Days flew by.
Sunny only had four weeks to prepare himself for the journey into the Dream Realm, so there wasn't even a minute to spare. He was relentless, pushing his body and mind to the limits in an attempt to absorb as much knowledge and skills as possible in that short amount of time.
In the day, he studied with Teacher Julius, slowly learning how to survive and take care of himself in the absence of civilization. Their lessons ranged from comparatively simple, like various ways to produce fire, to much more obscure and esoteric, like celestial navigation.
What was so hard about celestial navigation?
Well, as it turned out, the Dream Realm was not consistent in terms of star geography. Different regions had different stars and constellations, as well as a different number of moons. While the sun seemed to be the same, its behavior was highly unpredictable.
Still, with sufficient knowledge, one could find ways to study the skies and subsequently navigate themselves.
Most of these lessons were, supposedly, already included in the various school curriculums and known to the majority of Sleepers. However, learning something from a textbook and learning the same thing from an actual Awakened were two completely different matters.
Teacher Julius had a habit of going much more in-depth when explaining his subject. Thanks to this time-consuming habit of his, Sunny not only learned about the "what", but also often gained glimpses into the "why". This nascent understanding of the underlying principles of the Dream Realm environments gave him the ability to face any situation with at least some measure of readiness.
Even the lessons in dead languages, which Sunny had initially judged to be useless, turned out to be much more interesting than he could ever imagine. This was, in large part, because it concerned the Spell itself — after all, the Spell communicated with humans in one of those dead languages.
By knowing the language, he was able to understand its various remarks and descriptions better. The simplest example of this was Nephis and her True Name, "Changing Star". While technically correct, this translation failed to properly convey the exact meaning.
By understanding the grammatical structure of the rune language, it was easy to extrapolate and see that the more correct translation would have been "Star of Change". More than that, there were different runes for "change", each with its own connotation. Depending on what exact rune was used to relay the meaning of the name, it could also mean "Ruinous Star" or "Star of Misfortune".
A small change in wording and connotation could mean a world of difference in real life.
Sunny, who had never seriously studied before, found the process of acquiring vast amounts of theoretical knowledge strange, numbing and exhausting.
However, in a sense, it was also exhilarating. After all, knowledge was something that only the privileged had access to. It was also this authority over knowledge that kept them in the position of power, creating a vicious circle of inequality.
The poor had no opportunity to study, and without the advantage of good education, they had no way to stop being poor.
The weirdest part about all of this was that Sunny was now one of those privileged people. More than that, he was at the pinnacle of social hierarchy. Not only had he gained access to an unlimited amount of knowledge, but even his basic needs like food and shelter were also taken care of by the government, allowing him to fully focus on the single goal of developing himself as an Awakened.
This sudden transformation would have sent him into a whirlpool of philosophical reflection if he had any time to spare.
But he didn't, because Teacher Julius also insisted on holding practical lessons every other day. Even if some of them had to be done in virtual reality simulations, he insisted on using the full immersion stations with enhanced physical feedback. As a result, Sunny was bone-tired and utterly exhausted.
And after that he would have to go to combat training why you may be asking well sunny decided to stay now why you may be asking once again it's getting repetitive well anyways, the reason being is because.
1.) Beating weaker kids up were quite fun and enjoyable totally worth it.
2.) He gets to learn about gossips which he sometimes relay to teacher Julius after the class ends early they usually talk about who's dating and what not.
3.) Caster was very fun to toy around.
4.) Sunny was an extremely fast learner and finally gained knowledge on how to use a sword properly without cutting himself.
And anything else would be called "Nerdy" and sunny didn't like being a nerd well technically he was a nerd being so fast in learning and those stuff.
And whenever possible sunny slept without his shadow letting it roam around mainly spying on night classes... He even saw two sleepers doing the hot n' spicy which made sunny puke how gross.
His shadow was independent enough to be sent on scouting missions without his direct control. It would sneak here and there, listening in on the conversations and observing different classes where Sleepers had to demonstrate their Aspect Abilities.
