Sunny stared down the group of Sleepers standing opposite him, keeping the most annoying and insufferable smile he could manage plastered on his face.
The eyes of everyone present gained an edge of confusion at his words, particularly Caster's followers who stared at Sunny with naked bewilderment. He had honestly expected some more outright doubt from them but perhaps they hadn't yet realized that he was being serious.
Before Sunny could start to worry about his plan failing one of Caster's companions spoke up
"Excuse me young man, forgive my asking but do you know how to read? Did you perhaps misunderstand what the spell said when it told you what you killed?"
That was just the kind of follow up Sunny was hoping for, but the jab at his reading comprehension was a bit cruel. He could still work with it though.
"Of course I can read, my mother taught me thank you very much! And I clearly read the spell congratulating me for slaying an [Awakened Tyrant]. What's more, I killed it effortlessly, I simply spat and the thing exploded into pieces!."
As the eyes of the mass of sleepers filled with anger and annoyance Sunny internally smirked in victory.
When he awoke from his Nightmare this morning and was given a crash course in what was to come the biggest issue that stood out were the combo of his [Flaw] and [Innate ability].
Being flawed to only always tell the truth and answer any questions was a debilitating weakness, especially for someone who had to rely on trickery like himself. Being stuck with an innate ability that made you a slave to anyone who spoke your True Name was a horrifying weakness but one that could be managed by never once uttering his true name.
But stick the two together and he was a ticking time bomb, ready to be stripped of all his freedom the moment someone asked "what is your true name?".
He had concocted a way to manage this weakness though!
As he had learned in the last half hour of chatting with groups of sleepers, his flaw would demand an answer from him to anything he was asked, and it would deliver increasingly debilitating levels of pain the longer he didn't answer.
What he could do though, even within the bounds of his flaw, was make the truth sound unbelievable and deliver it in a way that would make others sure to doubt him.
Case in point, it was technically true that he spat a bit of blood towards the Tyrant he killed. The fact that the glob of blood landed on the altar of the God of Shadows and caused a mass of shadowy tendrils to rip the beast apart was simply an extra detail of the story.
Luckily it was a key detail that was needed for anyone to believe him, and without it the eyes of everyone in the group finally shifted into mixed looks of amusement, disgust, and doubt. At least almost everyone's eyes did. Sunny noted that Emiya, Tohsaka, and Caster were each looking at him with much more genuine looks of curiosity.
Caster's lackeys were more than doubtful enough for Sunny's needs though and as they marked him as beneath them in their minds their attention turned to him. One stepped up and gestured a hand in Emiya's direction.
"It's hardly proper to be lying about your accomplishments. It's understandable to feel a bit inadequate in the company of such impressive Sleepers but making up an impossible story about killing an [Awakened Tyrant] is shameful."
Sunny worked his face into an expression of childish frustration to hide the happiness he felt from that question.
"It's no lie! In fact not only did I kill the Tyrant, I eh… I also slew an… eh… [Awakened Human]! A knight even!"
Each stuttering pause felt like a knife to the brain but it was worth it to fully sell his lack of reliability. Tying his act back to Emiya's even seemed to make Sunny's entire story even less believable.
When people looked at Emiya they could convince themselves to believe his story. He was tall, well built, and carried an aura of calm confidence about him that you would usually only find in a veteran soldier, or a member of a Legacy clan trained to fight from birth. Seeing a short scrawny guy like Sunny next to him claiming an even greater feat made it seem like he was just an insecure teen hungry for attention.
Which was exactly what Sunny wanted everyone to believe!
Sure enough a woman in Caster's group shook her head at Sunny's words. "You're not even good at lying boy. Don't bother making up a story as impossible as slaying an Awakened Tyrant. No one here would believe that could be done as an Aspirant."
Sunny readied himself to fire back, taking advantage of the lack of question to further cement his slowly shaping status as an unreliable fool, only to be stopped by Emiya's voice.
"I don't think it's impossible? I killed an [Awakened Demon] in my Nightmare afterall. It was deadly to be sure outright saying it was impossible for this young man is a bit much."
The group quieted down at those words, and all eyes, even Sunny's own, turned back to Emiya. He was standing there with a calm expression on his face, his words offered purely from a place of correcting the facts rather than as a boast.
