It''s gone... Nightmare... Pain… Fear…


    Now just... Emptiness… Numbness…. Darkness…


    Have I woken up? Did someone wake me up? Is this over?


    Don''t take me there again. Leave me here. In this emptiness. I found peace...


    My home... My heaven... Let me... Be reborn... Here...


    Don''t wake me up. Forget me. Leave me. Let me drown. In the silence.


    Time will pass. The future will come. The past will be discarded.


    “So, who are you?”


    Who am I? Ah... I want to forget it.


    Don''t make me remember it. Please. Don''t remind me.


    “Why? Do you hate yourself?”


    Certainly. I wish I never lived. I''m nothing but a failure. A burden. And trash.


    Are you not? Your face is like mine. I can recognize it. Walking trash. Streak of failure.


    “Same with me. I want to die. Do you want to do it together?”


    Okay. Let''s erase ourselves together. For a better end.


    "Close your eyes. Let me enter your body. So, we can disappear together."


    Do it. I don''t care. As long as I can die.


    "That''s right, because we are the failed and miserable one.”


    Yeah. Don''t remind me. You''re annoying.


    “I am you. So, you are the annoying one.”


    Ahh... you''re right. I forgot. Why are you here?


    “To die with you? Is there any other wish?”


    No. I just hope. Ellen can forgive me.


    “What about your father?”


    That too. I wanted him to know that I failed. I didn''t want to lie to him. With false hope.


    “What about Jason?”


    Annoying person. I hope he forgets about me.


    “Is there anyone else?”


    There isn''t any. Just the three of them.


    “But you lied.”


    What do you mean? I''m telling the truth.


    “Our dream is still alive. Why don''t you kill it?”


    Dream? What dream? Have I ever had a dream?


    “Yeah. What a liar. I hope you die.”


    Aren''t we going to die together?


    “No. Only you die. Die with your dreams.”


    Huh? What happened?


    “I hope you have endless nightmares. Dreams that will devour you. Eat you alive.”


    Don''t... Throw away that dream... Don''t bring it here...


    Why is there light? Don''t take me away. Leave me here. Don''t wake me up…


    Light. Too bright. Am I awake? I can''t see anything. Leave me alone. Don''t bother me.


    Voice... Something is calling me… Something... Licking me?


    Has the world flipped upside down? Or is it just my head? Someone explain this to me.


    A woman. So fragrant. Looking at me. Poma?


    An animal. Disgusting. She licks my face. Enyeka?


    Where am I? Is this real? Have I woken up from the nightmare?


    "Ryan, can you hear me?" a female voice asked. I couldn’t make her out clearly.


    Slowly, things started to clear up. I could see trees. Ruins. The night sky full of stars. And there were Poma and Enyeka.


    “What happened?” I asked. My head felt like it was spinning. So did my body. It felt sore and stiff.


    “You suddenly fell while fetching water. Enyeka had to drag you here.” Poma said.


    Weird... I remember it differently. Something was chasing me. Then blood. Everywhere. Was it a nightmare? It felt like the nightmare wanted to devour me. Seeking something from me. And maybe. I was eaten by the nightmare.


    At least it’s, over, right? I won''t see anything like that again. Blood and all that. Scared me.


    Please… I don’t want to go through that again. I’d rather stay here. Look at the stars. They’re bright, clear. This world has no pollution yet. Still pure. Still beautiful.


    “Ryan, are you okay?” Poma asked. Her face looked worried.


    Enyeka stood beside her, staring at me with what seemed like sadness. Or maybe I was just imagining it. Who knows? I can’t read animals.


    “I don’t know,” I said. “I was looking at the stars. Back in my old world, I couldn’t even see them.”


    “If there’s something you want to say, just say it,” Poma replied.


    Something to say? I can''t think of anything. But maybe...


    “I just want to rest. I feel so tired. Empty.” That’s all I can feel. Or all I can explain with words.


    “Sorry, I should’ve told you. About the card.” Poma suddenly apologized. Her face looked sad. It felt strange to see a goddess with a sad face like that. Like a dream.


    “Card? What card?” I asked. My mind was blank. Messy. I couldn’t remember anything clearly.


    “The card you brought. Can you tell me its name?” Poma asked.


    Ahh… I started to remember. A strange card. Given by a stranger. Didn’t I show it to Poma already? Or was my memory wrong?


    ““Why? Didn’t I already show it to you before? Why are you asking now?” I replied.


    But thinking about it again, it was strange. Why did I have that card? Was there a connection?


    “Because it might be related to what’s happening to you now,” Poma said.


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


    Huh? How is that possible? Isn’t it just a normal card? Wait… Why didn’t I suspect it before? I thought it was strange, but I never questioned it. Something’s playing tricks on my mind.


