Skepticism

[Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you.]As my voice sounded in Sunny's ears, he looked around frantically, becoming noticeably more tense.

Expecting such a response, I remained calm and awaited his reaction. 

A tense few seconds later, Sunny spoke with a confused tone.

"Who said that?" he said, scanning the surroundings from left to right and up and down.

While it did look ridiculous in the mirror's reflection, I decided not to laugh.

[I did] I responded, earning a pause in Sunny's frantic searching.

"And who are you?"

[Isn't it obvious?] I answered dubiously, hoping he would figure it out himself.

"Of course not" he replied, not taking the bait.

This was expected, so I quickly brainstormed before spotting a curious and gloomy shadow.

'Bingo.'

[Ah... well, I am your shadow.]Even more confused, Sunny pointed to the shadow.

"This is you," he said suspiciously.

[Yup] I confirmed. The shadow pointed to itself before shaking its head, seemingly confused by its owner pointing at it.

Maybe it heard our conversation.

"I don't believe you."

'Son of a Bitch.'The shadow was clearly confused as it pointed to itself.

[You will believe me soon enough. I can prove to be... an invaluable helper.]Upon hearing the words "invaluable helper" Sunny paused and gave the gloomy shadow a scrutinizing look, which only seemed to confuse it further.

Following its confusion was what could only be described as a sigh.

'This is going to be harder than I thought.'

[Why don't you believe me exactly?] I asked as nicely as I possibly could.

"Because this bastard here seems to be annoyed at my very existence. Meanwhile, you greeted me politely and haven't insulted me even once. Even though I've only known this shadow for a few minutes, I can take a guess at its personality"

Sunny replied, finishing with a pointed look at the gloomy shadow, which slumped its shoulders and turned away, appearing resigned.

'He makes a point.'

[Well, I'm just very bashful... you little rat] I uncomfortably added the last part, which earned a growl from Sunny.

Before he could retort, the door to his room opened, and Master Jet walked in, cool and collected until she saw Sunny grumbling at the air and muttering curses.

His shadow glanced at Master Jet and then back at its master, burying its face in its hands, embarrassed by his behavior.

Sunny froze and quickly gained a reddish hue to his face as he saw her awkward smile.

"You sure you don't want to visit a psychiatrist?" she said, observing his discomfort.

[Bahahaahaha,] I couldn't hold in my laughter, beginning to wheeze.

Even though I didn't have a true body, I could still have a good chuckle at his discomfort, what good luck.

"No... I'm fine, just hearing a voice" Sunny managed to reply.

"Uh-huh right... Well, follow me, we'll be going to the academy."Nodding, he began to follow her, still a little embarrassed.

His embarrassment subsided as my laughter faded from his mind.

Deciding to stop after another minute or so, I held back my laughter.

I could feel Sunny's fury; even Master Jet probably sensed it as she gave him a couple of side glances.

[I haven't laughed like that in a while, oh, so good. Anyway, I suggest you listen to her very carefully. Oh, and don't mention my existence again, unless you want to look like a madman, or mad prince.]

Opening his mouth, Sunny was about to speak up but couldn't.

Near Master Jet, he couldn't speak aloud.

Not getting an answer from Sunny was fine, but he needed to find a way to communicate with him through their minds.

[Alright, you need to learn how to communicate with me through your mind,] I said to him as Master Jet motioned for him to enter the PTV.

[It's very simple. Just think of something and then have the intent to say it to me, kind of like moving a finger on your arm. It's simple, really.]

(Like this?) Sunny immediately sent over, his voice a little shaky but he got the gist of it.

[Exactly! Very good. You really are a fast learner. Now, can you tell me what you know about the academy?]

(Why should I? Aren't you my shadow? You should know everything I do.) Sunny said, and as he did, Master Jet began to speak to him.

He focused on her, and I decided to fess up.

[Well, it's simple really. I used the art of lying. You wouldn't know of it, right? Oh, and make sure to only take the Wilderness Survival course. It's going to give you a good amount of leeway on that godforsaken shore.]Sunny thanked Master Jet for the recommendation and said he'd take it.

She then began to talk about some other things, but he zoned out as he started to speak to me even more hurriedly than before.

(So you aren't my shadow! I knew it! If you aren't my shadow, then why did you know about the "invaluable helper" thing? And what did you mean about not understanding what lying is? And what godforsaken shore were you talking about?) he asked me.

I sighed inwardly, regretting my choice to make fun of the paranoid Sunny.

[Calm down, little cabbage. One at a time, please. First off, you not understanding what lying is was just a joke. Don't take it too seriously. Second, I didn't know about the invaluable helper; I just used a common phrase. Third, the godforsaken shore isn't important right now, it can wait. And lastly, I'm not your shadow. I'm a sleeper just like you. I got stuck with you, and I suggest we work together if we want to survive... nay, we'll THRIVE!.]

Sunny's tone became a little excited as he began to ask even more questions.

(Little cabbage, what does that mean? And you're also a sleeper, what is your flaw? Why are you occupying my body?)

'Muahaha, you fell for my trap, you fool,' I thought as he finally fell for my perfectly placed bait.

[That's rude. Would you want me to ask about your flaw?] I retorted, noticing his widened eyes, earning another confused glance from Master Jet.

(Ah, sorry, I got excited.)He sounded sincere in his apology, causing me to feel a little guilty.

However, I pushed the guilt aside as the PTV stopped, and Sunny exited.

Master Jet peeked out of the open door and gave him a kind smile before offering some parting words.

"Be safe, and be sure to get along with your schoolmates. If you need a psychiatrist, there's always one available. Well, bye then. See you around," she finished.

Sunny gave her a bow before thanking her, and as he did, the door closed, and the PTV soon left his sight.