Caster broke the newly formed silence and cleared his throat.
"Forgive me Emiya but I thought you said you fought a band of Dormant humans and a single Awakened one for your Nightmare?"
Emiya offered a small nod of his head. "I did, that was the first fight of my Nightmare. I ran into a number of other ones over the following week before I awoke."
The silence descended on the group once again. Even Sunny found himself at a loss for words as he stared at the young man in front of him. He already knew that slaying an [Awakened] foe was possible. In his own Nightmare he had done it twice after all.
Except in both cases it was only because he pitted them against one another or received a Deus ex Shadow God. If Sunny's survival instincts were to be believed though, then it seemed like Emiya had put one of those things down on his own with no aid or intervention!
As the pal of quiet continued Sunny realized that nearby groups had also gone quiet, all ears craning towards the group to try and hear everything they could. Caster swallowed heavily before he put a smile back on his face to turn back at Emiya.
"Forgive me Emiya, I was foolish to have cut your story short before it seems. I dare say if it was a full week long trial we all would be best off hearing about it in proper detail over the coming weeks as we train together. If you'll pardon my childish curiosity in asking it right now though, was that [Awakened Demon] the strongest thing you bested in your Nightmare?"
Emiya lightly shook his head. "I'd like to discuss it with my partner before I share the details of my entire Nightmare. I'd prefer it if she's the first person to hear all of it."
Emiya continued on, oblivious to the furious blush that formed on his companion's face. "That said as far as the worst fight is concerned…"
At that Emiya paused and his eyes took on a faraway look. Everyone remained quiet while they waited for him to speak, but they were still caught flat footed by what he said.
"The strongest enemy I slew was an [Ascended Human] although dozens of other soldiers gave their lives to fight that man alongside me. Even if it was my bow and sword that did the most damage to him I could hardly call that a fair fight."
The silence that followed Emiya's words was deafening, a consequence of every sleeper slowly moving their way over to listen closer. What had before been loose gathering had instead become a tightly packed circle of Sleepers gathered around.
Of that gathered group no one spoke. Even those clearly born from Awakened Legacy clans were left speechless at Emiya's claim as their minds tried to process shock and disbelief.
Sunny for his part was left struggling not to let out a broken laugh as he processed Emiya's words. The very suggestion of a fair fight when dealing with something like that was horrifying, especially with the subtle implication that the [Awakened Demon] he spoke of before had been fought evenly.
Sunny knew that the implicit impossibility of his own feat was in question now. Standing next to Emiya might almost make his slain Tyrant seem possible by comparison. He needed something to cement his own lack of reliability.
"I refuse to tolerate this farce any further! The baseless words of glory-seeking outskirts liars have no place so much as being heard by their betters, let alone being listened to!"
The tight crowd that had gathered around them cracked open to reveal a slender young woman in a blood red robe, flanked by two black masked figures. In Sunny's eyes she appeared like the very picture of a noble princess. Her hair done up in an elegant but impractical bun adorned with gold jewelry and her overall appearance reeking of wealth and prestige rather than strength.
Still, she was a sleeper like himself so she must have at least managed her nightmare.
She strode forward imperiously, as though the opening forming in the crowd around her was a foregone conclusion.
"The fact these liars are here spouting nonsense is one thing but giving them the time of day for their nonsense is another matter entirely!"
She turned her glare towards Caster turned her nose up at him before flicking open a folding fan. "I'm not surprised that a flower from a branch of a branch's branch house is letting this go on though. You should still know to behave with more decorum Caster. Even if your family is but a step above the gutter, getting swept up in mania reflects badly on all those in Legacy clans."
Caster met the dig at himself with a surprising level of calm. He simply let out a sigh and then plastered a smile on his face. "Yuanchun, it's a delight to see you here. Attending the academy with the heir of one of the Song clan's executives is a… great honor."
Yuanchun offered no joy at his words, instead managing to shove her nose even higher in the air as she turned away from Caster and set her sights on the trio of Sunny, Emiya, and Tohsaka.
