"I'll come back, I promise you," he said softly, with a bittersweet feeling. The air was crisp and cold, the girl's beautiful blue eyes sorrowful.
She nodded in response, forcing herself to give a small smile.
"I have no doubt, don't take too long there."
Tears welled up in her eyes. He smiled.
Blessed. Yes, he was blessed. Blessed to have someone who would cry for him, blessed to have this life, to have this bond. He was glad. The only thing he had to do was not let her down.
Year 2251 — November 2: Aspirant Itagaki entered his First Nightmare.
Year 2251 — November 7: Sleeper Itagaki had overcome the First Nightmare precisely in 5 days.
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Year 2251 — November 4: Aspirant Cassia entered her First Nightmare.
Year 2251 — November 6: Sleeper Cassia had overcome the First Nightmare precisely in 2 days.
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Year 2251 — November 10. Monday.
The winter was coming, the air slowly turning colder. Frigid air had already settled, and rain fell scarcely. A feeling of melancholy clung to the air.
At the great hall, hundreds of Sleepers gathered, chatted, laughed, or just quietly stood. Induction ceremonies were held each month at the beginning of the year and then every week once the winter solstice began to loom near. Even though it had been 3 days since he attended the academy, it was the first time Itagaki attended the induction ceremony.
His lips pressed into a thin line, arms crossed as he looked around. To be in this position was irritating. He never liked crowds, let alone being with hundreds of young people. Not that he was asocial, but the dozens of murmurs, whispers, talks, and laughs were unbearable.
When the tall man in a dark blue uniform appeared on the stage, everyone went quiet. He was giant-like and probably could take on dozens of people at the same time. At least that was the impression he gave to Itagaki.
The giant man had wide shoulders, an athletic build, and a gorgeous brown beard. His eyes were calm and serious. After reaching the center of the stage, he gave the Sleepers a long look.
"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the Academy."
Everyone listened without making a sound.
Then the man started to speak, saying things Itagaki already knew. At the end, he gave them a heavy look.
"That is all for today. Next, follow the instructions sent to your communicators to find your assigned dormitory. Once settled, you may proceed to the cafeteria for some late supper. There will be a round of interviews after that, to prepare your suggested curriculums. Get a good night's rest. Your training starts tomorrow."
After this, Itagaki followed the instructions and found the dormitories. His room number was 203. With the keycard of his room, he entered inside. The room was pretty simple.
'The room I used to have is much better...'
He remembered the collections he had, the game console, the figures... Everything was still there, but not seeing them made him uneasy. He hoped his mother wouldn't break something when she was cleaning the room.
He changed his clothes to the ordinary ones given to everyone by the academy. After finishing changing, he immediately went to the cafeteria, put a few meats on his plate, and got juice, then searched for a table.
To his surprise, most of the tables were empty.
'I guess not many people want to eat after the Awakened Rock speech.'
He was a little depressed, too. Yet his tummy didn't think with logic. He was hungry, and this juicy meat was worthy of his mouth.
A girl took his attention. In the deserted corner sat someone alone, not eating anything, just sitting there. Her head was down, eyes peering at the ground. Itagaki felt bad for the girl. But it wasn't like he was good at consolation, let alone with the opposite sex.
When he got closer to an empty table, he almost choked on his own saliva. He nearly dropped the food he was holding.
"...," when he looked at the girl, she was terribly similar! "...Cas?"
Her head quickly flew up, her eyes wide as she heard someone call her. However, she didn't look at him, more like stared into a space than at him.
He rapidly approached her, put the food on the table, and sat next to her.
"Hey, Cas, didn't know you attended the academy...," the words were soft.
As she confirmed who this voice belonged to, she broke down. Tears welled up, and she couldn't hold back. She sobbed and hugged him.
In this endless dark vision, she felt like she had found some small fire, such a relief after tormenting days of emptiness.
Itagaki didn't know that. He reluctantly put his arms around her, patted her back in a comforting motion. He had seen Cassia cry several times, but never like this. Her sobs were desperate and hopeless, each one gut-wrenching, filling him with immense sadness.
"What happened?"
He asked, hoping she could at least form a proper sentence and answer him.
Was the experience of the First Nightmare that horrifying?
"It's... my f-flaw...," she gasped for air as she formed words. "I can't see... not a thing... only e-everlasting darkness...,"
Itagaki felt hopeless. He didn't know what to say. What could one say to this? A flaw could not be undone. She had to live with it.
"It's okay..." he forced the words he used to say whenever she was in pitch. His tone was far from the softness he once had. "It's okay..." He hugged her tighter. He didn't care if someone watched.
The only thing that mattered was the state of his beloved friend.