Shadow Slave: Lost From Sight

The sleeper part of the compound was relatively small and situated in the southern part of the Academy, surrounded on all sides by training fields and parks.

…According to his guide of course. Sunny was blind, how could he see?

It was a low, modern building constructed with reinforced materials. Like the majority of buildings in the Academy, most of it was hidden below the ground, leaving only a couple of floors above it. 

Inside, the building was spacious, more than a hundred Sleeper's engaging in small talk, while waiting for the beginning of the induction ceremony. Most of them were nervous, tense and excited.

Logistics of the Academy was a constant headache for the administrators since the rate at which the Spell infected people was always chaotic. There was no way to overly structure for batches of Sleepers to undergo any type of standardized education on a shared schedule: some of them had a full year to prepare for the Dream Realm, some only months, some even mere days.

That's why these induction ceremonies were held each month at the beginning of the year and then every week once the winter solstice began to loom near. Some of the Sleepers in the hall had to wait for days to be inducted, while Sunny had lucked out and was delivered to the Academy just hours before the scheduled event.

Guided into the hall, Sunny consulted [Wisdom's Rod], and drafted a route to the corner, quietly listening to the conversations ongoing all around him. 

Most of them were talking about their Nightmare, their future journey to the Dream Realm, and everything in between.

They talked to everyone, and by everyone, he meant even him.

'It's a nightmare!' Sunny thought, 'Not in the literal sense of course… How am I supposed to know what to reply!? I'm not a city kid!'

So every time someone came close to him, asking him something like…

"Look at all these people, how many do you think will survive?"

Sunny would stay silent, before replying in barely a whisper, "I don't know. I can't see."

"What do you mean you can't see?"

"I'm blind." 

Or:

"I received an armor-type Memory, it's an enchanted robe, do you want to see?"

"...No. I can't, I'm blind."

Or:

"Those lowlifes began to rob the bodies! It was disgusting! They even took the shoes! What kind of denigrate would take a dead man's shoes!"

To survive…

"Are you even paying attention!"

"I can't, I'm blind."

Once again, Sunny was deemed an outcast and was eventually left alone. But Sunny was smiling, glad that no one would bother him anymore. 

'Actually I'm a walking corpse…' Sunny mused, 'Well, I can focus on gathering information now.'

Tapping [Wisdom's Rod] on the ground, he concentrated on it, and tried to discern the details of everything around him. Consulting the Rod on the locations of every Sleeper in the room, Sunny drew a mental image, and added comments on each and everyone of the Sleepers.

'This one's too loud… This one's vain and arrogant… This one's a legacy…' 

Surprisingly, he didn't receive an overload of information, or simply forgot the positions of the Sleepers or what he had deemed them as. 

'I suppose it's because of my innate ability…' Sunny mused, 'Or is it something else?'

Summoning his runes, he willed them to appear in his sight.

Innate Ability: [Cognitive Clarity].

Ability Description: [Your senses and memories are amplified.]

'Is that what the Spell meant as memories being amplified? Then what about the senses part?' 

Sunny hadn't yet have the chance to test out his new powers, and he suppose he could do it right now.

'I have nothing to do after all…'

Straining his ears, he focused on the farthest person from him —- A legacy with the name of 'Caster'. 

"Ascended? You have received an Ascended Aspect? What… what was your Appraisal?" One of his companions asked.

"Oh. It was 'excellent'." Caster humbly said, and Sunny could almost imagine the 'humble' smile that accompanied.

"Really! Your results are truly remarkable! You really live up to a legacy, I wish I could be like you…"

"No, it isn't that good of a result," Caster said in return.

Pulling out of the conversation, Sunny tried to stop his increased hearing ability, yet he couldn't. It couldn't be a permanent fixation is it! 

'Damnation!' Sunny cursed, 'If I focus all my attention onto [Wisdom's Rod], will I get out of this… this condition?'

Focusing his attention back on the Rod, and then releasing it, Sunny let out a sigh of relief. 

But back to the results…

Sunny was shocked. Incredibly shocked. He never expected to hear their conversation so clearly, it was like they were right next to him. His brain naturally filtered out all the other ongoing conversations, and focused only on theirs. Or was it his Innate Ability which was doing that?

