Volume 1: Nightmare

OverviewAuthor's Note

Volume 1: Nightmare
Chinese Title	梦魇
General Information
Author	Cuttlefish That Loves Diving
ChaptersCovered	1-109 (109 Chapters)
Navigation
Next →	Volume 2: Lightseeker

“	A price is always exacted for what fate bestows	„
— Adapted from Zweig's Mary Queen of Scots on Volume 1: Nightmare

Nightmare is the first volume of the Circle of Inevitability written by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving.

Title Meaning

The volume "Nightmare" serves as an introduction and prologue, establishing Lumian Lee and laying important clues for future volumes.

The story deconstructs the "Nightmare" of Lumian using symbols and metaphors, blending Lumian's Dream, Aurore's novel, and Lumian's daydreams to present a complete and visible story to readers. Clues and abnormalities should be presented straightforwardly to provide readers with a sense of understanding when the plot unfolds later.

An investigation report after the "Nightmare" shattered reveals the symbolic significance of the volume's plot points. The volume's purpose is not merely a dream but also to provide the protagonist's inner driving force and crucial clues for the story's development.

Synopsis

Lumian Lee had strange dreams every day in which he wished to possess extraordinary powers as a warlock. Together with Reimund Greg, they embark to uncover the Legend of the Warlock in Cordu Village. He met a mysterious lady in Ol' Tavern who gave him a minor arcana card, leading him to had a lucid dream. With this ability, Lumian started to explore dreamscape, he discovered mysterious symbols on his body and later successfully became a Sequence 9 Hunter after killing a monster in the dream.

As time passed, Lumian gradually noticed something unusual about the villagers, but couldn't determine the source. On April 5, 1358, the Lent celebration began, and at its conclusion, Pierre Berry and Guillaume Bénet arrived at the churches and began to slaughter the villagers. Lumian bravely fought against Guillaume and managed to defeat him, before losing consciousness.

After waking up from unconsciousness, Lumian realized he had returned to March 29, 1358. He urged Aurore Lee to leave the village. However, as they were about to depart, the loop suddenly ended.

Lumian then confided in Aurore about the time loop and how he had become a Hunter. Together, they agreed to seek the help of three official Beyonders, Ryan, Valentine and Leah, to investigate the anomalies and find a way to escape the loop.

List of Chapters

Chapter #	Chapter Name	Webnovel #
1	Foreigners	1
2	Prank	2
3	Dream	3
4	Shepherd	4
5	Card	5
6	Ruins	6
7	Naroka	7
8	Owl	8
9	Magazine	9
10	Blood	10
11	Madame Pualis	11
12	Undercurrents	12
13	Attempt	13
14	Different Monster	14
15	Getting Information	15
16	Letter	16
17	Suspect	17
18	Straightforward	18
19	Meditation	19
20	Customs	20
21	Response	21
22	Arrangements	22
23	Combat Intelligence	23
24	Gains	24
25	Sequences and Potions	25
26	Whistleblowing	26
27	Five Changes	27
28	Laws	28
29	Method	29
30	Lent Begins	30
31	Celebration	31
32	Anomaly	32
33	Confirmation	33
34	Sayings	34
35	Differences	35
36	Meeting Again	36
37	Dangerous Forest	37
38	Sheep	38
39	Sick	39
40	On the Carriage	40
41	Undead	41
42	Madame Night	42
43	Frank	43
44	Eavesdropping	44
45	Make-up Lesson	45
46	Ritualistic Magic	46
47	Truly Illiterate	47
48	Knowledge Pursuer	48
49	True Cogitation	49
50	Observation	50
51	Temporal Node	51
52	Entering the Ruins	52
53	Mark	53
54	Interpretation	54
55	Persona	55
56	Intuition	56
57	Arrangements	57
58	Cherishing Talent	58
59	Again	59
60	Dancer	60
61	Description	61
62	Date	62
63	Shocking News	63
64	Weapon	64
65	Third Floor	65
66	Crib	66
67	Evil Spells	67
68	Purification	68
69	Him?	69
70	Spirit Channeling	70
71	Underground	71
72	Sacrificial Dance	72
73	Tracking	73
74	Mute	74
75	Meeting Madame Pualis Again	75
76	Physical Examination	76
77	Changes	77
78	Traces	78
79	Sufferer	79
80	Joint Investigation Team	80
81	Key	81
82	Dream Divination	82
83	A Sudden Encounter	83
84	Dirk	84
85	Appropriating	85
86	Another Idea	86
87	Catharsis	87
88	EQ	88
89	Nothing Happened	89
90	Trying Again	90
91	Scheming	91
92	Stripping Fate	92
93	An Early Sacrifice	93
94	Attack	94
95	An Out in the Open Ambush	95
96	Prey and Hunter	96
97	Courage	97
98	After the Celebration	98
99	Guest	99
100	Hesitation	100
101	Different Powers	101
102	Transfer	102
103	The Padre's Plan	103
104	Resolute Decision	104
105	That Person	105
106	The Ritual Begins	106
107	Shattering	107
108	Report	108
109	Minute Hope	109

