[ Sunny opened his eyes. ]
The viewing started as soon as the timer reached zero, it was arguable if everyone was ready to keep going or not, but it seemed that Mask was not really interested in their emotional turmoils.
[ The sudden disappearance of pain, coupled with the new vitality that permeated his body, almost made Sunny cry. ]
[ 'I really survived.' ]
For those who were not worried about his future problems, relief surged in their hearts. Even if they were not close to Sunny, after watching his struggles in the nightmare, it was hard not to cheer for him, and so they were as glad for his survival as the ones who did care for him.
[ On a cheap plastic chair placed beside his reinforced medical bed sat the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. ]
Across the various rooms, the eyes of the various Jets widened.
In the Longing Room, she was surprised to hear the narrator revealing Sunny's opinion. From the description, she could tell that they had met much earlier than she thought. But to think she was the first one he met and that she had such a first impression.
She tried to ignore her sovereign's side eye.
In the Alter Room, there were two Jets that looked at their other self strangely.
The Jet from Regressor Sunny's World was surprised. Because the one on screen was older than she was, almost by a decade.
As for the Jet on Mad Prince's timeline, she looked at the screen with a nostalgic gaze. She really missed those times.
[ 'Three stars, huh? Three stars means an Ascended… huh… yeah. Wait. An Ascended?!' ]
"What was an Ascended watching over someone's first nightmare?" Morgan asked.
"How would I know? If I had to guess, maybe I was just the one nearby."
[ "What are you looking at?" ]
Jet's humorless voice sounded for the first time in the rooms.
In the Alter Room, various Sunnys began to look away, preparing for the ultimate embarassement.
Regressor Sunny covered young Nephis' ears and looked away from his Jet, instead looking at Seishan, who was slightly confused.
[ Sunny blinked a couple of times, embarrassed, and quickly came up with an excuse. Then he opened his mouth and answered: ]
[ "Your breasts." ]
Silence.
If one dropped a pin, it would be heard across a whole room.
No one was expecting that answer, but since he couldn't lie, that must surely be the truth.
Jet felt the dead skin of her cheeks heat up slightly in embarrassment, desperately looking away from Nephis' heated gaze.
'I'm the one being stared at, not your boyfriend! Why am I the culprit here?'
As if hearing her thoughts, Nephis looked towards the screen again after taking a quick look at her own chest.
Meanwhile, Mad Jet sighed.
Even such a weird memory was both a source of comfort and hurt in these hard times. Times caused by the one sitting not far behind her.
As for Regressed Timeline Jet, things were much more heated.
Her face was much redder than the others, her widened eyes staring in embarrassment at Sunny. She studied him while her eye twitched.
She noted that she was prepared for her reaction before even hearing his answer, but she would only think about that later.
For now, she noticed his red ears and pulled on one of them, forcing him to look at her.
In his eyebrows, a drop of sweat was traveling down his face.
[ The woman slowly smiled with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Then, without any warning, she moved her hand and slapped Sunny across the face. ]
Almost in complete sync with her on-screen self, she slapped him across the face before huffing and turning away. In Sunny's lap, young Nephis stared confused at Jet's actions and merely resorted to sending her a nasty look.
[ "Are you awake now?" ]
[ Sunny held his numb cheek and carefully nodded. ]
[ "Good. Let me give you a piece of advice: don't just say anything that comes to your mind. Especially to girls. It's not like you haven't seen a girl before, right?" ]
Mundane Sunny looked at the screen and sighed. It seemed that his first interaction with Jet was not that much different. Just thinking how his young self, barely fourteen, tried to flirt with her while being brutally honest was nightmarish.
[ 'Say "Thank you! I definitely will not!"' ]
[ "I've seen plenty... but no one as beautiful as you." ]
A chorus of groans was heard, while a few jealous eyes narrowed.
[ "I see you haven't met a lot of Awakened then. By Awakened standards, I'm below average." ]
"Is she really?" Mundane Sunny asked.
Sitting not far from him, Kai answered.
"I wouldn't say so. It's really hard to judge a Master to be less beautiful than another since everyone is unnaturally attractive. There are only a few whose looks clearly surpass the others."
"Like yours or Cassie's?"
Nephis narrowed her eyes at the singer and the seer. She stared at Sunny and childishly asked.
"What about me?"
"Huh? You look amazing, Neph! I'm just not used to you having white hair." he said with a red face.
[ "As your soul core develops, the body gets rid of all its imperfections. So it's hard to find an unattractive Awakened, especially among the stronger ones. Live long enough, and you might just become a flower boy yourself." ]
"Oh! Great prediction, Jet!"