'As expected of a Divine Aspect… It really is that powerful…'

Sunny spent the remainder of his time testing the various aspects of his Innate Ability, listening to the ongoing conversations, marking them down in his mental drawing, and checking out who was the most dangerous among the Sleepers. 

Through this, he found some of the rules and restrictions on his ability.

He could focus on multiple conversations in the same time, as long as his brain can handle it of course. Splitting his focus between two entirely different things were hard enough, but Sunny was sure if he practiced, he could improve on it. 

Sunny also tested his different senses, like smell and touch. When he tried to increase smell, he was instantly hit by the stench of the hundred young people, and almost fainted due to the smell. 

'I'm never doing that again…' Sunny shuddered.

Touch was luckily a whole other thing, though it did overwhelm him as much as smell had, it wasn't something that made Sunny regret his life decisions. He could feel the exact texture of the tracksuit he was wearing, and the wall that he was leaning into. The exact temperature was also known to him, and all those various details that would normally need different machines for.

'Is that what I am now?' Sunny bitterly thought, 'A humanized machine?'

In his splendor, he couldn't notice the approaching Sleeper until it was too late.

"He- Hello," She politely said, her voice hesitant, as if debating if she should talk to him, "May I stand by you?"

Suppressing his surprise, Sunny mustered a casual expression and said, "Yes."

She leaned onto the wall next to him, "I'm Cassie."

Sunny stayed silent for a while, before eventually saying, "Sunny." He narrowed his eyes, "…why are you talking with me? I'm blind, a walking corpse. I'm sure there are better options for a casual conversation." 

The 'what do you want?' was left unsaid.

Cassie let out a pained groan, and eventually spat the answer out, "You looked lonely…" She said, and Sunny would have missed it if not for his Innate Ability.

"Pardon?" He asked, not sure if he heard that right.

"You looked… lonely…" She said, this time a bit louder. 

Sunny didn't know how to reply, 'Who even talks to someone because they looked lonely!' He didn't need their pity… 

"I don't need your pity. You don't have to force yourself to talk to me." Sunny said.

Cassie embarrassingly replied, "No… I don't mean it like that…"

Sunny turned his head, looking directly at the source of her voice, "Then what do you mean?"

"Even if I do think you're useless and would most likely die in the dream realm, I wanted to say that — A cruel Flaw would imply an equally powerful Aspect." Cassie rambled, her face turning redder by the second, at least that was what [Wisdom's Rod] was telling him. 

Sunny knew that he most likely wouldn't survive, but he never expected someone would be so blunt and say it to his face! 'Who would be so stupid! It'll ruin people's opinions of someone! Never tell the truth so blatantly!'

"Alright," Sunny said, shifting slightly, "But do you have to be so blunt?"

"No! No, nonono!" She flusteredly replied, "I didn't want to be… It's my—" Cassie flinched, and let out another pained groan, "It's— It's my flaw.."

Did her flaw force her to answer every question asked? Or did it force her to speak the truth? That would make sense, with Cassie answering everything with only truth.

'What a cruel flaw….' He thought, 'Not as terrible as mine, but telling a lie could be the turning point between survival and death.'

Sunny let out a sigh, "Look, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but you shouldn't just tell anyone your flaw," A dark look flashed across his face, "It's the greatest weakness of the Awakened —— That's what the Awakened who brought me here said."

Cassie nodded at his words, and didn't say anymore, as if reflecting upon what he had said.

An awkward silence passed between them, until Cassie asked, "What course will you choose?" 

"…wilderness survival." Sunny said, scratching the back of his head. 

"This may seem imposing or so, but… why? Wouldn't it be better to choose a combat oriented class?" She confusingly asked. 

"The cold." He said, ignoring her confused huh?, "The cold was what almost killed me in my Nightmare."

"Oh." Cassie said, "I get it, I might consider applying for that course as well."

Sunny gave her a nod, and they didn't talk any longer…

Thump! Thump! Someone appeared on the stage, his deep voice reverberating across the crowd.

"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the Academy!"

—-

Sunny laid on the bed in his dormitory, Awakened Rock's words echoing across his head.

"When the solstice comes, you will be drawn into the Dream Realm. The exact location of where you will appear can't be predicted in advance, but there is a high chance that many of you will find yourselves in close proximity to each other. Band together and proceed to the nearest human Citadel. Each Citadel is built around a Gateway. Once you reach it, you will be able to return."

