24 Chapter 24

Titanic, seemingly indestructible, red gates stood before him, separating him from the city within the city that was the Awakened Academy. Its high wall of alloys, numerous large-caliber turrets, and deep moat turned it into a nigh-impregnable fortress.

Lured by dramas and webtoons, Dane had always wanted to come here. Now, he was. The circumstances he was under had sucked away all but a sliver of joy out of him. He breathed in deeply. On the bright side, he would be here for a month. That had to be a good thing.

Snow fell from on high. It covered the world in white, aside from the wall. It was cold and silent but deadly beautiful. The gates stirred, and the giant sheet of reinforced metal descended to serve as a bridge. Its ends hit the grooves in the ground and stopped moving after it slotted in with a set of clicks.

He exhaled and walked forward.

***

Located in the southern section of the Academy, the part of the compound allotted to the Sleepers was relatively small, surrounded by training fields and parks.

It was a low, modern building with pristine alloy walls of white and broad windows. Like most buildings here, most of it was underground. Inside, the building was carpeted and illuminated warmly. It was not so cold inside, much to Dane's liking. He was guided to a large hall where a small crowd stood, waiting for the induction ceremony. They were Sleepers by the looks of them, youthful and attractive. 

Everyone had come prepared with some luggage, it would seem, other than one boy and a girl, both in police-issued tracksuits. One was a boy, slender and lean with pale skin. His eyes were dark and had a faint luster to them.

The other was a girl with strangely-colored short silver hair, neatly parted to the side, and a slender and athletic build. She rested against a wall, listening to music on a pair of old-fashioned headphones. Dane felt a pang of sadness shoot through him. He loved music like anyone else. He had yet to try listening to it since he received his flaws, but he knew it wouldn't be the same.

He looked down at his new communicator that replaced the one he had used to receive messages from Lancel. His uncle had it destroyed to erase the texts. On it was a picture of Nephis, taken from the police station's security cameras. Sure enough, weird silver hair. It was her. Dane's gaze lingered on the enigmatic woman, and then he looked away as someone approached.

With blood dripping down his face, the boy from earlier stopped ahead of him. He said something. Dane scratched his head awkwardly, wondering how to brush him off. He didn't want his Flaw to be revealed that easily and quickly, but when a trace of annoyance became evident on the boy's face, he hastily linked his mind with his as he cursed his Flaw. Anyone could be his ally in the Dream Realm, and he would do well not to antagonize someone for no reason.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," he said inside his head. The boy took a step back, looking wide-eyed at him. At his lips, to be exact, he must have noticed that they didn't move. "Just think about conversing with me and voice the words out in your head," he stole Lian's words.

With a bewildered look, he nodded.

"Hello?" his voice came.

"Hi."

"Is this your ability?" he asked wonderfully.

Dane shook his head. He explained, "A Memory's enchantment. It helps circumvent my Flaw. I'm Dane." He offered his hand.

He took it. "I'm Sunless."

Sunless, what an odd…but cool name. They shook hands awkwardly. Dane searched for a topic, not sure what to say. He found one. "What happened to your nose?"

Sunless flushed red and remained silent. Dane cocked an eyebrow. Eventually, he said with a pained expression, "I was hit."

…was he being bullied? Already? The induction ceremony hadn't even started. "Why did they hit you?" he asked.

The boy scratched his head. "I just…uhm…said a few things. To a few girls, it was all a misunderstanding," he said.

What could he have said to make them punch him? Ah, whatever, it was none of his business. He asked, "What were you saying before?"

"Oh, I came because of your eyes. They look like…," and he stopped, seemingly thinking better of whatever he planned to say. "What's up with them?" he questioned.

He didn't know? He sighed and explained, "Sometimes, an Aspect or an Attribute causes mutations in your body. They can be cosmetic or have uses."

Sunless opened his mouth to say something, but then a giant of a man in a dark blue uniform appeared on the stage. With his broad shoulders and severe eyes, he attracted everyone's attention.

"A bear-like Nightmare Creature then," the boy's voice rang out in his mind. A smile tugged at Dane's lips, knowing what the boy had been thinking. "Keep your thoughts to yourself," he said.

His gaze passed through the crowd of Sleepers. When he reached the center of the stage, he spoke in a deep, reverberating, and garbled voice. "What did he say?" he asked Sunless, who he kept in the periphery of his vision.

Sunless took a long look at him. "He introduced himself. He's Awakened Rock. You couldn't hear him?"

Dane exhaled a short breath.

"I couldn't understand him. It is my Flaw."

He gasped audibly. Luckily, no one bothered to pay them attention as the Awakened had the stage.

"Why did you tell me?" he asked.

"Not like I can hide it. Now, can we stop talking about it? It's a sore spot."

Sunless nodded.

As Awakened Rock spoke, the boy gave him a few looks as the man spoke. "Do you want me to tell you what he's saying? He's, uh, telling us about the Dream Realm. He just told us that some Nightmare Creatures can mimic human appearance."

Dane shook his head. "There is no need. I am a Legacy…but I'd appreciate it if you could tell me what we have to do after this," he requested politely. This guy wasn't so bad. Mindful, even. Why did the girls punch him?

A few minutes later, Awakened Rock got off the stage.

"Follow the instructions sent to your communicator to find your assigned dormitory," Sunless brought out his communicator, "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. All that was in quotes, by the way."

Dane nodded. "Thanks," and brought out his communicator. Sunless started walking away. Dane thought for a moment and called out. "Want to join me for supper?"

***

Dane found the dormitories easily. They were situated on the lowest levels, and his room was, funnily enough, right next to Sunless's. Inside, he found a bed, a table, a dresser, and a bathroom. It was warm inside, thankfully.

The outer wall had a hidden screen that flawlessly emulated a wide window, showing a snowy park. In the dresser, stitched with the Academy's emblem, were several sets of clothes.

Dane sat at the desk, reflecting. It had been less than a day since he awoke, yet six people already knew one of his Flaws. They were Lancel, Nova, Nolan, Lian, Jun, and Sunless. He might have been the only Legacy to reveal his Flaw to so many. But that was fine. What he needed to hide was [Soul Infliction].

And while he was here, he also had to mask his intentions. He did not wish to kill Nephis. But Song was under the impression that he would obey them…and he needed to keep it that way. They had eyes everywhere.

He put his hands on his face, rubbing his temples. He had yet to think of how he would…react…to what they had done to his sister. Rage reared its ugly head, churning the hollow pit that was his stomach. So did fear. What could he do? A petty sleeper against the might of a Sovereign and all her Saints and Masters. Laughable.

He closed his eyes. 'Don't think about it.'

Think. What would he have done under circumstances where he was utterly loyal to the Queen…it was a fool's ambition to try attempting her murder in the Academy. What was there to do but gain Nephis's trust? But that was no easy task. Forget getting her to trust him. He needed her to know him first. How could he make her come to him? And not the other way around…

Nephis was of a Fallen Clan. She had no allies, and she desperately needed dependable allies. With the ambition of the Immortal Flame burning inside her…how could she not have thoughts of building her clan up to what it once was? Vengeance, even? She needed powerful friends. That was it.

His True Name was the key. When Awakened received True Names and told the Academy, it was revealed to the rest of the students shortly after. Perhaps they would never speak during their time at the Academy, but knowing and remembering him was a step forward in gaining her trust in the Dream Realm.

That was a good line of thinking. The Great Clan would see through his plan. That was all he needed to do. He didn't even have to talk to her.