As the hot water flowed over Sunny's skin, a sigh escaped between his humming from his thin lips.
While the hot shower was both a novel and nostalgic experience, being told that he "reeked of Nightmare" by the most attractive woman he had ever encountered did bring his mood down a bit and bruised his ego quite a lot.
As the shower fogged up, Sunny went over his memories—both sets of them.
His clear ones were the most vivid: an orphaned Outskirt rat who realized his sister did not need him anymore and achieved a divine Aspect through sheer spite and cunning.
The 'other' set,from the Az guy ,was scattered and made little sense. They were of an antisocial punk in the heart of Europe, who somehow wasted a promising school, **SCHOOL**, career for quick money and an outlet for violence. Heno clue how it got there, but it had bits and pieces of a story that was just too real for Sunless.
'*'
As his thoughts and shadow wandered, Sunny retreated into his soul sea. There, before he could even do what he had planned, he noticed that his once rayless ocean was now illuminated by iridescent webbing, for some reason a feeling of nostalgia washed over him at the sight.
As the dark-haired boy gave in to his curiosity and went to inspect the intrusion, it faded away, leaving Sunny more irritated than anything.
'Of course, it would disappear. What else would happen with my luck?'
The pale boy brooded, his hand wandering to his left eye, scratching the light scarring under it. In his Soul sea, he could see once more without the blurring that covered the left side of his vision.
Taking a deep breath, Sunless inspected his Runes:
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Shadow Core:Dormant.
Shadow Fragments: [12/1000]
Memories:[Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud].
Attributes: [Fated], [Mark of Divinity], [Child of Shadows], [Trinity], [Web]
Aspect: [Shadow Slave].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond].
Ability Description: [Find a worthy master and let them know your True Name. Once they recite it out loud, you will be bound to their will, unable to disobey any command. It is improper for a shadow, let alone a divine one, to walk around without a master.]
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control].
Aspect Ability Description:Your shadow is more independent than most. It is an invaluable helper.]
**Flaw:** [Clear Conscience].
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
And just as he expected, there was something new in his Runes. What he did not expect was the descriptions of the Attributes.
[Trinity]'s attribute description was not just written in the ancient language of the Runes, but in a language that died along with Europe, German,in the ever-changing colors of webbing.
[Trinity]'s attribute description: To reinforce the minds, souls, and bodies. They shall make you more.
The description was bare-bones and made only some sense to him, but despite this, understanding dawned upon him as the colors left the description.
Sunny moved on to the description of [Web].
[Web]'s attribute description: A strong web made to make the alien coexist.
With this, he understood why Jets' slanp did less than it should.
'*'
As Sunny was drying his obsidian hair, he became more aware of the [Web] flowing through his body, reinforcing it, strengthening it.
Using his Shadow senses to compensate for his damaged left eye, he moved toward the mirror to fix his hair. Not something he used to do in the Outskirts, but now he just couldn't stand having it messy.
As he saw himself reflected in the mirror, he took some time to check himself out.
The changes in his physique were subtle but noticeable. His pale skin seemed a little healthier, his muscles a bit more pronounced. He looked slender and lean instead of emaciated and frail, as he did before. There was a slight luster to his dark hair and a shine to his right eye. His left eye had a scar running through it, with a milky cornea. He stood straight and with purpose.
Despite this, he was still rather diminutive. Not exactly a picture of masculine handsomeness, to say the least.
'Flower boy, huh?' Sunny thought. Still, it's not like he was unattractive; he could probably make himself presentable.
'*'
A few minutes after that, he was wearing a clean police-issued tracksuit and heading for the cafeteria.
Master Jet was waiting for him at one of the tables, with two trays full of steaming synthetic food in front of her.
"Help yourself."
Sunny glanced at the cheap gruel, which was not so different from the stuff he used to consume in the outskirts. Still, it was disgusting when compared to real food Az used to eat, so he sighed and pushed down his memories. He was still expecting some real food after becoming a Sleeper, and not something that only had one positive aspect: it was food.
