The next few weeks flew by without a hitch, The daily regimen consisted of Sunny honing his body, classes, and planning out the future extensively with Neph. And as the days crept closer to D-day, Sunny pushed himself more and more.
No longer was he afraid of the horrors awaiting him, no longer would he suffer the cruelty of naivety.
He could not afford to anyways, regardless of his fears.
Standing up from his desk, Sunny stretched. Ah, today was the last day being on Earth for a while.
'Who would've thought that I'd be looking forward to going back to that forsaken hellhole now?'
Maybe it was more akin to a sense of duty than looking forward to it. He owed himself redemption for what he lost there, as well as a sense of duty to those who died, long forgotten by the world.
But he would not let them become forgotten this time.
Heading down to breakfast, Sunny spotted his favorite person, already scarfing down her food. But uncharacteristically, the cafeteria was silent around her as she feasted.
Despite being full of Sleepers, no one was talking. It seemed everybody was in low spirits and seemed to be uncharacteristically introspective. There was no usual laughter or boisterous conversations - only the Legacies remained calm and collected. However, even they kept to themselves.
'Not that I blame them. But many of them won't have to go through what hell we did anyways.'
Sitting down next to Neph, Sunny grinned.
"Ready for the journey ahead?"
Nephis paused mid bite, and turned her head to face Sunny. With a questioning stare, she shook her head and returned to eating. After chewing for a moment, she answered:
"How can anyone be? Regardless of our current circumstances and advantages, we are still Sleepers, and those that dwell within the Forgotten Shore are still much more powerful than us."
This time it was Sunny's turn to shake his head. Oh how serious Neph was all the time! Though, she was right in this case. As lightly as Sunny tried to take this, death could come from the most mundane of mistakes in the Forgotten Shore, regardless of experience or equipment.
"Fair enough. Where's Cass at?"
"In her room, she already ate. You're just a slowpoke."
Letting a chuckle out, Sunny grinned somberly.
'Poor Cass. Her flaw is still cruel even to me after all this time.'
Cassie had been avoiding social interactions more than she had in the past. Sunny wasn't sure if the change was due to him and Neph, or she simply was struggling more now than she had previously in coping.
Outwardly though, Sunny sipped on Neph's coffee. Deciding to forgo the effort to get his own, he resorted to commandeering her cup instead.
"Oh, happy birthday Sunny. You're how old now? Seventeen?"
"Ha. Ha. So funny. Thank you though, Lady Nephis."
Sunny made sure to drag that last part out, knowing how it irked Neph when he called her that.
With a slight frown, Neph turned her attention back to her food.
Seventeen. How long had it truly been since Sunny was that young? All those years in that damn tomb screwed with his perception. And yet here he was, young and dumb once more.
It was almost enough to make him laugh.
Maybe it was just the idea of being young again that did it for him. Regardless, Sunny pushed those thoughts away and refocused on the day ahead of him. The sleepiness was encroaching upon him as time passed, even now he felt more tired than he had five minutes ago.
"Well, I just wanted to get my birthday cup of coffee, i'm going to see Teacher Julius off now."
"Alright. I'll be seeing you soon, Sunny."
With that, Sunny stood up from the table and shot a playful wink at Neph. Despite wanting to spend more time with her, they would have all the time in the world together soon enough.
There were no classes scheduled today, but he still found Teacher Julius in the Wilderness Survival classroom. The old man got pretty emotional when sending him off. He gave Sunny "one last tip" a dozen or so times in a row and even promised to apply for a research assistant position to be opened after the young man had become a full Awakened.
He wasn't sure he'd take his offer up, but who knows, maybe it would be fun?
Sunny left thanking him for his time and patience. Even though he knew he'd see him again in a matter of months, there was an odd, subtle sense of dread that rolled over Sunny when he waved his goodbyes.
With that done, Sunny returned to his room for the remainder of the day. Deciding to practice his form one last time, he went all out to the best of his abilities, weaving his body in a fluid motions, tightening his muscles as if they were taught steel wires. It helped Sunny settle back into his brutal mindset of combat.