Timeline of Major Events

Date	Chapter	Event
March 29, 1358 (X Loop)	1-2	Three official Beyonders, Ryan, Valentine and Leah, arrived at Cordu Village to investigate a matter related to the letter they had received.
March 30, 1358 (X Loop)	3-6	Lumian and Reimund Greg began to search for clues about the The legend of the Warlock. During their search, Lumian and Reimund encountered Pierre Berry, who had returned to the village. At Ol' Tavern, Lumian encountered a mysterious lady who presented Lumian with the Minor Arcana card, "Seven of Wands." Later that night, Lumian experienced a lucid dream.
March 31, 1358 (X Loop)	7-10	Lumian and Reimund located Naroka and gained additional information about the Warlock. While returning home, Lumian crossed paths with Guillaume Bénet and Pons Bénet. Lumian first exploration in the dream ruin. He encountering a monster for the first time.
April 1, 1358 (X Loop)	11-14	Lumian, Reimund, and Ava Lizier persisted in their quest for clues regarding the Warlock, and heard a rumor concerning Madam Pualis being the witch. In the Dreamscape, Lumian was able to vanquish an initial monster and encountered another monster holding a shotgun.
April 2, 1358 (X Loop)	15-19	An owl made its initial appearance. Lumian learned about an anonymous letter from Ryan and his companions. Thereafter, he discovered that some words had been excised from the Livre Bleu in his home. Madam Pualis visited Aurore. In the Dreamscape, Lumian experienced intense pain while meditating and heard an unusual sound. He subsequently discovered a mysterious symbol on his body.
April 3, 1358 (X Loop)	20-24	The owl appears for the second time. Naroka passed away. Lumian borrowed the Livre Bleu from Reimund and reconstructed a missing word in a letter, revealing the message: "We need help as soon as possible. The people around us are getting weirder." Lumian discovered something unusual in the village. Aurore requested that Lumian send a telegram to Novel Weekly. They intended to depart from the village. In the Dreamscape, Lumian was able to defeat the Shotgun Monster and obtained the Hunter Beyonder Characteristic.
April 4, 1358 (X Loop)	24-27	Lumian dispatched a telegram to Novel Weekly. Lumian visited the mysterious lady, inquiring about an object he obtained after defeating a monster. She presented him with the Hunter's Potion Formula. The Spring Elf of the Lent was chosen in the village square. In the Dreamscape, Lumian advanced to become a Hunter.
April 5, 1358 (X Loop)	28-32	The owl appears for the third time. Lumian visited the mysterious lady once more and received instruction regarding the Beyonder Laws and the Acting Method. The Lent begin. Prior to the conclusion of Lent, Ava was murdered by Pierre Berry. Guillaume Bénet was killed by Lumian.
March 29, 1358 (X+1 Loop)	33-34	Lumian realizes he has returned to March 29, 1358 and recollects his previous loop.
March 30, 1358 (X+1 Loop)	35-42	Lumian and Aurore receive a reply telegram from Novel Weekly, leading Lumian to realize the time loop is limited to the village. Lumian investigates Pierre Berry's home and discovers strange sheep. Lumian shares his findings with Aurore and they plan to leave the village, borrowing Madam Pualis's carriage. They encounter Louis Lund, the butler, who is giving birth to a baby at Madam Pualis's house. As they are about to leave the village in the carriage, they pick up Naroka and soon find themselves in an undead-infested wilderness. They manage to escape and continue on their journey to leave Cordu, and the loop ends.
