRECTIVE...
I AM HERE TO SURRENDER MYSELF AS A CARRIER OF THE NIGHTMARE SPELL.
WHAT?
ATTENTION! CODE BLACK IN THE LOBBY!
I REPEAT! CODE BLACK!
I HAVE BEEN MARKED...
BY THE NIGHTMARE SPELL
IT FIRST APPEARED DECADES AGO.
BACK THEN, THE PLANET WAS JUST STARTING TO RECOVER FROM A SERIES OF DEVASTATING NATURAL DISASTERS AND SUBSEQUENT RESOURCE WARS.
IT LOOKED LIKE AN ILLNESS THAT CAUSED CONSTANT FATIGUE AND SLEEPINESS.
BUT WHEN ITS VICTIMS BEGAN FALLING INTO AN ENDLESS SLUMBER, THE WORLD TOOK NOTICE.
EVENTUALLY, THIS PHENOMENON CAME TO BE KNOWN AS THE NIGHTMARE SPELL, AND IT WAS NO MERE DISEASE.
THE SPELL WAS A KIND OF MAGIC... OR A CURSE.
THOSE WHO DIED IN THEIR SLEEP TRANSFORMED INTO MONSTERS.
NIGHTMARE CREATURES.
THESE CREATURES STARTED HUNTING HUMANS INDISCRIMINATELY.
NATIONAL MILITARIES WERE QUICKLY OVERWHELMED.
BEFORE LONG, THE WORLD WAS SWALLOWED BY DESPAIR AND CHAOS.
AND THEN...
...PEOPLE WHO HAD FALLEN ASLEEP BEGAN TO WAKE UP.
THEY HAD SURVIVED THEIR FIRST NIGHTMARE...
...AND HAD BECOME AWAKENED.
WITH THE MIRACULOUS POWERS THEY EARNED BY OVERCOMING TRIALS INSIDE THE NIGHTMARE...
...THEY PUSHED BACK THE MONSTERS AND RESTORED A SEMBLANCE OF PEACE.
IN TIME, THE AWAKENED BECAME HUMANITY'S HOPE,
AND A NEW WORLD ORDER STARTED TO FORM.
TO PREPARE FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT STUDENTS MIGHT BE INFECTED,
SCHOOLS BEGAN TEACHING SKILLS NEEDED FOR SURVIVAL AND COMBAT.
THE WEALTHY EVEN PAID ENORMOUS SUMS OF MONEY...
SO THEIR CHILDREN COULD RECEIVE SPECIAL TRAINING FOR BECOMING AWAKENED.
FURTHERMORE, CHILDREN BORN INTO POWERFUL AWAKENED FAMILIES...
COULD WIELD INHERITED MAGICAL MEMORIES OR ECHOES IN THEIR FIRST VISIT TO THE DREAM REALM.
BUT...
THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A SLUM RAT LIKE ME.
FOR ME, BEING CHOSEN BY THE SPELL IS NOTHING BUT A DEATH SENTENCE.
NORTHERN QUADRANT SIEGE CAPITAL
PRECINCT 7
EMERGENCY CONTAINMENT VAULT
WHAT'S YOUR NAME, KID?
SUNLESS... BUT PEOPLE CALL ME SUNNY.
SUNLESS? THAT'S A STRANGE NAME.
I WAS BORN DURING A SOLAR ECLIPSE.
MY MOM HAD A POETIC SOUL, YOU SEE.
DO YOU WANT US TO CONTACT YOUR FAMILY?
THERE'S NO ONE TO CONTACT.
DON'T BOTHER.
ALRIGHT, SUNNY.
HOW MUCH LONGER CAN YOU STAY AWAKE?
UM... NOT MUCH LONGER.
THEN WE'LL SKIP THE FORMALITIES.
LISTEN CAREFULLY AND TRY TO HANG ON.
HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE NIGHTMARE SPELL?
JUST GO INTO THE DREAM REALM, KILL A FEW MONSTERS...
...COMPLETE THE FIRST NIGHTMARE...
... THEN GET MAGIC POWERS AND BECOME AN AWAKENED, RIGHT?
SO YOU KNOW THE BASICS, AT LEAST.
BUT LISTEN CAREFULLY.
INSIDE YOUR FIRST NIGHTMARE, YOU'LL RUN INTO MONSTERS, SURE, BUT YOU WILL ALSO MEET PEOPLE.
THEY'RE NOT REAL.
REMEMBER: THEY'RE JUST ILLUSIONS MEANT TO TEST YOU.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?
YOU MIGHT HAVE TO KILL THEM, KID.
SO DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND JUST THINK ABOUT THEM AS ILLUSIONS.
THE MOMENT YOU ENTER THE NIGHTMARE,
CHECK YOUR ATTRIBUTES AND ASPECT.
IF YOU GET A COMBAT-ORIENTED ASPECT, LIKE A SWORDSMAN OR AN ARCHER,
THINGS WILL BE A LOT EASIER FOR YOU.
BUT EVEN IF YOU RECEIVE AN ASPECT UNRELATED TO COMBAT, DON'T DESPAIR.
UH-HUH.
THERE ARE REALLY NO USELESS ASPECTS.
AFTER ALL, THE SPELL SETS UP TRIALS, NOT EXECUTIONS.
SO JUST DO ANYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO SURVIVE.
WHAT YOU DO DURING THE TRIAL WILL DETERMINE THE REWARDS AND POWERS THAT WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU, IF YOU SUCCEED.
BUT IF YOU DIE...
...YOU BECOME A GATE THROUGH WHICH A MONSTER APPEARS IN THE REAL WORLD.
IF THAT HAPPENS, MY COLLEAGUES AND I WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.
SO...
PLEASE DON'T DIE, SUNLESS.
OR AT LEAST... DON'T DIE RIGHT AWAY.
IT'LL TAKE A FEW HOURS FOR THE NEAREST AWAKENED TO GET HERE.
SO WE WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU DIDN'T MAKE US FIGHT THAT THING OURSELVES...
W-WHAT?
Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell.
Shadow Slave Chapter 1 follows Sunny, a slum boy who surrenders himself to police as a Nightmare Spell carrier knowing his First Nightmare is near. After spending his last money on bitter real coffee to stay awake, he reaches Precinct 7 and triggers a Code Black. Taken to the emergency containment vault, he learns about the Spell, Nightmare Creatures, and the Awakened while officers urge him to survive his trial.