Theoretically, it sounded easy, but reality was always different.

"If you can't locate or are unable to reach the nearest human Citadel, search for an unclaimed Gateway. It will usually be inside or near the most prominent landmark of the region. Work together to defeat its guardians and come back alive."

With a dark tone, he continued:

"That is all for today. Next, follow the instructions sent to your communications to find your assigned dormitory, once settled, you may proceed to the cafeteria for some late supper. There will be a round of interviews after that, to prepare your suggested curriculums. Get a good night's rest. Your training starts tomorrow."

Knowing his luck, Sunny would probably appear in some corner of the Dream Realm that was so remote and deadly that no one ever heard of it or returned from it alive.

"What are you thinking about?" Cassie asked. 

Lifting his head, he looked at where the sound of her voice had come from for formality's sake. After Awakened Rock had dismissed them, Cassie had offered to help him read the communicator and guide him to his room, as repayment for what she had rambled on earlier. Sunny accepted, as he couldn't possibly read the words on the communicator. 

"Knowing my luck, I would probably be sent to some unknown place in the Dream Realm." Sunny said, deciding to humor the girl.

"Don't jinx it!"

"Alright, alright." Sunny waved his hand mindlessly, sitting up, "Are you hungry yet?"

"Yes." Cassie replied.

"Perfect!" Sunny exclaimed, "Let's go grab some grub!"

The supper turned out to be as lavish as the dormitory. Sunny's wish to taste real meat finally came true: not only was it freely available to Sleepers, there wasn't even a limit to the amount each of them could eat! More than that, there were rice, bread, various side dishes, sauces, fresh vegetables, fruits, and all kinds of delicious beverages! 

Cassie had detailedly explained each dish's look, making Sunny's mouth water.

'Master Jet was indeed right! Having allies is such a blessing when you're blind! They'll help your loss of sight by thoroughly explaining the aspects of the food!' 

That's to say, Sunny was learning how to enjoy the presence of Cassie.

After she helped him build a small mountain of food on his plate, they found an empty table, and sat down. For a while, Sunny forgot about the world's existence. Through Cassie's instructions, he sliced through a piece of beef that came from an area known as 'Japan' before the Third World War. Eagerly devouring the meat in one bite, he saw stars in his eyes from the sheer deliciousness. He had to hold back an exhilarated moan.

The beef was tender, softer than anything Sunny had ever eaten, a perfect ratio of fat and meat. The fat was evenly distributed, making the beef seem like it was melting in Sunny's mouth.

'Ah. I'm in heaven…' Sunny thought, 'I can die in peace now.'

Devouring the beef in one go, he went for the next piece, then the next, and the next. He kept eating, devouring the food in no time, until there was nothing on the plate, and his fork hit the porcelain plate.

And to think he could live like this for a whole year!

'Damn spell… Why didn't you infect me a few months ago?'

Satiated and more than a little gorged, Sunny longingly looked back and thought about getting another serving. 

Cassie must have read his mind, as she said: "No, Sunny. We have the appointment with the Academy," Pausing for a while, she added, "You can always think about it later."

Reluctantly, he stood up and followed Cassie to where the appointment was. 

Entering the office, Sunny soon found himself sitting across from an administrative worker. The worker was very friendly, and started the interview right away. 

Just like Master Jet had warned him, Sunny was offered psychological counseling again. Remembering her advice, he refused, and the interview smoothly switched to questions about his Aspect and Flaw.

He didn't want to give up information about his abilities, but also knew that his flaw would definitely come out. 

"Would you mind telling me about your Flaw?"

"I'm blind."

The worker patted his back, "It's alright, if you're lucky and get transported near one of the human Citadels, you can survive."

Sunny nodded his head, even if he knew the workers were only saying honey coated words. 

Mostly concerned with consoling him, they didn't bother asking many questions about his Aspect, and he could easily spin tales of uselessness to them. They asked him if he needed a social worker to get around, but he politely declined, Cassie was a more trust worthy choice than them, she couldn't lie after all.

'Well that's that,' Sunny grumbled, 'I'm not so helpless as to forget the existence of mental health.'

Things went on like that. In the end, Sunny successfully conjured an image of a helpless kid with a cruel Flaw.

