As soon as Lec entered the Sleeper part of the compound, he was practically forced into an interview room. It wasn't that surprising, given how late he was, but still, was it too much to ask for some common decency? 'Sheesh..'
Usually, Sleepers would have been forced to join other batches of Sleepers to give them a chance to socialize and hear what Lec assumed was going to be a rather boring speech. He didn't care too much that he'd be missing out on that; what he did care about was how vigorously they were questioning him. They had questioned him on a myriad of topics—his home life, how powerful his aspect was, and even his financial situation, weirdly enough.
Although he had kept most of his answers decently vague, replying with things like:
"I live alone."
"The strongest one ever."
And, "I'm flat broke."
Even so, it was clear as day to even someone as oblivious as himself that they were dancing around a certain topic. And that was the contents of his first nightmare. Of course, Lec chose not to say too much about it, keeping it as vague as his other responses.
At this point, it was clear that the no-name Awakened interviewing him was becoming a bit frustrated as they asked their final question. "So then, what rewards did you receive from said, lizard in the sky"
As they said that, Lec smiled. A cocky grin spread across his face. "Well, I didn't receive anything that crazy. Just some shoes...and a true name."
In that moment, the interviewer's demeanor changed as he detected that Lec wasn't lying. "Y-you what?" The old Awakened stared at him in shock. How could this kid, possibly the youngest Awakened he'd ever seen, receive a true name after their first nightmare? He wasn't even a legacy, let alone someone who looked even remotely capable!
Pressing further, the Awakened asked his final question. "Well then, do you mind saying what your true name is?"
Lec's shit-eating grin seemed to grow even more as he leaned back into his chair.
"You may simply refer to me as The Black Wind."
***
"T-this can't be real!"
"First it was Changing Star, and now this guy!"
"Two people receiving true names in their first nightmare?!"
"How old is he, even?"
The cafeteria of the academy was currently in an uproar, Lec snickering in a corner as he watched them yell at the screen displaying their rankings, which had remained completely unchanged until today.
Lec wasn't quite sure what the old rankings were, but he assumed that third place, Caster of the Han Li clan, used to be second place, before he came along, of course.
On the screen where Caster had once been was a particularly young-looking face, and to the right of the portrait, two lines of text could be seen:
"Name: Lec"
"True Name: The Black Wind."
Everyone was in shock, even the usually stoic Changing Star had a surprised look on her face, which was quickly replaced by apathy once more.
Elsewhere in the crowd, a familiar black-haired teen had a look of recognition cross his face as he turned to stare at where the smug kid was sitting. It was at that moment that Lec decided to summon his Air Shoes, stretching in his chair to get everyone a good look at the shiny footwear, which didn't fit his rather bland clothing at all.
The black-haired teen could only sweat drop at the sight, choosing to return to his breakfast and let the inevitable drama ensue.
Before Lec could even begin his planned gloating, most of the cafeteria had already gathered around him, all of their eyes burning with multiple different emotions. 'Damn, I miss being able to sense emotions, but I can't since none of these guys possess chaos energy.' Even with that, though, Lec knew that if he were able to sense their emotions, one feeling would be the most prevalent.
And that was jealousy.
As Lec thought this, one person walked out of the crowd. The young man had brown hair and a gentle, handsome face. His eyes were green, with a hint of friendly humor, although his face looked a bit strained. After a few moments of staring at one another, the young man forced a friendly smile as he spoke. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Caster of the Han Li clan."
Lec stared at the approaching man, a look of recognition in his eyes as he flashed a foxy grin. "Ah, if it isn't number three."
The words hung in the air, and people went quiet at the sheer disrespect. It wasn't every day that someone insulted a legacy like that, let alone someone who could somehow back up his claims of being superior.
"E-excuse me?"
"Did he just insult Caster?"
"Well, who's gonna stop him? He's a proud bearer of a true name, after all. Unlike that outskirt pervert." A certain shadow just groaned at that.
Caster simply shook his head, appearing to be unbothered by the slight jab. "Well then, it seems that your trial went well enough not to break your sense of humor. I am truly happy about that."
'I smell bullshit...but Master Jet did tell me to make good relations. So I suppose that I'll have to do that.' Enhancing his smug face, Lec simply nodded in response. "My first nightmare would be hard for most other people, but for me it was way too easy."
"It's no wonder the Spell gave me a true name."
Nodding at Lec's cocky statement, Caster continued, his forced smile becoming something that looked almost genuine. "I don't doubt that. Though I must say, for someone who claims their trial was easy, you certainly took your time getting here."
A few snickers rippled through the crowd.
Lec blinked. Then a slow grin spread across his face. 'Oh, so the spoiled legacy has teeth, huh. Interesting.' Lec leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the cafeteria table. "Well, when you're having as much fun as I was, time flies. You know how it is. Or maybe you don't, you don't strike me as the type to wait and smell the roses."
He tilted his head. "How long were YOU in there, number three?"
"Four days," Caster replied evenly, the smile on his face tightening imperceptibly.
"Hm." Lec leaned back again, the picture of casual indifference. "Two weeks for me. Must be nice, finishing early. Probably means there wasn't much to do in there, right? Or maybe the Spell didn't think you were worthy of a harder nightmare."
If it wasn't quiet already, the cafeteria had just become very quiet as the crowd watched the exchange.
Despite showing no outward signs, it was clear that Caster was becoming frustrated. "You have quite the mouth, don't you. I wonder who taught you how to bite back like that."
"I taught myself, legacy. Outskirt rats like me must just be like this." The expressions of most people in the immediate area changed almost immediately. There was a mix of awe, shock, and indignation. How was it possible? A mere rat receiving a true name?
Someone from the crowd yelled out, their voice clearly audible in the quiet cafeteria. "What were your achievements during the nightmare?!"
Lec barely glanced at them before replying with a smug grin.
"Well, it was nothing much. I just defeated a corrupted devil. Easy enough, in fact, I killed it with ease."
***
'I'm pretty sure everyone here hates my guts now. Or at least half of them. The other half seem like wild fanatics...' Sweeping his eyes across the room, Lec decided that it was probably in his best interest to leave.
Standing up, he'd walk through the crowd of people staring at him with rather intense gazes. It was strange to have this much attention, but weirdly enough, he found himself enjoying it quite a bit. 'This doesn't make me a bad person, right?'
Reaching the exit of the cafeteria, he'd give a simple wave before walking out, completely unaware of a certain pair of gray eyes glaring at him with suspicion.
***
Author's note: I'd usually write these in the actual author's note section, but I'm pretty sure ya'll don't even read that, so I'm going to start putting these here.
Anyway, I don't really have much to say other than the fact that the Academy section is gonna be pretty short and most likely end in the next two chapters. Mostly because I don't feel like writing that much lol. Rest assured, though, the next chapter is going to be pretty cool.
These notes are going to be pretty rare, so don't worry about them clogging up too much space. Also, make sure to join the Discord in the comments.