The only problem with this arrangement was that the shadow, despite its outward snarkiness, turned out to be rather naive. It didn't quite understand how the human world worked, and as such, often failed to distinguish between useful information and meaningless chatter.
So, most of the time, Sunny would receive nothing of value or juicy gossip instead of important secrets.
This is how he learned that in the Sleeper Center, romance was in the air. After all, there were a hundred beautiful young people locked underground in close proximity to each other, with the added spice of a deathly threat hanging above their heads. Many felt that life was short and it was their time to seize the day. Passion bloomed in the shadow of approaching danger.
Sunny was obviously included because even though of his short stature he wasn't exactly ugly he was actually really handsome and cute. They even had a nickname for him "Eye candy" and even fucking "Teddy bear" because apparently he could either be a teddy or a bear that would rip you in pieces within mere seconds.
He was wary of getting too close to anybody fearing that he might accidentally slip up and ruin everything the only person he allowed himself to talk to was cassia which he calls her "cassie" or "cas" sunnys friendship with cassie was extremely close and when possible she would ditch her social worker and get support from sunny who was happy to help her and he was also experimenting with Shadow Control.
The results were very promising. He quickly found out that his shadow was able to enhance various objects and not only his body. If it wrapped itself around a weapon, the weapon strike harder and deliver more damage. If it was applied to an armor, the armor would become sturdier and harder to break.
The enhancement was rather substantial, too. It was roughly twice as much as the initial value.
All in all, this Ability, if used correctly, could make him a powerhouse among the Sleepers. Well if you exclude the fact he already was the strongest and had a divine aspect and that he was currently mainly using his secondary aspect which he also suspected to be another divine aspect which was turned into a attribute.
Just like that, day after day passed, slowly turning into weeks.
Before Sunny even knew it, the winter solstice was already here.
On the day of the winter solstice, Sunny woke up feeling tired and drowsy. No matter how much he tried to shake off this listlessness, it wouldn't go away. In the end, he just stayed in the bed for a while, wrapping himself in a blanket.
He was already familiar with this feeling of neverending, ensnaring sleepiness. It was the same in the days before his First Nightmare. It was also quite similar to what he had experienced while slowly dying of hypothermia on the slopes of the Black Mountain.
Remembering the cold embrace of approaching death, Sunny couldn't help but shiver.
This was his last day on Earth… at least for a while. By nightfall, the Spell was going to take him away once again, this time to challenge the vast expanse of the Dream Realm. What was he going to face in that ruined magical world? Would luck be on his side this time, or would there be another disaster?
'Ugh.'
There was no point in guessing. He had already done everything in his power to prepare for the inevitable. He studied hard, trained hard, and kept his dreadful secrets safe. His Aspects was the best, and his will to survive was long tempered by the harsh reality of the outskirts and the even harsher ordeal of the First Nightmare.
All in all, he was ready.
With a sigh, Sunny got out of bed and went along with his morning routine. If this was going to be his last hot shower in a long while, he was going to really enjoy it. If it was going to be his last scrumptious breakfast for the time being…
Actually, he had no appetite.
The cafeteria was full of Sleepers, but no one was talking. 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.
Sunny thought about the last time he was preparing to enter the Spell and, with a bit of trepidation, approached the coffee machine. During his stay in the Academy, he had long discovered that a lot of people were in a habit of adding sugar and milk to their coffee. So, on this auspicious day, he decided to give it another try.
After all, it was nice to have a tradition.
A few minutes later, he had taken his usual seat near Cassia, the blind girl.
"Hey cas."
Cassie looked up at sunny stood up and tried her very best to move without help which took a while but she finally got around the table and sat next to sunny.
"It's our last day..."
She said dejectively but suddenly she regained all her colors and added while smiling ear to ear:
"Happy seventeenth birthday sunny!"
'What?'
Sunny frowned, trying to comprehend the meaning behind her words. Then, a flash of surprise appeared on his face.
