As the screen lit up, they were met with the vision of a spacious, tastefully decorated, and completely empty room. A gloomy instructor sitting behind a wide wooden desk. Noticing Sunny, who was entering the room, the instructor perked up.
[ "Come in, young man!" ]
"Ah, there I am. Sometimes I forget how empty my classroom used to be." Professor Julius commented.
Nephis looked at the empty room, thoughts crossing her head. Although she had received some education on how to survive in the wild, it was never a great point of focus for her or other legacies. She had learned more about wilderness survival in the wild itself than in a classroom.
'I wonder if we should invest more in wilderness survival classes.'
[ "I'm Awakened Julius. You can call me Teacher Julius. Sit down, sit down! What's your name?" ]
[ "It's Sunless." ]
[ "Ah! What an ominous name. But that is good, very good. After all, we have to deal with a lot of ominous things!" ]
"True." Someone said.
[ "Uh… I'm sorry, Teacher. Did I come too early?" ]
[ "No, no… you're right on time." ]
[ "Are other students late?" ]
"Huh."
"What is it, Effie?" Kai asked.
"He sounds so...." It seemed she wasn't sure either.
"... Polite?" Beastmaster completed.
"... Yeah. He seemed so rude, both in his conversation and in his inner thoughts, but now he is so careful around his words. Thinking about it, Little Ling also becomes quite well-behaved during your lessons, Professor Julius."
"It must be my years of academic experience." He hypotesized.
[ "No one else is coming. Those brutes are only interested in swinging their fists and swords around. Very few are smart like you and know the true value of knowledge…" ]
[ "Say, young man… why did you choose Wilderness Survival, of all things?" ]
[ "The Awakened that monitored me during the First Nightmare, Master Jet, had advised me to study it above all things." ]
[ "A very wise advice! That Master truly knows what's important… wait. Did you say Jet?" ]
[ "Soul Reaper Jet? That murderous savage?! Hm. Who would have thought that a barbarian like her would know the value of intricate knowledge." ]
"What's that supposed to mean, Professor Julius?"
"Exactly what I said. It is quite a surprise for these old bones that someone with such an infamous reputation had an actual taste for knowledge."
Jet felt her eyebrows twitch, now she understood why Effie hated when people compared her to her movie self that was just a muscle brain.
[ "Teacher, do you know Master Jet?" ]
[ "Who doesn't know the Soul Reaper? She might not be the most powerful Awakened out there, but she is certainly one of the most feared. That's because her Aspect Abilities disregard flesh and target soul cores directly. Which means that no amount of armor, damage resistance and physical protection can stop them." ]
[ "The only good thing is that she's young and not likely to become a Saint anytime soon, or even ever. Yes, luckily, there's a very low probability that she'll ever advance." ]
Jet felt her mouth form a smirk. Judging by the timeline, in less than five years she would become a Saint.
[ "Why?" ]
[ "Because of her problematic personality, of course! Who would want to help a psychopathic killer become a Saint? You need a team of outstanding companions and a lot of support to attempt conquering the Third Nightmare. Soul Reaper Jet isn't… wait!" ]
[ "Why am I gossiping with you? You're too young to know such things! More than that, it's not in my character to badmouth others behind their backs!" ]
"I would beg to differ." Jet said, her face muscles twitching uncontralably.
Young Neph, seeing the anger in her alternate Big Sis, made her presence known by hugging her tightly.
Jet felt a sense of comfort and relaxed a little.
[ 'I would beg to differ,' ]
Seeing Sunny's thoughts align with her own made her smirk.
[ He already got a lot of juicy information out of Teacher Julius. ]
[ 'Maybe choosing Wilderness Survival was the right choice after all.' ]
[ "Let's get back to your curriculum. What other courses are you taking?" ]
[ "None. For the next four weeks, I'll be fully concentrated on Wilderness Survival." ]
[ "Wonderful! This is wonderful! You're such an astute young man! Don't you worry. In four whole weeks, I will make you immortal…" ]
"That's..."
People were silent for a moment. That was something crazy to say. Since when was this professor so confident?
"Aren't you being a little too overconfident? Sunny is someone that knows nothing in this area, and you have only four weeks. Are you sure that you are capable of doing something like this?" Effie asked.
Julius chuckled.
"I believe I have done a wonderful job, have I not?" Turning towards Nephis, he asked, "Considering that the Lord of Shadows never died, can I consider that he is very hard to kill, a survivor, Lady Nephis?"
Nephis looked at the professor for a few moments.
"All I can say is that Sunny is probably one of the hardest beings to kill."
"See? Besides, how is one without survival skills supposed to survive the Dream Realm and reach the rank of Supreme?"
"Do not toot your own horn. After all, humanity has created seven Supremes, only one of them was your student. You expect me to believe that your lessons saved his life more times than his martial skill and talent?" Morgan asked.