All in all, he had improved vastly over the last few weeks. He and Neph had spared a few more times during their combat class, as well as Caster - though they limited their fights with him to avoid giving up any of their real skills to him - though more often than not, Sunny would end up on the floor rather than Neph.
Damn legacy bodies.
Perhaps his biggest boon however, was his usage of essence. Despite not being able to use it on himself or to use it on memories, the feeble traces he had were enough for his Odachi as he had discovered when arriving here. By practicing, he had improved the consumption and was able to utilize it longer.
Though the strength of the weapon… Left a lot to be desired, as he was still a mere Sleeper. Yet due to his mastery of Shadow Dance, Soul Serpent was technically an Ascended Beast. Quite the pairing it made.
The numbing air of winter didn't help Sunny's mood already sour mood. As Instructor Rock guided the nervous wreck of Sleepers to the medical center, Sunny reminisced. It felt like decades ago he was here, walking this path.
This time however, he wasn't phased when they were shuffled into the depressive hall filled with Hollows.
Instructor Rock looked at the empty people with solemn eyes.
"There is a reason I brought you all here. Look well and remember. Some of you may know who these people are... for those of you who don't, they are called Hollow."
Sunny searched for Nephis in the crowd, knowing she has a history with the Hollow. In the past, he never saw how she reacted to the room. Finally spotting Neph, Sunny caught her gaunt gaze and smiled glumly.
Maybe this time around they would find out more about her mother and father.
"Each one of them was once either a Sleeper or an Awakened. Some of them were weak, some of them were strong. Some were even incredibly powerful. All of them have perished in the Dream Realm."
A collective whisper echoed in the room as the young Sleepers despaired. Sunny couldn't blame them. He had seen enough in his years to know the threat of becoming a Hollow was… Very real.
Instructor Rock paused for a moment, sensing his words weight was bearing down upon the impressionable Sleepers.
"If you're lucky, once your spirit is destroyed, your body dies with it. But if not, you'll become just like them. Hollow."
Instructor Rock glanced in the direction where Caster and Nephis stood, his eyes snaking through the crowd until it finally reached Sunny himself, and then added:
"So don't die out there."
Half an hour later, the nervous Sleepers had been herded back to their personal rooms and were preparing to enter the pods.
In one of the rooms, a familiar blind girl, was helplessly trying to orient herself in the unfamiliar space, touching the walls and strange pieces of machinery with her hands.
Tears were streaming down her beautiful, doll-like face.
And yet, this very same girl became one of the strongest Saints in history.
In the other room, proud Legacy Caster was staring listlessly at the floor. His lips were moving, repeating one strange phrase over and over again. He was trembling. His stakes were higher than most, and he knew it well.
And yet, this proud teen Legacy ended up dead in a long forsaken land, forgotten by time.
Somewhere else, the one and only Changing Star, the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan, was looking down at her hands. Her many years of struggle buried into those palms of hers. As she steeled herself for the journey ahead, her skin, soft white radiance was slowly grew brighter and brighter. Her face which in the past had contorted in a grimace of harrowing agony, no longer displayed any indication of pain. It was that mundane of a task to her now.
And yet, she became the false beacon of hope to humanity in their ruinous future.
And finally, there was a room where Shadow Slave Sunless, Lost from Light, The Lord of Shadows, turned away from the sleeping pod and glanced down at his shadow.
And yet, he too, would lead humanity to a brighter future. From the Fate he severed, he would be forgotten by all.
No longer would he accept that reality.
"Well? Are you ready for round two?"
Gloomy didn't react for a moment, before shrugging. It seemed like he was getting used to his master's antics and odd words.
Sunny sighed.
"You're no fun Gloomy."
With that, he stepped forward and climbed into the pod. Settling in, Sunny chuckled to himself. It wasn't out of excitement, nor nervousness. It was out of envy.
'How nice it must be to not land in the water.'
***
In the vast echoing darkness, he heard the familiar voice call out:
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Sunless!]