Chapter Seven: Making Friends for Dummies

Jack was standing in front of the imposing red gates of the Academy. It was gigantic, with high walls made of hard alloy and deep moats. Powerful turrets were placed atop its walls. From this distance, it seemed indestructible.

'This is a bastion of the human will to keep on living… But it wouldn't last hours against a Corrupted Titan.' Jack sighed. 'Such is life in this world.'

It was a pleasant day, with a subtle breeze and bright sunlight. The Academy gates seemed to be in dissonance with its surroundings, emanating an aura of loneliness. Except for Jack, there was only one other person- a Sleeper, if he had to guess.

She had pale blond hair and big blue eyes. Together with her exquisite face and smooth skin, she looked like a beautiful doll come to life.

Her eyes wandered aimlessly as she slowly used a cane to feel the way forward.

She had just been brought by her Awakened caretaker, moments after Jet had left Jack off here.

He glanced at the girl, and the words Jet had told him on their way to the Academy echoed in his mind: 'No one can survive alone in the Dream Realm. That's not an opinion, that's a fact.'

It rang true, no matter how one looked at their situation. Strength can't watch your back while you're sleeping. Jack sighed. 'Time to make some friends.' He felt like he was in kindergarten again.

"Hello there! First time here?" He said with a friendly smile, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it.

The blond-haired girl gave a startled look in his direction, clearly not aware of his presence before.

"Oh… Hello!" She replied demurely.

The girl was clearly nervous. Her Flaw changed her first time at the Academy from a novel and exciting experience into a nerve-wracking one.

'From where she's standing, it must look like a death sentence.' Jack reflected. 'And it should be. The Dream Realm is too unforgiving for a blind person to survive unattended. But Fate has other plans.'

"I am Jack Ripper, Sleeper, and recently out of my First Nightmare. Can I know your name?"

"S-sure! My name is Cassia and… I'm also a Sleeper." She said, subdued. And Jack understood perfectly why.

'There is no way to hide her Flaw. She is fully expecting to be an outcast once it becomes apparent. Most Sleepers would see her as a dead woman walking, not worth befriending.' He smiled in delight. 'But I'm not most.'

"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Cassie." He took her hand and placed a light kiss on her knuckles.

Cassie giggled slightly, and the sound seemed to surprise even her.

"It's nice to meet you too, Jack!"

She paused, seemingly in internal conflict, and then continued:

"I was quite reluctant of going in by myself… Would you mind going with me?"

He smiled widely. "Sure thing. I do love making friends."

'Oh, how I love to know the future. A toast to our long friendship, Song of the Fallen.' At that moment, Jack felt his own future was very bright, indeed.

-x-

The Sleeper part of the compound was relatively small and surrounded by training fields.

It was a modern building constructed with reinforced materials. Its white alloy walls were very reminiscent of the high wall they had just gone through.

'The windows are too wide for a place built with defense in mind.' Jack silently criticized. 'But at least it looks good.'

Inside the building, it was spacious and brightly lit. On their way to the dorms, they passed through an empty hall. There were many vacant chairs and a central stage.

'This is where the induction ceremony happens. They'll probably take us here at the end of the week when enough Sleepers have gathered.'

Logistics of the Academy were always a headache for administrators since the rate at which the Spell infected people was always chaotic.

No matter the time of year their First Nightmare began or ended, new Sleepers would always be taken to Dream Realm on the Winter Solstice. And so, some of them had a full year to prepare for the Dream Realm, some only months, some even mere days.

One could only imagine how difficult it was to create any type of standardized education on a shared schedule, taking such differences in available time into account.

That's why the induction ceremonies were held at the end of each month at the beginning of the year, and then weekly as the Winter Solstice approached.

'I'm part of the unlucky batch: only 4 weeks left to prepare. If we really go to the Forgotten Shore, it would be more accurate to call it the "dead-for-sure" batch.'

They got here a couple of days before the coming induction ceremony. This time could be used to rest from their recent Nightmare, acclimate to the Academy, or even reflect on their preparation strategy.

But most important of all: they could talk. The interaction between Sleepers was crucial to creating the bonds that would help them through the Dream Realm incursion. And when you only have four weeks to form these bonds, a two-day headstart went a long way.

Jack gave a cursory glance towards the apprehensive Cassia and their linked hands. Her grip on his hand was tight.

'And I fully intend to capitalize on it.'

