Changes

In a blink of an eye, a week had passed.

One might not notice the passage of time to be fast inside the Resisting Academy only because classes seldom happen on this Selection. The instructors who were assigned to watch over the students became more absent and this would continue for over a month due to the fourth years, albeit thousands of them, still needing to take the selection carefully and slowly.

After all, even with careful consideration of managing the students, casualties still occurred. These casualties didn't scale to the point that it requires lockdown yet and the academy is determined to continue it that way.

Hence, in the meantime, Cesar was left with free time, to do all the reading and practicing by himself.

Right now, he managed to feel the changes that the Facet had given to him. Aside from his heightened senses and strong biting power, his speed also increased. For example, when he was running around, he noticed he was a bit faster than before.

It's not that great but it was still an improvement.

Another thing he noticed was his jumping power. He can jump a few meters now as long as he has proper momentum and acts in the right motion for it to work.

'I'm sure the others who picked this will have the same function of power as well,'

Right now, he was inside the library reading through research related to his power. From reading, he realized that some Nightmares have similar distinctions to other creatures such as abilities, albeit, not exactly precise.

For example, his [Sink] ability had a counterpart power which is [Sting], [Tear], and [Pierce]. All of them involve biting… something that could nibble the flesh of a person or a monster.

Imagining how he would fight the battle in the future if push came to shove… Cesar would be biting every single thing he saw that threatened his life.

'I-it looked like I've become really a dog... No, a rabid dog to be exact…'

Cesar shivered at the mere thought before bringing the book in his hands down. With a sigh, his eyes darted around the vast halls of one of the academy's prized treasures where only the scent of books, stacks of books, and shelves filled with books were seen.

He was in the library after all.

But he soon stopped his nonchalant surveillance after gazing into the far end of the corridor where a woman was sitting on a table alone, reading books as well. What made him turn his attention closely was because of her familiarity.

'Oh, it's her,'

He met her a week ago, right in front of Dean's psychological office.

Her indifferent face was focused on the thick book in her grasp. Her dry lips soon turned livid once she lightly moistened them through her tongue, revealing a glossy red lip. Due to the wind, her eyes got covered by a strand of her black hair before seducingly putting it around the side of her ear.

As if she noticed a gaze from somewhere, her lavender eyes darted to the side and stared at Cesar from the other side of the corridor.

'Academy's top, Jacqueline Casanova,'

Jacqueline saw Cesar staring way too long but she couldn't just back down and let him do as he wished. Who knows if that meant something important?

Eventually, Cesar noticed that he had been staring for too long making him avoid her eyes immediately. Though the way he did it was flawless and didn't incur any malicious suspicions at all.

'Something changed about her,'

As Cesar was quite observant himself and a person capable of even spotting small mistakes or differences, his stare was due to a reason.

The demeanor she was giving… It was frightening as if she became colder, fiercer, and more importantly, prettier.

'It probably had something to do with her newly acquired Facet,'

Soon, upon realizing that her condition didn't matter a single thing to him and was just a complete waste of time, Cesar stopped indulging himself in such thoughts.

That's why he didn't notice Jacqueline continued to stare at him with a brow raised. For a while, she was thinking that he would stare again.

But Cesar ultimately left.

First, because he had finished reading the book he held, second, he felt vulnerable being watched by Jacqueline, completely faking his actions so that he didn't notice her gaze at all.

It was very unsettling.

…

Cesar planned to return to his class to see if Arnold would find a way to discuss with them even though he was pretty busy but once he was supposed to enter the classroom, Arnold left from its door. The two found themselves meeting each other at its doorstep.

"Sparrow?"

"Yes, sir?"

Arnold's face brightened up, "Oh, you're here. I thought you were absent. I was about to look for you since the Nightmare Corps wanted to ask you about the memory you received. Sergeant Baron said he had your permission and they think one week was enough of rest. Looking at you now, there doesn't seem to be a problem,"

His words sounded very wrong for some reason, saying that a week of rest was enough for a thorough investigation, making Cesar frown. Even so, he respectfully nodded and answered.