"The three of you should stop these pointless lies. You're shaming yourselves immensely by spreading falsehoods just for clout. The details of your Nightmares are of great importance, and if you're unable to keep them private, at least have the honor to not lie about them. Claiming to have stepped so far beyond your station is arrogance and hubris of the highest order."
Her last line was delivered with a withering glare towards Emiya in particular, who stood there blinking with wide eyes. Before he could offer any kind of reply, Tohsaka stepped in front of Emiya and up to Yuanchun.
With a twitch of her wrist the faint light of a manifesting Memory shone around her before fading and revealing her in a new outfit.
Tohsaka was clad black outfit that looked like the fusion of a maestro's robe and military dress uniform. Drapped over the entire outfit was a hooded black cloak clasped in place by a pair of silver and sapphire broaches. The style of it was plain and unadorned yet it still had an appearance of surety and strength. There were no ostentatious decorations on it but the quality of the in each piece of it made it impossible to ignore.
The far more impressive thing about it though was the energy that it carried. Those of mundane backgrounds likely couldn't tell at a glance, but the legacies in the crowd who grew up around memories could tell that the thing in front of them was at least of the [Awakened] rank, perhaps even higher.
Now clad in a Memory of such quality Tohsaka cut a far more intimidating figure as she stared down the shorter girl.
"I'll tolerate you bad mouthing this clown next to us but you're out of your mind if you think you can insult Shirou or I. Just because you're so pathetic you couldn't even fathom fighting someone [Ascended], doesn't mean he or I are as weak as you."
Sunny could almost see the way that Yuanchun's mind started short circuiting at the fact she had been talked back to. Her eye began twitching and her mouth fell open as she stuttered to get a response out.
"You… wretched little urchin! How DARE you speak to me like that!" her voice rose a full two octaves as she screamed, enough that Sunny, and many of Caster's companions, winced from the sharpness.
"You think a pilfered memory matters! You traipsing around in that rag doesn't mean a damn thing! Outskirts filth is incapable of besting foes like that! Not to mention the fact I wasn't even speaking to you. It's those two who were lying and it's not like they have memories to prove they killed anything do you?"
Emiya was the first of the two boys to respond. He held up a hand and swirls of silvery essence coalesced into the shape of a large shield. A very large Shield…
When the memory was fully formed, gravity sank its teeth into it and the bottom of the massive tower shield slammed down, echoing out across the silent crowd.
Sunny was as shocked and surprised by the sight of the implement as everyone else was, most clearly doubting Emiya's words until he pulled out a gilded fortress wall with a handle bolted to it.
Sunny didn't have too long to contemplate the shield though, the tug of his flaw pulling the words out of his mouth. "Of course I have one! It's eh… great! The most amazing memory I own!"
His attempt at calling his Shroud the most amazing he'd ever seen was cut from his lips. It seemed that Emiya and Tohsaka's were, at least in Sunny's mind, a cut above his own.
Yuanchun was still reeling from the sight of Emiya's shield, but hearing his words gave her something to latch her anger onto. She turned towards him and stepped around Tohsaka to point her fan at Sunny's chest.
"Then where is it huh? Clearly you and your little friends planned your lie rather well if you went and pilfered Memories to sell the illusion. Is there some reason you don't want to show it to me?"
That question was perhaps the worst one he wanted to hear right now.
He had one main reason that he didn't want to show his memory off. Doing so would let people see he actually had the blasted thing and invite more questions about him. If he told her that though she might well start asking more questions.
Sunny wasn't as chained to his flaw as he had been this morning though, he had learned some tricks speaking to others and already knew one of the most useful ones.
Namely that half truths were acceptable as far as his flaw was concerned, and in this case he actually had another reason for not wanting to show off his memory.
It was causing him some pain to buy time to think and force out the words but it was better than the alternative. Hopefully the fallout from this answer won't get him killed though…
"Honestly you're such a stuck up, flatchested, entitled bitch that I'd rather gouge my eyes out than listen to anything you say."
Silence filled the plaza.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
In fact if Sunny's ears were accurate everyone might well be holding their breaths.
Wait, that last one was wrong. He could clearly hear the choking sound of restrained laughter coming from a few people, most notably Tohsaka and another woman in the crowd.
One person who was absolutely not laughing was Yuanchun.