After that, he chatted with Cassie for a while, and let her guide him back to the room, making sure to memorise the hallways and routes to reach there, before they said good night.

Cleaning himself again in the bathroom, Sunny undressed, sitting upright on the bed. He still had some things to do before he could peacefully sleep.

Summoning [Wisdom's Rod], Sunny focused his attention on it, trying to pry details from the hallways away from his room. Yet it showed no sort of response. 

Switching tactics, Sunny willed it to display the details of his room, and almost immediately, various information poured into his mind.

'So it can only show information to me when there's no obstacle. Sort of like sight.' 

Sunny now knew where this part of the description had come from, the rod must have been the advisor's eyes, navigating the world for him.

[...He was blind and had to use a rod to navigate, and was often ridiculed because of his condition.] 

Sunny once again thanked Master Jet for her Memory, even if it had certain restrictions like not 'seeing' through obstacles.

Dismissing the Memory from his hand, Sunny laid onto the soft mattress and summoned his runes.

'That's right, today was so long that I haven't had the chance to process everything that has happened.'

Shining in the darkness of his world, the runes were incredibly beautiful, yet harrowing. For him, they were the only thing the Spell didn't take, it couldn't possibly take from itself after all!

Shaking his head, Sunny focused back onto the runes themselves.

Name: Sunless

True name: Lost from Light

Sunny felt a little giddy at this point, he had achieved something that no one had! Attaining a True Name during his First Nightmare!

All his effort and determination against those unthinkable odds had made this happen!

…it also took away his sight.

Sunny shook his head, he shouldn't think about it.

Rank: Dreamer

That's right, Sunny was a Dreamer now, he has come so far from the outskirts rat Sunless, he was Sleeper Sunless now! 

Revelation core: Dormant

Revelation Fragments: [0/1000]

…This? Now this Sunny did not understand. Did he have some other way to saturate his core? Not by crushing soul shards?

'Perhaps this is just one of the unknowns of a Divine Aspect?' Sunny thought, 'I don't know anyone else that has it. Hell! I wouldn't be surprised if I was the first one!'

Memories: [Wisdom's Rod], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Silver Bell]

Echoes: —-

Summoning the runes of the [Puppeteer's Shroud], Sunny studied it.

Memory: [Puppeteer's Shroud]

Memory Rank: Awakened

Memory Type: Armor

Memory Description: [A worm of doubt once found it's way into a righteous king's heart. With time, the king was devoured from the inside and became its puppet. A lifetime later, the Puppeteer Worm escaped from the king's dead body, leaving behind a cacoon of black silk. No one knows where it went; however, once people approached the castle, they found the silk among the mountains of gnawed armor and fashioned it into an armor.]

Sunny made a sour face.

'That is not terrifying, I am not creeped out at all.' 

Come to think of it, the first creature he killed was called a larva. If he were to assume the Mountain King was a matured Puppetter worm —- and already a Tyrant… then what the hell would it transform into after becoming a moth?

No, it's better to not think about it.

With a sigh, he summoned the [Puppeteer's Shroud]. Thin black threads immediately appeared around his body and wrapped it into a set of armor. It was not too tight, yet not too loose, it fit perfectly, like the spell had took the exact measurements of his body to the decimal and custom made an armor for him. The soft fabric also had several elements, such as bracers and shoulder guards, which fit perfectly at the right places.

The armor was light, understated and did not restrain his movements at all. It also made no sound when he moved.

Sunny smiled. He knew that this armor would be tough to pierce for any Creature below the Awakened rank, which could possibly buy him some time to recover and plan out a strategic escape. He also felt a sort of strange, faint calmness while wearing it.

'A worm of doubt… does it have enhanced protection against mental attacks?' Sunny mused, 'Could it possibly lessen the attention I have to pay while using [Wisdom's Rod]?'

Somehow, he was sure of it.

Summoning [Wisdom's Rod], he used it along with the [Puppeteer's Shroud] and activated it's enchantment. Almost instantly, he could feel the difference —- it didn't lower the attention required on the rod, but instead it strengthened the focus and concentration he had on it. 

'So it increases the user-friendliness of [Wisdom's Rod]. A great trophy! I wouldn't expect anything less from the Memory of a powerful Tyrant.'