"You'll see, don't underestimate me, lady."
[ Sunny's lessons with Teacher Julius started pleasantly and without much tension, but just an hour later, he felt like his head was ready to explode. ]
[ From time to time, Julius gaped at Sunny's lack of knowledge and relevant experience. However, he had a good attitude and an endless enthusiasm for teaching. Whenever Sunny stumbled, he would patiently slow down and allow his student to catch up. ]
[ The curriculum that Julius planned out was practically insane. There was an endless amount of theoretical knowledge to learn, practical lessons both in virtual reality and the real world, numerous subjects and weird things to study. There were even several lessons dedicated exclusively to learning the basics of several dead languages of the Dream Realm! ](Since when did Shadow Slave have VR besides the Dreamscape for Awakened?!)
[ 'Why would I need to learn new languages? The Spell automatically translates everything!' ]
[ "The Spell is not a translator! Do you think it has the time to express the intricacies of human speech? Let's say you're seeking shelter in a ruin and find an inscription that reads "certain death ahead". There are thirty words for death in the rune language! Just by knowing the runes, you'll be able to deduce what kind of danger there is!" ]
[ On the first day, they studied until the sun was about to set. Only then did Julius decide to let Sunny go. Mentally exhausted and lamenting the fact that he had to miss lunch and dinner, Sunny decided to gently remind his teacher about the importance of food for maintaining high levels of concentration tomorrow. ]
The narrator's and Sunny's thoughts began to describe his first day as various images began to pass by until it ended with the scene of Sunny tiredly walking out of class.
Cassie watched silently.
She was not that invested in the others' discussion of whether Julius' teaching truly had made Sunny immortal or not. To begin with, it was obvious it had.
Professor Julius was the figure Sunny had the most respect for, even as a Supreme, someone that outranked the man in ways that could hardly be comprehended.
And yet the old man had his respect.
Knowing Sunny, you could only do so if you had been a fundamental part of his survival and happiness.
Other proof of that was the fact that Sunny had survived several years without the translation of the Spell and she was one of the witnesses of how far his knowledge of runes went.
He was also one of, if not the most talked-about publisher of academic books, Nobody. It was very obvious how much Professor Julius had truly affected Sunny.
Anyone that knew him enough would be able to tell.
'But because of what you did... just how many people truly know him?'
"That settles it, we are voting for [ Peeping on a Fight ]."
Her eyes went wide. Did she miss the voting for the next viewing?
She quickly looked towards the screen, hoping to see the now-added descriptions.
*****
Viewings:
[ Peeping on a Fight ]
Description: [ A shadow takes a glance at a Star dueling against a Blur and ponders on its own strength. It would be the first time that the Shadow would truly acknowledge the Star. ]
[ Winter Solstice ]
Description: [ The fated day approaches, and the Shadow prepares to enter a new Realm. ]
*****
It was nothing special, it seemed to be what they had thought, with only the confirmation that the fight that Sunny had watched involved Nephis and Caster.
[ Commencing next Viewing - [ Peeping on a Fight ] . . . ]
The screen lit up again, revealing Sunny in the recognizable room of an academy dorm.
[ Sunny was pretty sure that his shadow was capable of much more than just being a silent follower. After all, the Spell had described it as being an invaluable helper. It was now up to him to find out how exactly Shadow Control could be of help. ]
"It seems we will finally get a deep dive on his abilities." Nightwalker commented.
[ Once again, he concentrated on sensing his body and spirit, then commanded the shadow to perform a series of simple motions. With each of them, he was growing more and more familiar with the feeling of controlling the shadow. ]
[ Pretty soon, it was as natural to him as breathing and walking. The shadow felt like a part of his body. ]
[ Satisfied with this initial result, Sunny carefully gave it a new command. Without pause, the shadow separated itself from the soles of his shoes, walked to the other end of the room and turned around, staring at him in slightly mocking silence. ]
"Incredible, with this he might be the best scout one could hope for." Seishan said.
"I thought all of that was just an extension of that multiple-body thing he has." Hel commented.
"His dormant ability might've evolved, or one of his future abilities works in tandem with it." Beastmaster added.
[ Sunny was left without a shadow. ]
[ 'This is not scientific at all,' ]
[ As the shadow walked away, he felt a very weird split happening in his mind. It was like his perception had separated into two distinct sources. One was his body, the other—his shadow. ]
[ Sunny blinked. In his mind, there now existed two pictures. One was of his room's door, with an indifferent shadow standing in front of it. The other was of a pale young man sitting on a chair, wide-eyed and bewildered. ]
They saw as the screen divided in two, revealing both perspectives.
[ 'That's me.' ]
They saw as Sunny waved at "them" through the shadows' point of view. Well, he wasn't really waving at them but at the shadow, that didn't stop Ling from waving back.
