In the dream realm there stood a towering and barren mountain range.

In the distance a storm

of stupendous proportions was occurring. It had submerged the base of the mountains in a
deep layer of water that threatened to climb even higher.
This storm had raged for a millennia but had never once touch the mountains. On top of one of
these lonely peaks stood Ehr. He didn’t know how he ended up here truthfully, but he hadn’t
moved since.
Ehr felt strange, a slight itch at the back of his throat that had refused to go away had started a
couple months ago. He tried to scratch at the itch before stopping himself halfway through.
Sighing lightly, he sat down on the ground before summoning a gorgeous goblet that
shimmered in a beautiful array of colors. A light rain cloud formed on the mountain top, and it
began showering lightly as Ehr held the goblet out. As it filled with water a voice resounded
across the mountain.
‘Ooh boy rainwater from the goblet? You’re spoiling me today!’
“Well, someone once told me I should try everything at least once or else I might regret it one
day.”
‘I think that might’ve been me hehe.’
Ehr brought the goblet to his lips and paused to smell it.
“A slightly acidic smell, reminds me of home.” He tipped the goblet up and downed the water.
Finishing it he smacked his lips and released a slight belch.
“Bland. I didn’t miss much.” Ehr shook his head before tossing the goblet off the mountain.
‘You always say that Ehr. Maybe next time you shouldn’t destroy your taste buds by drinking
that acid pool.’
“You made me drink it otherwise you said I wouldn’t have known what acid tasted like.”
‘Well, it’s all in the past now, right? Plus, I didn’t make you do anything you still did it yourself.’
Ehr sighed again before laying on his back. The droplets that continued to fall from the shower
caressed his skin making him feel comfortable. Drinking from the goblet had also reminded him
of his first nightmare.
He had awoken on a plain, unassuming island surrounded by dark murky water. The island had
about 4 meters of space on it with a pool of liquid in the middle.
It was disorienting as what he had expected that he would be fighting monsters right from when
he woke in the dream realm. At least that was what his teachers had told him.
“What is happening right now? It’s so cold.” Ehr started shivering before getting his legs
underneath him. Scanning the tiny island there was nothing nearby that could harm him.
He stood up and looked off into the distance. Huge storm clouds floated above the endless
ocean releasing a torrential downpour into the ocean. Lightning crackled and blazed across the
sky creating terrifying shadows.
Even with all of that happening his island was untouched. Not a single droplet of rain nor bolt of
lightning came near his island. Hugging himself, Ehr continued to remain confused as to what
was happening.
Turning away from the storm, Ehr walked towards of the center of the island. The pool sat
undisturbed, and a metal goblet sat half buried in the sand next to it.
Reaching the edge of the pool there was no bottom he could see. Just a bottomless pool maybe
half a meter wide cut into the island.
As Ehr kept trying to peer deeper into the depths of the pool he felt a strong wave of vertigo
sweep over him and his eyes began watering. He stumbled backwards and fell onto his rear. A
fleeting pang swept past his soul leaving an echo of profound sorrow and smoldering fury.
“Ah crap! Ugh.” A splitting headache overcame Ehr as the emotions swept over him like a tidal
wave, causing him to roll back and forth on the sand.
It quickly faded and left him panting on the ground. Ehr tried to stand back up, but he
immediately felt a wave of exhaustion that incapacitated him. Whoever had left this pool left a
condensed form of emotional baggage and just looking at it gave him symptoms.
---------------------------------------------------------------
A drop of water landed on his eyelid knocking him awake from his dream causing him to sit back
up and glance around the mountain top.
The whispers of the spell in his ear stacked on top of one another creating a cacophony of
sound that ached in his head before dissipating. Kneading his forehead he stood up.
“How long did I sleep?”
‘Around a week or so.’
“That long again huh.” Ehr grimaced before looking at the continuing storm around the base of
the mountain range. The water hadn’t risen, still only threatening to rise. The light clouds still
hovered above and were still drizzling.
Summoning his runes, he scanned it to see the changes.
Staring at his aspect description Ehr mulled over a few things before trying to feel something.
Struggling to feel anything he sighed before scanning his memories list and seeing a huge
sprawling list.
“Eventful week, I guess. Got quite a haul of memories, mostly dormant and awakened.”
‘You need to sleep less; you always miss so much. There was an awakened crocodile that
actually made it through the storm. Too bad you rolled over causing a lightning bolt to fry it. It
smelled delicious! We haven’t had fried croc in soooo long.’
“Mmh.” Glancing down he saw a rotting corpse the size of a school bus sitting right above the
water line.
Summoning the glimmering goblet again he let it fill with rainwater again before downing the
whole thing.
“Bland again.”
Ehr tossed the goblet off the mountain before laying back down to stare in the rain clouds
above. Another bout of sleepiness crept up and he fell asleep.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Waking up Ehr immediately realized that he had fallen asleep in the nightmare. He scrambled to
his feet while glancing around. The island remained unchanged with the only sound being the
rain and lightning in the distance.
He finally checked his runes to see what clues his aspect could give him. Pulling up his rune page
he narrowed his eyes.
