[Wake up, Morning Star. Your nightmare is over!]
Letting out a sigh, I opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was the armored ceiling of a police station vault hanging over my head. The aesthetics left much to be desired, but it had a certain charm.
'So I really am here,' I thought to myself.
I sighed.
I had managed to survive my first nightmare. It wasn't accurate to say I had been thrown into a nightmare just as I was about to read some chapters of the Shadow Slave novel.
Fortunately, his nightmare wasn't about fighting; it was, in fact, peaceful for the most part at the beginning before it reached its end.
---
In his nightmare, he took control of the son of some villagers who worked in the fields. There were no nightmare creatures, not even any threats, which confused him since at first he had no idea what to do to pass the nightmare.
He stayed like that for a month, getting used to country life. It was undoubtedly peaceful, yet he knew he couldn't stay; he had to find a way out.
After searching for another month, he realized that to leave the nightmare, he had to die.
It reminded him of the first nightmare that had been mentioned, where he climbed a lighthouse and set it on fire.
But unlike setting himself on fire, he decided on a more practical and easy method. He climbed a high mountain as the first rays of the sun illuminated the peak.
Seeing the morning star, he let himself fall into the void. When he fell headfirst, he felt a piercing pain throughout his entire body before jolting awake and breaking a kind of slumber.
He woke up in the same body and was still inside the nightmare. When he left the house of the person whose body he inhabited, he noticed the village was silent and abandoned, and everyone was in a kind of deep sleep with emaciated bodies; some had already died in their sleep.
He walked through the village until he reached a large temple that belonged to the sun god. And that's when he saw it.
The priest had been corrupted, turning into a nightmare creature, to be exact, a chrysalis. He didn't know of what and didn't care; he simply lit a torch and burned the entire place down.
In the end, he sat on the same mountain as the sun rose, showing the dawn.
That's when his nightmare ended, and the Spell informed him that he had killed a corrupt terror evolving into a fallen Titan.
---
Coming out of my thoughts, I paid attention to the government worker, who was an Awakened, though he wasn't alone; there was another with him.
The two were young, perhaps in their 20s to 30s, with faces somewhat relieved that I hadn't turned into a nightmare creature.
"Congratulations on surviving your first nightmare, Sleeper," said the officer.
"I'm Awakened Zhou, and this is my partner, Awakened Jarris," Zhou said, looking at me with nervous eyes.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhou. Can you remove the straps?" I asked. I felt really uncomfortable not being able to move and wanted to scratch my back.
"Yes, right away," he said, quickly removing the straps.
Being free, I scratched the itch on my back, feeling much better.
"Young man, you can tell us your name for the record."
"Record?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.
"Yes, we tried to look you up in the database, but well, you don't appear in it," Zhou explained.
Getting to my feet, I examined my body. There were a few changes, but in general, it was my true body, not a different one. Of course, my skin was lighter, and my hair was longer and straighter, but those were minor technicalities.
"Sure. I'm an orphan, and my name is Lucian."
The Awakened nodded and began typing on his phone... communicator?
'Whatever, it's the same thing,' I thought to myself.
After moving to the station area, I decided to take a bath. The station provided me with free sweats to change into, as well as some food for the questions from the government Awakened.
---
After taking a shower with hot and then cold water to relax, I looked at myself in the mirror.
As I suspected, I really had my own body, just younger. Before, I was a 21-year-old man, but now my body had changed to when I was 16. My skin had lightened, my eyes had changed to an intense red color. And my hair, well, my hair was cool, like those anime protagonists.
As for everything else, it was all the same, no changes.
Changing into the clean sweats provided by the police, I headed to the cafeteria where the two government Awakened were.
When I arrived, I sat where I was given a plate of bland food, which I didn't mind—I was starving. And I wouldn't turn down free food.
After eating, the questions began.
I had to invent a story on the spot that was quite believable.
In general, I said I was an orphan from outside the wall, had no home, and lived doing small jobs until I was infected by the Nightmare Spell.
The other blanks were filled in, along with a blood sample to find out my blood type, which was type O.
"Alright, Sleeper Lucian. With this, we can move on to the next item on the agenda. You have the right to receive psychological counseling for your first nightmare. Your mind is as important as your body. Are you interested?" Zhou asked.
"No, I'm fine," I responded honestly.
"Well, the next thing is about your first journey to the Dream Realm, about how you are going to prepare."
"As a Sleeper, you have the right to enroll in the Awakened Academy. They will provide you with food, lodging, and a wide selection of preparatory classes. At this point in the year, you won't be able to learn much, but it's better than nothing."
I nodded my head.
"I'll take that option," I responded instantly.
"Agreed," Awakened Zhou said, standing up, and his silent companion, Jarris, followed him. Following the duo of Awakened, I saw an PTV. It was quite large enough to fit at least 5 people.
---
It took at least 30 minutes until I was finally dropped off at the gates of the enormous Awakened Academy. Although it was an academy, it was actually an immovable fortress commissioned by the government to guide Sleepers entering the Dream Realm for the first time.
Though it was a bit disappointing, as I had realized I was many years in the past.
I had asked about what happened with the Nightmare Chain in North America. And the answer I got was disheartening.
The Northern Disaster had taken the life of Immortal Flame, as well as Sky Smile. That incident had occurred two years ago, leaving only three continents out of the original seven.
Anyway, I was about 15 years in the past. If my calculations were correct, Broken Sword was alive, and possibly Anvil, Ki Song, and Asterion were still Transcendents or perhaps Supremes at this point.
I couldn't do anything, so I simply wouldn't do anything.
