"If you had three wishes, what would you wish for, Lec?"
"Hm?" Lec had never really given any thought about what he wanted, especially not as of late. The spell had pretty much taken any chance of a future away.
At least, that's what he thought at first.
It had been a little over a week since Lec was transported into his first Nightmare, and to be honest, he was having a very hard time thinking about his escape. This place was more like a dream than a nightmare. He had made a few friends already, not counting Maria, who herself has been teaching him how to skate.
His first attempt was...somewhat successful.
Getting back to the matter at hand, he had no clue what to wish for. He had thought about wishing for someone other than himself, but he didn't really have anyone he cared about enough for that. Glancing at Maria, who was currently sitting down on a bench next to him, he'd shake his head. 'It's impossible to wish for someone who doesn't exist...'
"I'm not sure...What do you wish for, Maria?" The aforementioned girl looked a little surprised by having her question reflected at her, but her face was quickly filled with a bright smile.
"Hmmmm, what do I want...Well, my first wish would be for you and grandpa to be happy!"
Lec was a bit taken aback by her words, but immediately realized that it was perfectly in character for her. "And for your second wish?"
"Well, my second wish would be for everyone in the mortal realm to have self-fulfilling lives!" The girl's smile got wider as she said her wish, the positivity emanating from her giving even Lec a bit of hope.
"What of your third wish?"
The girl sat in silence for a bit, thinking heavily on something before she took Lec's hand in hers. "I want you to get better at Roller Skating!"
"What?" His voice came out as a mutter, before a grin split his face. "Am I really that bad at it?"
"Yes." Her face became incredibly serious as she glared at him. "It's like all the practice we've been doing hasn't had any effect!" She pouted as she let go of his hand and slumped down on the bench dramatically.
"...Touche."
Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she'd repeat her earlier question. "Well, do you know what you'd wish for now?" Lec smiled at her as he spoke. "Well, I'd wish for you to be cured of that illness, and for you, along with the doctor, to live the rest of your lives happy..."
The blonde girl softly smiled at that, happy that he cared that much. "Well, what's your third wish then?"
Lec had to think about that for a moment. What did he want? All his life, he never really had the option to choose anything, really. So what did the inner reaches of his soul truly yearn for?
Hesitating for a few moments, he'd finally respond. "I'd want to be able to connect with people more easily."
***
More than a week had passed since he was first transported to the "Space Colony Ark" as he now knew it. And Lec had found out a lot of things about the cosmic cruiser, and even more about himself.
One, he had found out that the Ark didn't just house researchers, it was also a living space for their families. This explained why Maria and the other kids were allowed on board in the first place, although two questions remained.
What exactly were they researching, and how could it demand this much attention...
Other facts he had learned were that Gerald actually created the Ark himself, and it was way bigger than he originally expected it to be. Of course, to be able to house so many people, it'd have to be gargantuan in size, but still, the ship had enough space to hold an entire city, maybe even more than that.
How exactly was Gerald even allowed to do this? Lec didn't really know much about the gods that Spell spoke of; he wasn't that knowledgeable in a lot of things, honestly. But he was sure that they would not allow a simple mortal to create such a place if it didn't benefit them in some way.
Sighing to himself, the young boy tried his best to resist the incoming migraine. 'I'll think about this later...back to ensuring my survival.'
Glancing at the now familiar runes of the Spell, he'd try and fail to suppress his sheer glee, a large smile splitting his face. And why should he not celebrate...he had been given a truly marvelous gift after all.
And that gift was the Attribute known as [Knight of the Wind]. Back when he had first laid his eyes on the runes describing the Attribute, he had mostly written it off as a speed boost and nothing more, the only thing that intrigued him being the strange description.
But after attempting to test it out earlier, he had discovered that it wasn't just a speed boost; it was an incredible speed boost, borderline godly!
Rolling around in the bed that the body he was currently inhabiting owned, he could barely contain his excitement. Unfortunately, he had to rein it in.
The speed granted by the Attribute was probably the greatest boon that he had in his possession, outside of his unreachable Aspect. Even so, it didn't mean much if he had no way to use it to his advantage.
Gritting his teeth, he'd think to himself. 'Those damn Legacies have it easy.'
Of course, they do. It was the rule of the world after all, every single thing about you is determined by where you are born.
Shaking his head, he'd instantly dissipate the dark thoughts, once again focusing on the glorious Attribute.
'Even with my lack of combat ability or experience, I should still be able to use this power to run away....Nah, that's not going to work. I'm not the type to run away. So what to do, what to do...'
Weighing out his options, he realized that there wasn't much he could do...unless.
Shifting his eyes to the runes describing his Aspect, Lec would read it once more, trying to find anything to help him.
