Honor Guard

After it became apparent that Nephis was not going to go on a destructive rampage, the cohort did not get a lot of time to spend with their friend before the government agents whisked her away.

Cassie barely managed to squeeze her hand, while Effie and Kai could only express their joy with words. Sunny remained silent, still preoccupied with his tumultuous thoughts. The corner he was standing in became even darker than it had been before.

Neph herself seemed a bit disoriented, so their short reunion had turned out to be somewhat muddled.

There were certain procedures involved when a person Awakened, and even more once they Ascended. All kinds of interviews, evaluations, and tests had to take place. All kinds of reports had to be submitted, all types of permissions had to be granted, and all varieties of procedures had to be enacted.

The bureaucratic machine stirred awake to legitimize and integrate a new Master into the larger framework of humanity.

Sunny knew the process well, because he had gone through it himself. It was just that his own experience had been separated into two distinct instances, and made smoother by Master Jet's participation.

Nephis, on the other hand, had to go through both sets of procedures at once, which was more or less unprecedented. She also did not enjoy the patronage of a high-ranking government representative… yet. Perhaps that would not last long.

There were other complications, as well. Her situation was unique and abnormal in more than one sense. Just the fact that she had become a Master without establishing a Gateway anchor in the Dream Realm alone was enough to make the bureaucracy stutter.

The government agents had their work cut out for them.

…It was not all bad, however. The process, while slightly obnoxious, was there for a reason. It was not only about gathering the necessary information and officially establishing the Ascended's new and elevated status. It was also designed to help the returned deal with the most damaging effects of suddenly coming back to safety after experiencing untold horrors in the Nightmare, at least to a certain degree.

No matter how strong Changing Star was, no one doubted that her harrowing adventure through the Dreaml Realm and the Nightmare had left its scars on her mind. The government was well aware of how fragile many powerful Awakened truly were. It was not only on guard against those who could break, but also experienced in employing all kinds of preventative measures to reduce the possibility of that happening.

Due to how important Nephis was both to the propaganda machine and to the actual defensive efforts of humanity as another Special Strategic Asset, the government threw its best resources into ensuring that the initial steps of her rehabilitation went as smoothly as possible.

Of course, she was free to decide how much exactly she was willing to share. Some basic tests, however, were mandatory, since it was necessary to determine how safe it was to release her into the population.

What it meant was that it would take long hours before the members of the cohort would be able to see Changing Star again.

They weren't the only ones waiting, too.

At some point, Cassie had left and returned to the Dream Realm to inform the Fire Keepers of the incredible new development. Soon enough, dozens of them used the Gateway in the Ivory Tower and returned to the waking world for the first time in months.

Since their sleeping pods were situated right there in the hospital complex of the Academy, it did not take a long time for all of them to gather in the hallway near where Nephis was undergoing her interviews. Now, around fifty young Awakened crowded it, as if standing guard.

After spending almost half a year in the Dream Realm, the Fire Keepers looked rough around the edges, if not a little feral. They were wearing civilian clothes, but no one would mistake these people for mundane humans, or even ordinary Awakened.

There was a strong sense of silent threat radiating from them. Their expressions were full of glee, but their gazes remained firm and heavy, making anyone who approached feel ill at ease. That was especially true for the members of Cassie's former cohort, which was now led by the stoic healer, Shim. They were all on high alert and ready to pounce on anyone representing a threat.

With the Fire Keepers standing guard, any potential action by the great clans was bound to end in failure, or at least outright disaster. In fact, they seemed so fierce that even the security teams of the Academy became nervous and sent a few cohorts of their own to keep watch on the celebrating group.

It was easy to read the extreme apprehension on the faces of the security officers, though. Awakened or not, they seemed to understand that they stood no chance against the elites of the Forgotten Shore if push came to shove.

Observing all that, Sunny couldn't help but ask himself a question.

…If six months of hiding in the relative safety of the Ivory Tower had such a drastic effect on the Fire Keepers, then what had two years of traversing some of the direst regions of the Dream Realm done to Nephis?

After a while, he quietly approached Cassie and asked quietly:

"How is it going?"

She turned her head slightly and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Sunny smiled darkly.

"Come on. There's no chance that you did not use your Ability on one of the government agents handling Neph's processing. So what is happening?"

She hesitated for a few moments, then sighed.

"She seems to be in shock, somewhat. But mostly, she's… fine. Actually, it's a bit disturbing how fine she is."

He frowned.

"Well… it's Nephis. You know how she is."

Cassie slowly shook her head.

"She is human too, Sunny. It's just easy to forget that fact sometimes because of… well, because it's her."

Sunny fell silent, not knowing what to say. After a few moments, the blind girl suddenly spoke again:

"She seems reluctant to speak about most of what happened to her, but… at least, she agreed to receive psychological counseling. That's a good start."

He blinked a couple of times.

Nephis agreed… to what?

The idea of Changing Star being willing to undergo something like counseling did not fit into his head. It was just too bizarre to imagine.

Sunny frowned.

'Maybe… maybe she did change, a little.'

Finally, after long hours of waiting, the government agents seemed to finish the bulk of their tests.

The doors opened, and the familiar figure stepped out of them. Just like on the first day Sunny had met her, Nephis was wearing a simple government-issued tracksuit. Her silver hair, however, was now long and lustrous, framing her face and making her look strangely feminine.

Her beauty was stunning.

When Changing Star appeared, it seemed as though the whole hallway became a little brighter.

Looking at the members of her cohort and the Fire Keepers gathered around them, Nephis hesitated for a moment, and then smiled awkwardly.

"Hello, everyone. I… I am glad to meet you all again. I did not think that I would."

...Before she was even done speaking, Cassie stepped forward and enveloped her in a tight hug.