With a blink, my eyes opened. A gust of icy air met them, as I found myself peering into an abyss eerily familiar. I blinked again, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I was in Dreamer's Legacy, the game I had just been playing.

But this was more than a game. The room wasn't on my computer screen nor on my VR headset, it was around me. Real. Cold and firm beneath my shaking hands. A perfect copy of its digital twin.

A wave of confusion washed over me. It clutched at my heart with a cold, fearful grip. Was I dreaming? Pulled into the game? Or losing my mind, my reality blurring into the game's world?

The dungeon room was falling apart. Mossy stones were scattered about, bits of once great walls and pillars. The final boss room, once the stage for great battles, now lay broken and forgotten. It was a sad sight, an echo of a time passed without care.

Among the rubble, an object caught my eye. Its smooth surface gleamed faintly against the dull, decaying room. It was different, not part of the game I had played for hours.

Curiosity led me to pick it up. Then a surprise.

A hum filled the empty room. It rose and fell, hinting at waking ancient machine.

[Nexus...awakening...]

The voice was not robotic. It was old, older than time, echoing around me. Its tone tried to comfort me in this strange, creepy place.

[Entity...detected…scanning...]

The voice faded into silence, an uneasy pause as some unseen force studied me. Countless unseen eyes were looking into my very soul.

[Entity...recognized - Nathan Kerrigan]

My name rang out in this cosmic void. The voice knew me, knew my place in this unreal world. It was both scary and exciting.

[Statistics...gathering...]

The voice retreated into the silence, deeper than before, just for a moment.

Then the ancient system came back to life, checking my character, my skills, my experiences. I felt exposed before this old system, its alien eyes studying me.

[https://i.imgur.com/5BJIzhr.png]

Name:

Nathan Kerrigan

Class:

Creeping Harbringer

Level:

1

Sanity:

60 / 100

Strength:

5 / 15

Agility

5 / 20

Intellect:

7 / 20

Wisdom

6 / 25

Charisma:

4 / 20

Perception

8 / 30

Fortitude:

6 / 20

Special Ability

Madness Insight (Passive):

Ability to see the unseen, perceiving the things that remains invisible to others. As Sanity decreases, Perception increases.

Cosmic Lore (Active):

Allows user to understand fragments of ancient, unspeakable knowledge. Increases Intellect temporarily, but reduces Sanity.

Inherit Weakness

Frail Psyche:

Reduced resistance to mental damage. Sanity drains faster when confronted with Malignant entities or uncanny events.

A hologram appeared before me. It showed my stats, levels, skills, and weaknesses, like in the game, Dreamer’s Legacy.

However, even with my years of experience, some of the information eluded me.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A class I never heard of, and skills I never seen before.

But one detail froze my blood, something I never seen before. A sanity meter, replacing the health and mana stats. However, I was by no mean immortal.

Before I have time to read everything, the floating orb, change form to a metallic black ink, attached itself to me, imprinting a circular symbol on top of my hand with a burning pain.

A sudden rush of realism sparked through me.

I had to get out or face death. I searched for an exit, and first thing I check was the front entrance, which was tightly sealed. Yet, to my surprise, I found a small crack in a wall next to it. A tiny glimmer of hope. But that hope was crushed by the sight on the other side.

A monster lurked there, barely visible through the crack. It was horrible, tearing apart another monster. The awful sight, with the sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh, was like my worst nightmares. Except, this was real.

The grim reality hit me when the monster's blood splashed on me. The iron smell made me sick. I was not just watching now. I was part of this scary scene, and the fear reminded me that I was not safe.

Hiding, I watched the beast eat, each crunch scaring me more. The top of my hand flashed red.

[Warning: Sanity has been reduce to 59]

[Warning: Sanity has been reduce to 58]

My sanity was dropping fast. If it hit zero, I Imagine, I would go insane, a fate worse than death.

Suddenly, another monster appeared, bigger. It was even scarier and started fighting the other. I watched, unable to look away. But when the winning monster looked at me with blood in its mouth, I felt a cold fear.

I ran back to the inner corner of the final boss room, panting in fear. The thought that the room was now my cage was chilling.

Tired and scared, I leaned against a wall. The full weight of my situation hit me. The sounds of the monsters outside the room was a scary reminder of the danger waiting for me.

[Warning: Sanity has been reduce to 52]

That's when I saw a dusty dagger near me. It was spared from rust, sheathed in black leather. It looked evil, a wicked weapon that had caused a lot of pain.