Name: Ehr
True Name: --
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: --
Echoes: --
Attributes: [Mark of Divinity], [Empty Vessel].
Aspect: [Lost Soul]
Aspect Description: [A prior mishap caused you to somehow become lost]
[Mark of Divinity] Attribute Description: “You bear a faint scent of divinity, as though someone
briefly touched by it once, a long time ago.”
[Empty Vessel] Attribute Description: “Your soul is empty, unique to many creatures, you are a
tantalizing treat for anything that can get their hands on you.”
“Empty vessel? So I need to fill my soul with something?” Ehr glanced at the pool in the middle
of the island and shivered.
Walking to the edge that touched the ocean he looked at the waves that were strangely calm;
receding back a few inches before flowing back up.
Turning back from the water he glanced at the pool with apprehension. Looking between the
goblet and the water his itching gut told him what he should be doing. Something he really
didn’t want to do.
“I’m truly out of luck. This is not how I nor I doubt anyone would have expected their first
nightmare to go.”
He returned to the pool and instead of looking into the depths like before he kept his gaze at
the edge of the pool. He turned to the half-buried goblet and picked it up from the sand.
The outside of the goblet was nondescript, smooth and unpolished. The inside of the goblet,
however, was inlaid with two faces. One of the faces was distorted in anger and rage. The other
face was seemingly sad, but also seemed somehow disappointed.
Ehr gulped before crouching down and dipping the goblet into the pool, filling it to the brim
before bringing it up to his mouth.
Fearing he might pass out again if he looked at the water, but still curious he looked into the
goblet and the faces had disappeared. The inside of the goblet was smooth.
“I bet this would go good with some chicken wings.” Saying that, Ehr downed the entire goblet.
The water was slightly sweet with a hint of salt, it was indescribably satisfying. Smacking his lips,
he began reaching for more water when he felt searing agony crashing into his soul. Crumbling
to the ground he nearly fell into the pool as he began writhing in pain.
If just looking at the water made him faint, then drinking this water made him feel like he had
been branded all over his body. Steam even began rising off Ehr’s body as he rolled around on
the ground, soundlessly screaming.
Ehr felt as if he were in a furnace burning alive. He panted and tried to rip his clothes off while
failing miserably. “Please, please, please, please.”
Tears fell from his eyes, and he sobbed uncontrollably as dark flashes involving the death of his
parents being torn apart by a nightmare creature flashed into his mind. The heat slowly kept
rising causing his hair to fall off.
Regret swept through his body as the vision given to him seemed too realistic. The terror in
their eyes when they realized their son had become a horrific monster. He should have been
more aware.
He had been feeling fatigued and tired for a couple of days; however, he just assumed it was
because of his exams and training that he had to do.
His nails came off next and then blood spurted from his nose. If only Ehr had mentioned the
signs his parents would still be alive, albeit without a son anymore.
Indescribable agony and sadness controlled his body, giving him no respite from the pain as he
rolled about, his screaming reduced to a low groan.
Anger rose as he felt it was unfair. The Spell was unfair. How could it cause his soul to get lost.
The worst part was it wasn’t even Ehr’s fault. Granted he hadn’t checked his aspect right when
he got into his nightmare, but it wouldn’t have changed anything.
He growled as the fury actually dulled his pain. He stood up slowly as he got angrier and angrier.
“Screw… You… YOU FILTH.” Roaring Ehr stood up as his skin began sloughing off. He wiped at his
bloody nose and looked over at the pool. This pool seemed to be the source of what had pulled
him over.
Condensed emotions, knocking him out, laying him on an island by himself. Making him become
Lost. He stepped towards the pool.
And jumped into it. Thinking back to this moment Ehr didn’t know why he jumped into it. He
had just felt like it was the proper thing to do.
Jumping into the cool embrace of the water immediately helped alleviate the heat he felt. Ehr
also began hearing a whisper. Whispers of a raging tempest, a tsunami, an endless storm that
will sweep up those that oppose it.
Sinking down Ehr was surrounded by compacted sand. Surprisingly Ehr could breathe the water
as well. He had instinctively breathed the water in, and it felt weird, but he was breathing
somehow.
Ehr sunk down into a small cavern that was shaped like a bowl. He felt a weird pull and
somehow floated in the middle of the cavern.
Above the pool the storm finally converged onto the island washing over it. Massive storm
clouds began raining lightning down onto the pool of water as rain pelted the surface of the
island after years of being untouched.
The lightning traveled to the depths of the pool and washed over Ehr, a baptism of lightning.
His body started trembling as he came into contact with the lightning but strangely, he didn’t
feel any more pain. He felt the walls rumbling as a flood of lightning rocketed downwards
assaulting the island.
His body and soul were being remade by the lightning; he felt his arms and legs dissipate by the
electricity, but the water kept him from dying. He was originally an empty vessel. His parents
were now dead, and he was stranded in either in the nightmare or the dream realm, he didn’t
know.
None of it mattered. He would become lightning incarnate and destroy everything. Consumed
by fury and regret he melted under the electricity bath.
