Elizabeth was talking to her brother, making sure she was speaking loudly enough for people to hear her.
"Sis, please just stop this nonsense! It's embarrassing!"
Her brother kept pleading at her side, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as she smiled.
"What are you talking about? Can't you see I am doing this for my own benefit? Do you want me to remain uncomfortable during my stay at the Academy?"
Cain shook his head.
"No, but still… don't you think you're doing too much?" he said, pointing at the people around her.
Even though she was doing her best to appear crazy, she was still receiving stares from others. This time, however, they did not approach her, instead they actively avoided her.
That works for me. As long as they aren't bothersome, I'm okay.
"Even the short Sleeper from earlier has stopped his antics," Cain said with a sigh.
Elizabeth shook her head.
"He started earlier than me. Of course he's done. I'm just getting started."
Elizabeth continued her antics until her watch vibrated. She had set a timer to remind her when nighttime was approaching. She glanced out the window, and sure enough, the sun was setting and the surroundings were growing darker.
She located a washroom and entered. Luckily, no one was inside, so she quickly changed into the clothes she had prepared beforehand.
'Even if I turn into a grandma, the clothes should fit…'
A few minutes later, she felt her body change. The transformation was always quick, lasting maybe a second. When it stopped, she looked down at her body and sighed.
'Not a grandma this time…'
She exited the stall and looked into the mirror. The woman staring back at her was young, probably the youngest she had ever been at night.
'Hmm… around the age of twenty-seven?'
After checking that her clothes fit perfectly, she left.
By the time she returned to the hall, most of the Sleepers had taken seats and were waiting for the induction ceremony to begin. She scanned the room, searching for an isolated spot. She did not have a hoodie that could fit her now to hide her face, so she preferred to sit somewhere empty.
After a few moments, she found what she was looking for and smiled.
'He really works fast. It seems rumors have already spread enough for everyone to avoid him.'
The short Sleeper was sitting in the corner bleachers, where the other Sleepers clearly avoided sitting, preferring to stand rather than sit next to him. At the far side of the bleachers was another person, a girl.
She did not seem to mind his presence as Elizabeth approached, though she noticed something peculiar about her. Although her eyes were open, her gaze felt strange. It was unfocused, as if not registering what she was looking at.
'Ah… she's blind.'
She knew it was not natural. There was no way someone born blind could have survived their First Nightmare, so it had to be her Flaw.
'What a terrible… Flaw.'
Her own was bad as well, but at least she had figured out that she did not grow weaker as she regressed in age increasing her chances of survival. She could not imagine herself blind, she could never, it was already terrifying just thinking about it. The girl must have been devastated.
The short Sleeper noticed her approach and narrowed his eyes in confusion. She understood why. He probably did not expect someone who looked older the rest of them to be nearby unless she was one of the Awakened of the Academy, but she was not wearing an Awakened uniform.
When she finally sat in the middle of the bench between him and the other Sleeper, his eyes widened in surprise and recognition. His gaze inspected her body several times, lingering a second too long on her chest before he quickly looked away.
'So the rumors about him being a perv were true… but can I really blame him? Even I sometimes stare, I can still not believing this is my body.'
She sighed internally and pretended to look forward while discreetly inspecting him as well.
She began considering whether she should associate herself with him. She was at least eighty percent sure he had a Divine Aspect, and he was one of the first people she had met that she genuinely wanted to form a connection with, since they might shared that in common.
'But… how the hell do I approach him?'
She could not just say, "Hey, since we both have Divine Aspects, want to be friends?" Was that how people made friends? The last time she had actively tried to make a friend was back in middle school.
'How did I even become friends with Tessie?'
She thought about it for a moment before sighing. She and Tessie had bonded over grief and trauma.
'Again… that doesn't help.'
What could she say about his drama?
"Hey, so is it true you faced an Awakened Tyrant in your First Nightmare? Must have been rough."
'Ugh… I give up.'
She was too socially awkward for that, and the short Sleeper seemed the same. He did not look like the type to approach people and make friends either.
Suddenly, she heard laughter echo in her head and sighed.
"That last one wasn't bad, though. I mean, look around you. Most of the Sleepers are bonding by sharing how their Nightmares went. You can try as well."
Elizabeth sighed and forcefully dissipated her brother.
Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She quickly located the source. It was the girl sitting next to her. Her expressionless stare made Elizabeth uncomfortable. She stared for a few seconds, blinking, before turning her gaze back toward the podium.
'What was that?'
For some reason, when the blind girl looked at her, it felt as if she was being inspected as well. That could not be the case, though. She was blind.
A moment later, someone stepped onto the podium. A tall man in a dark blue uniform appeared. He was not just tall, he was almost like a giant. His piercing eyes scanned the room, pausing momentarily on their corner before he began to speak.
"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the Academy."
The remaining whispers in the crowd instantly dissipated, everyone giving him their full attention.
'Awakened Rock… what a strange name.'
Seeing all attention on him, Rock continued.
"In less than a month, you will be summoned to the Dream Realm. Some of you might think you are well prepared. You're wrong. The Spell is merciless and cunning. The moment Awakened begin to think too much of themselves, they die. I've seen countless Sleepers like you lose their lives. I've also seen experienced Masters lose theirs. Even Saints are not assured survival."
Elizabeth smiled slightly as she watched smiles fade from some of the faces around the room.
"In the following four weeks, we will do everything in our power to increase your chances of survival. You will receive training from the best instructors in the world. However, do not be misled by their fame. In the end, whether you return from the Dream Realm alive depends only on one person, you. The responsibility to survive is yours, and yours alone."
He paused for a second looking around the room before he continued, "You are not children anymore. It's a shame, because you ought to be. But the Spell has decided otherwise. You have been through the First Nightmare, so you already know what it's like. Your parents, your teachers, and your friends can't help you anymore."
Elizabeth sighed.
"Jeez… it's really the same speech from years ago when I was a Sleeper."
Her brother appeared beside her, sitting down.
"Exactly the same as the recorded version you watched back in school, as well." he said.
She nodded. Since she had watched the video hundreds of times before, she let part of her mind drift while thinking about which classes to pick. She had a month before the Winter Solstice, so she needed to choose classes that would improve her chances of survival, at least two.
'Sorcery is a must, though.'
Other than that, what else could she apply for?
After a few seconds of consideration, she decided on a combat class. She needed a place where she could train her Aspect better and get used to it faster. She was also curious about the tips an Awakened combat instructor might give her. Although she had been trained by Tessie, a Saint, it would not hurt to get pointers from others as well.
"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 a late supper. There will be a round of interviews afterward to prepare your suggested curriculums. Get a good night's rest. Your training starts tomorrow."
Elizabeth snapped back to full senses at the end of Awakened Rock's speech and slowly stood up, glancing at her vibrating communicator.
'Sweet, they do solo dorms here.'
She really did not want a roommate after everything she had done today. It would have been awkward.
She turned off her communicator and followed the herd of Sleepers heading to the cafeteria.
'Interviews, huh…'
She could not help but sigh at the luxury of NQSC. Back in her hometown, she had heard that the Sleepers were simply put through strict schedules they had no say in.
The moment she entered the cafeteria, she was hit by the smell of food. Her stomach growled loudly the next moment. It was only then that she realized she had not eaten anything all day.
'…It's an all you can eat buffet, right?... Surely they won't charge me… right?'
**********
SN: Sadly only one chapter today. I haven't really finished the next one, nor has it gone through the editing phase. Sorry.
Also, got inspired by other authors setting goals for power stones
So for every 30 power stone I get = an extra chapter the next day!