He began to walk over to the large red gate of the academy.

While he was impressed by its massive size, I was more concerned about a certain silver-headed girl sitting silently on a bench.

'There she is, the lady Changing Star. Ahh look at that antisocial attitude, it's as if she's begging to get gobbled up.'I decided to do something that even G3 wasn't capable of.

Although he did start some romance with Sunny and Nephis when she had completely forgotten him, that wasn't enough.

[Hey, Sunny, go talk to that girl over there. She seems lonely.]

(Why should I care? And how do you know my name? I never even mentioned it to you.)

'Shit, I got carried away.'

[Well, I heard Jet call you "Sunless," and that sounded quite depressing. So, "Sunny" would fit you well enough. I think we're close enough now for nicknames.]

(No, we aren't. I don't even know your name in the first place.)

Realizing my mistake, I gave him a telepathic sigh before clearing my nonexistent throat.

[That's a mistake on my part. It's Pleiades. Pleiades, pleasure to meet you.]

(Pleiades, Pleiades? What kind of name is that?)Obviously taunting me, i gave a chuckle before responding to him.

[Names have power, Sunny. The more complex or meaningful a name, the more profound its bearer becomes. Why do you think memories have such unusual names?]This caused Sunny to stop in his tracks and ponder for a moment.

Not wanting him to miss the chance to meet Nephis, I urged him to introduce himself.

[Go on, charm her with your "flower boy" looks.]Annoyed at the "flower boy" comment, he grunted before posing a question.

(Why should I "charm her," as you put it? Why is she so important? What are you scheming?)

'Holy shit, this guy is asking question after question. Was he really that suspicious of everything before? Gotta make sure to get Effie to tease the ever-living shit outta him... Wait... That would also mean me.'

[I'm not scheming, you're just paranoid. Anyway, Master Jet said that you should make connections. Wouldn't someone with a [Divine Aspect] be the most important connection you could make? Unless, of course, you want to meet a psychopathic prince.]

(Wait, how do you know that she has a [Divine Aspect]? Do you know what her flaw is as well?)

I guessed that Sunny was going to ask if I knew if he had a [Divine Aspect], so I decided against mentioning it.

[I do, but what do I get out of it? This information is known only by myself, you, her, and the spell, oh and that little schemer of course. I know a lot about a lot of people, but only the important ones, that is.]

(I'll give you my body. No, wait! Hol-)Before he could finish, I replied to his flaw-influenced response.

I knew, of course, that he had barely any control over it right now, so I decided to take the chance to get what I had been planning for a while.

[Declined. I'm not into guys, especially not short ones.]Sunny grumbled before composing himself.

(You misunderstood my proposal. I'll let you take control over my body for three hours a day, at night, when no one is there to see it. And what do you mean by important ones? Am I one of the important ones?)I was appalled by his proposal.

A mere three hours was not enough for me to test out my abilities.

I knew he was almost as petty as he was paranoid, but to this extent!

He either didn't understand how important it was to have a body or didn't think it was important to me.

[A mere three hours for such important information? That won't do. I'll only accept at least ten hours of body time, and only then will I give you that information. Tonight, I'll try to move around in your body, and after that, I'll take control of it during the night till morning. Also, two hours after you finish your course, I will give you everything you need to know about the three most important people in the academy, apart from Us, of course.]

I could feel Sunny getting a headache as his flaw began to give me a headache.

(Fine. I'll take the deal, but you have to tell me her flaw and [Aspect Ability] right now.)Smiling to myself, I gladly answered.

[But of course. She can produce white flames that can heal anyone and be used to burn things. They can also augment her memories and body. Her flaw makes her feel unbearable pain while using the flames. She also possesses a true name. It's Changing Star.]

After I finished speaking, Sunny contemplated for a moment before a dark mood overtook him.

He spoke with measured words and a somewhat cautious approach, even more so than before.

(If you know about her true name, then do you know mine as well?)

'... Uh... I seem to have dug my own grave.'After a prolonged silence, I spoke with a gentle tone to the cautious Sunny, making sure to word myself carefully.

[Yes, I do. And I know what happens when someone says it. But don't worry, if I were to reveal that name to anyone, I could also get enslaved. And I care too much about you to do something like that.]I spoke as honestly as I could.

I really didn't intend to do something so depraved to Sunny. He was a good character, and now he was real.

It made me care about him; plus he was the only one i could really talk to.

The headache returned as Sunny refrained from speaking to me, but eventually, the migraine worsened, and he was forced to speak.

(How am I supposed to trust that?)My heart ached, and I didn't really have a response to that, but I decided against adding fuel to the fire.

[You don't, not now. But later, I'll explain everything... everything I'm allowed to, at least. Now, go socialize with that girl over there.]He hesitantly sighed and walked over to her.

He stood there awkwardly, not speaking at all. Eventually, he was noticed by Nephis as she took off her headphones.

"H-Hello," he anxiously said. "I'm Sunless. P-Pleasure to meet you. I'm a new Sleeper. What's your name?" He extended his hand forward, and she addressed it for a moment before grabbing it gently.

"Hello... Nephis."Her voice was melodic and calm, her stoic expression never wavering for even a moment.

"W-Well, it's a pleasure. See you around," he nervously said as he headed for the gate, which began to open.

Before he reached the gate, Nephis said "Sure" and she also walked towards it.

[I genuinely don't know which one of you is a bigger paragon of socializing.]I sarcastically commented, causing Sunny to grit his teeth.

As he waited for the gate to fully open, Nephis passed him, and he also walked towards the entrance of the academy.

["See you around." Did you forget she was also going to the gate with you? What was the point of that? Is there a social bone in that fickle body of yours?]

(Shut up!)

'Ahhh... This is going to be exhausting.'