[ Sunny was standing in front of the massive, seemingly indestructible red gates of the Awakened Academy. The Academy was, in fact, a city within the city. It was built like a fortress, with a high wall made of hard alloy, deep moat and numerous large-caliber turrets which were placed in certain positions to create a deadly air-suppression dome. No Nightmare Creature, not even colossal titans, were supposed to be able to break through its defenses. ]
The familiar scenery of the academy brought several of its past attendees to recall several of their memories in there. Some remembered using that time to seriously prepare, others remembered taking it like it was a normal school, and others saw it as a way to make connections.
From what they could tell from Sunny, he would undoubtedly choose to take his time seriously in order to survive.
[ The snow was slowly falling to the ground. It was cold and silent in front of the Academy gates. Except for Sunny, there was only one other person—another new Sleeper, if he had to guess. ]
"Wait... That's..." Effie's voice sounded.
[ It was a tall, slender girl of around his age, with clear grey eyes and a detached look on her face. She had strange, silver-white hair that was cut short and neatly parted to the side. Just like him, she was dressed in a police-issued tracksuit and had no personal belongings with her. On her head, there was a pair of old-fashioned headphones. She was calmly listening to music while they waited. ] (As someone pointed out, she indeed seems to have gone through the same process as Sunny, my bad. - Author)
Nephis stared at her younger self. She could barely recall that day, she was listening to a song of Nightingale, she couldn't remember if there was someone else, of course she couldn't.
Sunny had been there for so very long.
It made her warm and, at the same time, slightly hurt.
Just how much had she lost?
[ There was a certain vibe to the silver-haired girl. It was sort of… as though she was apart from the world. She looked confident and self-sufficient, but also a bit lonely. ]
[ Sunny wasn't going to start a conversation. Who knew what kind of situation he would put himself in due to that damn Flaw? It was better to keep to himself. ]
[ 'I wonder what Flaw does she have?' ]
Whether he was studying her for possible vulnerabilities or was simply curious if there were more flaws like his, it was hard to tell.
Nephis was more curious about her first impression on Sunny rather than what his intentions were behind that question.
'Was he able to read me that easily? I wonder if I did the same?'
[ Finally, the gates began to open. The giant, ridiculously thick sheet of reinforced metal slowly descended, creating a long bridge. Sunny looked ahead with grim determination. ]
[ Master Jet's parting words echoed in his mind. ]
As they wondered what advice Jet had given him, the scene changed.
It was a moving car, one that Jet seemed to be driving, however, the image seemed to be lacking color as if some of it had been drained, making the images almost completely on a grey scale.
"Did the saturation drop?" Professor Julius asked.
"Must be because it's a flashback." Revel commented.
[ "Since we both come from the outskirts, I'll give you three pieces of advice. Whether you listen to me or not is your business." ]
"Oh? Is this some sense of camaraderie there is in the Outskirts?" Effie asked.
"Not really. I wouldn't give him that much advice if I didn't know he had grit. It seems that I liked him quite a bit, even with such an awful first impression."
[ "First: once you're registered in the Academy, they'll offer you psychological counseling again. There will also be a valuable reward for sharing your experiences in the Nightmare and the details of your Appraisal. You'll be able to receive a soul shard, maybe even several of them." ]
[ "Are you trying to convince me to visit a psychiatrist again?" ]
[ "No. I'm telling you to refuse." ]
"Huh? Why?"
Mundane Cassie was confused and worried. Sunny had suffered a lot, wasn't it better for him to get counseling?
Hearing her question from across the room, Detective Sunless answered.
"Look, I don't know how your world is, but if I had to guess, in their world this whole psychiatrist thing is not like you are expecting, they will dig out his secrets and file them in a neat folder, waiting for him to go rogue so they can blast in all of his weaknesses."
Beside him, Saint narrowed her eyes.
"Is this how low you think of my profession, Detective?"
"What? No! I think you are an exceptional worker and very respectable."
"I will take your compliments and distrust into account for the next session."
"Damnation."
[ "You're too green to understand, but out there in the Dream Realm, Nightmare Creatures are not the only danger. Once you grow powerful enough, humans will become an equal threat. The less they know about your Aspect, the better." ]
[ "The easiest way to defeat a powerful Awakened is to use their Flaw. That's why young fools in the Academy are encouraged in various ways to share the details of their Aspects. I'm not saying that the government will leak your information, but once two people know a secret, it's no longer a secret. And there's a lot of people working for the government." ]
[ "Thank you, Master Jet." ]
"That was some solid advice, Saint Jet." Eunbin commented.
"He would probably realize it by himself, seeing how paranoid he is."
