Chương 10: A New Partner

The next morning finally arrived, and I woke up feeling groggy. I slowly opened my eyes, lazily blinking, and found my mother right beside me in my little bed. She was cuddling me tightly, her arms wrapped around me. Then I glanced to my other side—my father was there too.

"Eh?" I felt a little flustered, but it seemed both of them had simply slipped into my tiny bed during the night and hugged me while I slept. This had never happened before. Were they worried about me? … Honestly, I didn't dislike it at all. These people—my new parents—are the ones I created in "My Story Online," the perfect parents I had always dreamed of.

But now, watching them sleep, listening to their steady breathing, noticing the faint traces of their own struggles etched even into their relaxed faces, I realized I could no longer think of them that way. Well, I hadn't really done so in a while anyway, but from this moment forward, I simply couldn't view them as "those I made." These were living people who just happened to resemble them. At the same time, they were incredibly deep and complex, like every living being, like every real person.

And I felt profoundly glad—truly fortunate—to be here with them. I didn't know what Oblivion truly was, or why he had done this, but there had to be a purpose, a plan. Did he simply want to make me happy? Why would a random god care about granting happiness to a random woman like me? The more I thought about it, the more unreal it all felt. Maybe it was the opposite. Maybe I was the one helping him by existing here, and this entire situation was merely a byproduct. Oblivion… what an ominous name.

Perhaps I should ask my parents about him later; they might recognize it. Nonetheless, this wasn't bad at all. To be by their side, to snuggle with my parents—people who loved me for who I was, instead of calling me a mistake. They reprimanded me and got angry when I made mistakes, just like any normal parents would, but… they actually cared about me, and… I could feel it.

As they held me close and rested beside me—despite how uncomfortable it must have been to sleep crammed in this tiny bed, barely clinging to me—they loved me. And I loved them too. Every time I thought about it, emotion swelled inside me until I could hardly breathe. Even though I had acted like everything was awesome yesterday, deep down… I was terrified. Despite all my godly power, I had to admit the truth: at my core, I was still just a normal human being.

My soul remained the same fragile soul I had carried before—this was the weakness the Nightmare King had exploited to completely suppress me. If Mom and Dad hadn't appeared to save me after I messed up so badly… What would have happened to me? The fear still lingered when I thought about it, sharp and cold. This world was vast, amazing, fantastical… But it was also horrific and terrifying in equal measure. I could still feel that terror lingering in every inch of my body.

How desperately afraid I had been for my life—a feeling I had never experienced in my previous life. We humans rarely realize how safe our lives truly are compared to situations like these or even compared to the past. We take everything for granted, always craving more, more, more… I used to think my previous life was awful, but… it was still safe within human society. Even though I was killing myself with work, still… It was technically better than living in a world where I could die at any moment. Still…

yeah, now that I reflected on it, the excessive work and stress really had been too much. Maybe it wasn't so great after all. FLASH!

"Hm?" While resting my head against my father's chest, lost in these thoughts, I felt something stir inside me. A small "thing" suddenly reacted within my… My soul.

"What is this?" For a moment I thought it might be that ice lily or something similar. But no, it wasn't that at all.

"What is this thing?!" When I directed my senses fully toward my soul to see what I was feeling, a wave of terrifying dread washed over me.

"A-Ah…" Cold sweat broke out across my skin. My breathing grew heavy and ragged; my heart pounded faster and faster.

"No…" With my eyes wide open, I saw it. A Nightmare Vestige—still somewhat dormant—lay deep within my soul, spreading thin roots. This thing was trying to infect my fragile soul. Neither my parents nor Hrymdra had sensed it. How had it gotten inside me?!

"C-Calm down…" I forced myself to breathe slowly, closed my eyes, and focused completely on the interior of my soul. Now that my soul had reached Rank 1, I could finally see its depths with far greater clarity. And there, to my horror, the parasitic Nightmare Vestige remained. But what exactly were Nightmare Vestiges? As the name implied, they were small, broken fragments left behind by Nightmares on their victims.

The infected soul would be slowly devoured, eventually mutating into a Nightmare—a monstrous creature or warped being. In some cases, this process could birth a Nightmare Realm—a literal dimensional dungeon that trapped people inside. If Nightmare Realms weren't destroyed quickly, they would expand, devouring souls and spawning Nightmarish Beasts, corrupting the world itself. Another name for them was "Nightmare Seed." This one was clearly dormant… and weak. Very weak.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. So weak, actually… Wait, did I even need to be so afraid? Perhaps I could do something about it. If I… Grabbed it. Suddenly, with my Soul Hands, I seized the Nightmare Vestige tightly.

"Gryack!" It let out a bug-like screech as my grip crushed it. The thing groaned and writhed disgustingly—long insect legs, huge red eyes staring at me in disbelief.

"Y-You…! How did you…?!" And it could speak?! Wait… Wait a second! Wasn't this voice the same one from that Nightmare at the beginning of the entire ordeal?