She also didn't look particularly mad though. Rather it looked like her mind had shorted out entirely and all that was left behind was a blank mask of shock.
Oh wait, there was the anger. Her eyes widened and she bit her lip so hard that a trickle of blood flowed from it. The veins in her neck started bulging and writhing, fighting a losing battle to keep her face neutral.
"You… you… you disgusting… disrespectful…perveted… LITTLE MONGREL!!! I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THAT!!!"
Yuanchun's hand flicked out, the fan she held clicking shut with a ring of metal as a blade slid out from it.
She lunged forward with fire and murder in her eyes, intent on slitting Sunny's throat where he stood, only to have her fan sword soundly parried aside.
Sunny looked up from the blade mere feet away from his neck and took in the sight of his savior.
She was a slender yet athletic young woman dressed in the same standard police issued uniform that he was. Draped around her neck were a pair of old fashioned headphones that seemed so retro they had to have been pilfered from a museum.
Her hair was an incredible eye catching silver color, and tied back into a pony tail using a braided charm.
Aside from being momentarily stunned by her beauty, Sunny's eyes widened at the sight of the flower charm in her hair. He'd had plenty of chances to look at that very same flower in his first Nightmare.
"WHO DARES… to…Immortal Flame…? why…"
Yuanchun's eyes twitched along with her limbs, as a fresh wave of anger swept through her as she drew her weapon back and forced herself into a semblance of composure. "Why is such an… esteemed Legacy as yourself stepping into this… mere scuffle?"
Sunny's eyes widened at the name directed towards the Silver haired girl.
Immortal Flame was no minor clan! Not even a branch of a great Legacy. That clan was a legendary name! The clan founded by one of humanity's greatest heroes! The first one to conquer the second Nightmare! The guiding Flame of mankind!
As far as Sunny knew though, they had all died out due to tragedies and misfortune. Unlike the other great clans they had faded away into history.
The apparent heir of the Immortal Flame raised her eyebrow and stared down at the fanblade clenched in Yuanchun's hand. The gesture was enough to have the red clad girl looking down at her weapon before quickly retracting its blade.
"I was hardly making a genuine attempt on his life. Afterall.." she waved her hand towards Sunny with a sneer "this young man slew an [Awakened Tyrant] surely he's capable of sparing with one such as I?"
Immortal flame shook her head and willed her sword away, the apparent Memory dissolving into mist as it faded.
"Then it can wait until we're in the academy in a sparring ring. I won't have you delaying my entry to the academy with a murder investigation."
With those parting words, Immortal Flame turned from the center of attention and walked back into the crowd, keen on simply waiting for the gate to open.
With the moment of respite Yuanchun took a deep breath and calmed herself. She slipped her hands back into the sleeves of her robe and looked at the three before her again.
"Hmph yes well… truly the wisdom of a great clan can't be ignored. We'll settle the truth of your lies with a sparring match when we get inside. If you're to be believed then surely it would be a trivial matter for you to best my guards and I in combat?"
Sunny looked between the furious girl in front of him and back at the two guards at her sides. Those two women had barely moved an inch during the entire conflict but the air they were giving off was enough to trigger alarm bells in Sunny's head.
They didn't have the same otherworldly weight the people like Cor or Theresa had so he was fairly confident they weren't high level awakened. What he was definitely confident of though was the fact that those two were strong and violent. Staring them down gave off the same feeling as looking at a bloodsoaked veteran of undercity, the types who fought and killed almost daily and had survived such a life long enough to grow old.
Sunny felt the tug of his flaw calling him to explain that he would be beaten to a bleeding pulp if he fought her, and possibly ground into a vaguely human shaped pile of meat if those two terrifying sentinels were included.
Sadly at that moment Sunny instead was graced with an interesting new fact about his flaw.
When someone else answered a question aimed at a group in his place, he didn't need to speak.
"If you think you three are enough to challenge us, you're insane."
Tohsaka turned her gaze back at Caster, the man and his compatriots having been pressed firmly into the background of the unfolding drama around them. She cocked her chin in his direction
"Are you and your friends up for helping Yuanchun here? If it's all of you together, we might have a proper spar."