The only problem was that the Puppeteer's Shroud was obviously not meant to be worn on top of a full set of clothes. Quite satisfied, Sunny dismissed it and summoned his next set of runes.

Attributes: [Child of Fate], [Mark of Divinity], [Bastard of Shadows]

They were strange to say the least, but who was Sunny to complain? A card was still a card no matter how useless it is. Willing the runes of [Child of Fate] to appear, he slowly read through it.

Attribute: [Child of Fate].

Attribute Description: [Fate recognizes you as the child of Weaver, first-born of the -unknown-.]

"What do you mean child? I'm not some child of fate! I know my birth parents, damn it!" Sunny exclaimed, shouting it out loud. 

Who was Weaver anyways? And what was with that strange name? 

What was the unknown anyways? The runes were there, yet the Spell refused to translate it, as if it held some kind of forbidden knowledge. 

Sunny sighed, he had a hunch he'll find the answers sooner or later. 

'But actually, what does the Attribute even do? Do I get an exception from being controlled by a fate I never wanted?' 

Sunny shuddered at the memory of [Fated], even if he only experienced it shortly in his First Nightmare, he was already afraid, it did put him against almost impossible odds.

'Child of Fate could be worse than fated… Maybe. Probably Not.'

Putting the thought at the back of his mind, Sunny checked the next one.

Attribute: [Mark of Divinity].

Attribute Description: [You bear a faint scent of Divinity, as though someone briefly touched by it once, a long time ago.]

Luckily, it was still the same Attribute that had allowed him to sacrifice himself to Shadow god. Unlike [Child of Fate], Sunny was fond of it, he knew it would most certainly save his life in the future. 

'Who knows? Maybe I'll have to sacrifice myself again… And it'll come in use, proving it's worth.'

Continuing onwards…

Attribute: [Bastard of Shadows].

Attribute Description: [The shadows recognize you as the disgraced heir, but they won't ignore you when you most need them.]

This… Sunny did not get. 

[Child of Shadows] had become [Bastard of Shadows] after his Nightmare, and instead of an improvement or an evolution, the Attribute sort of deteriorated in his eyes.

'What do you mean disgraced heir!' Sunny wanted to shout, 'What did I even do to get their wrath!?'

But as always, no one answered him, and the shimmering runes continued to exude the same brilliance.

'Besides, what does it mean when I most need the Shadows? Is the spell predicting my death already!?'

Sunny was starting to think the Spell doesn't just take with one hand, and give with the other —- it only took, took and took, and what it gave were measly rewards not worth the suffering he'll have to go through.

'Deep breaths!' Sunny muttered to himself, it wouldn't be beneficial to waste his time spiting something that will not reply. He can do it after he gained strength.

Next, Sunny dived into his Aspect.

Aspect: [Herald of the End]

Aspect Rank: Divine

Aspect Description: [You are a harbinger of ruin blessed by the heir to the -unknown-. As an instrument of fate, you possess plenty of strange and wondrous powers. However, your existence brings madness and decay in your wake; civilizations fall under your gaze, and the burden of survival hangs on your shoulders.]

[Herald of the End], a Divine Aspect that belonged solely to him. Sunny had been overjoyed when he first received said Aspect, but that joy quickly turned into confusion by the description. What did the spell mean by 'heir to the -unknown'? Did it mean Weaver? That's what [Child of Fate] said, and Sunny knew it must be the truth.

The mystery around Weaver continues to deepen… 

'If I survive, if I really Awakened, I should add finding more about this Weaver guy to my to do list.' Sunny thought.

But back to his Aspect, what did it mean by instrument of fate? Or even worse, the latter sentence of the Description.

[However, your existence brings madness and decay in your wake; civilizations fall under your gaze, and the burden of surviving falls on your shoulders.]

Truth to be told, Sunny was creeped out. What in the Spell did it mean by him, a now blind, harmless creature could spread madness, decay, the fall of civilizations and hold the burden of surviving?

Innate Ability: [Cognitive Clarity].

Ability Description: [Your senses and memories are amplified.]

Following onwards was his Innate Ability, which had a short and simple description —— Sunny's senses and memories were amplified. Theoretically, he could enhance his hearing and touch to make the most optimal strike. But Sunny hasn't gotten used to the burden on his mind, it overwhelmed him simply by enhancing touch, and the sounds would gnaw at his mind if he didn't pay attention while controlling it.

