Kairo stood in the kitchen staring at the counter, not really seeing it.

  Mrs Foskin’s voice replayed in his head again.

  “Dreams can feel real sometimes, especially if you’ve been thinking about games or stories before sleeping.”

  He rubbed his face in irritation as he muttered,

  “Yeah… sure.”

  No one believed him. If he told anyone else, they would probably laugh too. But at least he wasn't alone to overthink these.

  Ash brushed against his leg and circled him, giving Kairo company as he vented out in his own language.

  Hearing Ash meowing impatiently, he let out a sigh and bent down to lift the cat into his arms.

  Ash immediately started purring.

  “Yeah, I know,” Kairo murmured, scratching behind his ears. “You miss Luna.”

  Ash blinked slowly at him, acknowledging Kairo’s words as if he understood human language. Perhaps he does.

  “I do too,” Kairo said quietly. “I’ll find her. I promise.”

  He held the cat for a moment before setting him back down on the counter. “But first I need to figure out what the hell is going on with these dreams.”

  The kitchen fell quiet again except for Ash’s meow. Kairo leaned on the counter, staring at nothing.

  “Maybe I should just stop thinking about it,” he said aloud. “If those rewards are real… I should just focus on earning them.”

  A voice answered immediately. “That’s the smartest decision I’ve heard from you so far.”

  Kairo froze. He slowly turned toward the kitchen doorway, where the voice came from.

  A tall figure with a wide frame stood there, leaning casually against the kitchen’s door frame. Two black horns rose from his head, and red eyes watched Kairo with amusement.

  Kairo's breath caught at the sight. “…What the hell are you?”

  The thing had not moved since speaking. It leaned casually against the frame as if this was the most normal place in the world for it to be.

  Ash suddenly jumped down from the counter and landed between Kairo and the doorway, his fur puffing up immediately. A sharp hiss escaped him as he arched his back and stared directly at the horned stranger.

  The figure glanced down at the cat and said calmly in deep, coarse voice, “Hostile little creature.”

  Kairo didn’t take his eyes off him. “Who are you? Answer the question!” He raised his voice, keeping his guard on against the tall figure.

  The stranger tilted his head slightly as if confused. “What? Already forgot me?”

  “Forgot you? I’ve never seen you before.” Kairo frowned.

  The stranger slowly raised a hand toward the cat, watching the hissing cat. “Relax,” he said in the same calm tone.

  Ash’s growl continued for a moment, but the raised fur along his back slowly settled. The cat sniffed the air cautiously, then took a small step closer. Within seconds, the hostility disappeared completely. Ash’s tail lowered, and he calmly sat down near the stranger’s foot.

  Kairo blinked in disbelief as he asked, “What did you just do?”

  “Nothing,” the stranger replied casually.

  Kairo looked down at Ash again, confused. The cat was now sitting quietly in his arms, its tail flicking lazily like nothing unusual was happening.

  “You hiss at the vacuum cleaner,” Kairo muttered to the cat, still staring at the creature. “But you’re fine with… that?”

  The stranger chuckled under his breath. “Animals see more than humans,” he said. “Alright,” he continued calmly, leaning forward, “Now you would recognise me.”

  Before Kairo could react, the change happened. The horns shrank and disappeared. The rough, stone-like skin shifted and softened. The glow in the creature’s eyes faded until they looked human again. Within seconds, the monstrous figure was gone, and a normal man now stood in the doorway.

  Kairo’s eyes widened as he recognised the familiar face. “…You.” The same tall man from the playground looked back at him.

  “Well,” he said lightly, “your memory isn’t completely useless.” The man’s grip on Ash loosened, and the cat jumped down to the floor.

  Kairo’s pulse started climbing as he took a slow step backwards instinctively. “You,” he said again, his voice sharper now. “How did you get into my house?!”

  "Arden," the man finally decided to introduce himself. "I am your assigned subordinate for the trials."

  Kairo looked at him, confused, "What trials?" Still guarded against the stranger who shapeshifted right in front of him.