In the Longing Room, Effie applauded Jet's prediction with the support of Hel's repetitive nods.
[ "Well… maybe. In any case, since you're awake—welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Sunless." ]
[ Sleeper Sunless. ]
[ It felt strange to have a title put before his name. In the past, Sunny was rarely even addressed by name. People mostly called him things like "boy", "punk", "brat" or "hey, you!". But now he even had a title. ]
[ "I am Ascended Jet. You can call me Master Jet. These past three days, I was on watch duty due to your Nightmare." ]
[ 'Right… before I fell asleep, the policeman told me that an Awakened would arrive in a few hours to monitor my condition. To kill the Nightmare Creature if… if I die and let it through.' ]
[ "Master Jet? I have a question." ]
[ "Go on." ]
[ "Why would a Master be put on watch duty? Isn't it… below your pay grade?" ]
"That's what I would like to know." Morgan once again pressed on that question.
"Indeed. However, Soul Reaper's answer might still be valid."
"A Master just so happened to be nearby while he was going through his First Nightmare?"
"Have you forgotten his innate atributte."
[Fated], that alone could serve as the justification for a lot of things.
[ "You're smarter than you seem. Recently, there was a lot of Gates opening in this sector. Most of the local Awakened are either wounded or occupied with the clean-up. Or dead. It's always like that close to the winter solstice." ]
[ "Plus, there's not a lot of Awakened who, like me, directly work for the government. It's by far the least lucrative or glorious career one of us can choose. Would you abandon wealth and fame to work abysmal hours and risk your life, fueled only by altruism and a sense of duty?" ]
[ "Of course not. I'm not an idiot!" ]
[ 'Damn this damn Flaw! Damn!' ]
[ "See, I was right. You really are smart." ]
"It seems like I was really just passing by, albeit for work, like usual."
As they were about to see the continuation of the conversation, the scene suddenly changed. Sunny was now in a bathroom, looking at himself in a mirror, expecting the changes that had happened to his physique.
For sure, he was still far away from the appearance he would one day have.
"Geez, it turns out the eye candy went through a glow-up before becoming said candy." Effie commented.
Looking at the young Sunny, Kai couldn't help but comment, attracting the gazes of several women in the room.
"I think he is cute."
He looked around, confused at Morgan's and Nephis' expressions, they seemed... threatened?
[ 'Flower boy, huh?' ]
[ Then he suddenly froze, noticing something strange. As he was looking at himself in the mirror, the reflection of his shadow seemed to move. It was as though the shadow lowered its head and quietly facepalmed. ]
"Ah! His shadow moved on its own!" Mundane Sunny exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, Doofus' shadow was able to move around on its own and could share its vision with him. That was what made him the greatest scout and the maddest, considering the number of times I caught him talking to his own shadow."
[ "I clearly saw you move," ]
[ "You have just moved on your own, right?!" ]
"See?"
[ Sunny glared at the shadow, which obediently glared back. ]
[ "Did you move or not?" ]
[ The shadow enthusiastically shook its head. ]
[ 'What the?!' ]
[ "What do you mean, "no"?! You've just moved your head! Do you think I'm a fool?" ]
[ The shadow seemed to think for a bit and then shrugged. ]
In the lap of Regressor Sunny, young Nephis let out a laugh, filling the room with her childish giggle, prompting some of the Nephises to blush in embarrassment.
[ "Hey, you. Tell me what you can do." ]
[ 'Right. It doesn't have vocal cords.' ]
[ "Uh… show me?" ]
[ No reaction. It seems the shadow was content pretending to be an ordinary, lifeless blob of darkness. ]
[ 'I'm doing this wrong.' ]
[ Sunny closed his eyes and directed his perception within, exploring himself for the first time since returning to the real world. He felt the beating of his heart, the steady rising of his chest, and the slight chill of the shower room. He heard droplets of water falling on the tiled floor. Felt the movement of filtered air against his skin. ]
[ And there, on the verge of his consciousness, something new. ]
[ A completely new sense. ]
[ It was as though he could communicate with vast forms that crowded around him and receive an understanding of both their own shape and the surrounding space, guided by the different degrees of pressure they exerted on his mind and each other. ]
[ These forms were shadows. And among them, one—not the largest one, but the deepest—didn't feel like an external entity. It was like a part of his soul. ]
[ Once Sunny grasped the feeling of it, he could sense the shadow just like he sensed his limbs. The only thing was that his limbs were made out of flesh, and the shadow was made from the absence of light. ]
[ He willed it to sit, stand, turn around, and kick. Then he willed it to change shape, turning into a circle, then a line, then a monster. And finally, back to his own silhouette. The shadow was mercurial and fluid, like water. The only constant was its size. ]
[ "Ha! How about that?" ]
[ The shadow pouted, then reluctantly raised its thumbs. ]
Rain watched as Sunny explored his new ability, and yet, what surprised her more, funnily enough, was:
"How can a shadow pout?"