With his progress in this department, his Innate Ability was more likely to get him killed instead of aiding his survival.

Sunny stifled a yawn, he still had two more things to check before he could sleep —— his Dormant Ability and Flaw.

Dormant Ability: [Forbidden Seer].

Dormant Ability Description: [You possess an affinity to revelations and fate, the strings of Fate would heed your request if they deem it appropriate.]

What did it mean by the strings of Fate? Sunny got the Revelations part, which simply meant visions of the future or the past.

Sunny sighed, if only the spell could write his Aspect and Abilities in crude, simple ways, not in the flowery wording it always used.

'Seriously, the Spell has no creativity. A blind seer? Such an overused trope in webtoons and such.' Sunny shook his head.

Moving on…

Flaw: [Veil of Shadows].

Flaw Description: [You cannot see the world, for it doesn't welcome those who peer at its secrets.]

His Flaw, his Flaw. The Flaw that made him blind, helpless. Its wording was definitely strange, when had Sunny ever peered at the secrets of the world? Never. 

He'll… He'll think about it later.

Closing his eyes, he went to sleep.

Sunny thought that falling asleep for the first time would be weird, but in fact, it was surprisingly easy. Lying on a soft mattress, with his skin against clean bedsheets and a fluffy pillow under his head, he drifted off in seconds. But maintaining sleep? That was the difficult part, no one had ever told Sunny that his Aspect would torment him even in his sleep.

—-

Sunny dreamt of the world, but it wasn't the world he knew before his vision was taken. Instead of the true sight, Sunny could see thin, transparent strings swirling everywhere, tying knots and connecting each piece to another. There were those that were dim —- the past, those that shone with brilliance —- the present, and those that were not bound to the world yet, floating in the abyss of darkness —- the future. 

"Am I supposed to see this?" Sunny asked, and an answer came to him. This wasn't the real deal, it was only an imitation, one terrible enough that even he could see it. 

'If I grow powerful enough, will I be able to see the real tapestry?' He thought, his eyes jumping from one string to another, exploring this new world of his.

He saw himself, his string was black, like the shadows, hardly seen among the countless shimmering white strings. There was a kind of brilliance to it, shining with ominous light. 

'Like a harbinger… a harbinger of death. What is this? What is happening?'

The next thing he knew, a broken string, with light so dim that it must be one of the distant past floated in front of him. It shone with renewed light, and pierced into his brain, going through it. He panicked, preparing himself for the pain that would come. Yet he felt nothing. 

Sunny let out a hollow laugh, "That's right, this is only a dream, I have nothing to worry about…"

But he had spoken too soon, as seconds passed, his vision turned blurry, and his mind into a daze.

Sunny blinked, trying to regain his lucidity, and by that action, the world of his dream disappeared and he found himself back into the Awakened Academy. Not the one he knew, but the one from the past.

"I'm Instructor Orum." A middle aged man said, looking at the youths of the dojo.

Sunny rubbed his eyes, he blinked, he rubbed them again. He wasn't wrong, he could see now! He could see like usual, not his runes, not the strings, but true, true sight.

'It's a dream, I can see in a dream!? I should sleep more if it meant I could see…' Sunny smiled, if his dreams were like that, allowing him to see while perfectly lucid, he all the more looked forward to this act of rest.

But back to the dream… 

Who was that? Sunny didn't recognize any of the people there, they looked familiar, like he had seen them somewhere. 

Instructor Orum continued, and the youths listened with bated breaths, not noticing the intruder in their ranks. 

'Could it be they can't see me? Is it what my Aspect meant by affinity to revelations?'

"I will be teaching you combat. All of you have already faced the First Nightmare, so you are not children anymore. You'll be treated as adults." Sunny snickered, he now knew who Awakened Rock had based his speech on. Or maybe Awakened Rock is related to this Instructor Orum, they both have a talent for grim speeches. "Don't expect any pity from me —— the world is a ruthless place, after all, and the Spell will not show you any mercy."

Orum smiled darkly. "…What do you think the essence of combat is?"

"To survive, of course, what else could it be?" Sunny said, now sure that no one could hear him here.

Most of the youths remained silent, afraid to speak in front of the stern instructor. Only a few of them remained calm. 