"Do I have to bring my things?"

"Oh, no. There's no need. Just follow me,"

Without even entering the room while feeling watchful gazes permeating from the inside, Cesar quietly followed Arnold. Walking through countless corridors, the two remained shut, not wanting to raise a conversation because they didn't need to.

They maintained a perfect image of a student-teacher relationship, understanding that being seen where Arnold speaking to his students was not something that he wanted as it gave an image of biases.

It might stir up rumors which he really doesn't give a damn about but it might destroy some of the student's mentality and emotionally just because a rumor spread he talks 'favorably' to someone.

Cesar understands this matter as well, knowing these kinds of situations already happened in the past.

After a while, Arnold brought Cesar into a consultation room. Something that he seldom came to once in a while as the instructors asked their students different kinds of questions relating to their future plans and such.

This time, it had a different purpose.

Entering inside, the room was kind of dark. There was a table placed right in the middle with two people draped in black classical robes, sitting down with an insignia of sword-piercing-skull right on their chest.

They stopped whispering amongst themselves at some point and gazed at him.

Baron was there with his usual reserved face but there was another person Cesar didn't recognize. He was even worse at expressing emotions. If Baron had a reserved face, this guy was just… emotionless. Full of ruthlessness? Absolute fearsomeness?

It was in line with those words.

Arnold then introduced, "Hello Captain Vin, this is the student that Baron spoke to a week ago, Cesar Sparrow,"

The man with piercing, crimson eyes shifted to Cesar, who was staring back at him. After a few seconds of scrutinizing the man, Cesar bowed respectfully, knowing the title 'Captain' amongst the Nightmare Corps shouldn't be taken too lightly.

After all, they were the ones fighting Nightmares much more, alongside the Army. Though they are more exposed dangerously to Nightmare creatures the most.

'A bunch of talented wretches hanging on a thread,'

Cesar thought inwardly, remembering this one quote surrounding the entirety of the Corps themselves. They devoted their lives solely to eliminating Nightmares, a duty that has been upheld for the past centuries.

Vin, a captain of the corps, nodded weakly, "Thank you for bringing him in. If you can excuse us for a moment…"

"Oh, no problem at all,"

After giving an amiable answer with a smile, Arnold left the consultation room, leaving them three alone inside. Cesar found his way to sit down once they gestured for him to do so before they didn't beat around the bush.

"Baron told me you are on the brink of corruption, and an instructor added that it is probably due to extra information that the previous Shadeds didn't manage to get when taking the same potion using the same ingredient. May you tell us if we're right?"

Instead of answering their question, Cesar immediately demanded, seeing he could get something out of his past circumstances, "May I know first what this Nightmare's other history first? I might give you a false hope to acquire additional intel…"

As if prepared to be asked by something like that, Vin grabbed a document covered with a folder and handed it over to Cesar.

"This is a detailed manuscript given to us by other Shaded drinking this potion. It had their names from it as well," Vin paused, "I'll hand it over to you. It's pretty much useless anyways. After all, it didn't relate us to any kind of Nightmare… or had given us any True Names,"

Upon mentioning the word 'True Name' that brought up a harrowing past at the back of his mind, Cesar's face shook. It was barely noticeable but it was enough for the two veterans to consider it for something else.

'I guess there's no need to lie,'

Knowing he'd get nothing out of the given information even though it was supposed to be a piece of sensitive evidence, Cesar let out a low sigh.

"Your suspicions are accurate good sirs. I indeed managed to get a True Name out of my memory but it didn't belong to a Nightmare that the soldiers killed."

Cesar paused as his crows creased.

"I just happened to hear it as if… as if the Nightmare who was talking was just passing by? Or is escaping?"

At that moment, Cesar began to explain his experience.