Lunar was standing in front of the massive, seemingly indestructible Awakened Academy. It looked like a city within a city, larger than anything he had ever seen. It was built like a fortress, high walls with large turrets stationed above. It had an indescribable air-suppression dome formed with artillery, one that even titans couldn't break through.
He was astonished. Webtoons, novels, and even non-fiction described this as the settlement for future heroes. A place where adventures started, training commenced, and rivalries began. In fact, there were even romcoms based on the "enemies-to-lovers" trope. Though, never in his wildest dreams did Lunar imagine standing where those popular series took place.
Though, he figured reality would heavily differ from media. After all, this education ended with the Dream Realm. People were bound to shiver and weep as the inevitable day approached. Of course, this is one of the reasons why many young Sleepers paired together, forming cheap romances to experience temporary happiness.
Unfortunately, Lunar did not feel like wasting his time. He had to survive, and nothing could get in the way of this.
...
It was not quite snowing yet, but the temperatures were dropping. It was cold and silent in front of the Academy gates, and apart from Lunar, there was only one other person waiting to enter — another Sleeper, if he had to guess.
It was a short, black-haired girl of around the same age as him, with onyx-colored eyes and purple bags beneath. She had a dull, tired look on her face with loose strands gathering into a messy bun. Like him, she was dressed in a police-issued outfit, but hers was slightly different. She had the same black t-shirt, but rather than sweatpants, she wore combat-styled shorts that were terribly suited for the weather.
Yet she stood unbothered, as though accustomed to the cold.
She had a strange vibe, different from most. She didn't look prideful, nor did she look scared. She looked... dangerous? Her dark eyes held a certain glint, like the murder math you'd find in a serial killer. She was confident, yet wary.
Despite his observations, Lunar wasn't going to approach her. He didn't think she was strange or anything, he just didn't need any acquaintances yet. Once his True Name was revealed, he could leverage connections, but before that, he had no need.
So, once the gates opened, he glanced back. The giant, thick sheet of reinforced metal slowly descended, creating a long bridge between the city and the Academy. He looked ahead with an amused look, ready to begin his education.
The two figures walked, eventually stepping side by side as they crossed the bridge. Lunar earned a side-glance from the messy-looking girl, but she eventually looked away, focusing on the journey ahead.
***
It was a low, modern building constructed of reinforced materials. The Sleeper part of the compound was quite small compared to the rest, but it also contained the best resources for nurturing. There were training fields, parks, and even special rooms for entertainment. Lunar was a little confused why they included the latter, but he assumed it was for sore losers who had given up on their own survival.
The building was spacious, well-lit, and well-maintained, allowing him and the girl to easily traverse the building. They were then taken to a large hall where hundreds of young men and women were situated — Sleepers who had all recently cleared their First Nightmares.
Lunar noticed that this was a gathering for their induction ceremony, made to introduce them to the Awakened Academy and prepare them for what came next. Some were nervous, others were tense. Even a select few seemed excited, but those were mostly Legacies.
For a while, Lunar observed as people conversed. Some spoke about their First Nightmares while others mentioned their Aspect. He even overheard someone flaunting their appraisal. This continued, all while neither he nor the black-haired woman had moved from their initial spot.
This was, until...
"Hey!"
"Mm?"
Lunar turned around, his gaze finding the source of that voice. Upon shifting his perspective, he noticed that rather than him, it was directed at the murderous girl beside him. He would have simply ignored it, but her response prevented him.
"What do you want?"
She sighed, tilting her head as she lowered her gaze onto him. In front of her, a clean-clothed Legacy stood, his shirt adorned in a fiery emblem. He then looked at her with an amused expression, extending his hand for introductions.
Lunar, on the other hand, was in inner turmoil. Since he entered the Academy by her side, he was automatically associated with her. Therefore, any trouble that she caused would be linked to him!
"What's your name—"
"—I'm not interested."
She walked past him, her small shoulder colliding with his. Then, she sat herself at an empty table.
'This fool.'
Yet for some reason, despite her disinterest, she answered his question.
"Shade."
After entering the Awakened Academy, "Shade" had already made enemies. The entire room felt distaste for her, and now, nobody would talk to her! Moreover, the Legacy looked frustrated, his demeanor that of a king who had been mocked by a peasant. He looked just about ready to explode from embarrassment!
'Ugh. Why do I have to clean this up?'
"Hi."
Lunar tapped his shoulder, feeling the same sensation due to his flaw, but ignoring it. This sudden action snapped the arrogant Legacy back to reality, grounding him before he did something he'd later regret.
Thankfully, this had successfully prevented him from lashing out! Unfortunately, that was only a step in the right direction. Now, he had to fix the social situation.
Lunar pondered for a moment, wondering what the best response was. First, he could defend her, making up some fictional story about why she acted this way, but he knew nothing about her. He didn't know who she was, her name, or anything. He didn't even know why she acted like that. So, rather than defending her, he'd have to go with the second-best option.
After the man took his hand, Lunar parted his soft lips and spoke.
"She must be on edge from something that happened in her First Nightmare. It's a stressful time, you see." He chuckled, "That aside, what's your name?"
The Legacy blushed, his rosy face curling into a sheepish smile.
"I, uh. Hello... I'm Navy of the River of Flames. What... What about you?"
"Lunar," he responded.
"Luna? Ah. It's nice to meet you, Sleeper Luna!"
His social problem was fixed, and so was the black-haired girl... but now he had another issue.
Sleeper Luna...? Luna!? Did he not hear the "r"? This was ridiculous! How delusional was this guy! Just because he looked like a girl didn't mean that he was a woman! Not only that, but why was the Legacy blushing!
Before the situation got any worse, a tall man in a dark blue uniform appeared on stage, his gaze sweeping across the room and lingering on a few individuals. Then, it returned to the crowd as he spoke, his voice deep and reverberating.
"I am Awakened Thatch. Sleepers, welcome to the Awakened Academy."
—
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Author's Note:
– Did you enjoy the chapter?
– Feel free to point out things you don't like.
– Since the setting for this fanfiction will be very unique, what kind of location do you think Lunar will be sent to?
– Would you like any official illustrations for the characters? I can draw digital art for them, I'm not terrible. I've already, for the fun of it, made a sketch and lineart for a character I'm introducing later on. The person I've already drawn may or may not be the black-haired girl.
– Please… please read the disclaimer. From here onward, it's incredibly important. If you don't read it, you'll probably have a lot of questions about lore, timeline, and characters.
– Word Count: [1313]