I picked it up, the cool metal against my sweaty hand. Every breath felt heavier, like breathing through a swamp.

[Warning: Sanity has been reduce to 50]

The flashing of the symbol on top of my hand was a reminder of my dropping sanity.

A memory flashed. My character in the game, when I had first started. He had nothing but a worn-out dagger and a tiny bit of hope. That's how I felt now. Not ready, completely scared, but stubbornly hopeful.

My hand clenched the hilt of the dagger, my eyes studying the designs on it. They seemed to glow with a creepy light in the dim room.

I wonder what secret did it have to have it be left in here.

[Activating Cosmic Lore…]

[Warning: Sanity decrease by 1 due to Cosmic Lore]

Not sure what just happen, the symbol flashed again, a purple light, giving details about the dagger.

[https://i.imgur.com/rFArTGg.png]

Name:

Nycthos's Whisper

Weapon Type:

Dagger

Rank:

ESS-Φ

Damage:

121

Attack Speed

High

Range:

Close

Durability

Unbreakable

Special Ability

Crawling Chaos (Active):

Each time this unholy blade is unsheathed, it drains the sanity of its wielder, reducing their maximum sanity permanently by one and plunging the current sanity level to a mere 20. As the wielder's sanity fractures under the dagger's chaotic influence, their base attributes surge with cryptic power drawn from the heart of cosmic horror.

Messenger's Bond (Passive):

The bond between Nycthos's Whisper and its chosen wielder is unbreakable through normal means and will often hear the voices of Nycthos’s and its followers.

Final Echo

"In this stygian abyss, this instrument of tormented steel has been my only companion. It whispers of untold powers, and though I wield it against the grotesque abominations that haunt these forsaken halls, it feasts on my sanity, nibbling on the edges of my mind with each usage. A solemn reminder of a choice I made. To survive, I must sacrifice...a piece of my soul, my cognition. I find myself teetering on the brink of my mental capacity, my consciousness crumbling, fragmenting like shattered glass. My last thoughts echo in this accursed abyss. To the future bearer of this blade, heed my warning: this tool, while it will fortify your strength, demands a terrible price. Each swing slices not just through the flesh of your enemies, but through the thin veil of your sanity. Wield it wisely, or succumb to the creeping madness that awaits...”

Warning: This dagger is no ordinary weapon—it is a conduit to the unknowable cosmic horrors. Those brave or foolish enough to wield it must tread the fine line between power and madness, for the Nycthos's Whisper brooks no half-measures.

The dagger held mighty power, yet it was cursed. A curse that would chip away at my sanity. Fear gripped me at its touch, yet I dared not release it.

A roar boomed, filling the room. The beast was growing restless. My heart raced, in tune with the trembling room. Despite my terror, a part of me was intrigued, captivated by the oddness of my new reality. The game was no longer just a game, the monsters were now my real threats.

With caution, I moved toward the cracked wall. The stench of decay mingled with the raw scent of monster blood, turning my stomach. I peered through the crevice, heart pounding like a drum in my chest.

[Warning: Sanity has been reduce to 47]

What I saw chilled my blood. The beast was trying to break through the stone wall, its huge, misshapen limbs clawing at the stone. Its fury grew with every failed attempt, roars bouncing off the room's confines.

Fear swelled within me, but alongside it, a strange acceptance. This was my reality now — terrifying, but oddly compelling. My eyes shifted to my sanity meter. Its rapid decline had halted, though it rested at a worryingly low level. It was a tiny triumph, given the situation.

I stepped back toward the room's center, each stride a plea for survival. The ancient floor beneath me seemed to whisper tales of epic battles and tragic ends.

The thought of the many lives who had fallen in this so called game, no this real world, in this very room, sent shivers down my spine. But I brushed off the fear. This wasn't my story's end, not yet.

My back against the icy wall, I lifted the cursed dagger, its eerie glow reflecting in my eyes. Another monstrous roar echoed through the room, a foreboding omen of the fight to come.

As I braced myself, I made a silent promise. I would survive. I would escape this nightmare. My fear was potent, but so was my resolve. The cursed dagger was more than a weapon; it symbolized my will to battle, to endure.

And battle I would, until my final breath, until my sanity hit rock bottom, until the terrifying world of Dreamer’s Legacy consumed me. It was a grim vow, born of fear and courage. A vow I was prepared to uphold.