'What a weirdo…'
In all of his 15 years, Sunny had never met such a narcissistic, egotistical, arrogant wretch in his life. And this was just a judge of character based off one interaction!
'No way does this guy expect me to call him any of those things, right?'
Who did he think he was?!
Sunny wasn't about to shake this arrogant snob's hand, so he faced away from him.
"I'm Sunless. You can just call me Sunny."
Yoru seemed to take no offence from Sunny's rude decline to the handshake as he simply retracted his hand.
"Wow! What a poetic name you have. Maybe I should take it for myself."
It was official. Sunny didn't like this guy.
Jet's curt voice interrupted Yoru's ridiculous antics:
"Enough. I've graciously ordered you two some food so I'd appreciate it if you both left the talking for after you've eaten something."
Sunny wasn't used to the luxury of deciding when to eat, so he wasn't one to deny food that was so graciously put in front of him. Unfortunately his first meal after surviving his First Nightmare, wasn't quite as extravagant as he had envisioned, looking down at his tray of gruel which looked incredibly similar to the synth paste he was accustomed to.
Even so, he wolfed it down. As he ate the gruel however, he could see in his periphery that Yoru was seemingly struggling to even pick up the spoon. He wore a disgusted look on his face whilst looking at the food.
'Great, Arrogant and picky.' Sunny thought to himself as he shoved another spoonful in his mouth. It didn't help that the bastard was good-looking to, so Sunny believed it was his right to not like someone like that.
"You're not going to eat?"
It was Master Jet who had posed the question.
Yoru looked up from his tray with a weak smile.
"Sorry, I'm not too used to this kind of food."
"Really? I thought you were an outskirts' rat like us. I'm surprised you're not used to this."
Sunny's ears perked up at this, and he quickly swallowed his mouthful.
"Master Jet…You grew up in the outskirts?"
She grinned
"What? You can't tell because of my exquisite manners and polished exterior?"
He blinked a couple of times, surprised.
"I couldn't tell at all."
After thinking for a while, he added:
"Are there a lot of people like us among the Awakened?"
Jet's smile disappeared.
"No. There's not. In fact, they can be counted on one hand."
As expected. Odds were really stacked against people like them. That made the three stars on Jet's insignia even more exceptional.
'One day, I'll be a Master too.'
If she can do it, why can't I?
"So… what happens now? What else are you obligated to tell me?"
At this point, Sunny had completely forgotten about Yoru's existence. Or at least tried to.
"That's basically it. There are some additional hoops to jump through, mostly having to do with your families, but… well. I've read your files, so I know it doesn't apply."
Sunny noted that the narcissist to his right was an orphan too and felt a strange hint of kinship.
Jet leaned back and continued:
"The only thing left is to decide how you will be preparing for your first journey into the Dream Realm."
She looked at her communicator and grimaced.
"I must say, your luck is exceptionally bad. There's not a lot of time at all. First of all: you are free to do what you want. No one is forcing you to make a certain decision. That is to say, you can choose to prepare on your own, or not prepare at all. Party until the lights go out."
Sunny was not very well versed in partying.
"However, I would advise against that. As a Sleeper, you are also entitled to enroll in the Awakened Academy. You'll be provided with food, lodging and a wide choice of preparatory classes. This late into the year, you won't be able to learn a lot. But it's better than nothing."
She was silent for a few seconds, then added:
"More importantly, you will get acquainted with most of the people who will enter the Dream Realm with you. Some of them might become your companions for life."
'And some may end up trying to end that life once we're inside the Spell,' Sunny added, reading between the lines of what Master Jet had said.
"So, what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the Academy?"
Sunny thought about it. Strangely, his Flaw was silent, not forcing him to answer one way or the other.
'Is it because I haven't made up my mind yet?'
Finally, he looked down, at his empty tray, and made a decision.
Free lodging and food, you say?
"Yeah. I want to go to the academy."
Jet nodded and looked to Yoru.
"I'll be going as well."
It wasn't particularly pleasing to know that the narcissistic fiend would be attending the Academy alongside him, but after today Sunny would probably never run into him again.
****
Now stood outside the towering red gates of the Academy, Yoru could only behold what he was seeing and try his best to capture the moment. Structures like the Academy was something he'd only see on his computer in his world.
The Academy was, in fact, a city within the city. It was built like a fortress, with a high wall made of hard alloy, deep moat and numerous large-caliber turrets which were placed in certain positions to create a deadly air-suppression dome.
No Nightmare Creature, not even colossal titans, were supposed to be able to break through its defenses.
That's how it was described in the novel. But after reading the encounter of various titans himself, Nathan could only laugh at such a preposterous notion.
With snow slowly falling down all around him, Nathan looked to his right and saw two figures. Both familiar in different ways. Sunny stood next to him taking in the academy in all its glory. And on the right of Sunny stood the protagonist of this world; Nephis of immortal Flame.
Just like the novel described, she was tall and slender with Silver-white hair, similar to the snow falling all around them but not quite. Her steel grey eyes were full of a quiet resolve. Her gaze couldn't be described as uncaring but rather the opposite. As if she cared too much.
She wore the same police-issued tracksuit as himself and Sunny along with a pair of old-fashioned headphones and absolutely no personal belongings with her.
A divine trio stood outside the gates of the academy, ready to embark upon their first steps onto the path of ascension and all the perilous trials and ordeals that came with it.
'It would be a divine quadruple if the other one was here…but I am glorydamn glad he's not!'
The gates of thick metal began to descend and formed a long bridge which gave passage over the moat. As this was happening, Nathan's mind was occupied with a couple different thoughts.
He didn't know much about Academy life simply because in the Novel, Sunny didn't have time for it and the fact that he was hated by all his peers on the first day and immediately lost the ability to make acquaintances.
'Considering his Flaw, it was the right course of action.'
Nathan probably wouldn't get to experience academy life either. The Winter Solstice was only a month away. In other words, he had a month to prepare for inevitable doom. That doom would be especially inevitable if he was sent to the Forgotten Shore. He didn't seem to posses Fated, but considering the fact that his First Nightmare had ended around the same time as Sunny's and that they were both monitored within the same police station…It was safe to assume that the strings were tightly woven around him as well.
Another thought was the advice that Jet had given him and Sunny before parting.
She basically said that they should keep all details regarding thier Aspects and Flaws hidden, and to disregard all other classes and soley focus on Wilderness Survival. This was because Sunny and Yoru were both outskirts' kids. Unlike Legacies, they didn't know the dangers of the elements and how much more dangerous the cold could be compared to a Nightmare Creature.
And the third piece of advice:
"Remember: no one can survive in the Dream Realm alone. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Try to get along with your peers, even if they don't treat you well. It might save your life."
These words had been a constant theme all throughout the novel and stuck with Nathan even before his transmigration. He'd do well to follow them.
It was funny how Sunny had listened so intently to her words but had absolutely no inclination to follow the last advice.
The first to step foot on the bridge was Nephis. Sunny sighed and followed, looking reluctant to do so.
Wearing a small smile Nathan followed the two as well, determined to accomplish everything he needed to ensure his survival.