The academy had moved her immediately while she was sorting out housing. No longer relegated to the dorms for sleepers when she arrived, instead she had been granted a private suite befitting of her status and of a queen. It was a space defined by sharp angles, reinforced glass and a view of the NQSC that made the people below look like frantic ants. It was luxurious, sterile and safe. Too safe.
Asteria sat on the edge of the bed – her bed – a mattress that didn't smell like dust and dried blood – and stared at her hands. They looked the same yet felt fundamentally different. There was a new sensation, one she was still sloppy at using: essence. It was like a pressurized river flowing through her veins.
Ascended Queen of Nightmare.
The title felt heavy like a clothes that didn't fit – not that she would ever worry about that problem again. Not even a day ago she was fighting a supreme and overthrowing her kingdom; now she's just an asset for humanity – a special one at that. She was a citizen after being abandoned in the outskirts for so long, money in an account she hadn't even checked and a badge that could prove her legitimacy and demand respect.
She reached out and summoned her runes, the light casting metaphorical shadows against the white walls.
[Dream Anchor: Theatre of Crystal.]
That was the problem. Her nightmare was over, and the dream realm never truly let her go – not like it ever would, reminding her of the warm homecoming she got in her solstice. She had a citadel now – a literal piece of the dream realm that belonged solely to her. But as she told Jet it wasn't a gift or anything pleasant, it was a renovation project from hell that is eager to take her life. She would have to eventually return to the palace, clear out the lingering horrors and attempt to make it liveable.
'But not today,' she though, dismissing the runes. 'Today, I think I want to be human.'
She spent the next hour mentally checking over everything she's done and accomplished – a mental audit you may say. In the world of the awakened, information was a currency more valuable than soul shards – information could save your life. She had an aspect legacy she didn't understand, a true name that made the clans salivate and far too many mysteries surrounding her.
Jet's warning echoed in her mind: "To become a saint, you need the right people to not be in your way."
Asteria knew exactly what that meant. The Great Clans – Valor, Song or even The House of Night – albeit the latter is briefly called a Great Clan. They weren't simply powers, no – they were absolute monopolies on the power of the world. They wanted soldiers, not heroes, they wanted icons that they could tame and put on a leash.
Asteria scolded herself and the Clans internally, her mouth twisting into a scowl. 'You can't – won't – put a leash on someone who's spent her whole life running...'
She stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The sun was setting over the skyline, painting clouds in bruised purples and oranges. It reminded her of Halesia's soul sea. The calm serenity of the shore.
For a moment, the grief she had suppressed during the interview threatened to boil over. She had killed a goddess who just wanted to sleep. She had watched a kingdom die so she could breathe. The weight of those lives – even if they were just fakes manifested by the Spell – pressed against her chest.
They had been real once, and yet they all suffered.
She needed an anchor. Something real. Something before the murder, politics and desperate strive for survival.
Her thoughts wandered for a moment before landing on someone who was remarkably memorable.
Changing Star – Nephis.
Nephis had been the one to help her when she was struggling with a sword – akin to a mentor and her student. They had a strange, unspoken understanding – two girls with too much weight on their shoulders and too many secrets in their eyes. Asteria even promised to repay a debt to her, though the details of the debt were blurred by the year she had spent in that god-forsaken place.
She left her suite, her black fatigues whispering against the polished floor. She didn't head for the cafeteria nor the training grounds. She headed towards the medical wing.
The guards at the restricted elevator didn't even ask for her ID. They saw the violet tint in her eyes and they simply stepped aside. Being a master had its perks, even if it made her skin crawl.
She found the head nurse's station, the same one where the woman had stammered at her earlier.
"Lady Asteria," The nurse said, standing up quickly. "How can I help you?"
Asteria began, her voice calm but firm. "I'm looking for someone, Awakened Changing Star – Nephis. She was part of the same group of sleepers as myself. Do you know where she is now?"
The nurse's expression faltered. She looked down at her terminal, her fingers hovering over the keys. "Ah... Changing Star. One moment."
Asteria felt a prickle of unease. The silence lasted a few seconds too long. "Is there a problem? She should've awakened months ago like the rest."
The nurse bit her lip and looked up, her eyes full of a professional, sterile pity. "Lady Asteria... Nephis hasn't awakened. Her pod is still active."
"What do you mean?" Asteria froze. "It's been over a year. You're telling me she's still in the dream realm with that sort of strength?"
"Her vitals are stable," the nurse interrupted quickly, sensing Asteria's panic. "But she hasn't found a citadel yet. She's still inside. There are a few others just like her from your group who haven't returned yet."
"Take me to her," Asteria commanded. It wasn't a request. The air in the hallway grew cold, and so did her eyes too – a pricking sensation that she might be able to do something if she sees her.
The nurse didn't argue. She grabbed a digital keycard and led Asteria deeper into the wing, past the standard hospital for sleepers and into a deeper, more secure location.
They stopped in front of a heavy, reinforced door. There was no window, only a small screen displaying a steady, rhythmic heartbeat.
Asteria reached out, her hand trembling slightly as she touched the cold surface of the door. Nephis was still fighting. While Asteria had been looting vaults and slaying queens, Nephis had been trapped in her own personal hell for twelve months.
"Open it," Asteria commanded.
The nurse swiped the card. The locks disengaged with a series of heavy mechanical thuds, and the door hissed open, venting a cloud of frigid, pressurized mist.
Asteria stepped inside.
The room was dark, lit only by the soft pulsing of a single medical pod in the center. Cables and tubes snaked across the floor like veins, feeding into the machine that kept Nephis's body alive while her mind was light-years away.
Asteria walked to the edge of the pod and looked through the transparent lid.
Nephis looked peaceful, but it was the peace of a statue. Her skin was pale – alabaster, and her silver hair was spread out in the nutrient fluid like a halo of frost. She looked so fragile – unlike the radiant warrior Asteria remembered.
But then, Asteria looked at the monitors.
The readings were off the charts. Nephis wasn't just surviving; she was burning. Even in her sleep, her soul was a white-hot star, fighting against whatever hell had dared to claim her.
"I'm back, Nephis," Asteria whispered, leaning her forehead against the cool glass of the pod. "I'm a master now. I have a debt to repay, remember?"
That was until, Asteria could see what Nephis saw.
"What?" Asteria mumbled under her breath, reeling in what she is seeing.
There was red coral, a large crimson tower and a castle made of bright stone, skulls lining the gates and people who looked resentful – fearful.
'Is this...' Her mind wandered to an attribute. [Dream Walker]: "You can view the dreams of other people."
'It really is... '
The spell's voice whispered in her ear, giving her a choice.
[You can enter Dormant Monster, Changing Star's dream.]
[Would you like to enter?]
"What?" Her voice grew louder, starting the nurse behind her. "No, no way right?"
'Wait, monster? She has two cores?! That's not important right now...'
Opening her runes, she scanned for only one thing.
Aspect Ability: [Unbound by Dream]
Ability Description: ["You are the bane of dreams. You can enter the dreams of those around you or have marked with the brand and freely leave within the dream. You are one with the nightmare and have the freedom to come and go from within its trials."]
'Does that include the dream realm and not just seeds? Does that mean I can enter and leave the dream realm at will and find other people?!'
Her eyes widened at the possibilities.
"Yes." She whispered. "I have a debt to repay."