  Arden stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh and saying slowly, “You already completed your first objective, and you still don’t know what the trials are? That might be the dumbest thing I’ve heard today.” He rubbed his forehead like the answer physically hurt him.

  “I didn’t complete anything." His frown deepened as he said sharply. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  His eyes flicked past Arden for a split second, trying to find an escape route. From the kitchen window to the hallway, and the distance between him and the door, which Arden noticed it immediately.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Relax, if I came here to harm you, you wouldn’t be standing there planning an escape route.”

  Kairo stiffened. “I’m not planning anything,” he muttered.

  “Of course you are.” Arden gestured lazily around the room. “Window. Hallway. Distance. You checked all three in the last five seconds.”

  Kairo didn’t respond; instead, his jaw tightened, being so exposed by whatever the thing ahead of him. “You broke into my house,” he continued. “Turned into… whatever that thing was. And now you expect me to believe you’re harmless?!”

  “I didn’t break in. Doors are mostly a human inconvenience." Arden shrugged and straightened slightly, “I’m here because you have a question. And I have the answers to what you’ve been experiencing.” His voice was sharp in the end, conveying he was serious.

  Kairo didn’t answer right away. The memory of the swamp flashed through his mind. “…That place,” he said quietly. “The swamp.”

  Seeing Arden nod, he questioned, “Why me?”

  “Because you gave consent," Arden said flatly.

  Kairo blinked again. “What?”

  “At the playground,” Arden said. “You agreed.”

  Kairo looked away for a second, replaying the moment in his head. “That was a job offer,” he said, recalling the conversation. “You said it was task-based work. You said I’d get paid.”

  “Yes.”

  “You never mentioned… trials!” Kairo protested.

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “That doesn’t count.”

  “The Trials don’t begin without consent. That’s the rule.”

  He stared at Arden, frustration rising. “I never gave any consent for this. What if I lose all my lives in trials?”

  Arden shrugged lightly. “Then you die,” he said casually. “I thought that part was obvious.”

  Kairo’s patience snapped at this point. “What do you mean I die?!” he shouted. “You never told me anything! That consent was a trick!”

  Arden chuckled softly. “Does it matter now?”

  Kairo glared at him.

  “You should focus on staying alive,” Arden continued. “And on the rewards.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Kairo shot back. “You’re not the one getting chased by monsters in some rotten swamp!”

  Arden leaned against the doorway, unfazed. “You are right.”

  Kairo clenched his fists. “You manipulated me into this!”

  “Maybe,” Arden replied casually. “But arguing about it won’t change your situation.”

  Kairo opened his mouth to respond, but the words died there. He hated that the creature was right. After a moment, he exhaled sharply.

  “…Fine.” He crossed his arms. “What exactly do you do then? You said you were assigned.”

  Arden straightened slightly. “Subordinates exist to provide answers.”

  “To all questions?” Kairo asked immediately.

  Arden tilted his head. “Yes,” and added after a brief pause, “If we feel like answering.”

  Kairo sighed loudly. Great. Arguing clearly wasn’t going to get him anywhere.

  “…Alright,” he muttered. “Then I’ll ask.”

  Arden gestured casually. “Go ahead.”

  Kairo looked straight at him. “Who started these trials?”

  “Lord Azelion.”

  “Who is Azelion? And what are these trials exactly? When did they start? Why was I selected?”

  “Lord Azelion,” Arden folded his arms as he glared at Kairo, correcting him and ensuring he would take the titles moving forward. “Lord Azelion wished to select a suitable candidate. Someone he could use for a greater purpose.”

  Kairo shivered for a few seconds, but he gathered courage to ask further, “And how exactly did he choose?”

  “A selection round.”

  “What selection?”

  “A Deathmare.”

  Kairo frowned harder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Arden spoke calmly. “Lord Azelion designed the selection to occur during sleep. Humans enter a controlled dream space when they fall asleep.”

  Kairo listened carefully now.

  “The first round was the Deathmare,” Arden continued. “Every human was forced to face their worst nightmare. And whoever survived was marked as a candidate for the Trials.”