[ 'I can perceive the world through my shadow?' ]
[ A spy was someone who gathered information without exposing themselves to a lot of risk. A role like that suited Sunny's taste very much. ]
For a moment everyone doubted that. Anyone that knew Sunny's capabilities saw him as a powerhouse, the kind that was seen as ultimate strength.
The army of shades that rested on his soul.
The swordsmanship that seemed leagues ahead of everyone else's.
The shadow constructs that dwarfed humans, structures and even Titans.
How was that a moveset of a spy?
[ Of course, spies were also able to strike from the shadows with deadly precision. Armed with information, they were masterful ambushers. With the prior knowledge of the opponent's weaknesses, their attacks were surgical and lethal. ]
[ But any direct confrontation would mean putting himself in danger, so Sunny wasn't very keen on becoming an assassin. After all, his Aspect still lacked the means of directly enhancing his combat performance. ]
[ 'Shall we test it?' ]
[ He looked at the shadow and gave it a command. With an exaggerated sigh, the shadow bent down and nimbly slid under the door. ]
They saw as the shadow went through the hallway, stopping at certain intervals and nimbly going around the academy dorms.
The screen showed two views. One was the view of the shadow as it wandered around the dorms.
The other was Sunny's reaction to the information he was seeing through it. His face occupied the corner of the screen, leaving more space for whatever the shadow was seeing.
[ Finally, the shadow stopped at a corner. To its left were the elevators, to its right—the way to the girls' dormitory. ]
[ 'Oh my! ]
[ Yes, with this ability, it was also very easy to fall into utter depravity! But no, no. He couldn't do it. Not because of some high moral principles… ]
[ It's just that, with his reputation of a pervert, the chances of being asked if he had done something unbecoming were pretty high. So he needed the ability to honestly answer "no". ]
Some eyes twitched.
Was that really the best reason?
[ 'So… I probably shouldn't. Right?' ]
[ 'Of course you're right! Don't even think about it!' ]
Effie laughed out loud, only to be strictly glared at by those sitting around her. She tried to repress her laughter, which only resulted in her making a silly face that resembled a pressed smile.
[ Some time later, Sunny's shadow was hiding in a corner of a large dojo. He was observing his fellow Sleepers who, under the guidance of Instructor Rock, were going through the motions of the introductory combat class. ]
[ Currently, Sleepers were taking turns delivering their strongest punches to a wide plate attached to a special measuring machine. After each strike, the machine would display a number corresponding to the Sleeper's physical strength. ]
[ In theory, a machine like that was not hard to build. However, considering that many of Sleepers had combat-oriented Aspects that enhanced their might in a variety of ways, it was actually a marvel of engineering and durability. ]
[ Most people were getting numbers ranging from ten to fourteen. It was considered a good result, something that only the most athletic people could reach. However, a lot of Sleepers, obviously those with enhancing Aspects, were able to achieve a score of fifteen or even sixteen. ]
[ 'I would probably get ten or eleven,' ]
[ Then he suddenly perked up, noticing that it was turn for Nephis, the highest-rated Sleeper of their batch, to strike the plate. ]
Mundane Cassie looked at the scene and said to Nephis and Sunny, who were sitting at her sides.
"This is like something out of a manhwa, isn't it? How much do you think you will get, Neph?"
Nephis studied the screen as her on-screen self approached the plate.
"Fifteen or seventeen, perhaps?"
Sunny and Cassie looked at her as if questioning why she chose a low number like that.
[ 'She had a lot of training.' ]
[ After a short pause, the machine displayed the result: sixteen. Sunny felt a bit disappointed. ]
[ 'Not that impressive. I was expecting more.' ]
[ She was the proud bearer of a True Name, after all! ]
Nephis looked at her old score and wondered just how much stronger she had become. She felt that even now, with her powers only unlocked to the Dormant Rank, she could dwarf that score even without her Aspect.
Still...
'I don't want to hear about expectations from you, Sunny. Aren't you a Divine Aspect as well? Should you really talk about me when you yourself think that your score would be a ten?'
She wasn't really mad. Perhaps she just wished he were here so they could banter a little.
[ After that, only Caster remained. This time, Sunny couldn't even see the flying fist — it was just too fast. The machine trembled and took more time calculating. Finally, two numbers appeared. ]
[ Twenty-one. ]
[ "Not bad. Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin." ]
[ Nephis was the first to step forward and walk to the center of the ring. A couple of seconds later, a tall and extremely muscular Sleeper followed and faced her. ]
[ "The rules are simple. Make your opponent's back touch the floor or throw them out of the ring. Use whatever abilities and techniques you find appropriate." ]
[ 'Oh, the show is starting!' ]
They saw as Sunny straightened on his chair, ready to see some action. Coupling that with his younger face, some thoughts happened to cross some minds.
'Cute.'