'[Your body is overflowing with a strange energy, yet through science, it has adapted and acclimated to your biodata, giving you control over it, as little as that control may be.]'
'Hmmm, the runes describe my Aspect as something I can actively control without the help of any outside influences. Does this mean that I may not need the emeralds after all?'
The memory of the gems flooded into Lec's mind, making him shudder in euphoria. The gems were truly beautiful, and the feeling they gave him was unlike anything else, yet he felt it was from something much deeper than that. It was the connection they shared with him through the bonds of chaos.
'Of course! Maybe if I can grasp that connection once more, I won't need to have the emeralds to use my Aspect!'
Yet, the boy didn't know the first step in doing that. How did one even begin to understand a feeling? Feelings were complex, coming and going as they pleased. Even more so, how was he supposed to understand a feeling born of chaos, a literal unpredictable factor?
'Ughh, too much work...' And it didn't help that, as the days passed by, he was growing increasingly complacent. If he didn't find a way to complete this Nightmare, he might be trapped here forever. Of course, Lec didn't know what would happen if someone didn't run into any danger during their First Nightmare. Would they just stay there forever until their body in the waking world died?
The thought of that alone was scary. 'And in such a lame sleeping position too!!!'
'Although...would staying here be that bad? It's not like I have much waiting for me back home...Get that thought out of your head now, idiot.' It didn't matter how much of a dream this felt like; he had a promise to fulfill...
***
A few hours had passed, and the rowdy child was currently lying face down on the extremely comfortable bed he was provided with. 'Way better than the mattress at home. I wonder if someone has already moved into that stupid shack. Hopefully they don't take all my synthpaste.'
Lec couldn't help but resist a chuckle at that; he was never going to miss that sludge, however.
...I could really go for a chilly dog right now.'
A rhythmic knock interrupted his bed rotting, already knowing who it was, Lec sluggishly rose out of the overly comfortable bed and dragged his feet towards the room door. It was nearing the time when most people on the Ark decided to sleep, so it was more than likely that Maria was coming to say good night.
Sliding the metal door, he'd stare up at the girl's ever-bright smile. "Hello Mari-"
Before he could even get the girl's name out, she'd grab onto his hand and practically drag him along with her. "Cmon! Grandpa has a gift for us!"
Already used to her shenanigans, Lec just resigned himself to being taken along with her until they reached the familiar thick metal door of the good doctor's lab. Inputting the same code that she had used a few days prior, the door lifted up and concealed itself in a pocket within the frame.
The pair walked into the laboratory, the good doctor being seated in the middle of the room on a rolling chair, two very obvious presents hidden behind his back.
'What's going on?' Confused, Lec glanced at the happy girl beside him, who looked a bit exasperated, yet still had the same grin on her face. "Grandfather, you already told me about the gift you had for us...there's no point in hiding it."
The old man looked a bit embarrassed as he unveiled the two box shaped presents from behind his back. Truthfully, there was something a bit endearing about it. "Well, excuse an old man for wanting to surprise his two favorite people."
Handing them the presents, Maria happily opened it, while Lec just stared down at it, confusion clearly written across his face. Noticing that, Gerald encouraged him to open it, with Lec reluctantly doing so.
This had been the second time in his life that the young boy had been given a gift of any kind, the only other time being the nice lady who introduced him to chilly dogs, so it was still a pretty foreign concept.
Opening their two presents at the same time, the two kids could only stare in awe as their Grandfather stood over them. "I heard Maria speaking about how you were getting into skating, Lec. And after overhearing that wish from earlier, I knew I just had to do something to assist in making that dream a reality!"
"Behold the Air Shoes...the name's a work in progress."
The Air Shoes were mainly white and smooth with black heel regions. Above the topline, each shoe has a red tongue and black collar. Around the rim of the soles, the Air Shoes had red strips of metal on the rear and front of the bottom, broken below the in-steps.
The pair remained silent, their eyes fixed on the shoes, as if awaiting an explanation. Clearing his throat, the good doctor continued with his speech. "The Air Shoes, as their name suggests, can expel air from their jets to create a cushion of air, allowing the wearers to float atop almost any terrain. They're powered by-"
The old man was interrupted by a ball of joy hurtling right into him. "Thank you, Grandpa!" Maria shouted, the shine of her smile lighting up the entire room. Lec was a little slower to join in the hug, though, his brain failing to catch up with what he had just heard.
Although it didn't take long for a shine to enter his eyes, a smile threatening to come across his face. 'S-shit, I really am losing my touch.' Glancing at the happy family, Lec couldn't help but smile as he rushed to join them, the family of three finally being complete.
'I...I don't want to wake up.'