Sunny felt the world start falling out from under him. He watched as Caster, the young man he only now truly appreciated was built like an armor plated brick shit house, slowly contemplated Tohsaka's words before turning back and speaking with his fellows.
This was insanity right? Sure being thrown into a feud filled grudge match would be a perfect chance for him to prove he was weak and unworthy of further notice but this might actually get him killed!
The only saving grace he might MIGHT have had was Tohsaka and Emiya actually being strong enough to handle yuanchun and her guards at once while he hid like a coward in the back. That would still show people he wasn't a fighter wouldn't it?
If Caster and his whole cohort joined the fight though… that would mean they were outnumbered three to one! How would he hide in the back then?
Sunny stared ahead, watching with wide terror filled eyes as he clinged to the hope that Caster would say no.
Decline, refuse, say it would be shameful! Do anything to give him a chance to cower behind Tohsaka and Emiya to safely cement his status as a weakling and a liar.
Fate was not on Sunny's side though…
With a chorus of nods Caster turned back with a smile and offered a small bow. The delight on his face contrasted with the fact that all the blood had drained out of Sunny's.
"While I don't wish to doubt or shame Yuanchun's talents I'll admit to being eager to be a part of something like this. Fighting alongside Heishou guards and a Great Legacy Branch heir is already a rare delight but facing off against warriors of such talent as yourselves will be a joy. We're all looking forward to it!"
Sunny stared at Caster as he bowed forward and cursed his vile luck.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Shirou stood alongside Rin as they rode the elevator down into the Academy, the tightly crowded freight elevator only just managing to carry the hundred plus sleepers and the staff who checked them in.
The time after the scuffle above went by mercifully quickly. After Yuanchun agreed to the conditions it had been a scant few minutes before the gate opened and everyone was checked in.
The elevator ride was proving a tad tense, but thankfully everyone had done a decent job of self segregating to keep the peace.
He and Rin had a small bubble of space around them that was kept clear, most people apparently not wanting to associate themselves with them. There was a single exception to that though, a young man with his face pressed firmly into the wall in the corner of the room.
Shirou had considered reaching out to him or communicating, but all his attempts were met by the boy banging his head into the wall more intensely.
"I'm a little worried about our new compatriot Rin. He doesn't seem to be taking the prospect of this duel very well."
Rin simply shrugged her shoulders as she stared ahead, eyes flicking about at nothing hinting to Shirou that she was looking over her runes.
"That's not our problem Shirou. I don't know what went through his head that made him think grabbing your coattails was wise but this is a good way to learn the consequences of it. Better a beating in a sparring match than bleeding to death from a slit throat."
Shirou cast a glance back at the boy in the corner muttering to himself and let out a sigh.
"I suppose you're right Rin. I'll at least try and take as much heat off of him as I can though."
"I still don't think he deserves it, but I expect you to carry his weight all the same. After I hyped the both of us up, anything less than a blowout would make me look bad. So make sure you show no mercy."
Shirou chuckled and lightly shook his head as he turned his gaze to the wall. "Yes Master Rin, whatever you say."
As he watched the elevator descended the dark bulk of interconnected buildings and infrastructure of the upper academy floors and reached the duraglass tube that spanned the bottom dozen.
The bottom floors of the massive tower were a strange sight for Shirou to take in. Unlike what he would have expected for the base of such a massive tower, it was not a solid mass of structures. Instead the final ten dozen floors were all open air, interspaced with massive support pillars and elevators back up to the upper floors of the academy.
Aside from massive yet infrequent pillars and elevator shafts upward the entire lower floors were taken up by a natural vista consisting of rolling hills, crystal clear creeks and springs, and even some wildlife that Shirou's keen eyes spotted.
He would have considered such a thing a profound waste of resources, but his heart softened some when he noticed all the sleepers of lower to moderate means crowd against the glass of the elevator with wide eyes and amazed whispers.
Spending time in his Nightmare had been enough for Shirou to almost forget that in the world outside the inner city, nature was on her last legs. The very air of the waking work was faintly toxic and could only be safely breathed long term if it was filtered and treated.
For many of the people here this might be the first time they'd ever seen clear water in the waking world.
Shirou's musing ended when the elevator reached the ground floor and the door slowly slid open.