[ 'Go Nephis!' ]
A small smile appeared on her face as she heard his inner thoughts. She had been cheered before, obviously, she was the Queen of Humanity, after all. But somehow that cheer from him, even it came from a time when they weren't that close.
They watched as she made quick work of her opponent, as expected.
[ "Next." ]
What followed was a montage of Nephis beating down every sleeper in the class, showcasing her superior martial arts skills.
Morgan watched the whole display with a hint of disappointment. There was surely a legacy there, could no one seriously match even a fraction?
It just turned all this sparring into a boring display.
Most people had to admit that Nephis was most likely sweating more because of the heat of the room than the effort she used to take down those guys.
[ 'Is… is she even human?' ]
[ What was he going to do if this Changing Star were to end up as his enemy? ]
They were already half expecting such a development, after all, everyone had to recognize Sunny's paranoia. And none could criticize it, either, after all, it was a precious skill to have.
Although Nephis felt slightly hurt.
In the Alter Room, Nephis of the Enemies timeline looked at the screen sadly.
In the end, they had truly become enemies, and Sunny had found a way to stand against her. By making hostages out of everyone in his blade's range.
On the screen, Nephis' next opponent appeared.
Caster, of the Han Li clan.
He approached Nephis with a confident stride and bowed.
[ "Lady Nephis. Please excuse me in advance." ]
[ 'What is he going to...' ]
Luckily, most spectators were already above the power of mere Sleepers, the speed at which Caster moved might've been surprising for Sunny, interrupting his very thoughts, but most of the audience caught his movements easily.
[ In a fraction of a second, Caster covered the distance between him and Nephis and delivered a devastating blow. However, despite his astonishing speed, she somehow managed to react in time, slightly turning her body to deflect the strike. ]
[ But it still wasn't enough. Although Nephis had managed to avoid being hit squarely in her center of gravity, Caster's fist ended up connecting with her shoulder, sending the girl into a spin. ]
[ His plan was very simple: while Nephis was still under the impression that the enemy was in front of her, he was going to use his unnatural swiftness to circle around and attack from the back. ]
[ The young man appeared behind the oblivious girl, ready to finish the fight with one decisive strike. Just as he planned, she seemed to be preparing to attack in the direction he had been seen just a split second ago. Gratified, Caster shifted his weight, putting it all into his fist. ]
[ However, at the last moment, Nephis suddenly changed her stance and threw her elbow back with frightening force. ]
[ Caster's eye widened. It was all a feint! ]
[ And yet, Caster still managed to avoid it, even if it was just by a hair's breadth. His speed advantage was just too big. ]
[ He then proceeded to trip and push Nephis, sending her flying to the ground. However, just before she was about to hit the mats, the young man carefully grabbed the collar of her dobok and gently pulled, slowing down the fall and allowing Nephis to land on the floor without any impact. ]
[ Lying on her back, the girl blinked a couple of times and looked up at him. The whole altercation lasted no more than two seconds. ]
"You know, if that's how you were acting in the academy, you can't really blame them for putting you two together in the movie." Effie joked.
Nephis slowly looked at her companion. Not glaring or narrowing her eyes, merely looking.
"Athena, be mindful of what you say." She said.
There was no anger in that voice, but just the use of her legal name made Effie freeze in her tracks. She slumped slightly.
"I was joking, though." She murmured to her husband, who merely promised to cook double in the provided kitchen.
[ 'So that's an Ascended Aspect? That's… that's cheating!' ]
[ The rest of the Sleepers were gawking at the young man with reverence, whispering among each other in hushed tones. It seemed that his performance left them with a deep impression. ]
[ However, Caster himself wasn't very elated. He glanced at Nephis with an unreadable expression. ]
[ That was because, unlike the rest of them, he came to a certain realization. The truth of the matter was known only to him, Nephis, Instructor Rock… and Sunny, who was very observant and quickly picked up on such things. ]
[ The thing that Sleepers failed to notice was that Nephis did not use her Aspect Ability when facing Caster. In fact, she had not used it at any point during today's testing. No one even knew what her Ability was. ]
Some were amused by Sunny's "That's cheating!" while some shook their heads at his naivety.
They also noted how he had caught on quickly to Nephis' capabilities.
[ And yet, despite his powerful Aspect, Caster barely managed to clutch a victory against her. ]
[ 'What a monster,' ]
That, everyone had to agree. In that very room called the Longing/Shadow Room, there were several who had tasted her power. It was scorching and bright.
The kind that made people feel, "Is there something that she can't do?"
[ After that, the introductory combat class was over. Sore from the beating they received, Sleepers headed for the showers. Sunny waited for a bit and then directed his shadow to sneak into the boy's locker room. ]
Effie opened her mouth to joke once again, slightly hoping that this one would land better than the last one.
Only to meet with Kai, signing her to stop before it was too late.