"You're that Nightmare?! Or a fragment of him!"

"G-Ghhh…! How is this possible…! How did you even find out it was me?!"

"Hohoho, how the tables have turned, my little friend."

"L-Let go of me!!!" He hissed furiously. Nightmare powers surged, sharp tendrils stabbing into my Soul Hands. It hurt, but… Within my soul, a beautiful azure lily bloomed, gleaming brightly. Ice spread across my hand and the Nightmare Vestige's body, freezing both. Then, through the Light of Harmony I had awakened, I created Holy Ice, purifying his chaotic powers.

"Gyyaaaaahhhhh!" His strength faltered. He could no longer infect me, though the roots he had planted remained embedded in my soul.

"K-Kill me…! It doesn't matter what you do! Once my main body returns to your world, it'll be over! You're not the only Vestige—we left many more during that invasion! Expect Nightmare Realms to open very soon. None of you will stop our conquest! Kill me! Kill me now!"

"No."

"…Eh?" Silence. He clearly hadn't expected that answer from a little girl who had been so terrified of him moments ago. It turned out I was the one in control here, and…

"Heh."

"W-Why are you laughing—why are you looking at me like that?!" He was afraid. He had taunted me with those words, hoping I would simply kill him so he wouldn't remain a dangerous vestige under enemy control. But…

"I see. So you want me to kill you? Why? Can't I keep you as my pet?"

"WHAT?! I AM A NIGHTMARE! A NIGHTMARE KING CANDIDATE AT THAT! YOU THINK A DAMN BRAT LIKE YOU CAN CONTROL—""Didn't I call you as my Shikigami? I'm starting to understand why you're here… You didn't leave this Vestige on purpose, right? That Magic Circle actually worked."

"…Ugh!" He slipped from my grasp, darting away like a long black centipede with butterfly-like wings and multiple eyes.

"It worked even after you vanished from my planet. What remained was just a piece of you that you accidentally severed without realizing."

"…!" He began to sweat.

"So you're mine."

"N-No! That's not it! Surely this is part of the main body's grand plan! He would never abandon a fragment of himself so easily—""He discarded you like trash because you were the only tiny part tying him to me."

"A-Ah… that's… not… true…" He tried to deny it, but it was too late.

"Well, technically you're still not mine. I felt it when I used Harmony on you."

"… H-Harmony?!" Chaos and Harmony—the unique powers Elizabeth Drakeheart possessed, now inherited by me from my created character. In-game, they produced flashy light and darkness attacks, reversed effects, and combined elements. But here, in a world where everything was real and literal, those game-like powers became far more complex and profound. Harmony allowed me to unify elements, mend what was broken, and forge contracts. Chaos brought distortion, entropy, and destruction.

A bullet flying toward me could be instantly redirected. Water could freeze while fire turned to steam. And that was only the surface. Right now, as I interacted with this Nightmare Vestige and combined my Divine Ice with Harmony to create Holy Ice, I had severely weakened him. I felt it clearly: no contract existed between us yet. But that was about to change.

"Harmony is a fascinating power I'm still trying to fully understand. So let's play a game."

"…?!"

"Try to escape my soul. But if I catch you… you're mine forever."

"Eek! You're an insane brat! I'm getting out of hereeeee!" The Nightmare Vestige sprouted even more wings and flew as fast as he could through the interior of my soul. He was quick. However.

"Chaos." Dark power surged from within me. I targeted the space between us and twisted it randomly. TRUUUM! My soul space trembled violently, fragmented, and shattered—yet I felt no pain. In the next instant, a chaotic landscape unfolded before us. Countless distorted forms and nightmarish beings manifested from nowhere.

"So this is Chaos…"

"W-What is this? Aaaaggghh!" The Nightmare Vestige screamed as black tentacles and giant burning hands erupted from a fractured abyss and seized him. Countless demonic and spectral chaotic creatures surged forth. So I possessed that power too. Demon and Chaos Spirit Creation. Though in me it manifested differently. My mother could create living beings from her own flesh and blood, repopulating dying Hell and Chaos Realms. In my case, my soul itself could transform into these beings when I wielded Chaos. And…

perhaps I could do far more.

"AAAAAAGGGHHH!" While he screamed in horror, being bitten and slowly torn apart, I snapped my fingers.

"Harmony." FLASH! Everything reverted to a pure white void. My soul returned to its original state as though nothing had happened. The Nightmare Vestige collapsed onto a cold white floor, gasping in disbelief. My footsteps echoed as I approached and lifted him like a ragdoll. By now he was severely weakened.

"Harmony."

"GUUAAAAAHHHH!" White lightning crackled as I tortured his being, testing whether I could harmonize his existence. I stopped the moment I sensed his form beginning to die.

"I see. Nightmares are born from pure chaos. If I try to harmonize their existence, they perish completely."