Jack smiled.

"So Cassie, how about a little bonding session? I'll ask you one question, and you ask me another."

The young girl hesitated, possibly reluctant to answer questions regarding her Nightmare, but agreed in the end.

"Sure! Sounds fun."

"Okay. Then I'll begin." Jack paused as if giving great thought to his first question. After a few seconds of contemplation, he continued in a heavy tone:

"Cassia, what I want to know is…" Her heart sank upon hearing the address change. They stopped walking and he looked deep into her eyes. Although their hands were still linked, the blond girl seemed skitterish, as if she could run at any time.

Jack took a deep breath and continued:

"…What is your favorite animal?"

The blond-haired girl let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and felt the tension leave her body. A giggle escaped her mouth almost against her will.

"Asshole!"

Jack couldn't help but laugh along.

"Relax, Cassie! Your Flaw is clear as day and it's obviously debilitating. But your Aspect must have incredible potential to warrant such an antithesis. You just have to learn how to properly leverage it. You can be sure I'll never think less of you for such a thing."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Yes, it was. You constantly look like you've got a timed bomb attached to your heart. I felt I had to say something about it, but didn't know how to approach the subject."

"Thank you, Jack. That's… very lovely of you." She smiled sweetly and dried the tears that threatened to fall with the back of her hand. She felt ridiculous that such simple words could stir so many emotions in her, but at the same, endlessly grateful there was someone to say them.

"I try," Jack said, gently running his fingers through her blond hair in a calming gesture. "So, back to what matters. What is it?"

Cassie looked nonplussed, trying to overlook the tingle running through her body from where his hand touched her hair. "What do you mean?"

"Your favorite animal! Wasn't that the whole reason we started this conversation?"

Cassie laughed at the silliness of the exchange.

"Why would you want to know that?"

"It is of the utmost importance, Cassie! How else can we guess what our transformations will be when we inevitably become Saints?"

"Ah, of course, how foolish of me!" She played along with the pantomime with a bubbling laugh. The outlandish banter was the first time she had fun since her Flaw came along. And Hope, too. " Hmm... I have always loved falcons! I guess you could say they are my favorites. They are gorgeous and noble, and I feel that their freedom is unmatched! They can soar through the skies and see the world's splendor through an amazing lens." Cassie sighed with longing.

"And how about you, Jack?"

"Me?" It was a question so infantile, that Jack hadn't given it any thought. If not for lifting Cassie's spirits, he would never have asked it, too. He gave a slight smile as the answer came to him. "Well, I have liked a great variety of animals, but as of right now, I identify with cachalots the most."

"Really? That's oddly specific."

"Yes, but there is a reason. They were fascinating animals all around - sadly extinct due to the Nightmare creatures. They could swim up to great depths and are said to be the largest pure carnivores before the Spell."

Jack paused, considering his words.

"But that's not what I like most about them. Do you know what their favorite food was?"

Cassie pondered briefly on her limited knowledge of pre-Spell animals. "Fish?"

Jack shook his head. "Not even close, dear Cassie. They were known to be the only natural predators of a very exotic and elusive species: The giant Squid. These squids were immense animals that lived in such depths that not even light could penetrate. To say they were hard prey would be an understatement. So to eat them routinely... The cachalots were unique in that sense. I feel like I have much to learn from them."

Jack smiled sweetly while his mind dreamed of swimming through the darkest of abysms and swallowing a giant octopus whole. 'I wonder how The Secret One will taste...'

-x-

Days passed as more Sleepers got to the Academy. During this time, small cliques formed, as people identified the best allies available to them.

Jack also searched for potential partners, but none of them caught his attention.

'These guys were all Extras in the original series, and it shows. Most of their so-called "qualities" can all be synthesized in one: daddy having deep pockets.' He sighed. 'The only one worth anything here is Legacy Boy.'

Caster had arrived at the Awakened Academy a few hours after Jack and Cassie and hadn't left the limelight since that moment. Legacies were rare, and getting into the good graces of one could be life-changing for an average Sleeper.

'Sunless was right, though. This guy is all smiles, but he is a psycho.'

In the original timeline, Sunless had once said Caster had a coldness behind his eyes, that he called murder math -Always thinking of the most efficient way to kill the person he was talking to, should the need arise.

To Jack's experienced eyes, the truth was clearer than glass.