'Hmph... maybe I'll help the protagonist's family. He must be about a year old. I wonder what kind of changes would happen?' I smiled at that thought.
As far as was mentioned in the novel, Sunless's parents had died, perhaps when he was still an infant, maybe five or six years old. So I could do something about it. I still had a few years to decide what to do.
I also knew the method for natural ascension, which was Essence refinement combined with his divine aspect. In two or three years, I could be an Ascended Titan with enough strength to fight for a few minutes against a Saint.
Of course, that was considering I could become an Awakened.
Hearing the sound of the enormous gates opening, I began to cross the bridge, heading towards a building that Awakened Zhou had indicated, where someone would receive me.
I had exactly one month to learn what I needed before going to the Dream Realm.
"I wonder if Julius teaches wilderness survival classes at this time," I murmured quietly.
Looking around, I found the Sleeper quarters; they were small, located in the southern zone of the Academy, surrounded by training fields and parks.
Upon entering the building, a worker began to guide me towards a large hall where there were at least a hundred people, young and some young adults not past their 20s.
Since it was the beginning of the month before the winter solstice, I was lucky to be a Sleeper and go to the academy on the same day as the meeting; otherwise, I would have had to go within a week.
A large part were members of clans that were forming, others were children of wealthy officials or children of Awakened.
The number of Awakened consisted of several thousand, and the Masters barely reached three digits, and the Saints... well, there were only four currently.
If I was lucky, I might fall near a Citadel that was already claimed; otherwise, I would have to extend my stay until I found an unclaimed Citadel, form a complex plan, kill the guardian, and claim it to have an anchor point in the Dream Realm.
---
After waiting for almost an hour, finally, an Awakened went up to the podium and began an explanation about the Dream Realm and the Nightmare based on the information compiled to date.
After the explanation, I took out the communicator that had been given to me when I met the person who guided me to this place. I looked at the information, which were instructions about my room, courses, and a device, as well as an interview for tomorrow with the staff for general abilities.
After filling my stomach, I followed the instructions on my communicator, arriving at what would be my dormitory; it was located on the lower levels.
The room was simple: a bed with a soft mattress, a desk, a wardrobe, and even a separate bathroom with hot water. The air was fresh and sterile. Also on the desk was a set of clothes with the academy logo.
Sitting on the bed, I finally summoned my runes, which I hadn't had time to look at even once.
---
Name: Lucian
True Name: Morning Star
Rank: Sleeper
Class: Dormant
Soul Fragments: [30/1000]
Memories: [Sun Priest's Shroud]
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Child of the Stars], [Destined], [Dreamspawn], [Light], [Divinity's Flame], [Fire]
Aspect: Shimmering Shard
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Ability: Bearer of Light
Description of Aspect Ability: You can shape light and banish shadows.
Flaw: Unchanging
Description of Flaw: Your body is incapable of change.
---
I see.
So, Unchanging. It seems I'll be trapped in the body of a 16-year-old. Well, it's not such a serious problem. I'll just have the appearance of a child until my death.
I felt my illusion of becoming an imposing and cool guy straight out of some heroic tale fly out the window.
'I guess I'll have to learn to live with it,' I thought with a smile.
'Although having the Destined attribute will be a headache.'
Anyway, now, let's look at the memory I got from killing that terror.
---
Memory: [Sun Priest's Shroud]
Memory Rank: Transcendent
Weapon Type: Armor
Memory Description: [Once, there was a priest who was a faithful follower of the Sun God. His faith was unshakeable, and he followed His divine mandates, transmitting His teachings. Over time, the priest was infested by a seed of corruption, slowly losing his faith until he cursed the divine and became a beast that fed on the happy dreams of his followers.]
---
So that's what happened.
"The priest was infected by corruption and turned into a monster," I murmured.
Summoning the shroud, I watched as golden threads of essence wove themselves and formed the armor. It was made of soft cloth, white and gold in color. It had various elements like bracers and pauldrons made of dull white leather.
The armor was light, though flashy because of the white color. It didn't restrict movement and didn't make noise when I moved.
"I wish it were dark. But there's nothing we can do. Anyway, it's a Transcendent memory, something not even a Demon could penetrate, let alone a Tyrant less than a Fallen."
If I get a sword, I could fight against Fallen monsters and beasts without worrying about dying.
"I think it also has protection against mental attacks and resistance to soul attacks. Yes, undoubtedly the best memory I have."
Checking the communicator, I looked at the time and cursed since I had to meet for the interview.
After a quick trip, I arrived at the place where the administrative employee wasn't angry, as it apparently often happened that one or another arrived late.
Hearing that, I relaxed a bit, and the questions began.
The questions were basic, and they offered psychological counseling, which I declined.
"Would you mind telling us about the type of aspect ability you received, like in combat, utility?"
I frowned; I really didn't know since I hadn't even tried it, but from its description, I guess it would be something related to combat since I could shape light.
"I think it's for combat; I haven't been able to confirm it yet," I replied.
The employee nodded slowly.
"Alright."
The next questions were of little importance about my experience in my nightmare, to which I told a bit about what my nightmare was like and how I killed a nightmare creature to pass the trial.
"Very well, Sleeper Lucian, that's all. Oh, is there anything else you'd like to add?"
"Oh, yes, I suppose I got a True Name," I revealed casually, causing the worker to freeze.
But she quickly snapped out of her stupor, regaining her professionalism. In this room, there were enchantments so she would know if I lied or told the truth.
"I see... and what was the True Name you received?"
"Morning Star."
After the interview, I left the office and went to sleep. Fortunately, the Awakened Julius taught wilderness survival classes, so without a doubt, it would be very useful for my survival, and the combat class as well.