23: Finally a Break

The day had passed quickly; the hours had slipped away, and the sun had risen and set on the horizon. Grey remained under the tree, lost in the thoughts that Sara's words had left in his mind.

He didn't care about skipping survival and combat classes; his head was exhausted, and his body too fatigued to train.

Finally, he decided to return to his room and take a hot shower.

And so he did.

The hot water relaxed his body and mind, wrapping him in the warm embrace he so desperately needed. As he got out, he stared at his bed, which he hadn't used for several days, not even to sit on.

"W-will I really… be able to handle this? I won't… I won't lose myself, will I?"

His legs trembled, and a feeling of coldness took over his body with every step he took toward the bed. Finally, his steps stopped. With a slow turn, he let himself fall onto the mattress and gradually settled under the blankets.

His back felt warmer in contact with the sheets, but his body was sweating, nervous, as if the fear within him was growing.

"A new story, a new book… independent of the previous me. A new self is being written. I am my own person. I must not doubt who I am… because the previous me died with those lost memories."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the tremor in his thoughts.

"I can sleep… I can live and keep writing, filling new pages, being myself. Being Grey, the legacy of ruin."

With that last thought, something shifted within Grey, something intangible and deeply spiritual. It was as if his identity settled, and his soul finally found stability.

His eyes closed, his body relaxed completely. He stopped sweating, stopped trembling, and the fear faded away.

At last, he could rest as himself.

---

The false morning sun projected from the window, illuminating the entire room. Grey slowly opened his eyes, feeling every part of his body, down to the smallest detail.

For a few seconds, he stared at the ceiling, not knowing what to do or think at that moment. With a slow gesture, he raised his hand and brought it to his face, touching his nose, his lips, passing his palm in front of his eyes, a few centimeters away.

Finally, he let his hand drop, and a soft whisper escaped his lips.

"I am… still myself."

A small but significant tear slid from the corner of his silver eyes as a bright smile began to form on his face.

The tears soon became more abundant, and his hands rose to wipe them away, though they continued to fall, wetting his cheeks.

A small, silent sob filled the room for several minutes.

...

The true sun shone in the academy's garden, casting a comforting shadow under that significant tree where a figure stood, watching the academy.

"This tree has really helped me."

Suddenly, a female voice interrupted from behind him, making Grey start slightly.

"Just the tree? How mean of you, Grey."

Sara's voice was playful, with a touch of fake annoyance.

Grey turned around and found himself just a few centimeters from her. As they both looked into each other's hypnotic eyes, Grey responded:

"Of course, you too, Sara. I truly thank you. What you told me and shared yesterday really helped me."

She smiled broadly, turned around, and approached the tree. Sitting down, she motioned for Grey to sit next to her as she replied:

"I'm glad I helped you. Those dark circles don't suit you at all. You look much better with a smooth and impeccable face."

Grey settled next to her and looked up at the sky, so bright that his eyes squinted.

...

Several minutes passed, and finally, Sara bid him farewell under the tree. Her classes were about to begin, and she had to attend. Grey, for his part, stood up a while later and headed to the cafeteria, where he hadn't been since he stopped sleeping.

The fragrant smell of different foods reached his nostrils; the meat, the vegetables, and the greens mixed in various dishes almost overwhelmed his sense of taste, making his mouth water.

He quickly grabbed several plates of pasta and meatballs and headed to the table where Sunny and Cassia were sitting.

When he arrived, they both noticed his presence and turned their gaze towards him. Sunny opened his eyes slightly, observing Grey's face. Cassia, for her part, looked at him with some confusion, not immediately recognizing who was there.

"Good morning, Sunny. Good morning, Cassia."

Cassia focused her gaze on Grey, and her big blue eyes sparkled.

"Grey! Why did you stop coming to eat here? Sunny told me it seemed like you weren't resting at all. Are you okay?"

The genuine concern on her face moved Grey. He sat next to Sunny and returned a bright smile.

"Thank you for worrying, Cassia, but I'm fine now."

She showed a doubtful expression, as if she wanted to contradict him, but after a few seconds, she sighed and gave up.

"Well, don't disappear like that again! Didn't you say we were friends? You have to tell me if you're not feeling well, Grey."

Grey faked a sorry face and said he was sorry. Then, they spent the minutes talking about simple things, like Cassia's tastes, Grey's, their favorite foods from the cafeteria, and more.

Sometimes, they even teased Sunny with questions until he got annoyed and asked them to stop.

It was a relaxing and fun moment for Grey.

As they left the cafeteria and headed to survival classes with Sunny, neither of them spoke; they simply walked. Grey had long understood that Sunny was a reserved person who didn't like to talk much.

Especially, he hated—or at least didn't enjoy—being asked frequent or personal questions. This attitude didn't bother Grey; he simply accepted it and only spoke to him when necessary.

Despite everything, Grey thought they were already friends.

...

Professor Julius congratulated him, pleased with his change, for having managed to rest and overcome the problem that prevented him from sleeping. Grey thanked him and was more active in the following classes.

The days passed quickly after solving his sleep problem, filled with morning talks with Sara, breakfasts and lunches with Sunny and Cassia, and his survival and combat training classes with Nephis.

Everything felt so good after having rested that Grey didn't realize how fast the days were passing or the sudden sleepiness that shook him as the solstice approached.

In what seemed like a blink, the day had already arrived to enter the realm of dreams.

---

This day, the last day on Earth, Grey would spend it normally. In the morning, he spent more time than usual with Sara since classes had been suspended, and they could eat whenever they wanted.

They spent the whole morning together, under that tree, in the cafeteria, and even after that, walking alone through the corners of the academy unknown to Grey.

Despite being sleepy, he never stopped appreciating every moment of the day, making sure to remember everything that would happen on his last day on Earth.

Finally, the afternoon came, and the message to meet all together in the same hall where they had entered the academy was received.

From there, the awakened Rock took them to a hospital within the academy where there were many empty spaces; people who had died in the realm of dreams, and their bodies were left soulless but still alive.

Many were horrified and discovered new fears.

Finally, they were all taken to individual rooms where they would enter a capsule that would keep their bodies safe while their souls were sent to some corner of the realm of dreams.

Inside his room, Grey looked at his capsule while his hand trembled with slight hesitation.

With a long, heavy sigh, he undressed and lay down in the capsule, ready for the journey to the Dream Realm.

"I've been through worse, right? It shouldn't be that hard… Enter, find a human citadel, and leave, how hard could it be?"

The capsule closed, and Grey's eyelids fell under the weight of sleep.

...

In a nearby room, Sara looked at her own capsule with a determined expression, but the slight trembling in her legs betrayed the nervousness she was trying to hide.

She approached the edge of the capsule and undressed; her defined curves and well-proportioned body brushed against the cold metal as she lay down.

...

In another room, a blind girl sobbed as she tried in vain to find her capsule.

...

A boy with a somber face murmured to his own shadow as he approached the capsule, his body trembling as he entered with hesitation.

...

A beautiful woman with skin as white as marble and an athletic figure looked at her own hand, a small flash of light emanating from it.

A faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips, her face showing a well-contained grimace of pain.

---

Well, that's the end of volume one. I'm entering a pretty tough week at school with exams and retaking some subjects from previous years, so I'll take this week and maybe a few days of the next one as a break from the fic.

Meanwhile, and in my free time, I'll write and prepare the entire arc of the Forgotten Coast.

How was this fic so far? Too much "filler" and too little action? Weak narrative? Could you leave a review, please? It really helps a lot.

Finally, thank you for reading this far, and see you next week 👋🏻