March 29, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	42-54	A new time loop starts. Lumian tells Aurore about the time loop and they decide to investigate the village. Aurore teachs Lumian the Ritualistic Magic and Spirit Vision. Aurore tells Lumian about the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society. In the Dreamscape, Lumian defeats the Mouth-Orifice Monster.
March 30, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	54-59	Aurore questioned the three sheep. Lumian talks with Pierre Berry at the Ol' Tavern. Aurore and Lumian decide to rely on Ryan, Valentine and Leah for help. In the Dreamscape, Lumian sees the Noodle Man dancing and learns how to partially activate his black thorny chain symbol and his bluish-black symbol while scouting out the ruins.
March 31, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	59-73	The owl appears for the fourth time. Lumian tells the mysterious lady about his current situation, the mysterious lady tells Lumian about the Eternal Aeon Pathway and tells him to hold a dualistic ritual that will allow him to become a Dancer. Lumian tells Ryan, Valentine and Leah about the anomalies and the time loop in Cordu Village, they decide to cooperate to get out of the loop. Lumian realises Reimund Greg was killed outside the time loop. Madame Pualis visits Aurore. Lumian, Ryan, Valentine and Leah search Madame Pualis's home for abnormalities, and they fight and defeat The Heretic Spellmaster Midwife. Lumian takes tulips from Madame Pualis's garden and retrieves Reimund's exercise book to channel his spirit. Reimund's spirit tells Aurore and Lumian about the secret existence hidden beneath the cathedral. In the Dreamscape, Lumian holds a ritual to become a Dancer.
April 1, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	73-86	The owl appears for the fifth time. Aurore and Lumian see the Warlock's corpse within a tomb. Jean Mary went mute. Madame Pualis agrees to help Lumian and Aurore if anything goes wrong. Lumian, Ryan, Valentine and Leah explore the cathedral's underground, they were attacked by the secret existence and were saved by Pualis. Ryan, Valentine and Leah visit Lumian and Aurore's home. In the Dreamscape, Lumian sees both The Flaming Monster and The Three-Headed Giant and he defeats The Blacksmith Monster obtaining Fallen Mercury.
April 2, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	86-92	Ryan, Valentine and Leah stay in Lumian and Aurore's home. At nighttime, Guillaume holds a ritual to sacrifice the sheep. In the Dreamscape, Lumian defeats The Noodle Man and steals its fate.
April 3, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	92-94	Lumian, Ryan and Valentine discover that the sheep have gone missing. Lumian, Ryan and Valentine visit Madame Pualis to ask her to explore the tomb with them, she declined. At nighttime, Lumian is attacked by an unknown individual, Ryan, Valentine, Leah, and Aurore manage to get rid of it.
April 4, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	94-97	In the Dreamscape, Lumian successfully hunts The Flaming Monster and receives the Pyromaniac Beyonder Characteristic.
April 5, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	97-99	The Lent begins. Everyone starts acting abnormally. In the Dreamscape, the mysterious lady visits Lumian house and separates the Provoker characteristics from the Pyromaniac characteristics.
April 6, 1358 (X+2 Loop)	99-107	Lumian discovers the abnormality within Aurore. Lumian, Ryan, Valentine and Leah are attacked by Sybil, Pierre, and Guillaume Bénet. In the Dreamscape, Lumian advanced to become a Provoker. The Padre kidnaps Lumian and Aurore and brings the ritual forward. The Padre succeeds with the ritual and Aurore and the citizens merge to create the three-headed giant. Aurore Lee as the three-headed giant kills herself.