Shadow slave: Sovereign of the Unknown

A Crack in Reality Darkness.

A vast, endless void stretched beyond the limits of reason. There was no sound. No light. No sense of time. Only the crushing weight of emptiness, pulling him deeper into oblivion.

Then—pain.

It started as a distant sensation, a flicker of something beyond the void. Then it grew—sharp, electric agony, racing through every nerve like wildfire. His mind screamed, struggling to hold itself together as memories flickered in and out of reach.

What… is happening to me?

Flashes of light. A storm. Thunder roaring in the distance.

Lightning.

Yes—he had been walking home, his hoodie soaked from the relentless rain, cursing his luck for forgetting his umbrella. He had seen the storm growing stronger, but he never thought—

Then—BOOM.

A blinding flash. Searing heat. Every muscle locked in place as an unimaginable force tore through his body. He remembered the feeling—the sensation of his heart stopping, his breath vanishing, his thoughts scattering into the void.

He should have died.

And yet…

His consciousness stirred. His senses—numb and distant—began clawing their way back to reality.

The cold. The damp air. The distant hum of life. The scent of metal, oil, and decay.

Slowly—painfully—he opened his eyes.

A New RealityA gray, overcast sky loomed overhead, heavy with unspoken weight. He was lying on the rough ground, his limbs weak and unresponsive. His body ached—not the unbearable pain of electrocution, but the deep soreness of someone who had been through something unnatural.

Where… am I?

Forcing himself upright, he scanned his surroundings. He was in a narrow alleyway, lined with rusted metal and cracked concrete. Faint graffiti covered the walls, written in symbols he didn't recognize. Trash littered the ground, and the air felt wrong—heavy, thick, as if something unseen pressed down on him.

This wasn't a place he recognized.

His breathing grew shallow as a cold realization settled in. The buildings were too industrial, too oppressive. The air carried a faint, metallic taste. The world around him felt manufactured, as if it had been shaped by something far beyond human design.

His fingers trembled as he touched his face. No burns. No scars. His body was intact.

But how?

His mind scrambled for logic. He had been struck by lightning. He should be dead. At the very least, he should be in a hospital.

And yet… he was here.

Something was wrong.

Then, he heard voices.

A Chilling Realization"…Another Awakening today."

"That's the third one this week."

"Poor bastard. If he's unlucky, he'll die before he even steps into the Dream Realm."

His breath hitched.

The Dream Realm?

The Nightmare Spell?

This world… is Shadow Slave.

A wave of nausea hit him as reality crashed down on him like an avalanche. This wasn't Earth. This wasn't a dream.

He had transmigrated.

And not just anywhere—he was in Shadow Slave, a world governed by nightmarish horrors, where death was the only certainty.

His breathing quickened. His heart pounded like a war drum.

He knew this world. He had read the story. He knew exactly how merciless it was.

And worst of all—he knew what was coming.

A World of NightmaresThe Nightmare Spell was real. The horrors of the Dream Realm were real.

That meant only one thing:

He had one month before the main events began.

A month before the first wave of Awakened were thrown into the abyss, before the trials that decided who lived and who died.

His hands clenched into fists. He had knowledge. That alone was a priceless advantage.

But knowledge alone wouldn't save him.

If he wanted to survive—no, if he wanted to win—he needed power.

And as if answering his thoughts, a sudden ping echoed in his mind.

[System initializing…]

His vision blurred, and before him, a translucent blue screen flickered to life.

[System Activated]Host: Unknown

Aspect: Abyssal Tyrant (Divine-Level, Hidden)

Synchronization: 3%

His breath caught in his throat.

An Aspect… Divine-Level?

This power—this thing—had already latched onto him the moment he awakened. It wasn't just strong. It was beyond anything in the original story.

And yet, it was hidden.

A cold shiver ran down his spine. Revealing this could be suicide. If anyone learned he possessed a Divine-Level Aspect, he would become a target before he even had the chance to grow.

His gaze sharpened as he scrolled through the system's abilities.

Abilities Unlocked:Sovereign of the Abyss – Absorbs the stats of defeated enemies over time.Abyssal Dominion – Enhances physical abilities in conquered areas.Predator's Conquest – Permanently copies martial techniques upon witnessing them.Tyrant's Form – Temporarily enhances speed, strength, and reflexes at the cost of stamina.Devourer's Rebirth – Consumes stored energy to heal mortal wounds at the cost of temporary weakness.His pulse thundered in his ears.

This… this is insane.

With this power, if he played his cards right, he could survive. No—he could thrive.

But before anything else, he needed to test his abilities. He needed to understand his limits.

He needed to train.

His gaze turned toward the storm-filled sky.

One month.

That was all the time he had.

Because when the Nightmare Spell came for him—when the world turned against him—

He would not be weak.

He would not die.

He would become a sovereign of the unknown.