Before she could answer, news arrived that a large number of Sleepers had Awakened almost simultaneously. This caused a sensation throughout the world, and almost immediately, the newly Awakened were called in for interviews.
"Lady Changing Star, you were in a place called the Forgotten Shore, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"We know that place is full of Nightmare Creatures of Awakened rank and higher. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"After successfully making your way to a gateway, your comrades said you had to fight some kind of terrifying monster. Did you defeat it?"
"Yes."
The interviewer started to grow anxious as Nephis only answered with brief yes or no responses.
"Lastly, we heard of Sleeper Christopher, who drew the attention of the surging Nightmare Creatures so you could reach the gateway. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"As far as we know, he is still alive, and you were the last to come out. Do you know anything? How did he escape?"
"He didn't."
"But he is clearly alive..."
"He didn't escape. He killed them all."
"But... we heard there were hundreds of them."
"That's correct. He killed all of them while we made our way out."
"Then how come he hasn't come out yet?"
Nephis gritted her teeth but calmed down before answering.
"That gateway was some kind of machine, so someone had to stay behind for it to function. He stayed."
After the interviews concluded, all the freshly Awakened gathered as Instructor Rock explained what they had discovered.
"As we have determined, you escaped from a place called the Forgotten Shore. However, the gateway you used functioned like a machine that required someone to operate it. To our knowledge, it was Sleeper Christopher who stayed behind. We know he is still alive, as his bodily functions and brain waves remain normal."
"What?!"
"He survived that sea of monsters?"
"How is that possible?!"
"As of now, we lack information about what lies beyond the Hollow Mountain, so his chances are either finding a different gateway or challenging a Nightmare Seed."
"He will make it."
"Yes! If someone can take on hundreds of Nightmare Creatures alone, then he can definitely escape."
The mood lifted as people murmured among themselves with renewed confidence.
Not long after, a list of the freshly Awakened was made public. Exactly 462 people had survived and returned. At the top of the list were the strongest among them:
Changing Star – Nephis
Golden Serpent – Gunlaug
Raised by Wolves – Effie
Nightingale – Kai
Song of the Fallen – Cassia
The world was in an uproar over so many True Names emerging at once. Many of them received invitations to join Legacy Clans, but before consulting with Nephis about the future, none of them responded to the inquiries.
The next day, Nephis invited everyone to a large, pre-booked hall to share her plans.