Jet waved it off. In her mind she couldn't help but think that Sunny was already pretty sharp, her advice was merely letting him know where to point that sharpness at.
[ "Second: there will be a lot of courses to choose from. All types of combat training, deep dives into Nightmare Creature categories and vulnerabilities, basics of various types of sorcery, artifact study and so on." ]
"I wonder what courses he chose?" Kai asked.
Nephis wondered as well.
'Maybe he was in the same combat class as me?'
In the Shadow Room, both Aiko and Rain, aware of his "hobby" wondered something else.
'Perhaps he studied sorcery or artifact study?'
However, there was someone that was entirely certain on the course he had chosen.
"Ha! He probably chose my Wilderness Survival classes."
Professor Julius merely stated that and became a magnet for the gazes of the rest of the occupants of the Longing Room.
"How are you sure, teacher?" Ling Ling asked.
"You see, that boy is Nobody! He has written the Guide to Everything! I was given one of its copies directly with a note saying that it belonged to one of my students."
"Professor Julius, if you knew a clue to Nobody's identity, why was it never revealed?" Saint Roan asked.
"If he really was one of my students, why should I betray him? He clearly wants his identity hidden, and I will comply as his teacher."
Nephis was starting to understand Sunny's respect.
[ "Disregard all of that. The only course you have time to attend is Wilderness Survival." ]
"Haha! See? Although I don't know how to feel being recommended by Saint Soul Reaper."
"It's just the best path forward."
[ "It's different for city kids, who learn all sorts of useful things in school and from their tutors. But we don't have that advantage, do we? What was the biggest threat to your life during the Nightmare?" ]
"The Tyrant?" Ling Ling asked.
"The bastards that wanted to hurt Sunny?" In another room, little Nephis asked.
[ Sunny thought about it. On the surface, the most dangerous thing he faced was the tyrant, followed by Hero… Auro of the Nine. But actually, what almost killed him in the end was… ]
[ "The cold." ]
[ "Smart. You only know how to survive in the city. But the Dream Realm is mostly made of wilderness. Do you know how to make a fire? How to procure food? How to find safe shelter? No. Fighting monsters is important, but it'll be useless if you die of hunger or exposure to the elements. Trust me. I've learned it the hard way." ]
"Most of us have."
[ Sunny nodded, angry at himself. It was so obvious, yet he never even thought about these seemingly simple things. He was blinded by his past habits and experience. ]
[ At that point, Master Jet had stopped the car and opened the door, getting out. Sunny followed her and was momentarily stunned, staring at the colossal metal gates in front of them. ]
[ "What's the third advice?" ]
[ "Remember: no one can survive in the Dream Realm alone. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Try to get along with your peers, even if they don't treat you well. It might save your life." ]
The Song sisters stared at each other.
Effie, Jet, and Kai shared a gaze.
Nephis eyed Cassie beside her, who was still looking down.
In the Shadow Room, Rain looked at Tamar, Fleur, and Ray.
[ "You've done well to survive until now. Make sure to keep yourself alive in the future, too." ]
Detective Sunless's eyebrows raised.
'God damnit, Jet. Leaving me with those words again.... It's not fair.'
[ Keep your Flaw and Aspect secret, learn to survive in the wilderness, be nice to other Sleepers. It didn't sound too hard. ]
[ But, for some reason, he was sure that these weeks were going to be as challenging as his First Nightmare. Or maybe even worse. ]
[ Seemingly free of such concerns, the silver-haired girl walked forward and stepped on the bridge. ]
[ Sunny sighed and reluctantly followed. ]
The scene changed once again, this time Sunny was inside an Hall.
[ Once inside the hall, he understood two things. ]
[ Firstly, everyone was well-dressed and in possession of a suitcase, a duffel bag, or at least a backpack carrying their personal belongings. They were obviously coming prepared, most likely from home, sent off by their families. So Sunny and the silver-haired girl, who came empty-handed and wearing simple police-issued clothes, were not a norm like he had assumed, but actually an eye-catching anomaly. ]
[ 'Right. That makes sense.' ]
[ Secondly, Master Jet was not being overly humble when she called herself below average by Awakened standards. Even though these young people were just starting their paths as Awakened, their looks were dazzling. Everyone was handsome, beautiful and radiated health. ]
"I still feel that you're selling yourself short, Jet." Kai commented, unaware of Morgan's nasty look.
"If you think so."
[ 'Still, I feel like none of them compare. She might not be as perfectly shaped, but… I don't know… she has a presence. It's like shadows become deeper and the temperature drops by a couple of degrees when she's in a room.' ]
Jet sighed. Just when would he stop complimenting her appearence?