'Oh, right. It's my birthday today.'
He had completely forgotten about it. He was turning seventeen today.
'Wait… how did she know about this?'
Sunny gave the blind girl a strange look, opened his mouth, and then decided to let the issue go. She was just too creepy.
"Uh… thanks."
"Yup no problem, hehehe."
She was more playful than before it was almost as if she was using all her remaining energy towards this day knowing she'll die.
Sunny returned to his coffee, finding it not too bad this time. Of course, sugar and cream were making most of the work. However, he did feel a little bit more awake after drinking it.
'Seventeen, huh?'
Sunny was never sure that he would make it to this age alive. And yet, despite everything, he did. Life was sure unpredictable sometimes.
If anyone would have told him a year ago that he was going to celebrate his seventeenth birthday by drinking real coffee with real milk and sugar, he would have laughed in their face. But now it was a reality.
Unwillingly, Sunny remembered all the people who used to celebrate his birthdays with him, a long time ago. Before his mood turned sour, he decisively dispelled these thoughts and forced himself to smile.
"This is not bad. Let's do it again next year, when I'm already an Awakened."
"Hell yeahh, ill survive just for you!"
She said sincerely which made sunny smile at her happy that she was probably going to try her best and not give up immediately the second she steps inside the dream realm.
"Oh really, what changed your mind?"
"What people can't change now?"
Sunny shook his head while he chuckled, he finished his coffee and left the cafeteria after talking for a while with cassie.
There were no classes today, but he still visited the Wilderness Survival classroom and said his goodbyes to Teacher Julius. 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.
Sunny left thanking him for his time and patience.
After that, there wasn't much to do.
When the sun was close to setting, Instructor Rock gathered them in the foyer of the Sleeper Center and led them outside.
In the snowy parks that surrounded the white building, other Awakened were leading their own batches of Sleepers to the same destination. It was the Academy's medical center.
The center looked more like a shrine than a hospital. Its interior contained both highly advanced technology as well as some of the best Healers among the Awakened. For the duration of their first journey into the Dream Realm, the bodies of Sleepers would be kept safe in specially designed pods and sustained by the magical powers of those Healers if anything unfortunate were to happen on the other side of the Spell.
Of course, whether or not they would wake up in the end wholly depended on the Sleepers themselves.
To Sunny's surprise, after entering the medical center, Instructor Rock did not take them directly to the wing containing Sleeper pods. Instead, he led them to a comparatively deserted floor and then opened the doors to a spacious gallery that was brightly illuminated by the beautiful crimson rays of the setting sun.
There, they saw rows and rows of wheelchairs. In each wheelchair, there was a person with a blank, strangely peaceful expression on their face. All these people were completely silent, motionless, and still. They did not show any reaction to the appearance of guests.
They all seemed to be… empty.
In the eerie silence, Sunny felt his hair standing up and a creeping terror sipping deep into his heart.
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."
He gritted his teeth.
"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."
'Oof, poor guys... Sucks to be them.' sunny thought. 'They probably died in the dream realm and lost their souls.'
"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, Nephis and Sunny stood, and then added:
"So don't die out there."
'Truly inspirational words from big tough guy.'
Sunny thought sarcastically.
***
Half an hour later, Sleepers had been led to their personal rooms and were preparing to enter the pods.
In one of the rooms, the blind girl, Cassia, 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.
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.
Somewhere else, Changing Star Nephis, the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan, was looking down at her hands. Underneath her skin, soft white radiance was slowly growing brighter and brighter. Her face was contorted in a grimace of harrowing agony.
And finally, there was a room where Madman Sunny, Mad Prince, turned away from the sleeping pod and glanced down at his shadow.
"Well? Are you ready?"
The shadow shrugged and didn't answer.
Sunny sighed.
"Yeah, me too."
With that, he stepped forward and climbed into the pod.
***
In the vast echoing darkness, he heard:
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Sunless!]