[You have offered yourself to become a vessel for the Storm]
[The gods are dead, and cannot hear you]
[Your soul bears the mark of divinity]
[An empty vessel looking for something to fill it]
[Storm Goddess stirs in her eternal slumber]
[She gives you her final breath]
The last sounds of the Spell sounded out as he passed out.
---------------------------------------------------------------
When he came too, he was still lying on the island. He felt lighter, faster, and stronger. Reborn
one might say.
‘Oh you’re awake now! Boy I was scared you would have died and left me alone. Believe me
being alone sucks.’ A voice sounded in his right ear.
Ehr shook his head and knocked on it. Summoning his runes, he looked to see what had
changed.
Name: Ehr
True Name: Of Fury and Regret
Rank: Dreamer
Fury Core: Dormant
Fury Fragments: [0/1000]
Regret Core: Dormant
Regret Fragments: [0/1000]
Attributes: [Mark of Divinity], [Pilgrim], [Storm Weaver], [Fury and Regret]
Aspect: [Storm Pilgrim]
Flaw: [Dissociation]
Frowning at his flaw name he opened the description.
Flaw Description: [Due to the influence of the goddess’s dying fury and regrets your own begin
to manifest as distinct personalities. They will emerge unexpectedly, disrupting your control and
decision-making.]
‘Heyyyyy so now you figured it out! I’m Regret nice to meet you. I am so glad we got to meet! I
rarely get to meet anyone.’
“I… What the hell.” Ehr realized the voice earlier wasn’t him going insane. He already was
insane.
“Dear goddess help me...” trailing off into silence Ehr checked his attribute descriptions. He
picked the most interesting one to look at first.
‘No goddess here. Just me!’ Ehr felt like he was smiling for some reason.
“Annoying.”
‘That’s mean. You should be nicer to those you meet first otherwise you might regret it.’
“Shut up, you’re distracting me.”
{We should kill him Ehr} A robust and scratchy voice sounded in his left ear.
{With me instead of Regret we can easily progress and destroy everything in our path. To bring
ruin to the Dream Realm for what is has taken from us.}
Shaking his head to try and clear it he tried to start what he got interrupted from doing.
[Storm Weaver] Attribute Description: “You are made from pure lightning.”
“Lightning… made of?” Ehr closed his eyes and tried to imagine his right arm a manifestation of
lightning. He felt a strong tingling and then the sounds of popping and cracking broke the
surrounding silence.
He opened his eyes and glanced down to see an arm made of lightning in place of his normal
arm. Strangely Ehr felt no reaction to it as if it were normal. He turned back to his rune page
and looked at the other attributes.
[Fury and Regret] Attribute Definition: “Due to the dissociation of your personalities you have
been stripped of all other emotions. They both have their own soul core. You are a vessel for
Fury and Regret.]
[Pilgrim] Attribute Definition: “You find it hard to settle in places for long periods of time. You
have increased movement across all terrain.”
Looking up, Ehr stared at the open expanse of ocean.
“How am I going to get off this island…”
‘Isn’t this fun spending time with one another!’
Sigh
---------------------------------------------------------------
Ehr came to again on top of the mountain. This time he had only slept one day.
“It’s time to move.”
{Finally you bum.}
‘Awww I’m going to miss this plain. Everywhere else is too cramped.’
Summoning the goblet again he let it fill before sipping it.
“A balancing act of two emotions…” He downed the rest of the water from the goblet.
He summoned his rune page one last time to look at.
Name: Ehr
True Name: Of Fury and Regret
Aspect: [Storm Pilgrim]
[Storm Pilgrim] Aspect Description: You are the embodiment of a goddess's final breath, tainted
and transformed by her dying fury and regrets. From a once nurturing essence, you have
become a harbinger of suffering and ruination. As the Storm Pilgrim, you roam the lands,
wielding overwhelming powers that bring devastation in your wake.
Aspect Rank: Divine
“I feel movements to the northeast. Something big is going to happen soon, both here and in
the waking world.”
{Time to kill}
‘Why must we always kill people. You know they could only want what’s best for us.
“Slightly sweet.” Ehr unsummoned the goblet, ignoring Fury and Regret, he dissipated into a
cloud of sparks leaving only the lonely mountain range.
Suddenly the mountain range started cracking and moving. The mountains shifted and bulged
outwards shattering the covering of dirt. The rocks and dirt that had accumulated fell into the
surrounding ocean.
A seismic quake shook the surrounding earth and caused the massive waves to begin spreading
out. A colossal dragon rose from the ocean causing a surge of the water into the space it left
below it.
Stretching his neck, Ehr spread his wings out and began flapping his wings. Rippling scales
poured a deluge of water into the ocean giving Ehr more height as he dropped water weight.
Each flap caused tsunamis to spread out and tornados to form as he took off to fly to the
northeast. It had been many years since Ehr had settled into this ocean and even more years
since Ehr had any contact with other humans.
It was time for him to come back to humanity. The corpse of the crocodile the size of the school
bus that had fallen into the water now seemed like a tiny toy as the huge figure disappeared
into the distance. The flying calamity was followed by the endless storm with him leaving the
water calm for the first time in years.