The world around Aelon grew hazy.
'It's probably another girl named Lyra? Right?'
The chance that someone shared her name, wasn't low, but ironically, she was at the age where the nightmare spell would activate too.
'And a true name too? If this really is Lyra... I got no chance...'
She was the person he knew the best, when he thought of her, his flaw didn't act up at all, but his heart still beat at an impossible rate.
Aelon had already pictured the perfect meeting with her in his head, after he became a master, he would meet her, and make her proud with how much he achieved.
But now?
He was nothing but an outskirts rat, whose survival in the dream realm wasn't even guaranteed.
Biting his lip, he finished his food quickly, and put his tray away, ignoring Cassia and Sunny.
Aelon went ahead to his next class.
***
The Wilderness Survival classroom was spacious, tastefully decorated… and completely empty. Aelon even thought that he was mistaken, but then spotted a gloomy instructor sitting behind a wide wooden desk. Noticing him, the instructor perked up.
"Come in, boy!"
He was a lively old man with messy grey hair, absentminded eyes and a pair of bushy eyebrows that seemed to jump around on their own.
"I'm Awakened Julius. You can call me Teacher Julius. Sit down, sit down! What's your name?
Aelon obediently sat down.
"Aelon."
"What a beautiful name it is! Quite the well versed parents you must have."
The boy averted his gaze, and then stared at the ground, while clenching his fists.
"I gave it to myself, I never met my parents."
Teacher Julius remained quiet for a few seconds, face revealing shock, and then pity.
"Well, I must say you have chosen wisely then. Quite young for a sleeper, but that just means you'll have more time developing your abilities."
'Is he trying to help me cope?'
Just when they were in conversation, Sunny entered the room, looking confused, but when he saw Aelon, and the teacher, he came forward, and sat down on a table next to Aelon.
"What is your name young man? I am Awakened Julius, I already told your classmate here to just call me Teacher Julius though."
"It's Sunless."
Julius raised his eyebrows.
"Ah! What an ominous name. But that is good, very good. After all, we have to deal with a lot of ominous things!"
Sunny carefully looked around.
"Uh… I'm sorry, Teacher. Did I come too early?"
"No, no… you're right on time."
"Are other students late?"
The instructor grunted with incredible contempt.
"No one else is coming. Those brutes are only interested in swinging their fists and swords around. Very few are smart like you and know the true value of knowledge…"
"Say, young man… why did you choose Wilderness Survival, of all things?"
"The Awakened that monitored me during the First Nightmare, Master Jet, had advised me to study it above all things. Same for Aelon."
"A very wise advice! That Master truly knows what's important… wait. Did you say Jet?"
His eyes widened.
"Soul Reaper Jet? That murderous savage?! Hm. Who would have thought that a barbarian like her would know the value of intricate knowledge."
Soul Reaper? Sunny's curiosity was picked.
"Teacher, do you know Master Jet?"
Julius carefully looked behind his back before answering:
"Who doesn't know the Soul Reaper? She might not be the most powerful Awakened out there, but she is certainly one of the most feared. That's because her Aspect Abilities disregard flesh and target soul cores directly. Which means that no amount of armor, damage resistance and physical protection can stop them."
'Huh... just like Minos, I think my memory should be able to do the same.'
He leaned forward.
"The only good thing is that she's young and not likely to become a Saint anytime soon, or even ever. Yes, luckily, there's a very low probability that she'll ever advance."
Sunny blinked.
"Why?"
Julius looked at him as though trying to comprehend how someone could be so ignorant.
"Because of her problematic personality, of course! Who would want to help a psychopathic killer become a Saint? You need a team of outstanding companions and a lot of support to attempt conquering the Third Nightmare. Soul Reaper Jet isn't… wait!"
Suddenly, Julius frowned and leaned back.
"Why am I gossiping with you? You're too young to know such things! More than that, it's not in my character to badmouth others behind their backs!"
Aelon just quietly watched on the side
"Let's get back to your curriculum. What other courses are you two taking?"
Sunny sighed.
"None. For the next four weeks, I'll be fully concentrated on Wilderness Survival."
Julius stared at him for a whole minute, an expression of utter astonishment written clearly on his face. Then, slowly, an excited gleam appeared in his eyes. Finally, he grinned.
"Wonderful! This is wonderful! You're such an astute young man! Don't you worry. In four whole weeks, I will make you immortal… and you boy?"
"I'm also doing Instructor Rock's introductory combat classes... my aspect is sort of combat based."
Sunny looked at Aelon in confusion, as if he had thought he had another ability.