'He doesn't care about a single one of the shoe lickers. There is only one person in his mind: Changing Star. His eyes are always flickering towards the doors of the Hall, waiting for his mark.'

Jack grinned coldly. 'This time around, I think you won't be living as long, Legacy Boy.' No reason to keep an unwanted variable active. After all, he had his own little project for Nephis.

Just as Caster awaited his mark, Jack was also on the prowl for a distinctive pair: The Master and The Slave.

He had long wondered what to do once he found Sunless. It would be too easy to hijack Nephis' place as his Master, by simply uttering the right words before she did. He could even do so right here, at the Academy, and get a competent helper free of charge.

'But it's not worth it.' Was the simple conclusion.

Sunless hated with all his might the idea of someone having control over him. 'He would not rest until he or I were dead. He might even kill himself out of spite. And that's not the worst of it.'

If one could attribute emotions to an unfeeling Entity, then the following would be a fact: Fate would not be happy with him.

Right now, his feebleness let him fly under the radar - his [Fateless] attribute was at most a slight itch for the Entity, a piece out of reach for Fate. Once he flipped the board like that, all bets were off. He would become a thorn in its side that could not be ignored.

And what easier way to get things back on track, than to kill this new and unwanted Master for Sunless? He might find the water of his bathtub turning against him.

'Let's not take unnecessary risks for now.' Jack concluded.

'In any case, Sunless and Nephis are both valuable allies with incredible potential. Forging a friendly relationship is a must.'

Although Jack felt most of the Sleepers currently awaiting the induction ceremony had no future in the Dream Realm, marked for an early grave, there was one, in particular, he had forged a strong bond over the days in the Academy: Song of the Fallen.

Looking at the girl beside him, Jack saw the small smile adorning her pretty face.

'She looks worlds apart from that moment at the Academy Gates.'

The previous Cassie looked like she had lost the will to live, buried under the pressure of her Flaw. But now, a tiny spark seemed to have lit on her chest. The spark of Hope.

She looked ready to struggle against the Spell with all her might.

As Jack was about to strike up a conversation with Cassie, the doors to the Hall opened once more.

'There they are.'

The duo he had been waiting for finally arrived. Dressed in their police-issued tracksuits, they didn't look so different from him.

Sunless was a frail-looking young man with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes. Although he was indeed on the smaller side, he still didn't have the doll-like appearance he was said to have later on. His eyes were constantly darting, evaluating his peers.

Nephis... was as stunning as one might imagine. Tall and slender, with clear grey eyes and silver hair. Along with her detached disposition, she wouldn't have looked out of place with a crown atop her head. As soon as she walked into the room, Caster was no longer at the center of attention.

'They are as different as day and night.' Jack thought with mirth. 'But at the same time, two sides of the same coin.'

Jack waited as they integrated into the already crowded Hall, planning his course of action.

'Sunless is the easy one. Right now, he is deathly afraid of his Flaw revealing his True Name. He'll follow through with his original plan to turn himself into a pariah, which in turn will give me ample opportunity to interact with him.'

'Although he fancies himself a lone wolf, Sunny is quite starved for friendship and surprisingly easy to get along with.'

'Nephis is another story altogether.' Jack rubbed his chin as he pondered.

'Although she is socially inept, there is no lack of leeches trying to latch onto her. So she is closed off for fresh comradeships. But there is one thing which she values most of all: Strength' Jack smiled triumphantly. 'And that, I have in spades.'

"What crooked plan are you concocting?" Cassie asked suddenly.

Jack's musings were interrupted and he laughed out loud.

"What do you mean Cassie? What sort of evil plan could I be making?"

"Every time you spend too long in silence, I can almost hear your wicked laughter in the background." She replied in good humor.

"Well, I can't say you're completely wrong. I did just conceive the newest ploy on our one-hundred-step plan for World Domination."

"...And? What is it? Don't keep a lady waiting!"

"Are there any ladies here? Where?" Jack said in mock surprise.

"Shush, you! Spit it out already!" Cassie answered with a slight slap on his arm and a grin.

"No need to get violent! I'll tell you. My newest plan is actually a crucial stage. I dubbed it: Step 02. Making Friends for Dummies."

"...So we're just going to keep talking to people?"

"In broad terms, yes."

Seeing Cassie's deadpan, Jack was even more sure his plan was a banger.

'I can't wait for the next four weeks.' He thought while chuckling at his first ally and friend on the Awakened Academy.