  Kairo leaned back slightly. “Well,” he said with a small smirk, “then I guess I defeated my worst nightmare.”

  Arden laughed. “You died.”

  Kairo froze. “What?”

  “Just like the rest of the pathetic humans.”

  “Then why am I still in the trials?” Kairo stared at him, confused.

  Arden shrugged. “I believe the system glitched.”

  “The system?”

  “Yes. The system marked the candidate who got selected to trials. Once someone is marked, the trials begin.”

  “What mark?”

  “Every candidate has one,” Arden said. “On the back of the neck. Only visible to Lord Azelion, subordinates… and the candidate while inside the trial.”

  “And what if they refuse to play? Or do nothing in the trials.” He recalled his three days when he did nothing and still survived the trials.

  Arden’s expression turned slightly colder. “The mark would take away something from the real world, eventually killing the candidate once they have nothing to lose further.”

  Kairo stiffened. He went quiet for a moment. This was a lot to process. Then another thought hit him.

  “What nightmare did I fight?”

  Arden shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “If these trials are so secret,” he said, “why not erase memories after humans wake up? What if someone tells others?”

  Arden chuckled. “Who would believe them? Did Mrs Foskin believe you?”

  Kairo’s eyes widened slightly. “…Were you following me?”

  Arden nodded. “You were marked. Of course, I was around. To be honest, I assumed you’d die quickly.”

  Kairo frowned. “What?”

  “The way you let those bullies walk all over you,” Arden said. “I thought explaining anything to you would be a waste of time. So I decided to enjoy my time in the human world instead.”

  Kairo’s jaw dropped. “You were just… wandering around?!”

  Arden nodded.

  “Imagine my surprise when you reached Sublevel Two.”

  Kairo stared at him in disbelief. “So while you were strolling around,” he said slowly, “I died and already lost one of my lives.”

  Arden shrugged. “And you also saw the consequences.”

  “What consequences?” Kairo frowned.

  “I just told you trials have real-world consequences if a candidate dies or fails objectives,” Arden said, “I guess I was mistaken for you be smart enough to figure out about your cat by now.”

  Kairo froze. “Luna?”

  “And your garden,” Arden added. “The one behind the house.”

  Kairo felt his chest tighten. “You killed Luna?!”

  Arden looked unimpressed. “No.”

  “You did.” Kairo glared at him.

  “When a life is lost,” Arden continued calmly, “something from your real world is taken away. You are responsible for whatever happened to your cat.”

  Kairo clenched his jaw. He hated it. But arguing wouldn’t change anything.

  “…Is there any way to get out of this?” he asked quietly.

  “No.”

  Arden shrugged. “You should focus on the rewards instead.”

  He looked directly at Kairo. “You wanted a better life, didn’t you?”

  Kairo didn’t answer.

  “You should be grateful to Lord Azelion for the opportunity.”

  Kairo felt anger rise again, but he pushed it down. Right now, he had no choice.

  “…Fine,” he muttered. At least he could earn money. Maybe improve his life somehow.

  He looked back at Arden. “That boy in the village,” he said. “Lorin. Is he an NPC?”

  Arden nodded.

  “And the creature in the swamp? How do I defeat it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What is the village for?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How many levels are there?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How long do these trials last?”

  Arden shrugged.

  “I don’t know.”

  Kairo stared at him.

  “You’re completely useless.”

  Arden smirked. “You need to ask better questions.”

  Kairo rubbed his face in frustration. “…Fine. One last thing. How do I access that panel?”

  Arden gestured toward Kairo’s chest. “Press lightly near your heart. But it only appears when you intend to see it.” He added calmly, “Otherwise, anyone could press your chest and accidentally open it.”

  Kairo hesitated, then pressed lightly against his chest.

  A translucent panel appeared before him, bearing the updated objective.

  [ INFERNAL ASCENSION TRIALS

  Lives : 2

  Trial 1: Swamp of Initiation

  Level 1: Rot Marsh Outer Zone

  Sub-Levels Completed : 1 (click to see details)

  Skills: Negligible

  Time Limit: NA

  Objective : Knowledge Build ]