A tall man with dark hair and grey eyes as cold as tempered steel raised his chin slightly and answered in a calm, clear voice:

"The essence of combat is a confrontation between warriors. The warrior who wields a better weapon and knows how to use it with greater skill wins. Combat is the purest expression of one's valor and will, and therefore, its essence is glory."

He looked familiar, very, very familiar. Sunny was sure now, he had indeed seen him before. 

'Maybe he was a celebrity? Someone famous? But he was an Awakened, one from the past…' Sunny's mind trailed off, mentally tracking the list of famous Awakened in the world. 'He could be a Saint, or even part of a legacy clan. Was he from Valor, or Song, or the House of Night?' 

It was then, things clicked.

Anvil, the Anvil of Valor. Sunny was watching his days in the Academy.

'Should I prostate? I am in the presence of one of the pillars of humanity… Is this perhaps the legendary meeting between the future leaders? I'm in luck then! The Sleeper in the world —- two worlds even, who has the chance to see this! Besides the people present of course.' Sunny wryly smiled.

Instructor Orum stared at Anvil silently. But before he could say anything, however, another voice resounded in the dojo —— it was a youth with black hair and grey eyes, cold and calculating. Sunny knew those very, very well. They were eyes he saw every day in the outskirts, the eyes of a murderer.

In a confident tone, he said, "The essence of combat is murder."

Sunny was shocked to say the least, he expected survival, necessity or everything that he would have answered. But the youth replied with something entirely different —- murder.

The youth's simple answer caused a few chuckles from the crowd of Sleepers. Instructor Orum, however, looked at him with interest, asking the question Sunny desperately wanted to ask, "Elaborate."

"What is there to elaborate? The enemy wants to murder you, and you want to murder that bastard first. That's all there is to it —— everything else is just nonsense."

His words sank deep into Sunny's heart and reverberated there, causing something inside him to resonate and awaken. It made sense, really, survival in combat would result in murder, everything else would also result in murder. 

Instructor Orum shook his head lightly, "Not every battle is fought with the intent of killing the enemy."

Sunny frowned, at his words, not fighting, no matter if it were physically or mentally, with the intent to kill or survive could get you killed in seconds where he came from.

The youth suddenly smiled, "Well, that just means you're fighting it wrong."

Sunny nodded at his words, silently agreeing with him. There was another wave of chuckles, and the instructor blinked.

Anvil, meanwhile, looked unamused… He even lost his flawless composure for a moment, shaking his head and uttering in a disapproving tone, "Ridiculous…"

'You're ridiculous.' Sunny mentally said, mocking him, 'Never had I expected the Anvil to have… such standard legacy behavior. I guess I now know who started the trend of the vain behaviors of legacies.'

Instructor Orum shifted his gaze to a young girl who was standing in the back row, and asked neutrally, "What do you think?"

The Sleepers turned around, alongside Sunny, not sure whom he was asking. The instant Sunny saw her face, he knew who she was —- Ki Song of Song. 

'So if this is Ki Song, and that Anvil… Is the one with black hair and grey eyes Broken Sword?'

Ki Song frowned slightly, "The essence of combat is failure. If you are forced to fight, you have already lost."

Sunny was enlightened. It was the truth of course, he had survived by choosing his fights, or not fighting at all. Broken Sword's cohort were truly wise, having such… extinguished answers. His answer now seemed lackluster compared to them.

The instructor raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by her answer.

Smile of Heaven, at least that's what Sunny assumed she was, looked at the older girl with a hint of mirth in her eyes. "You've just insulted every Awakened in the world… uh… Ki? Including our venerable parents… and Instructor Orum…"

Ki Song threw a gloomy glance at her, then turned her gaze to Orum and looked him right in the eyes. "…It's not my problem if they feel insulted by the truth." 

'Wise words,' Sunny thought, 'Wise words indeed.'

Smile of Heaven finally couldn't hold herself back and laughed. Instructor Orum sighed quietly, before starting to teach the combat lesson.

Yet Sunny couldn't concentrate on it, the previous blurriness prior to the vision returned in an abrupt wave, and he was thrown out from the Academy, returning to the world of strings. 

Sunny gasped, "...what's happening?" 

He closed his eyes.

—

Back in the dormitory, a Sleeper with pale skin and dark circles awakened with a gasp.