"A wise choice! Aelon you'll certainly be having a splendid foundation for the dream realm!"
***
Later, Aelon found himself in the dojo that Instructor Rock taught in. It was way too cramped.
'Relax. Relax. Relax R... ...Relax'
Constantly, Aelon repeated the same word in his head, trying to gaslight himself, and he also tried using breathing techniques.
His flaw calmed down a little, but it was still constantly pressuring him.
Currently, Sleepers were taking turns delivering their strongest punches to a wide plate attached to a special measuring machine. After each strike, the machine would display a number corresponding to the Sleeper's physical strength.
In theory, a machine like that was not hard to build. However, considering that many of Sleepers had combat-oriented Aspects that enhanced their might in a variety of ways, it was actually a marvel of engineering and durability.
Their technique and training also affected the final result.
Most people were getting numbers ranging from ten to fourteen. It was considered a good result, something that only the most athletic people could reach. However, a lot of Sleepers, obviously those with enhancing Aspects, were able to achieve a score of fifteen or even sixteen.
That was when Aelon sensed a familiar soul in his presence.
When he looked to the spot he found it from, he found a shadow that oddly looked like Sunny... watching them.
As soon as their eyes met, the shadow hushed backwards, then when it saw that it was just him, took out it's finger, and put it's on it's mouth.
'Is he telling me not to say anything?'
Aelon nodded quietly, while looking at the shadow, and the shadow gave him a thumbs up.
'Is this Sunny's Aspect Ability?'
That was when a familiar silver-head approached the machine.
The slender girl approached the machine and, without much preparation, delivered a sudden, crushing blow. Aelon wasn't very well-versed in martial arts, but even he was impressed by the flawless economy and speed of her execution.
After a short pause, the machine displayed the result: sixteen.
'Her aspect probably doesn't augment her strength... for that this is a crazy score!'
After that it was Caster's turn.
This time, Aelon couldn't even see the flying fist — it was just too fast. The machine trembled and took more time calculating. Finally, two numbers appeared.
Twenty-one.
Everyone gaped at the display, stunned. More than a few admiring looks were thrown at Caster, who simply bowed and took a step back. Instructor Rock smiled.
"Lyra it's your turn!" Instructor Rock called out.
Aelon's blood froze.
And out of the masses came a beautiful tall girl with long black hair, just like Aelon remembered it.
One thing had changed about her though, her eyes were purple, they seemed to bear an almost apathetic edge.
It was the Lyra Aelon knew.
But... she had changed, now only a shell of the pretty and kind girl he remembered from his childhood.
Something about her just seemed indifferent. Indifferent about everything.
Everything but herself.
A pang shot through Aelon's heart.
He heard people whispering around him, just like with Nephis. After all she was the only True Name holder among their batch of sleepers other than Nephis.
In a graceful motion, her fist struck the machine. The technique was way more refined than it would have been for someone from even a middle class family.
She had received thorough instruction before this.
When her hand connected with the machine, the numbers climbed up, until they revealed a fifteen.
'Probably not a combat aspect... maybe this is why she was ranked lower than Caster.'
Now, there was only one person remaining.
***
Sunny looked at Aelon who was approaching the machine, face hidden on the sides by his hair, and gaze glued to the ground, so no one could actually see him from the front.
As per usual he was trembling, and clenching his fist.
'I wonder... does he have social anxiety or something like that?'
Aelon shifted his legs, so his right leg was forward, and his left leg was back, and then readied himself.
It honestly looked like he barely would do anything, after all he was half the size of most here. His arms were skinnier than even Sunny's and seemed impossibly frail.
The force seemed to transfer from his legs, to his shoulders, and ultimately to his left arm.
But just before the sound of him striking could be heard, his fist vanished.
Bang!
'What the heck kind of speed was that?'
The numbers kept climbing. First it was ten, then fifteen, then twenty... and it stopped at twenty five, beating Caster.
Aelon seemed shocked by his own score, looking at it in disbelief, face not glued to the ground for the first time since he stepped up.
This time, just like with Caster everyone gaped at the screen as well.
Instructor Rock seemed overjoyed.
"Incredible! Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin."
Nephis was the first to step forward and walk to the center of the ring. A couple of seconds later, a tall and extremely muscular Sleeper followed and faced her.
"The rules are simple. Make your opponent's back touch the floor or throw them out of the ring. Use whatever abilities and techniques you find appropriate."
'Oh, the show is starting!'
Watching Sleepers fight each other was not only entertaining, but could also provide Sunny with knowledge of their powers. Back in the room, he leaned forward and rested his chin on his palms.
