Aelon stepped up once again, this time the watchful stares of everyone on him.
Everyone was watching him.
He had left a deep impression on them when he performed twenty five on the first test, so it seemed that [Faint Remembrance] was acting up.
But... he couldn't do it.
It was like a mental barrier was before him, he couldn't fight with the knowledge that a countless amount of other teenagers were watching him. All older at that.
So before he separated from the crowd, he turned around, and left the dojo, and ran towards the bathroom.
Right into a stall, and locked himself in.
The pictures of the sleepers watching him ran through his mind and it made him feel filthy. Filthy, and unworthy.
Already pale from heavy breathing, he felt the nausea catch up with him... and he threw up in the toilet.
'I hate this. I hate this so much.'
Whenever he was near other people his flaw didn't simply make him panic, it made him feel worthless too. In the sense that he wasn't worth their attention, that he shouldn't be there among other people.
Like an inferiority complex that was focused on every other human.
Like he was the worst human, the most worthless one.
After flushing the toilet, he pulled down the lid, and sat on it, with his legs pulled up, and face buried in them.
Tears were slipping.
***
Sunny was confused. After all, Aelon had simply just left.
The other students were also confusedly looking in the direction in which the black haired boy had just disappeared in, and muttering amongst themselves.
When Sunny looked at the other high-scoring sleepers, like Nephis or Caster, he saw something he hadn't expected.
Nephis didn't look surprised in the slightest, much more like she just confirmed an assumption she had. The shadow even saw her nod.
Caster was just as surprised as the other sleepers.
And Lyra... she narrowed her eyes, as if recognizing something.
***
Late at night, when everyone was already asleep, Sunny furtively entered the dojo. Looking around, he made sure that no one was there and then curiously approached the ring where Nephis and others had been tested earlier. He stopped at the center of the ring and stood there for a while, remembering how she had dealt with dozens of Sleepers of their batch before being defeated by Caster.
"Monsters… both of them are monsters!" he mumbled, bitter and disheartened.
Shaking his head, Sunny left the ring and then he looked at his shadow.
"Do you agree?"
The shadow hesitated for a few seconds, then stuck out its chest and crossed its arms, trying to appear cocky, disdainful and unperturbed. However, its act wasn't very convincing.
"Yeah, you're right. Exactly! What's the big deal anyway?"
Both Immortal Flame and Broken Sword, Nephis's father and grandfather, were as monstrous in terms of power as one can get. But they still failed to protect their family from being eviscerated. So, power wasn't that important in the end.
Even royalty was not safe from the cruelty of the world.
Sunny sighed and proceeded to the measuring machine. Making a fist, he swung it and delivered his best punch. The machine hummed for a few seconds and then displayed a single number.
Nine.
"Oh, come on! I deserve a ten, at least!"
Feeling very indignant, he struck the plate again, almost hurting his fingers. However, the result was the same.
"Damn it!"
Sunny paced for a bit, trying to control his anger. It seems he was destined to be a weakling. After all, the force of the strike depended on mass and acceleration. Acceleration could be improved with technique and exercise, but mass was something he had little control of.
He was already done growing, and his height was not going to drastically increase in the future. No matter how hard Sunny trained, he was always going to be a lightweight.
'How is this fair?'
Suddenly filled with resentment, he punched the plate again, putting all of his frustration into this one strike.
At that moment, a strange instinct suddenly awakened in Sunny's mind.
Following the command of this instinct, his shadow flowed up and wrapped itself around his hand, sticking to it like a black glove. In the next moment, the punch connected.
The machine trembled from the force of the strike. Sunny's yelped in pain and took a step back, cradling his bruised fist. After a while, the result was displayed. However, it wasn't a nine anymore.
It wasn't even a ten.
It was eighteen.
He looked at the displayed number for a long time, expressionless.
Then, a wide grin slowly appeared on Sunny's face.
"I see. So that why. Of course!"
He clenched his fist again, looking down at the black, shadowy glove.
Ah, what an invaluable helper indeed.
"Now we're talking!"
***
The next day Aelon found himself in the cafeteria, eating breakfast next to Cassia, who just like always didn't notice his presence. Sunny was coming too, and looked at him weirdly.
With a confused look, he answered Sunny's.
"You know the other sleepers are talking a lot about you right?"
Aelon's flaw activated, making him choke.
"N-no."
"Why did you run away yesterday?"
'I seriously embarrassed myself didn't I?"
"M-my flaw..."
Sunny's eyebrows raised. "Your flaw?"
"It... it makes me unable to be in the presence of many people... like extreme social anxiety. It only stops when I forget that they are around me, or I know them well enough. That's why I can somewhat talk to you."
"What happens when you are with many people?"
"...I panic, my thoughts fill with self doubt and hatred, and all my insecurities get amplified. Most of the times I get a panic attack...."
Sunny silently nodded in understanding.
"You know, Nephis the girl who is ranked one is from the Immortal Flame Clan?" Sunny said. "I discovered it yesterday while... my shadow was looking around."
"Immortal Flame? Isn't that the one where Broken Sword was in?"
Sunny nodded.
'I really fucked myself over over antagonizing her... she'd wipe the floor with me.'
That was when Aelon felt a finger tap his back.
Turning around, he saw a shirt, so he continued looking up, until he finally locked eyes with a ridiculously tall girl.
It was Nephis.
'What kind of luck is this?'
"Fight me."