"W-Wha…! How strong… how strong are you?!"

"Hmmm… Chaos." FLUOSH!

"Ooohhh?!" As I suspected, when I applied Chaos to him, his body rapidly regenerated and expanded.

"W-What is this?! I feel overflowing with power! Gahahahaha! Foolish girl!" He grew until he reached the limit of what a Nightmare Vestige could become—an enormous tree-like monstrosity made of bugs, centipedes, and insect wings for leaves. He laughed monstrously, vertical mandibles revealing razor-sharp teeth, his size hundreds of times my own.

"I can…! With this power, I can evolve into a true Nightmare in time and then—""Harmony." BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

"GUUAAAAAAAACK!" Before he could gloat further, I scorched his body with the Light of Harmony combined with Divine Ice, forcing him back into a smaller, suppressed form.

"This is perfect. You can be my punching bag while I learn to master my abilities!"

"A-Ahhh…! Kill me!" He cried desperately, but there was no chance I would release him.

"No. You're going to become my Familiar… my Shikigami."

"N-No…! I am no slave to anyone!"

"Don't worry, it's not slavery. I'll even pay you and help you grow stronger. How about it?"

"…?! What? You'll pay me?!"

"Yeah! Soul Stones are everywhere. You can eat those."

"Oooh? No—wait!" he groaned.

"It's still slavery!"

"…You're technically imprisoned after attempting murder. I don't think you have much room to complain. Also, if my parents discover your existence in your current state? You won't get a quick death."

"W-What?"

"They'll throw you into the underground containment zones run by the VPI and torture you for eternity."

"Would that really be any better than this?!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." I shrugged, lifting his diminished form—now a spiky black worm with multicolored wings.

"Eugh! A-Ahh…! Don't torture me anymore—kill me!"

"I've never seen anyone beg for death so desperately. But you know that once you die, it's over, right? Your main body isn't coming for you."

"What? No, that's…!"

"He doesn't care about you. So we're in this together."

"…"

"Betray your kind and become my Familiar, little nightmare." His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at me. For some reason, my form inside my own soul had begun to distort continuously. This Astral Avatar now resembled a towering being of white light and darkness, with unnaturally long arms and even longer fingers. I had a long tail, black-and-white horns, and a shattered halo floating above my head. Eternal black and red flames burned in a circle around me—like a literal ring of hell. Huh. Fascinating.

It seemed continuous use of Harmony and Chaos warped my Astral Avatar. My physical body remained immune thanks to its resilience.

"Betray them?" he groaned.

"Never. Just kill me! I will not—ACK!"

"Well, I tried," I shrugged, combining both powers.

"Chaos & Harmony." FLAAASH! After a little experimentation, I fused them into a living concept. Chaos disordered matter and cause-and-effect. Harmony restored complete balance and normalcy. Together, they created a permanent, harmonious state of disarray—forcefully forging a Familiar contract with this Nightmare. Familiar Contracts had always been a gameplay mechanic in Your Story Online. Players grew stronger by contracting Spirits, Magic Beasts, Demons, and more.

I knew the formula for a Spirit Contract, but first I reshaped the Nightmare Vestige, strengthening him without letting him become too powerful.

"Guuaaaahhh! W-What are you doing to me?!"

"Making you cuter."

"WHAT?!"

"You think I want an ugly thing like you as my Familiar?"

"T-That's… so mean! I didn't ask to be born this way!"

"Yeah, yeah." I didn't change much—just reshaped his form until he became a cute black octopus with a single red eye, two small black horns, and tentacles that hid vertical jaws lined with razor-sharp fangs and long red tongues. He was compact—about the size of my head—and surprisingly adorable.

"Around my family, you have to act like a Spirit, okay? That's why I made you look… less ugly," I sighed.

"You'll pretend to be a Chaos Spirit."

"…?!" He was stunned.

"W-Why would I ever do that—Aaagh!" White chains materialized around his body, binding him to me.

"You're now my Familiar, and… I shall name you."

"No…! Wait! Don't! If you name me then…! Then…!" He knew. When a master named their familiar, a powerful, unbreakable soul bond formed unless one of them died.

"I was terrified of this Nightmare Vestige inside my soul, but now that I think about it… isn't this incredibly fortunate?" I chuckled.

"Still, you're not my equal. You're a despicable monster born from people's fears in another dimension, a fragment of the creature I'll have my revenge against. And you're going to help me do it, little one. So… your name is Mongrel."

"M-Mongrel?! What kind of name is that you stupid little—" FLASH! Before he could finish protesting, white and black light engulfed him, rewriting his existence once more.

"You're now Mongrel, a Nightmare Spirit!" I declared.

"But for your own safety, you'll pretend to be a Chaos Spirit. Through Harmony and Chaos, you've become my first familiar, my friend… and my tool."

"Eek! How is a three-year-old child this terrifying?!" he screamed as Chaos and Harmony consumed him completely.