[ Caster himself seemed to be in a bad mood. His expression was somber, and there was a grim heaviness in his eyes. ]
[ In fact, his face grew darker with each praise he received. ]
[ "Caster, that was incredible!" "Your Aspect is overpowered, am I right?" "That Nephis girl stood no chance at all!"]
[ "True Name? Who needs that? She's just a wanna-be!" ]
"How naive. Are the children from the modern era such fools?" Solvane pondered.
"Ah, well, there are always these common joes that act like they are better than others, it's not like they were the ones who defeated her." Noctis said.
On the screen, Caster glared at the one who had said the last line.
[ "What is it?" ]
[ "I might have expected such behavior from them, but you should know better." ]
[ "Why? Is there something special about that peasant girl?" ]
[ "Peasant… peasant girl? Do you really not know who she is?" ]
[ 'No! So just get to it and say it out loud!' ]
A few chuckles rang across the rooms.
Rain watched as her brother acted like he was watching a TV show, waiting for the plot twist.
'Thinking about it... I never watched a TV show with him. Maybe I should propose to do so when we get back?'
That might be fun, so she was already excited for it.
[ "She is Nephis of the Immortal Flame clan." ]
[ "I trust that I don't need to tell you about her grandfather. Her parents were Smile of Heaven and Broken Sword." ]
This was not a great reveal for anyone watching it.
Most rooms were already aware of this information, the exception being the Nightmare Room, to which the name Immortal Flame meant nothing.
But the on-screen Sunny didn't, almost falling off his chair, for the amusement of some.
[ Even he knew who Immortal Flame and Broken Sword were. The former was the first human to conquer the Second Nightmare and become a Master. The latter—the first one to conquer the Third Nightmare and become a Saint. ]
[ They, as well as their companions, were among the most famous heroes of the human race, someone who had managed to change history with their own two hands. If what Caster said was true, then Nephis wasn't just an aristocrat… she was royalty! ]
Among the mundanes, Broken Sword and Smile of Heaven widened their eyes. It seemed like they were some kind of big shots in that world.
Or rather, bigger shots.
Considering that few people in their world didn't know about them.
[ No wonder he addressed her as "lady". Why didn't he just call her "princess" instead? ]
"See! I was right to call you so, princess!" Effie said.
Nephis sighed.
[ "Then why… why is she so…" ]
[ "Because they're all dead. The Immortal Flame clan is long gone." ]
[ "She's the only one left." ]
Broken Sword's amusement to their fame in the other world was burned completely.
His daughter...
His precious daughter was alone...
His in-laws that had become his family ever since he first met Smile of Heaven. They were dead.
His wife... was dead.
It took him a few shakes from his wife to wake him from that trance of emptiness, the dark thoughts swirling in his head.
[ Late at night, when everyone was already asleep, Sunny furtively entered the dojo. Looking around, he made sure that no one was there and then curiously approached the ring where Nephis and others had been tested earlier. He stopped at the center of the ring and stood there for a while, remembering how she had dealt with dozens of Sleepers of their batch before being defeated by Caster. ]
[ "Monsters… both of them are monsters!" ]
[ "Do you agree?" ]
[ The shadow hesitated for a few seconds, then stuck out its chest and crossed its arms, trying to appear cocky, disdainful and unperturbed. However, its act wasn't very convincing. ]
[ "Yeah, you're right. Exactly! What's the big deal anyway?" ]
"Huh."
After hearing him talking so much about having conversations with his own shadows and seeing how emotive they were now, it kind of made him seem a little saner.
[ Even royalty was not safe from the cruelty of the world. ]
[ Sunny sighed and proceeded to the measuring machine. Making a fist, he swung it and delivered his best punch. The machine hummed for a few seconds and then displayed a single number. ]
[ Nine. ]
[ "Oh, come on! I deserve a ten, at least!" ]
"Well, it's to be expected. Bad nutrition and physique along with zero training tend to result in bad results." The Devil Detective surmised.
[ Feeling very indignant, he struck the plate again, almost hurting his fingers. However, the result was the same. ]
[ "Damn it!" ]
They saw as he kept punching, his frustration leaking out from just his expression.
Well, it was normal to envy others' strength, especially when it seemed so needed.
Sunny had no training to fall back on.
And now he had no combat capability? It was bad, really bad.
His only hope was for someone to believe his scouting ability to be valuable, which it was, and keep him alive until all of his other mysterious powers were obtained.
[ Sunny paced for a bit, trying to control his anger. It seems he was destined to be a weakling. After all, the force of the strike depended on mass and acceleration. Acceleration could be improved with technique and exercise, but mass was something he had little control of. ]
[ He was already done growing, and his height was not going to drastically increase in the future. No matter how hard Sunny trained, he was always going to be a lightweight. ]
[ 'How is this fair?' ]
[ Suddenly filled with resentment, he punched the plate again, putting all of his frustration into this one strike. ]
"Why does he keep punching? It's getting annoying." Morgan said, slightly frustrated, ignoring the subtle glares of the two Nephises drilling a hole in the back of her head.