He sat down and had to stop himself from wolfing down his gruel like a rabid beast, so as not to embarrass himself in front of a beautiful woman like Jet.
In the process, his thoughts began to wander. Sunny stole a glance at Jet and wondered. The Spell told him to find a master, and the next thing he knew, there was a woman calling herself Master right in front of him. He tried to imagine being an obedient slave to someone like her. Despite it not being the worst situation, something nagged at the back of his mind.
And then the weird thoughts started to appear in his mind...
"You know what, Sunny," he thought with dark irony. "Knowing your luck, this would be a perfect moment for her to ask..."
"What are you thinking about?"
Sunny choked on the gruel. He felt his mouth beginning to open and put all of his will into staying silent, just to order his thoughts. A second passed without him saying anything. Then a weird pressure appeared in his mind, which soon turned into blinding pain. He endured it for a couple more seconds before giving up.
"I was thinking about what my life will be like in the future," he finally said.
Jet gave him a weird look.
"Alright. Are you almost finished with your food?"
Sunny nodded.
"Then I'll begin. As per protocol, I am obligated to inform you of a few things. It is mostly a formality.
First of all, concerning your Nightmare..."
She glanced at him and sighed.
"You are entitled to receive free psychological counseling. No matter what traumatic experience you have encountered, there is no shame in asking for help. Your mind is as important as your body — it's only right to keep it healthy. Are you interested?"
Sunny tilted his head to the left to look directly at Jet and said, "No ma'am, I'm not interested, nor do I think it would be necessary." From his experience, therapy was never useful or for him. Jet shrugged and continued:
"As you wish. You can also talk to me. Was it very hard?"
How could he answer?
"It was simultaneously much worse than I expected and exactly as bad as I expected."
She nodded, satisfied with that explanation.
"That's a good attitude. I won't pry any further. Us Outskirt rats are way more resilient than people think."
Sunny looked at her in surprise; he knew that she was somewhat like him from the story in his memory, but not this.
"Master Jet... you grew up in the Outskirts?"
She grinned.
"What? You can't tell because of my exquisite manners and polished exterior?"
He blinked a couple of times, surprised.
"I couldn't tell at all."
After thinking for a while, he added:
"Are there a lot of people like us among the Awakened?"
Jet's smile disappeared.
"No. There's not. In fact, they can be counted on one hand."
As expected. Odds were really stacked against people like them. That made the three stars on Jet's insignia even more exceptional.
'One day, I'll be a Master too, and then some.'
"So... what happens now? What else are you obligated to tell me?"
Sunny had no idea what he was supposed to do after leaving the police station. The winter solstice was just several weeks away.
Jet leaned back and answered:
"That's basically it. There are some additional hoops to jump through, mostly having to do with your family, but... well. I've read your file, so I know it doesn't apply. The only thing left is to decide how you will be preparing for your first journey into the Dream Realm."
She looked at her communicator and grimaced.
"I must stay; your luck is exceptionally bad. There's not a lot of time at all. First of all: you are free to do what you want. No one is forcing you to make a certain decision. That is to say, you can choose to prepare on your own or not prepare at all. Party until the lights go out."
"However, I would advise against that. As a Sleeper, you are also entitled to enroll in the Awakened Academy. You'll be provided with food, lodging, and a wide choice of preparatory classes. This late into the year, you won't be able to learn a lot. But it's better than nothing."
She was silent for a few seconds, then added:
"More importantly, you will get acquainted with most of the people who will enter the Dream Realm with you. Some of them might become your companions for life."
'And some may end up trying to end that life once we're inside the Spell,' Sunny added, not only reading between the lines of what Master Jet had said, but what he knew from the flashes of memory revealed about the forgotten shore.
"So, what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the Academy?"
Sunny did not need to think about it. He was well-versed in partying. But he had no money, no knowledge, and no one to rely on.
So, he looked down at his empty tray and made the only right decision.
Free lodging and food, you say?
"Yeah. I want to go to the Academy."