[ "But how are you useful?" ]
[ He willed the shadow to strike the towel rack. It obediently moved and delivered a powerful kick. Of course, since it was just a shadow, its leg passed over the towels harmlessly, not even causing them to sway a little. ]
[ "Is that… all you can do?" ]
[ "Alright. I will explore it later." ]
The scene changed again.
[ A few minutes after that, he was wearing a clean police-issued tracksuit and heading for the cafeteria. Master Jet was waiting for him at one of the tables, with two trays full of steaming synthetic food in front of her. ]
[ "Help yourself." ]
[ He sat down and began to wolf down the gruel ravenously. He was very, very hungry. ]
[ In the process, his thoughts began to wander. Sunny stole a glance at Jet and wondered. The Spell told him to find a master, and the next thing he knew, there was a woman calling herself Master right in front of him. He tried to imagine being an obedient slave to someone like her. ]
[ Weird thoughts started to appear in his mind… ]
Jet tried to loosen the collar of her shirt, feeling the room heating up.
[ 'You know what, Sunny, knowing your luck, this would be a perfect moment for her to ask…' ]
[ "What are you thinking about?" ]
"Wow perfect timing. Is he going to reveal his secret of being submissive?" Mundane Mordret chuckled while a little below him, Nephis' and Cassie's thoughts began to wander.
[ "I was thinking that it would be a perfect moment for you to ask me about what I am thinking," ]
"What a save." Detective Sunless admitted.
This whole ordeal was only staining his definitely wholesome relationship with his mentor.
[ "Alright. Are you almost finished with your food?" ]
[ Sunny nodded. ]
[ "Then I'll begin. As per protocol, I am obligated to inform you of a few things. It is mostly a formality. First of all, concerning your Nightmare…" ]
[ "You are entitled to receive free psychological counseling. No matter what traumatic experience you have encountered, there is no shame in asking for help. Your mind is as important as your body—it's only right to keep it healthy. Are you interested?" ]
[ Sunny shook his head. ]
[ "As you wish. You can also talk to me. Was it very hard?" ]
Jet felt something warm settle in her chest, it was good that she was there for him. She could kind of understand why he respected and cared for her that much in current times.
[ "It was simultaneously much worse than I expected and exactly as bad as I expected." ]
[ "That's a good attitude. I won't pry any further. Us outskirt rats are way more resilient than people think." ]
[ "Master Jet… you grew up in the outskirts?" ]
[ "What? You can't tell because of my exquisite manners and polished exterior?" ]
[ "I couldn't tell at all." ]
[ "Are there a lot of people like us among the Awakened?" ]
[ "No. There's not. In fact, they can be counted on one hand." ]
That put some people in thought. If so little was awakened coming from the Outskirts, it was a surprise how high both Sunny and Jet had climbed.
If it wasn't for the Government's distaste in touching the topic of the outskirts, the propaganda machine that would be created for these two would only be surpassed by Nephis' own.
[ "So… what happens now? What else are you obligated to tell me?" ]
[ "That's basically it. There are some additional hoops to jump through, mostly having to do with your family, but… well. I've read your file, so I know it doesn't apply. The only thing left is to decide how you will be preparing for your first journey into the Dream Realm." ]
[ "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." ]
[ "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." ]
"Damn, we are about to enter the academy arc, huh?" Revel pondered.
Her sisters looked at her with tired looks.
[ "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." ]
Nephis, Cassie, Effie, and Kai suddenly felt conscious of themselves.
[ 'And some may end up trying to end that life once we're inside the Spell,' ]
Mordret chuckled.
[ "So, what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the Academy?" ]
[ 'Is it because I haven't made up my mind yet?' ]
"So that's how his 'Flaw' works. He can only say what he believes to be true." Mundane Ki Song commented curious.
[ "Yeah. I want to go to the Academy." ]
******|******
A/N: Another Chapter! I hope the reaction to the iconic scene was not underwhelming. I know some of you were waiting for it excitedly so i hope I haven't mess it up.
Check Out my other Fanfics:
Cursed Shadow (JJK/JJK Modulo x Shadow Slave)
Trailblazing Shadow (HSR x Shadow Slave)