[ At that moment, a strange instinct suddenly awakened in Sunny's mind. ]
[ Following the command of this instinct, his shadow flowed up and wrapped itself around his hand, sticking to it like a black glove. In the next moment, the punch connected. ]
[ The machine trembled from the force of the strike. Sunny yelped in pain and took a step back, cradling his bruised fist. After a while, the result was displayed. However, it wasn't a nine anymore. ]
[ It wasn't even a ten. ]
[ It was eighteen. ]
Surprise.
An augmentation.
His shadow had enveloped him and made him stronger.
"Eighteen... a full 100% increase..." Beastmaster said slightly bewildered.
"That's... incredible. If you double your power as a Saint, that alone makes you supernaturally strong." Naeve commented.
"And that's only with one shadow, doesn't he have several?" Kai added.
Silence.
"Oh my gods, just how much can he augment himself? He has seven incarnations, if six of them augment one, that is a 600% increase. A sevenfold Supreme Titan..." Morgan said, her face paling slightly.
[ He looked at the displayed number for a long time, expressionless. ]
[ Then, a wide grin slowly appeared on Sunny's face. ]
[ "I see. So that's why. Of course!" ]
[ Ah, what an invaluable helper indeed. ]
[ "Now we're talking!" ]
"You can say that again!" One of the Sunny's said in the Alter Room.
[ Commencing next Viewing - [ Winter Solstice ] . . . ]
[ Sunny only had four weeks to prepare himself for the journey into the Dream Realm, so there wasn't even a minute to spare. He was relentless, pushing his body and mind to the limits in an attempt to absorb as much knowledge and skills as possible in that short amount of time. ]
[ In the day, he studied with Teacher Julius, slowly learning how to survive and take care of himself in the absence of civilization. Their lessons ranged from comparatively simple, like various ways to produce fire, to much more obscure and esoteric, like celestial navigation. ]
[ Most of these lessons were, supposedly, already included in the various school curriculums and known to the majority of Sleepers. However, learning something from a textbook and learning the same thing from an actual Awakened were two completely different matters. ]
[ Teacher Julius had a habit of going much more in-depth when explaining his subject. Thanks to this time-consuming habit of his, Sunny not only learned about the "what", but also often gained glimpses into the "why". This nascent understanding of the underlying principles of the Dream Realm environments gave him the ability to face any situation with at least some measure of readiness. ]
A great montage of various different scenes was what met them as soon as the new viewing started. Sunny buried in a pile of books, Sunny with a pair of Virtual Reality goggles, Sunny struggling to stay afloat in a pool, among others.
All while the narrator explained Sunny's experience.
[ Even the lessons in dead languages, which Sunny had initially judged to be useless, turned out to be much more interesting than he could ever imagine. This was, in large part, because it concerned the Spell itself — after all, the Spell communicated with humans in one of those dead languages. ]
[ By knowing the language, he was able to understand its various remarks and descriptions better. The simplest example of this was Nephis and her True Name, "Changing Star". While technically correct, this translation failed to properly convey the exact meaning. ]
[ By understanding the grammatical structure of the rune language, it was easy to extrapolate and see that the more correct translation would have been "Star of Change". More than that, there were different runes for "change", each with its own connotation. Depending on what exact rune was used to relay the meaning of the name, it could also mean "Ruinous Star" or "Star of Misfortune". ]
"How ominous..." Noctis commented.
"Ironic, the savior of humanity being called the Star of Misfortune." Mordret chuckled.
[ Sunny, who had never seriously studied before, found the process of acquiring vast amounts of theoretical knowledge strange, numbing and exhausting. ]
[ The poor had no opportunity to study, and without the advantage of good education, they had no way to stop being poor. ]
[ Teacher Julius also insisted on holding practical lessons every other day. Even if some of them had to be done in virtual reality simulations, he insisted on using the full immersion stations with enhanced physical feedback. As a result, Sunny was bone-tired and utterly exhausted. ] (Again, how did I forget about this?)
[ The good thing was that with such amount of exercise, coupled with his newly reforged body, Sunny had never been in better shape. Even without combat training, he could feel his strength, stamina and agility improving by leaps and bounds. ]
[ And as though this wasn't enough, Sunny secretly collected information about other Sleepers and practiced shadow control every night. ]
[ His shadow was independent enough to be sent on scouting missions without his direct control. It would sneak here and there, listening in on the conversations and observing different classes where Sleepers had to demonstrate their Aspect Abilities. ]
[ Then, after Sunny had finished his supper and returned to his room, it would come back and share everything it had heard and seen during the day. ]
[ The only problem with this arrangement was that the shadow, despite its outward snarkiness, turned out to be rather naive. It didn't quite understand how the human world worked, and as such, often failed to distinguish between useful information and meaningless chatter. ]
[ So, most of the time, Sunny would receive nothing of value or juicy gossip instead of important secrets. ]
They found this quite interesting. Well, not the part of Sunny peeping on everyone else, but the fact that his shadow seemed to have some sort of separate personality and identity.
