Eventually, the five of them were invited into the room where Asher slept… this time on a hospital bed instead of inside of a closed coffin of a sleeping pod. The administrators of the Academy wanted to avoid any more damage, so asking the members of Changing Star's cohort for help was a logical step.
Though that meant Aiko and Stev couldn't be there for safety reasons.
Though, seeing familiar faces first after waking up would probably calm him down. And if not… having five Masters at hand would be enough to deal with any unforeseen complications.
Most likely...
Eventually... Asher's eyelids quivered. He was first hit with a terrible headache.
He blinked against the haze, vision swimming before finally settling on the sterile room around him.
A hospital bed.
He jolted upright.
Then bolted.
His body lurched for the door, stumbling as he tore free from the sheets.
Another illusion? Was it? Was it?!
If so, How much longer?
How much lon—
He threw the door open.
A burst of winter wind hit him.
He froze. His eyes lifted.
Midday light. Snow still lingering on the ground. A clear sky—no clouds, no darkness, no twisting nightmare.
The sky…
A bright, open blue.
He stared up for several seconds, then lowered his gaze. His expression was blank at first—then a small, trembling smile broke through. It vanished as quickly as it formed, replaced by a bitten lip and a sharp inhale as he fought the sudden sting of tears.
He was back.
He had escaped.
He had escaped that hell.
He had finally returned.
"Thank God…" he whispered, quickly wiping his eyes before turning around—
"Woah! You didn't even give us time to react, Ash! Miss the waking world that much?" Effie grinned.
Nephis offered a gentle nod. "Good morning. You slept for a long time."
The others smiled—Effie even tugging Sunny's lips upward—before they all chimed in at once:
"Welcome back, Ash!"
His arms didn't reach around all of them—but they didn't need to. The others closed in, forming a circle around him, pulling him into a warm, crushing embrace. Asher only managed to cling tightly to Nephis and Sunny, burying his face between them, while the two had uncomfortable faces.
His voice trembled. "You guys… you have no clue…"
They stayed like that for a long moment—long enough for the adrenaline to fade, long enough for the reality to settle in.
Sunny coughed dramatically. "Alright, alright—group hug is nice and all, but do not hug me like that again."
Asher let out a shaky laugh. "Not bad, right?"
Sunny spoke deadpan. "Sadly not."
Asher pulled back enough to see their faces, eyes still a little glossy. "So… where's my ice cream?"
Silence.
Two long, heavy, guilty beats.
"…You have to meet the government agents now," Cassie finally said.
"…What?"
***
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.
"I DON'T WANT TO GO! LET ME AT LEAST HAVE ICE CREAM FIRST!" Asher wailed as two healers hoisted him up by the arms. He could've easily slipped free… but then they'd call Nephis or someone else to drag him back, and that was even worse.
So he let himself be carried like an oversized, protesting cat.
"Well… it seems someone isn't happy to see me."
Asher stopped thrashing and looked up, recognition lighting in his eyes before a faint smile softened his face.
"…It has been a while, Master Jet."
**
"Congratulations, Ascended Asher. You are now officially a citizen. Of the seventh rank, no less." Jet congratulated him
Asher couldn't help but smile.
"Looks like I'm pretty high up in society now."
Jet let out a small laugh. "High? Asher, you're at the top. Being categorized as SS puts you above nearly everyone."
She leaned back… then, with a more serious expression, narrowed her eyes.
"Asher. I don't want to drag you back into memories of the second Nightmare. But for the government's report… I need to ask you something."
Asher's smile faded. "What?"
Jet interlaced her fingers on the table, posture tightening.
"Did you, by any chance, encounter anyone, any human, who seemed to know too much about the Nightmare Spell? As if they had once carried it themselves?"
There was a beat of silence.
Asher raised his head, his vermillion eyes glinting colder at Jet. "I killed him before he could speak much."
Jet stared at him for a moment, then exhaled slowly. "I see. That's… unfortunate."
Asher frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Jet rubbed her temples, irritation slipping through.
"Over the last two years, multiple Awakened—some even Sleepers—have reported meeting people inside their Nightmares who knew they were illusions. People who claimed to understand the spell… or hinted at being spell carriers themselves."
She clicked her tongue. "But whenever they're about to reveal something meaningful, one of two things always happens: either they die in a suspiciously convenient way… or they speak in vague riddles, acting like they know they'll be killed if they reveal too much."
Jet's expression hardened.
"It's as if Fate itself censors them—like the world refuses to let certain truths reach us."
Asher listened, a grim chill washing over him.
He knew this wasn't in the original timeline.
He knew he must be the cause.
But… how?
Two years ago…
His breath caught. That was around when he'd received his lineage. When he had met Dahlia.
His fingers trembled slightly.
Fate.
Sunny had once told him: a person's true name was tied directly to their Fate.
So if Asher's true name had changed… then—
His eyes widened, freezing in place.
"…My Fate changed."