    It hurt a little, but I forced myself up. I was lying in front of the temple. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the card. Nothing unusual at first glance. It looked normal. But when I stared at it, something felt… off.


    I showed it to Poma. “Can’t you see the image or name on this card?” I asked.


    “All I see is a black card. But it feels… vague. Frightening, somehow,” Poma replied.


    Frightening? What did she mean by that? Was there something wrong with this card? Should I throw it away? No, I needed to find out more from Poma first. She seemed to know something but wasn’t telling me.


    “The name of this card is Dream. There’s a faceless figure here, floating in a dreamlike place full of stars. I never understood its meaning or significance. Do you know anything about it?” I asked.


    “I can’t say much. I’m afraid it will harm you. But what I can tell you is this: the card is proof. You are the chosen one,” Poma replied.


    Her face looked tense as she said it. Her words about being “the chosen one” felt familiar. Someone else had probably said the same thing before. But where? When? Who?


    Wait… I think I remember now. The mysterious man who gave me this card—he said something similar. Does this mean this is part of his plan? It feels like a well-organized scheme. The longer this goes on, the stranger it gets.


    I need to find a logical reason for all of this. There has to be one. Yeah… there must be a reasonable explanation. Or I might lose my mind.


    “Just tell me everything. Why didn’t you explain this from the start? Is there something you’re hiding from me?” I asked.


    “I can’t. The more you know about things like this, the more dangerous it becomes. That’s why I asked you earlier about mystical knowledge. Since you refused, I thought it would be better not to tell you any further,” Poma replied.


    She seemed genuinely worried. But what she said made me wonder—does this world follow some kind of Lovecraftian horror rule? I needed to confirm it. What exactly is this mystical knowledge? If I understood that, maybe I could make sense of everything.


    “How dangerous are we talking about here? And does that mean there are special requirements to learn this mystical knowledge?” I asked.


    I was curious. If this really was a Lovecraftian setting, then my decision to avoid digging deeper was probably the right choice. But strange things kept happening to me. How could I just ignore them? I needed to think carefully about my next steps. At the very least, I should understand what’s going on.


    “If we talk about ordinary dangers, humans can go insane and lose their sanity. Then there’s knowledge that can strip away your humanity bit by bit. Anyone can learn it, as long as they’re willing to pay the price. But I think it is better to be ignorant. Because it can save you from greater dangers that exist.” Poma explained.


    From her explanation, it was clear: this world follows a Lovecraftian horror setting. That means unseen threats, intangible horrors, and unknown dangers lurking everywhere. Just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine. What kind of world is this? And it doesn’t feel like a dream anymore. If it were, I should’ve woken up by now.


    Damn it…


    I’ve been transported to another world—a world with a Lovecraftian horror setting. Aren’t these two genres supposed to oppose each other? Nothing makes sense here! Even I, as a failed writer. Never thought of creating a story with a setting like this.


    Should I look for information about entities like the gods or goddesses here? What if I accidentally offend one? Imagine pissing off something like Cthulhu—I’d be dead before I could blink.


    No, forget that. Curiosity only invites trouble. Better to focus on what Poma can explain. Like the meaning of this “chosen one” business. Surely, it’s not some golden ticket to becoming president or king in this world, right?


    “So, what can you explain about being the chosen one?” I asked.


    After this, maybe I’ll ask about the card. If possible, I want to throw it away or just hand it over to Poma. There’s no point carrying it, especially if it only brings trouble.


    “As you’ve heard, as the chosen one, you have the special right to choose your path. Whether you take the given path or not, it’s tied to you,” Poma replied. Her hand gestured toward me and the card I was holding.


    Does this card have anything to do with me being the chosen one? I need to clarify. And what’s this “given path”? It sounds cool and powerful—but in a Lovecraftian setting, “cool” usually means going insane after glimpsing some hidden truth. I don’t want to end up like that.


    "What does this card have to do with it? And what exactly is the given path? Can I at least know that much?” I asked.


    Poma hesitated but slowly she answered. “Yes, the card is proof. The path you’re given is written in it. A special right, reserved for those who are chosen. That’s all I can say. If you want to know more, it enters the realm of mystical knowledge.”


    The path is tied to the name of the card? So… Dream? What does that even mean? I am a person who failed to achieve my own dream yet now I’m handed a path related to one? Irony at its finest. Is the mysterious person behind this trying to spread my failure? Make this world full of depressed people who didn’t achieve their dreams? Absurd. I don’t get it.


    Before I could ask more, Poma looked at me and said:


    “I think you need to choose now. Will you take the path, or will you live as a normal human in this new world? Your choice will change your destiny—and maybe also the destiny of this world.”


    Isn’t that too much? I’m just a normal human. So far, there’s no plot armor or overpowered abilities for me. How can I influence this world? Just by choosing the path on this card? Or is this card itself the key to some hidden power?