"Haha, it seems that Sunny agrees."
[ Because he could not lie, and all of these excited youths, regardless of their clothes, gender and looks, wanted to do one thing. ]
[ Talk. ]
"The horror." Revel agreed.
[ 'I'm doomed!' ]
[ 'Just think about it as a continuation of your trial. You survived the black mountain, so you can survive this, too.' ]
[ He had faced heroes, villains, monsters and even gods. Was he going to be afraid of a bunch of teenagers? ]
[ …He might have underestimated how scary teenagers can be. ]
[ In half an hour, pretty much everyone in the room hated his guts. ]
[ After a short series of conversations, Sunny had acquired a reputation of an obnoxious, foul-mouthed pervert. This reputation was quickly solidified. He was slapped a few times and even punched once. He also discovered a couple of new things about his true self—namely, that deep down inside he was apparently rude, arrogant, and more than a little bit lustful. ]
"He can't be that bad, right?" Rain doubted.
[ "Look at all these young people. How many do you think will return from the Dream Realm? How many will perish? What do you think our own chances of survival are?" ]
[ "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that a pompous fool like you will die first!" ]
"Oh." Rain realized.
[ "I even received an armor-type Memory in my Nightmare. It's an enchanted robe. Would you like to see?" ]
[ "Actually, I would prefer to see you without a robe…" ]
A few armrests broke, and no one was harmed by the fury of jealous women.
"Sunny you can't say that!" Rain was exasperated.
[ "Then those lowlifes began to rob the bodies. It was disgusting! They even took their shoes! What kind of degenerate would take a dead man's shoes?" ]
[ "I once killed a man and took his boots. They were nice boots." ]
[ "... What? You killed someone just for a pair of boots?" ]
[ "Of course not! There were other reasons. I also took his cloak." ]
"Why not mention that he was a slaver!"
Rain was frustrated. Her brother was completely socially inept!
[ Once again an outcast, Sunny was eventually left alone. People seemed to be avoiding him. Unperturbed, he found a quiet corner and stood there, glad that no one wanted to talk to him anymore. ]
[ However, he was smiling. ]
Mundane Mordret chuckled.
'No way, I was just joking, but is he an M? For real?'
[ Because in the process of turning the whole batch of Sleepers against himself, Sunny had discovered something vital. ]
[ He learned how to control his Flaw. ]
"Are you sure?" Aiko asked.
[ Once asked a question, he could not keep quiet. He also couldn't lie. However, after a lot of experimentation, Sunny had found out that with a bit of practice, he could influence the exact way the truth eventually came out. ]
"So it's a matter of wording." Mundane Sunny wondered.
"It explains his weird talking habits." the Kai at his side commented.
[ It was like this: after receiving a question, his mind automatically produced a truthful answer. After that, the Flaw would force him to say that answer aloud. Refusal to speak would result in the buildup of pressure, then piercing pain. The longer he kept quiet, the worse the pain would become. Eventually, he would have to surrender and reveal the truth. ]
[ However, in these moments between receiving the question and surrendering to the pain, the actual wording of the answer could be changed. The more it strayed from the initial thought, the more resistance he would meet—once again in the form of pressure, then pain. It still had to be truthful, but it didn't have to be so stark. ]
[ For example, if Master Jet were to catch him staring again and ask what he was looking at, instead of embarrassing himself Sunny would have been able to endure a bit of pain and simply say "You." ]
'Yeah, that would save both of us the embarrassment.' Jet agreed with her thoughts.
[ 'This is good. This is great. This is something I can work with!' ]
[ If used with a certain devious type of intelligence, truth could be as misleading as lies. For example, in one of his previous conversations, Sunny had confessed that he had once stolen boots from a dead man. The other guy was horrified and asked if he had really killed someone just for a pair of boots. The answer the Flaw forced him to give was that there were other reasons and that he had also taken the man's cloak. ]
[ The true reason for killing the veteran slaver was that he had whipped Sunny a few hours prior. Besides, he was already dying. The cloak had nothing to do with the killing itself. However, the wording of the answer created an impression that it did. ]
[ Thus, two truthful statements, when put together, created an effect akin to a lie. ]
[ This was just a simple example. With a lot of effort and intense thinking, Sunny could create other types of manipulative truths. It was going to be extremely difficult and risky, but it could be done. ]
Seishan from the Regressed Timeline looked at Regressor Sunny.
"Are you a drug addict?"
"Huh? No! Why would you ask?"
"The first thing that comes to your mind is trying to make truths sound like lies as soon as you begin to stop saying them. I swear, if one day you can get something that allows you to lie, you will begin to speak only on lies."
