Cassie felt herself lying on a really hard surface — uneven rocks pressed her back while fine coarse sand brisseled under her body.
She controlled her breathing, slowed it down, and tried to relax herself, making sure not to move even a little from wherever the Spell had thrown her in the vast Dream Realm.
Though try as much, she was unable to fully relax.
Sweat glistened on her forehead, her heartbeat was hammering in her chest, she was really really nervous. Why would she not? She was blind and most importantly she was weak.
Any other Sleeper would've been looking around, trying to analyse their situation, see if there was any danger nearby, or try to find some advantageous place or shelter.
Well, they would've at least opened their eyes first and summoned a Memory or two immediately.
But for Cassie, seeing what's around her wasn't possible — so she continued like that, laying on the surface, even if it felt really dangerous in its own way.
She had decided to first assess her situation by hearing and feeling alone, rather than summoning a Memory immediately. Unless she felt or heard some kind of strong disturbance, she'd rather just play dead. Memories do not appear immediately after all, it takes a while for them to form from white sparks, a disturbance enough to kill one if not careful.
Even if they are careful.
So a few minutes passed and then more and more, with her lying just like that. Only after assessing that her surroundings wouldn't immediately kill her for moving or making a sound, she summoned both her Memories — her Memories which helped her navigate, to see, and most importantly, to fight.
Along with it, she immediately stood up, and with her hands in front like a shield, waited tensely for her memories to appear.
A beautiful golden bracelet with sapphire beads appeared on her wrist. Along with it, a beautiful silver chain appeared on her neck, ending with an obsidian bead — a crack on the bead glowing radiant purple.
She sighed and focused on her surroundings. With just her bracelet charm, a holographic fog-like 3D structure of the world appeared in her mind. The range was around a few meters. She knew what was going on — it was enough to navigate — but it had its errors. Quite a few times, it didn't work against really fast-moving objects at all. That's why even with its use, she would've had a really, really hard time surviving in the Dream Realm on her own.
But now—
Along with the charm that Sunny had given her, it worked in a really precise manner. It seemed to amplify her original Memory ten times — no, even saying hundred times wouldn't be an exaggeration. Not only that, but she was pretty sure her hearing, feeling, and even instinct had been amplified too.
With both combined…
No longer was it just fog. Now, the world around her glowed in sharp lines and gentle pulses. Able to feel even in the most finest of details, and see even the fastest of attacks.
She seemed to be in some kind of cave like structure, with strange rocks around her, and at that she seemed to be deep in the cave atleast on her left the rocks seemed to be ending in a downward slop, and going on an incline slope to her right, there was just a bit short space around her though it seemed like a... conical cave with its pointed end to her left and seemed to be opening up to her right.
She frowned and focused a bit, hearing the sound of waves crashing rocks a bit far to the opening end.
A shore? Or lake? Or river ?
She just stood there for a while, hearing the distant sound.
After a few moments she decided that she wasn't in danger, not now atleast.
Cassie sighed softly — only then realizing that she was still very much naked.
Suppressing a squeal, she immediately summoned her armor.
Even though there was no one here… it was still embarrassing.
Any girl would feel that way.
Well… maybe not Nephis.
She'd probably just tilt her head, blink once, and summon her armor like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Sighing softly, she shook her head and focused.
An armor shimmered into existence with a quiet whisper of magic. A grey ensemble, with solid steel plates layered over her chest, thighs, shoulders, and entire back. Her legs were wrapped in reinforced dark grey chainmail, each link woven tightly for both mobility and defense.
Cassie exhaled in relief, running a hand across one of the pauldrons.
She whispered a small, grateful prayer under her breath. To the terrifying — but beautiful, powerful, and above all — kind Ascended who'd given her this armor.
Cassie smiled faintly.
There was no heat on her skin — none at all.Which meant either she was deep inside the cave still…Or it was night, of course the dream realm is vast it wouldn't be wrong for some place to have some kind of cold sun, or for their to be no concept of heat and cold even.
She turned and began walking toward her right — opposite the slope.
The ground was rough, uneven in parts, and the air smelled faintly damp. She walked for a full minute, step by cautious step, before the shape of the cave started to change. The ceiling now angled steeply upward until it felt almost vertical.
Then she felt it — a cool breeze against her skin. And the loud, rhythmic sound of water lapping against stones.
Waves.
She followed the sound, slow and careful, until her feet reached the edge. She stopped.
The rocks above her, what could be considered a wall like structure seemed to have been far above her, making the ground she is standing on a clearing, and just as the cave seems to drop, there was...water.
Lots of water and the troublesome thing is, her memory seems to be unable to view through this well...from what she could perceive it wasn't just any simple water body like a lake or river.
She turned her head towards the runes which were shimmering in front of her.
However-
She turned her head away so fast, her neck might have snapped had she not been a sleeper and suddenly dashed back inside, her heart was beating like a PTV engine in her chest.
Cassie's dormant ability allowed her read the attributes of others, she could also see the attributes of awakened creature with some trouble and fallen creatures even, albeit with really difficulty.
Difficulty because whenever she looks at the runes of nightmare creatures, she feels a strange kind of repulsion from them, a vile and disgusting kind of...force? Or feeling if it makes sense.
And just now while looking at the water body, she felt such vile repulsion that she felt her whole body shiver and all her hairs to stand up, it was a deeply unsettling and devouring type of feeling.
Like something far beyond her ability to even comprehend let alone know even a little about.
One thing she definitely knows, is that the body of water- if it even is water, for all she knows, it might just be a sea of blood- is some kind of vile creature and definitely above the fallen rank.
Arriving at the end of the cave, she controlled herself and just stood there for a while, before sighing softly and laying down.
At least for now, she wasn't in any danger.
Sighing, she stood at the edge for a moment longer.
The breeze ruffling her hair, the sound of the waves constant and steady.
It was too risky to head out blindly.
Figuratively and literally.
She laughed a little at her own joke.
Then she just sat down, and after a few hours...she fell asleep.