    No... No... Remember, we''re talking about a Lovecraftian setting. Power equals madness. Worse, accepting it might mean slowly turning into a monster or something that is no longer human. The thought alone makes me shiver.


    “If I don''t want to take this path. Does that mean I can live a normal life?” I asked.


    For now, I didn’t want to take risks. My previous life was already a mess. If I could start fresh here, I wanted a normal life. Yes, normal. No monsters, no dangers…. just peace. I wasn’t the main character. Just an extra dragged into someone else’s story. I wanted to go back to being an extra again. Enough trouble for one lifetime.


    “Technically possible, but you have to be careful. Other entities, maybe even gods, might target you because of your status as the chosen one,” Poma replied with her face looking a little serious.


    Her answer didn’t sit right with me. Didn’t she say I could choose not to take the “dangerous” path? Then why did it feel like both options were equally dangerous? Wasn’t there a safer choice? Doesn''t that mean I had no choice at all from the start?


    “Why do both choices seem equally dangerous? Isn''t there a safer option?” I asked.


    If both paths are dangerous, then what kind of choice is this? From the start, it felt useless.


    “If you really don’t want to follow that path, I can offer you a little protection. It’s not much, but as long as you avoid powerful entities, you’ll be safe. The catch is, it has a time limit—you’ll need to perform a ritual every month to renew it,” Poma explained.


    Okay, not bad. So at least I have some kind of protection. Then to avoid meeting unwanted things, I should not go too far from Poma. Because so far, she is the only one I can trust. Or rather, the only one willing to help me.


    Come to think of it, why was she helping me? Did she want something? So far, the only thing of value I had was my status as the chosen one, and Poma didn’t seem interested in that. Her reasons remained unclear, but asking directly felt awkward. For now, I’d rely on her advice. She’d given me important information, after all. Maybe this was what bonds between two failures looked like—I failed as a writer; she, a fallen goddess now reduced to guarding a forest. Different scales, but I understood her pain well enough.


    “That works for me, as long as I can avoid this unknown path.” I replied.


    This conversation calmed me down a bit. Though the nightmare still lingered uncomfortably, at least I could clarify some things. Good enough for now.


    “Keep the card hidden as much as possible. Even with my protection, if someone sees it and recognizes it, everything will fall apart.” Poma warned.


    If that’s the case, why not just throw it away? But she said it was proof. Was it impossible to get rid of? Might as well ask.


    “Can I throw it away or leave it here in the temple? You could probably take better care of it than me carrying it around, right?”


    “Unfortunately, no. The card is tied to you. Even if you give it to me, it’ll disappear and reappear near you.” Poma replied.


    A little disappointing, but as long as I kept it out of sight, it should be fine.


    After discussing serious matters, Poma asked about my nightmare. I told her as much as I could—the mysterious figure chasing me, the creeping darkness, the bleeding trees soaking the ground. She listened intently, clearly intrigued.


    She also mentioned that nightmares like this might recur for a while. Not great news, but she offered me something to help me sleep better. She said easing my mind would reduce the severity of the dreams. A reasonable plan, so I agreed to follow it.


    After that, I moved deeper into the temple. Unfortunately, this ruin wasn’t exactly a cozy place to sleep. I ended up near the altar, not far from Enyeka. Luckily, her body was big enough that she didn’t seem to mind me leaning against her. Her thick fur acted like a makeshift blanket, at least.


    But sleep wouldn’t come. Maybe I could stare at the stars through the broken ceiling. Count the cracks in the walls. Or maybe… I just didn’t want to sleep. The fear of that nightmare still clung to me, refusing to let go. Poma said she’d make me a calming potion tomorrow, but until then, my mind raced in circles.


    Even after everything that’s happened, I still only half-believed I was really in another world. Is this how the main characters in isekai stories feel? That strange mix of freedom from their old lives and guilt for leaving things behind. For me, it was Jason and my promise to my father and Ellen.


    I’ve only been to their graves once—on the day of their funeral. After that, I couldn’t bring myself to go back. I was too ashamed. My life was a string of failures. I didn’t feel worthy. I didn’t want to face them. So, I ran.


    And here I am. I ran so far that I ended up in another world. Now, I have no idea what the future holds. Maybe it’s not all bad. Maybe this is my way of making up for the regrets I left behind.


    I can only hope that this world is more like a typical Isekai story. Hearing the hint of a Lovecraftian setting makes me feel like I''d rather live in the middle of a war with demon kings and dragons than living in the middle of the endless madness and constant horror of a Lovecraftian story.


    What a stupid idea. Lovecraftian Isekai. Sounds more like a tragedy than a story idea. A literary disaster. A failed lab experiments. Definitely written by an amateur writer.


    S01: "New Tragedy" End