"..."
'How should I tell her?'
[ It was time to put his theory to practice. ]
[ Sunny didn't forget what his main goal was—to make sure that no one ever finds out his True Name. To achieve that, he had to create an impression that he was the most pathetic, weak person in this whole building. Someone who would never receive a positive appraisal, let alone a divine Aspect and a True Name. ]
"Is this how it starts? His ridiculous and unbelievable stories?" Kai asked.
"Seems like it." Jet answered.
Effie gestured as if wiping out a tear.
"We are seeing history."
[ However, since this would be a lie, he couldn't just go and say it. ]
[ So how was he to convince everyone that he definitely did not have a powerful Aspect and an impressive record with the Spell? ]
[ His eyes fell on a particular group of Sleepers. There were five or six of them, gathered around a tall, confident young man. ]
"Caster?" Kai asked, almost uncertain.
[ "Ascended? You have received an Ascended Aspect? What… what was your Appraisal?!" ]
[ "Oh. It was "excellent." ]
[ "Ascended, excellent? That's it? What's the big deal?" ]
[ To be honest, getting an Ascended Aspect during the First Nightmare was extremely rare. He was certainly someone special, maybe even outstanding. Actually, despite their apparent differences, the young man somehow reminded Sunny of Hero… Auro of the Nine. ]
[ There was a special type of calculating coldness hidden deep inside their eyes. He had encountered such people before, mostly among the veterans of various street gangs in the outskirts. ]
[ They simply called this type of coldness "murder math". Basically, it was a habit experienced fighters developed—no matter where they were and what mood they were in, there was always a sober part of their minds constantly calculating the most efficient way of killing the person in front of them, just in case such need arose. ]
[ 'Ugh. Why do I have to antagonize someone like that, of all people?' ]
[ "Uh… friend, you must not know a lot about the Spell. Caster's results are truly remarkable." ]
[ "He is a Legacy, after all." ]
"A legacy? Which clan is he from?" Eunbin asked.
"The Han Li clan, I believe." Seishan answered.
"You know him?"
"He was part of Changing Star's Cohort in the Forgotten Shore."
"Yeah, they were even shipped together in the movie." Revel added.
[ "Are you trying to pull a prank on me? You call this remarkable?!" ]
[ "Listen, friend. If you don't think that an Ascended Aspect is remarkable, then please share with us your own amazing results! What, pray tell, was your Appraisal?" ]
"Here it comes."
[ "I would let you know… my Appraisal was, uh, it was "glorious"! Yes, glorious. And the Aspect I acquired was of the Divine rank." ]
"Huh... that doesn't sound like the odd stories he tells." Kai says.
"Yeah, I guess he still is testing it."
[ "Mind you, I'm not some lofty Legacy. Pfft! I'm from the outskirts. I've never even received combat training. All that training and he only got an "excellent"? What did he do during the Nightmare, pick his nose the whole time?" ]
[ "Glorious? That is interesting. Would you mind telling us what were your achievements in the Nightmare?" ]
[ "Sure, no problem! First of all, I killed an… uh… an awakened tyrant." ]
"Is he struggling to think of how to phrase it?" Elyas asked.
"Yes and No. It is indeed a pause where he is holding back his flaw while thinking of how to phrase it while making use of that pause to reinforce the idea that he is indeed lying. Genius. Truly as expected of a friend of mine." Noctis answered happily.
[ "Oh, really? How did you kill it?" ]
[ "How? Let me tell you, I didn't even have to lift a finger. I just spat, and it was torn to pieces!" ]
"Ah! That's more like it." Effie commented.
"And it is not a lie, from a certain point of view." Professor Julius said.
[ "This guy is either insane or purposefully messing with us. Listen here, shorty. Have some decency, okay? Who would believe such a lie?" ]
[ Sunny was genuinely angry. He wanted to retort, saying that he wasn't short. But he couldn't. ]
[ Because that would be a lie, damn it! ]
"Hahahahaha!" Effie laughed.
[ "I can't answer that, because it's not a lie!" ]
[ "Are you really insisting that you had killed an awakened tyrant—a tyrant! —and with a bit of spit no less?" ]
[ "That's the truth!" ]
[ "Crazy bastard!" "He actually believes in his own crap!" "Insane, he's insane…" ]
[ "Guys." ]
[ "What else did you achieve?" ]
[ "Let me think… Oh! I also killed an awakened swordsman." ]
[ "Really? How did you do that? ]
"The bastard. He is pressuring me to answer so I can humiliate myself further. The asshole never changes even in another universe." Mundane Sunny complained.
