11:First Step

When Grey left the bathroom, he was wearing a simple tracksuit provided by the police and nothing else.

'It's comfortable. Can I keep it?'

He looked around to remember the way to the cafeteria when his piercing eyes met an envious glance from a short boy with dark hair and eyes, who was wearing the same tracksuit as him.

"Your name was Sunless, right?"

He looked at him and simply began to walk by his side until he passed him, turned his head, and answered his question.

"Yes."

Grey paused for a moment, thinking. Did I do something wrong? But not finding a reason, he decided to shake his head and follow him. After all, they were both heading to the same place: the cafeteria, in search of Jet.

The two walked at a certain distance (maintained by Sunny) until they reached the cafeteria door.

They saw máster Jet waiting for them with two portions of food; she signaled them, and they both headed to the table.

"Eat."

Both sat down, and Grey saw a pair of cheap porridge. Next to him, Sunny looked at the porridge with disappointment and began to devour it.

Although he hadn't eaten in a long time, Grey wasn't particularly interested in eating right now. He was more concerned about his defect.

He saw Sunny eat without complaining and thought it would be the right thing to eat what was offered to him, so, following Sunny's example, he began to devour the porridge.

As he did so, his thoughts drifted toward more important things.

The spell had told him that he needed to hold on to his true self, but he had no memories of who he had been, so he couldn't simply hold on to anything.

He had to find out who he was and why he appeared in front of the police station so suddenly.

At this point, Grey had already realized that something had been done to his memory. Maybe it was always like this, and he lost his memory every now and then, or maybe someone intentionally erased his memory and left him at the police station.

Either way, there was nothing he could do right now. He would figure out who he was and what had happened to him, but the most important thing now was to survive and get stronger.

'It tastes better than it looks.'

He finished taking the last bite and looked at máster Jet, who had been silent all this time.

'Do the Awakened always stay silent while eating?'

"All right, have you finished your meal?"

Grey looked at Sunny and nodded at the same time as him.

"Good, then I'll begin. According to protocol, I am obligated to inform you of a few things. It's more of a formality. First of all, about your nightmares..."

She looked at them, her gaze lingering on Grey for a second longer, and sighed.

"You have the right to receive free psychological counseling. No matter what traumatic experience you went through, there is no shame in asking for help. Your mind is as important as your body: it's only fair to keep it healthy. Are you interested?"

Both shook their heads at the same time.

"As you wish. You can also talk to me. Was it very difficult?"

Was it very difficult? I think it was very difficult... and terrifying.

Sunny looked at him for a second and then at Jet, shrugged his shoulders, and said without much importance:

"It was much worse than I expected and, at the same time, exactly as bad as I expected."

Grey gave him a quick glance and turned to Jet.

"It was difficult, also terrifying."

Jet looked at Grey with a little pity.

"You both did well. I'm not going to delve any deeper. The rats from the outskirts are much tougher than people think."

"Máster Jet… are you from the outskirts?" Sunny asked.

She smiled.

"What? Can't you tell from my exquisite manners and refined appearance?"

He blinked a couple of times, surprised.

"I couldn't tell at all."

Grey observed the whole moment, without interrupting.

"Are there many like us among the Awakened?"

Jet's smile disappeared.

"No, there aren't. In fact, they can be counted on one hand."

There was a moment of silence before Sunny asked:

"So… what happens now? What else do you have to tell us?"

Jet leaned back and replied:

"Basically, that's all. There are a few additional obstacles to overcome, mostly related to your family, but... well, I've read your file, so I know it doesn't apply."

Máster Jet looked at Grey, and her aura became more serious than before.

"As for you, Grey, you said you lost all memory before entering the police station, didn't you? Since I've been assigned to take care of you, I'll personally make sure to look for your information. Perhaps there's some clue in the government's civil records."

She looked at her communicator and grimaced.

"I must hurry; your luck is exceptionally bad. There's not much time. First of all, you're free to do whatever you want. No one is forcing you to make a certain decision. That is, you can choose to prepare on your own or not prepare at all. Party until the lights go out."

'Party?'

"However, I advise you not to do that. As a Sleeper, you also have the right to enroll in the Academy of the Awakened. They will provide you with food, lodging, and a wide selection of preparatory classes. At this time of year, you won't be able to learn much. But it's better than nothing."

She remained silent for a few seconds and then added:

"The most important thing is that you'll meet most of the people who will enter the Realm of Dreams with you. Some of them could become your lifelong companions."

'But there must also be people who would want to harm us, right?'

A memory flashed in Grey's mind of that man who wanted to kill him and the guards who gave him rotten food and looked down on him.

"So, what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the Academy?"

Shaking off the unpleasant memories from his head, Grey listened to her proposal and thought about one particular attribute.

'Did you say there's not much time to learn?'

"Yes, I'll go to the Academy."

"Yes. I want to go to the Academy."