My First Pet Is a Nightmare God

Chapter 6: A Voice from the Dark

The first rays of dawn filtered through the narrow, grimy window of the outer dorm, casting long shadows across the floor where I still sat. My body ached in ways I had never experienced before, not from physical exhaustion but from the lingering echo of the transformation that had torn through me the night before. Every muscle felt rewired, every sense heightened to an almost painful degree. I could hear the faint hum of the academy’s ventilation system three floors above, the distant chatter of early-rising students, and even the soft rustle of leaves from the small courtyard outside.

I pushed myself to my feet and moved to the cracked mirror again. The flecks of black in my irises had not faded with the morning light. They swirled slowly, like ink dropped into still water, a constant reminder that I was no longer entirely alone inside my own skin.

Nyxar’s presence lingered at the edges of my mind, not intrusive but watchful, like a predator that had claimed its territory and was now content to observe.

I tested my limbs, rolling my shoulders and flexing my fingers. Strength hummed beneath my skin, raw and waiting. The weakness that had defined me for years felt like a distant memory, replaced by something far more dangerous.

A soft chuckle echoed through my thoughts, low and ancient. “Admiring your new reflection, contractor? You wear the darkness well.”

The voice was clearer now, no longer a distant whisper but a full presence that carried weight and personality. It held the arrogance of something that had watched civilizations rise and fall, mixed with a possessive hunger that made my pulse quicken.

I spoke aloud, my voice steady despite the strangeness of addressing an entity inside my head. “What exactly are you? Not a beast. Not a spirit. Something older.”

Another chuckle, this one carrying genuine amusement. “Names are for lesser things, Lucien Drax. I have worn many across the ages  god, nightmare, devourer. You may call me Nyxar, as I told you. I am what your kind once sealed away in terror, fearing the power I represented. And now… I am bound to you.”

Bound. The word sent a chill down my spine, yet it also carried a strange satisfaction. For the first time in my life, something powerful had chosen me instead of rejecting me.

I turned away from the mirror and began to dress in the plain uniform provided for outer-dorm students. The fabric felt rough against my newly sensitive skin. “Why me? Why not one of the strong ones with their dragons and lions?”

“Because the strong are predictable,” Nyxar replied smoothly, his voice sliding through my mind like cool silk. “They crave power for status, for admiration, for control over others. You… you carry quiet rage. You looked at their laughter and thought of the day they would regret it. That kind of hunger is rare. It makes you a worthy vessel. And because you held the shell when everyone else would have thrown it away. That act of stubborn defiance cracked the seal I have worn for millennia.”

I fastened the last button on my jacket and stared at my reflection once more. The black flecks in my eyes seemed to pulse in response to his words. “And what do you want in return?”

“Simple things,” he said, a hint of dark humor coloring his tone. “Power and Growth. The chance to taste this world again after so long in darkness. You will feed me through your bonds and battles, and in exchange I will grant you strength beyond anything these pathetic beast tamers can imagine. But remember this, little contractor the bond goes both ways. The more you draw on me, the more I become part of you. Your humanity may not survive the journey intact.”

The warning should have unsettled me. Instead, I felt a cold spark of anticipation. After years of being stepped on, the idea of losing pieces of my old self in exchange for real power did not sound like a loss. It sounded like justice.

A sharp knock sounded at the door, pulling me from my thoughts.

I opened it to find an academy staff member standing there with a tablet in hand. “Drax. You are expected at logistics for your reassignment briefing. Support duties start today. Do not be late.”

The man’s eyes flicked over me briefly, then away. He showed no sign of noticing anything unusual, but I caught the faint shift in his posture  a subtle unease, as though some primal instinct warned him to keep his distance.

I nodded once and stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind me.

As I walked toward the logistics wing, Nyxar’s voice returned, softer now but laced with dark promise. “They still see you as nothing. Use that. Let them underestimate you while we grow stronger. The first time they truly see what you have become… it will be glorious.”

Students passed me in the hallways, some whispering behind their hands, others openly sneering. I kept my expression neutral, but inside I noted every face, every mocking glance. The old Lucien would have ignored them or shrunk away. The new one catalogued them carefully, already imagining the day their laughter turned to screams.

By the time I reached the logistics office, a quiet resolve had settled over me. The academy still viewed me as an F-rank failure, reassigned to menial tasks like cleaning training halls or running errands for higher-ranked tamers. It was meant to humiliate me further.

Instead, it felt like the perfect cover.

I accepted the tablet with my new schedule, scanning the list of degrading duties without complaint. The clerk behind the desk smirked slightly as he handed it over. “Try not to break anything else, Drax.”

I met his eyes calmly. “I won’t.”

As I turned to leave, Nyxar’s laughter echoed softly in my mind, rich with anticipation. “Patience, Lucien. Let them believe you are still broken. While they look the other way, we will build something they cannot comprehend. And when the time comes… we will show them exactly what a god can do when it finds a worthy host.”

I stepped out into the morning light of the academy grounds, the weight of my new reality settling comfortably on my shoulders.

The nightmare had hatched.

Now it was time to feed.