[ "That… actually, that time I had to lift a finger. I even had to shake it a couple of times. That was enough to kill him, though." ]
[ "What a crackpot!" "Ha! Can you believe this idiot?!" "Poor bastard. Not only is he weak, he's also lost it…" ]
[ "Anything else?" ]
[ "Something else? Uh… Well. Oh, right! I communicated with a bunch of gods, even though they were all dead. I made one of them wake up. He gave me a blessing! I was blessed by a god, do you all understand?!" ]
[ "I see. Well, in comparison to your achievements, mine do look rather average. Thank you for sharing with us. I hope you'll be as successful once we enter the Dream Realm." ]
[ "You better believe it!" ]
[ 'Ah. That's a job well done.' ]
Rain stared silently. For a moment she couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with the fools being tricked by her brother. After all, during her training, she had gone through the same, asking questions and receiving ridiculous answers.
[ "Why didn't you put that lunatic in his place? He has belittled you!" ]
[ "Poor kid must have lost his mind in the Nightmare. It often happens. He'll most likely die soon, so being kind is the least I can do…" ]
[ 'What a nice guy.' ]
[ Finally, he extricated himself from the crowd and reached the corner. For some reason, Sleepers were unwilling to approach it: currently, there was only one girl sitting quietly on the bench. Sunny gave her a look. ]
"Ah, that's the final person mentioned in the viewing description." Effie presented.
Cassie slowly raised her eyes. Her newly regained vision was staring at that corner. A corner that she could only remember through touch.
She stared at the lonely blonde girl that believed she would be a burden and the boy she would one day use for her own ambitions.
'I wonder, what were his first thoughts about me?'
[ The quiet girl was delicate, demure, and very pretty. Her clothes were tidy and neat. They weren't very expensive, but still rather tasteful. With her pale blond hair, big blue eyes, and exquisite face, she looked like a beautiful porcelain doll. ]
[ She was subtly breathtaking. ]
[ However, there was something wrong with her. Sunny frowned, trying to understand what exactly about the girl made him uncomfortable. After a while, he realized that her empty, expressionless stare was reminding him of Mountain King. ]
[ Startled, Sunny understood that the girl was blind. It took him a couple of seconds to compose himself. ]
[ 'What a shame.' ]
[ It was her Flaw. ]
[ 'And I thought my Flaw was bad.' ]
She looked downwards once again. Like always, it was her weakness that had caught his attention, she ignored his comments about her appearance.
His opinions on it were not as important as knowing if he was paranoid of her from the start, if there was something that could've hinted towards her eventual betrayal.
[ She was effectively a walking corpse. ]
[ Feeling extremely disturbed, Sunny turned away and studied the crowd of Sleepers. Now he understood why people were trying to avoid this corner: the girl was surrounded by an invisible, but almost palpable aura of death. ]
[ Sleepers usually weren't very superstitious, but anyone would feel uncomfortable in her company. ]
[ Armed with this knowledge, Sunny suddenly saw a pattern in how the young people in the hall were grouped. Instinctively, they all tried to stand close to those of their own circumstance. ]
[ At the far end of the hall, closest to the stage, were one or two small groups. They were all confident, calm and had an air of readiness. ]
[ Next to them was a larger number of expensively dressed young people. They were lively and excited, and only a little nervous. ]
[ Then there was the largest part of the crowd, which consisted of kids from middle-class families. ]
[ And lastly, there was Sunny and the blind girl. The corpses. From the point of view of other Sleepers in the hall, their chances of survival were close to zero. ]
[ 'How charming.' ]
[ This was how the young Sleepers had subconsciously divided themselves. The only exception from this rule was the silver-haired girl, who stood alone and apart from everyone, seemingly indifferent to tension and nervousness that permeated the air. She was leaning against a wall with her eyes closed, still listening to music. ]
In the end, the only other thought that came to his mind about her was how everyone else perceived them as corpses.
She didn't know if she should feel glad that he had some form of camaraderie with her, because of it.
'It is probably a stretch. It is better if our relationship maintains distance, so I won't feel as bad when I betray him, right? So why do I want him to turn to me and talk?'
[ Viewing Fated Encounters has been completed. ]
[ Theme: Humble Beginnings has ended ]
[Loading Chalenge]
[Wait... 9:58]
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A/N: Another Chapter. Sorry if it took a bit to update. There have been some busy days recently and I didn't have the time to write anything. Hopefully, with how long this chapter is, you are a bit satisfied.
Check Out my other Fanfics:
Cursed Shadow (JJK/JJK Modulo x Shadow Slave)
Trailblazing Shadow (HSR x Shadow Slave)