"Has any of his incarnations acted different from the others?" Revel asked, curious.
"Well, depending on which incarnation he is speaking through, there are some details that can be noticed." Aiko said.
"Yeah, there is one that is smiling a lot of the time, as it's a little harder to piss it off." Luster commented.
"There is one that at least bothers with acting like a Sovereign, until it stops doing that, at the very least it still looks at others slightly haughtily." Rain added.
"And there is that one where he stays there looking at corpses for weird amounts of time." Aiko completed with a shiver, just like the rest of the Shadow clan.
[ Apart from gathering information and slowly learning about the scope and details of various Aspect Abilities, and, to a lesser extent, Flaws, he was also experimenting with Shadow Control. ]
[ The results were very promising. He quickly found out that his shadow was able to enhance various objects and not only his body. If it wrapped itself around a weapon, the weapon strike harder and deliver more damage. If it was applied to an armor, the armor would become sturdier and harder to break. ]
[ The enhancement was rather substantial, too. It was roughly twice as much as the initial value. ]
[ All in all, this Ability, if used correctly, could make him a powerhouse among the Sleepers. Many combat Aspects could deliver more speed or damage, many could provide more defense and protection, but none were as well-rounded and versatile as Shadow Slave. ](Title drop)
[ Just like that, day after day passed, slowly turning into weeks. ]
[ Before Sunny even knew it, the winter solstice was already here. ]
"So it is time. I wonder who he met first on the forgotten shore?" Effie asked.
In the same room, Cassie recalled the memory of the Soul Devouring Tree burning in the eternal night of the Forgotten Shore.
[ He was already familiar with this feeling of neverending, ensnaring sleepiness. It was the same in the days before his First Nightmare. It was also quite similar to what he had experienced while slowly dying of hypothermia on the slopes of the Black Mountain. ]
[ Remembering the cold embrace of approaching death, Sunny couldn't help but shiver. ]
[ This was his last day on Earth… at least for a while. ]
[ 'Ugh.' ]
"Same." Regressor Sunny said, receiving the nods of other Sunnys, and to his displeasure that included the Mad Prince's.
[ There was no point in guessing. He had already done everything in his power to prepare for the inevitable. He studied hard, trained hard, and kept his secret safe. His Aspect was better than most, and his will to survive was long tempered by the harsh reality of the outskirts and the even harsher ordeal of the First Nightmare. ]
[ All in all, he was ready. ]
"He is right, there isn't much more he can or could do. Not with the time he had, at least."
The scenario of him being infected a few months earlier was simply an "What If?" that would never be answered. Unless there was an alternate version like that in the Alter Room.
[ The cafeteria was full of Sleepers, but no one was talking. Everybody was in low spirits and seemed to be uncharacteristically introspective. There was no usual laughter or boisterous conversations—only the Legacies remained calm and collected. However, even they kept to themselves. ]
"Can't really blame them. Every single one of us went silent when one of us had to depart for the Winter Solstice." Beastmaster said.
Along with her sisters, she looked sadly at Seishan, the memories of the uncertainty of her survival had been very painfull.
[ Sunny thought about the last time he was preparing to enter the Spell and, with a bit of trepidation, approached the coffee machine. During his stay in the Academy, he had long discovered that a lot of people were in a habit of adding sugar and milk to their coffee. So, on this auspicious day, he decided to give it another try. ]
"Hallelujah!" Mundane Sunny exclaimed.
The pain of seeing a version of himself drinking coffee without any sugary additives was preposterous for someone who owned a cafe.
Well, at least it wasn't honey.
[ After all, it was nice to have a tradition. ]
[ A few minutes later, he had taken his usual seat near Cassia, the blind girl. Despite their compulsory closeness, they had not talked to each other even once, just like two strangers forced to share the same space by circumstances beyond their control. Sunny did not see a reason for anything to change today. ]
Hearing the narrator say her name, Cassie's attention sharpened.
The table that in her memories only included her was now occupied by one more person. For the current Cassie, it didn't make her feel that touched, it was nice, yes, but it wasn't groundbreaking.
But for a younger her, it was most likely a silent consolation.
A small comfort in a life that seemed to be coming to its end.
[ However, as soon as he took the first sip of coffee, Cassia suddenly turned her head and stared at him with her beautiful, blind blue eyes. ]
"Huh?"
She was confused.
Just like Sunny said, there hadn't been a single interaction between the two. So why was she breaking that silence.
And why now?
[ Unnerved, Sunny looked around, checking if someone else had attracted her attention, and, after making sure that there wasn't anyone standing behind him, asked: ]
[ "W—what?" ]
[ "Happy Birthday." ]
It was like her mind was sent to the past.
