Sunny was taken into the sleeper part of the academy compound. By the time he arrived, the ceremony had already started.
A tall...a very tall man wearing a dark blue uniform has just climbed onto the stage. Not only was the man tall, he was actually a giant. Sunny wondered if his mother had sinned with a bear...
Which was impossible, as bears had gone extinct long before the nightmare spell even appeared. He had seen some pictures of a bear once, and the man looked sort of similar.
'A bear-like nightmare creature then.'
The man didn't pay a lot of attention to the fact that he joined late. Jet did tell him that they were a little late due to their unforeseen talk in the alley. Sunny assumed that the man was waiting for him to arrive.
"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the academy."
He said in a deep, reverberating voice. Everyone continued to listen without making any sound.
"In less than a month, you will be summoned to the dream realm. Some of you might think you are well prepared. You're wrong. The Spell is merciless...."
Sunny continued to hear his speech attentively while observing his surroundings.
He noticed two things immediately.
Firstly, everyone was well-dressed and in possession of a suitcase, duffel bag, or at least a backpack carrying their personal belongings. They were well prepared and most likely coming from home, sent off by loving and caring families. The only other Sleeper who came empty-handed and wearing police-issued clothes alongside him was a silver-haired girl.
Secondly, Jet was not being overly humble when she called herself below average by Awakened standards. Even though these young people were just starting their paths as Awakened, their looks were dazzling. Everyone was handsome, beautiful, and radiated health.
He swallowed.
'Still, I feel like none of them compare. She might not be as perfectly shaped'…
Sunny stopped thinking to take another look at the crowd around him.
'Scratch that, she is perfectly shaped. It's just that pallor—unnatural, corpse-like skin that hides her beauty at first glance… but… I don't know… She has a presence. It's like shadows become deeper and the temperature drops by a couple of degrees when she's in a room'.
Sunny tore his thoughts away from Jet, feeling an odd reluctance to focus on anything else.
He noticed something he hadn't before. There was a pattern to the crowd. The Sleepers, whether they realized it or not, had instinctively arranged themselves according to their backgrounds.
There were one or two tiny groups near the stage at the far end of the hall. These groups' members were different from the rest of the Sleepers. They all exuded poise, confidence, and preparedness. These were the Legacies; they had the best chance of surviving because they had been prepared for the Spell from birth.
There were more young people in fancy clothes next to them. They were lively, enthusiastic, and just a touch anxious. They were the scions of rich and high-ranking citizens. Such families had plenty of money to pay private instructors, including Awakened ones, therefore their training was fairly good. They had a good chance of surviving.
The crowd's main segment was made up of children from middle-class families. Although they were not fortunate enough to receive instruction from Awakened tutors, they received a decent education. In order to prepare future Sleepers, the government made a great effort to include all the required knowledge and abilities in the school curriculum.
It's possible that some of them underwent private supplementary training. These Sleepers would have to be extremely hard-working and a little lucky to survive. It wasn't unlikely, though. They were therefore anxious and tensed.
And lastly, there was Sunny and a quiet girl.
The girl had a delicate, graceful presence and was undeniably pretty. Her outfit was simple but clean and well put together. With her pale blonde hair, wide blue eyes, and finely sculpted features, she resembled a fragile porcelain doll.
She was subtly breathtaking.
However, there was something wrong with her. Sunny frowned, trying to understand what exactly about the girl made him uncomfortable. After a while, he realized that her empty, expressionless stare was reminding him of Mountain King.
Startled, Sunny understood that the girl was blind. It took him a couple of seconds to compose himself.
'What a shame.'
The girl wouldn't have survived the First Nightmare if she had been blind prior to entering the Spell. Which meant that she lost her sight as the result of the Appraisal.
It was her flaw.
Suddenly, Sunny felt very apprehensive. A cold sensation spread through his chest.
'And I thought my Flaw was bad.'
No matter what Aspect Ability the blind girl had received in exchange for her sight, it was effectively a death sentence. A blind person had no chances of surviving in the Dream Realm, at least not with a dormant core.
In a way, she was already dead.
Just a ghost still clinging to life.
At that moment, Awakened Rock was speaking about the Dream Realm. Sunny forced himself to listen, trying to focus.
It disturbed him how much of what he thought he knew was just myth and fantasy. The truth was, most of his understanding came from cartoons and web novels. If he wanted to survive, he'd have to learn fast—really learn—or risk dying armed with nothing but false confidence.
Thankfully, Jet had shown him exactly which course he needed to take.
"That is all for today. Next, follow the instructions sent to your communicators to find your assigned dormitory. Once settled, you may proceed to the cafeteria for some late supper. There will be a round of interviews after that to prepare your suggested curriculums. Get a good night's rest. Your training starts tomorrow."
With that, he gave them a short nod and left.
Sunny sighed.
Awakened Rock has mentioned that the exact location of where one will appear in the dream realm can't be predicted in advance.
'Can't be predicted in advance, huh?'
With his luck, he would either drop right in the middle of a prosperous human Citadel and immediately roll into a Gateway or appear in some region of the Dream Realm so remote and deadly that no one had ever heard about it or returned from it alive.
'Let's hope for the former.'
Since he couldn't do anything about it, Sunny wasn't very worried. There was something much more important on his mind — what, exactly, do they serve here for supper…
AN: We still dont have enough reviews to get rated. Please leave a review if you want and be honest, I need some criticism. Also add it to your collection and leave some power stones.