The staff who had checked the Sleepers in slowly ushered everyone off the elevator and walked them along a paved path through the greenery around them. Despite the many oohs and awes slowing things down the group made good time and arrived at a clearing in the middle of the floor, just in front of the massive cylinder that walled off the center of it all.
In the clearing was a simple stage with a gathering of people. Some were dressed in government uniforms marking them as Masters while others wore outfits more like those of Caster or Yuanchun.
The ones that stood out the most to the sleepers though was the gathering of Terrans on the stage.
They were as varied as Shirou recalled from his first Nightmare though honestly the ones on stage now had more weight to their presence than even Pasha had.
As Shirou's eyes ran over them each one was striking, though it was an older woman who stepped up to the small podium on stage that stood out the most, paradoxically for how little she did.
Whereas her colleagues on stage stood out with exotic clothes or extremely eye-catching features, the woman who walked to the podium seemed almost plain. She was clearly Terran, the greying feathers on her head alongside her grey hair a dead giveaway but her outfit was a rather simple combat uniform underneath a large puffy grey jacket.
Shirou's thoughts changed entirely though when she stepped up to the podium and gestured out at the sleepers assembled before her. Using all four of her hands.
"Hello everyone. My name is Master Raidian, an Ascended from Babel. Welcome to the Awakened Academy."
The faint chatter of the crowd died immediately as the weight of the woman in front of them registered in their minds. Many here had never met a Master before and expected all their teaching to only be given by lower ranked Awakened. Having not only a Master present, but one of the rare Terran ones was a shock.
"Some of you may be wondering why I am here. It is often assumed that the work of this institution is secondary to the work that goes into taming the Dream Realm or walking along the road of Awakening. Most may assume that teaching at this place is considered beneath the Masters and Saints of our world however that is false.
"This academy is the only real chance we, your seniors, have to try and prepare you for what is to come. Its existence is an act of rebellion against the cruelty of the spell, and our attempt at defying its desire to see you all thrown to wolves alone."
"In thirty six days each of you will sleep into the Dream Realm. You will be cast naked into the wilds of a realm that has proved the most inhospitable and dangerous place ever dreamed of and given the task of finding a way home in order to Awaken."
"Despite staggering resources spent, massive effort put forth, and countless lives lost, the majority of the dream realm remains an uncharted and unexplored wildland. For those of you that are lucky, you will find yourself in one of the fragile nests of civilization in the Dream Realm, and your return will be swift."
"The rest of you, despite every effort of your predecessors to prevent it, will be tasked with navigating and surviving those very uncharted and unexplored wilds, with only yourself and any fellow sleepers who land near you to rely on. It is for this reason that the Academy exists."
"This institution is a chance for us to give each of you the best possible training and chances we can so that you might survive what is to come, and to help any who wish to improve themselves to push beyond their limits without losing their lives."
"As long as you are here, every ounce of sweat you pour into bettering yourself will be matched tenfold by members of staff. They will push you beyond the brink as much as possible to see you become capable of surviving. Despite all that effort spent, and all the resources poured into this place, there is only one person who can aid you in what is to come."
"Your survival will be entirely determined by your own effort, your own talent, and your own luck. Of those, only your effort can be controlled, and thus you must give all of it that you possibly can. If any of you falter, grow complacent, grow arrogant or lazy, then I assure you the Dream realm will end your life. Regardless of your power the Dream Realm can and has killed at a moment's notice, and has claimed the lives of Aspirants and Saints equally."
As she finished speaking Raidian looked out across the Sleepers. Despite her eyes being nearly shut slits, he could still feel a weight of sadness from her as she looked out at them all.
It was short lived though as she continued.
"In a few moments you will all be directed to a voluntary interview process intended to help prepare a curriculum for you after which you will be shown to your dorms and the cafeteria. I ask that you answer the interview questions as honestly as possible to help get the most useful lessons during your time here, but ultimately it is your choice."
"All the details of what is to come will be covered by your classes in the coming days, but I will leave you with these parting words."
"Learn, grow, advance, and push yourselves beyond your limits. Do this to honor the effort being spent on you and to earn yourselves the wealth you each deserve for having your childhoods stolen from you."