'Go Nephis!'
The tall guy attacked without wasting any time. His muscles bulged, threatening to tear the soft fabric of his white dobok. He advanced like an unstoppable mountain, sending a vicious kick flying.
… A second later, he was lying on the floor with a dumbstruck look on his face. Nephis didn't even change her stance.
Instructor Rock gave her a cheerful look and grinned.
"Next."
What followed could only be described as a massacre. One after another, Nephis managed to defeat almost every single Sleeper present in the dojo. She didn't seem to be faster or stronger than them, but each time someone entered the ring to fight her, they would inevitably end up beaten and thrown to the ground.
Sunny watched the process with a growing sense of amusement. However, at some point, even he felt a bit of unease.
Nephis moved with the calm precision of a battle machine. Her technique was clean, graceful and ruthless. No matter what type of attack was thrown at her, she was able to either predict or instantly react to it, then deflect and turn it against the attacker with the minimum amount of effort.
It didn't matter whether her opponent was poor, rich or a Legacy. Everyone would end up dealt with in a matter of seconds.
What's more, through the whole process, the composed expression on her face didn't even change once. It was like Nephis was made out of metal.
'Is… is she even human?' Sunny thought, suddenly apprehensive.
What was he going to do if this Changing Star were to end up as his enemy?
The best course of action would be to run away. Or better yet, try not to antagonize her, to begin with. After all, the sun was also a star, and shadows didn't mix well with sunlight.
Now only three were left–– Caster, Lyra, and Aelon.
Caster stepped up.
However, he didn't seem to be perturbed by the miserable failure of every other Sleeper. With a soft smile on his lips, the young man stepped into the ring.
Caster and Nephis faced each other. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, and then Caster slightly bowed.
"Lady Nephis. Please excuse me in advance."
'What is he going to...'
… A moment later, Sunny opened his eyes in shock.
It seemed like Caster suddenly ceased to exist.
However, it was only an illusion. The truth was that he was just moving so fast that the human eye wasn't able to keep up with his movements. If it wasn't for the special properties of Shadow Sight, Sunny wouldn't have been able to perceive anything either.
Even then, he only noticed a hazy blur streaking through the air.
In a fraction of a second, Caster covered the distance between him and Nephis and delivered a devastating blow. However, despite his astonishing speed, she somehow managed to react in time, slightly turning her body to deflect the strike.
But it still wasn't enough. Although Nephis had managed to avoid being hit squarely in her center of gravity, Caster's fist ended up connecting with her shoulder, sending the girl into a spin.
Not wasting any time, Caster disappeared again. His plan was very simple: while Nephis was still under the impression that the enemy was in front of her, he was going to use his unnatural swiftness to circle around and attack from the back.
The young man appeared behind the oblivious girl, ready to finish the fight with one decisive strike. Just as he planned, she seemed to be preparing to attack in the direction he had been seen just a split second ago. Gratified, Caster shifted his weight, putting it all into his fist.
However, at the last moment, Nephis suddenly changed her stance and threw her elbow back with frightening force.
Caster's eye widened. It was all a feint!
And now that he had committed to a strike, there was no simple way to stop. No matter how fast he was, he was still subject to the laws of inertia. The elbow was approaching his face with a profound feeling of inevitability.
And yet, Caster still managed to avoid it, even if it was just by a hair's breadth. His speed advantage was just too big.
He then proceeded to trip and push Nephis, sending her flying to the ground. However, just before she was about to hit the mats, the young man carefully grabbed the collar of her dobok and gently pulled, slowing down the fall and allowing Nephis to land on the floor without any impact.
Lying on her back, the girl blinked a couple of times and looked up at him. The whole altercation lasted no more than two seconds.
Back in his room, Sunny opened his eyes in shock.
After everything was done, Caster looked down. Specifically at Aelon.
The boy seemed to tremble, as if sensing the gaze and averted his own from the battle, as if not wanting to participate.
To his surprise, it wasn't the thirteen year old boy that stepped up though–– it was Lyra.
She smiled pleasantly, yet her purple eyes remained completely indifferent.
When the fight started something weird happened.
Even though Casters speed and strength were undoubtedly superior, Lyra reacted perfectly to every single one of his strikes, and effectively even countered them.
When he would deliver a strike to her head, she would duck down before he had even moved, when he would kick her, she would grab his leg before it could move, causing him to stumble.
After a few seconds of fighting, Lyra countered perfectly, and used Casters own weight to send him down to the ground, beating him.
Now it was Aelon's turn... against Lyra.