On the day that she had first met him, in her memories at least.
That cafe that he owned and the message that her past self had left behind.
The excitement of meeting the weapon that had allowed her to complete her greatest desire of breaking fate.
And she had only been tasked with saying one thing.
"Happy Birthday"
Just how much did that phrase mean to the original Cassie?
She didn't have to think long and hard for it.
If she knew his birthday, she most likely had a vision of him, meaning that Sunny's face was the first one she had seen after her getting her Flaw.
Knowing that he was beside her on that table, she most likely held herself from closing that distance, knowing how she would soon become a corpse.
Merely waiting for the day of the Winter Solstice and wishing him a happy birthday, silently hoping that he wouldn't become like her, a corpse.
She had celebrated Sunny's birthday with him ever since they had met in that cafe, but now that date felt so much heavier to her.
[ 'What? Oh, right. It's my birthday today.' ]
[ He had completely forgotten about it. He was turning seventeen today. ]
[ 'Wait… how did she know about this?' ]
"Really, how?" Effie asked.
"I most likely got a vision about it..." Cassie responded absentmindedly, ignoring the weird gazes directed at her.
[ "Uh… thanks." ]
[ With a nod, Cassia turned away and seemingly lost interest in having a conversation once again. ]
[ 'Seventeen, huh?' ]
[ Sunny was never sure that he would make it to this age alive. And yet, despite everything, he did. Life was sure unpredictable sometimes. ]
For the Sunnys in the Alter Room, they had to admit that there was a point in life where every birthday they had the same thought.
'How the hell did I live so long?'
[ 'This is not bad. Let's do it again next year, when I'm already an Awakened.' ]
[ Cheering himself up like that, he finished his coffee and left the cafeteria. ]
[ There were no classes today, but he still visited the Wilderness Survival classroom and said his goodbyes to Teacher Julius. The old man got pretty emotional when sending him off. He gave Sunny "one last tip" a dozen or so times in a row and even promised to apply for a research assistant position to be opened after the young man had become a full Awakened. ]
"A shame that apparently he didn't take it. Ah. A shame indeed." the professor sighed in regret.
[ Sunny left thanking him for his time and patience. ]
[ After that, there wasn't much to do. ]
[ When the sun was close to setting, Instructor Rock gathered them in the foyer of the Sleeper Center and led them outside. ]
[ In the snowy parks that surrounded the white building, other Awakened were leading their own batches of Sleepers to the same destination. It was the Academy's medical center. ]
[ To Sunny's surprise, after entering the medical center, Instructor Rock did not take them directly to the wing containing Sleeper pods. Instead, he led them to a comparatively deserted floor and then opened the doors to a spacious gallery that was brightly illuminated by the beautiful crimson rays of the setting sun. ]
[ There, they saw rows and rows of wheelchairs. In each wheelchair, there was a person with a blank, strangely peaceful expression on their face. All these people were completely silent, motionless, and still. They did not show any reaction to the appearance of guests. ]
"Hollows..." Nephis' voice escaped her before she could control it.
The face of her mother crossed her mind.
Nephis calmed down the fire that fueled her revenge and focused on the screen.
[ They all seemed to be… empty. ]
[ "There is a reason I brought you all here. Look well and remember. Some of you may know who these people are… for those of you who don't, they are called Hollow." ]
[ "Each one of them was once either a Sleeper or an Awakened. Some of them were weak, some of them were strong. Some were even incredibly powerful. All of them have perished in the Dream Realm." ]
[ 'Their… their souls are gone,' ]
"Just... What happened to these people?!"
In the Alter Room, those that were mundane were astonished. Although Awakened Rock had given them an explanation, it was still terrifying.
[ 'If you're lucky, once your spirit is destroyed, your body dies with it. But if not, you'll become just like them. Hollow.' ]
[ "So don't die out there." ]
[ Half an hour later, Sleepers had been led to their personal rooms and were preparing to enter the pods. ]
[ There was a room where Shadow Slave Sunless, Lost from Light, turned away from the sleeping pod and glanced down at his shadow. ]
[ "Well? Are you ready?" ]
[ The shadow shrugged and didn't answer. ]
[ "Yeah, me too." ]
"That seems an apt description of anyone about to enter the Dream Realm for the first time." Roan confessed.
[ [Welcome to the Dream Realm, Sunless!] ]
[Viewing [ Winter Solstice ] has been completed.]
[ Theme: [ Academy Days ] has ended ]
**********
A/N: Longest chapter I ever wrote, genuinely tired, I'm going to sleep. Hope you liked it.
Check Out my other Fanfics:
Cursed Shadow(JJK/JJK Modulo x Shadow Slave Fic)
Trailblazing Shadow(HSRxShadow Slave Fic)