Chapter 13: True Name
Dolin woke up early, staring at the ceiling. It was peaceful, no tension, no violence, and no worries. It was a serene silence.
His thoughts drifted back to yesterday. He had made his first acquaintance, and then had gone off for his interview. It hadn't been anything extreme, and he hadn't been pressured. They just asked about his aspect and nightmare. Like in the interview from the police station, but more in depth.
He lied about almost all of the questions, mixing in truths here and there but making sure to hide everything important. Especially not his true name or aspect. He didn't want to get recruited anytime soon and wanted to keep a lower profile.
Hell, he didn't even know what his aspect even did. He had checked his runes multiple times, and had tried using his aspect, but it seemed to need some conditions to be fulfilled. He had been busy as well, so perhaps he would try and work it out today.
Dolin ran his hand through his hair, exhaling.
Classes.
That was the second part of the interview.
He had gotten a bunch of recommendations based off of his answers, and he had made selections that fit him, or at least he thought so.
He remembered the man sitting across from him flipping through what seemed to be a tablet holding information, presumably made of the mix of lies and truths he had told the interviewer before.
"Your aspect doesn't seem suited for combat directly," the man told him. "At least not currently. You will need to work hard."
"What else?"
Dolin had hesitated for a moment back then.
There were plenty of classes to choose from, with only a couple standing out to him.
"I want something practical," he said.
The man raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Define what you mean by practical."
"Something that helps me survive if I am alone."
Dolin did not know what could come for him in the dream realm, and he needed to learn how to survive by himself.
The man thought for a moment, tapping his pen on the synthetic table in front of him.
"Wilderness survival."
Dolin nodded.
That had been one of the classes that had stood out to him when he had looked at the choices.
Dolin's mind finally drifted back to the present.
He took a whiff of himself, and his face contorted.
I need a shower.
***
The cafeteria was already crowded, crowded with people chatting and talking to their acquaintances.
Dolin grabbed his food and took a seat at a nearby table that was almost empty. He wasn't alone for long though, as a tall, brown haired boy soon came to join him.
"Morning," Jaren said, glancing at him.
Dolin looked up and nodded.
"You look like you got a good night's rest."
"You didn't?"
"Well, my interview was pretty late. And when I tried going to sleep, too many people were talking. I don't blame them, as the training starts today, but I do wish I could have gotten more sleep."
Dolin shrugged.
"Better than the outskirts."
"...fair."
They ate in silence for a bit.
Then Jaren spoke up again.
"So. Classes today."
Dolin replied, "What about them?"
"What did you pick?"
"Combat training, wilderness survival, and a couple others."
Jaren paused.
"Wilderness survival?"
"Yeah."
"Huh?"
Dolin raised an eyebrow.
"What about it?"
"Nothing," Jaren said. "Just didn't expect it. Most people are ignoring that one."
"Why?"
"Because it's not flashy," Jaren said. "Isn't as big of a class as combat training or any other combat-related class."
Dolin didn't respond right away.
"That's fine. Like I said yesterday… my aspect isn't that suited for combat and I'm also still figuring it out."
Jaren nodded.
"Fair enough."
"What about you?"
"Combat training and coordinated tactics," Jaren said. "Figured I'd stick to something that can help me in fighting.
Jaren leaned back.
Before the conversation could continue, a bright screen turned on in the cafeteria, capturing the attention of everyone in the academy.
Names appeared. It was a ranking.
Dolin's eyes moved over it, not paying much attention, until it stopped.
At the very top.
There was a portrait of a blonde haired boy with a proud grin on his face, as if looking down on everyone else.
Next to his portrait were two lines:
"Name: Blake"
"True Name: Collapsing Void"
For a second, everyone was silent, staring at the portrait at the top of the screen.
Then, the cafeteria erupted. It was chaos.
"A true Name?!"
"No way…"
"That's gotta be fake."
"...the Spell. It can't be…"
"... that new clan…"
"Collapsing Void?"
"That's the third one in history."
Dolin leaned back slightly, eyes still on the screen.
A True Name.
He knew what it meant, and everyone else around him did as well.
It wasn't just rare, it was something almost everyone would never see, let alone obtain. True Names were extremely rare, with ones being obtained after the third nightmare only happening two other times in history, except for himself and the person at the top spot on the board.
Jaren let out a low whistle.
"Well. That's… something."
"You know him?" Dolin asked.
"Not personally," Jaren said. "But I've heard the name. He's a legacy."
"Which clan?"
"You probably haven't heard of it. I didn't even know until I was filled in by another person here. It's the Silverheart clan. They are pretty new, and rising in power too. I guess this is the only safe place for him due to the state of the dream realm civilization, but still. If I were that clan, I would keep him under wraps. Maybe they are one of those weird clans who force their dreamers to survive the dream realm. I'm not sure."
Dolin scanned the board, finally finding his name near the bottom. Jaren's name was surprisingly high, at around the 13th spot.
Good for him. I guess.
"What about his aspect?" Dolin asked.
Jaren shrugged.
"We will probably see in combat training class."
Around them, the reactions kept on coming.
"A True Name in the First Nightmare…"
"That's insane…"
"Changing Star had one too, right?"
"I think so…"
"Should we go talk to him….?"
Dolin followed the people's gazes, and finally found the person of importance.
The boy Blake was not hiding. He wasn't ignoring the attention. He was sitting among the other legacies, basking in all of the attention that he was gaining, as if welcoming it.
Too confident.
A few people, especially some of the girls, were already talking to him, or were trying to.
"Of course it's real," he said, loud enough for the others to hear. "Did you expect anything less?"
There was a pause, followed up by more whispers.
Jaren let out a quiet breath.
"...yeah. That tracks."
Blake continued.
"I wasn't going to display it this early," he added. "But I suppose it will allow you all to know."
"Know what?" someone asked.
The boy shrugged.
"For people to know where they stand."
That got a reaction.
Most of the legacies were all smiles, eating the words up like a bunch of fans. Others expressions turned from ones of intrigue to ones of jealousy and envy.
Dolin looked away.
How prideful can one be?
Well, it didn't really matter how prideful one was, all that mattered was strength. Either he was an idiot, or strong enough that it didn't matter. And well, Blake had proved it, establishing himself at the top.
Jaren stood up, still with a surprised look on his face, grabbing his tray.
"I'm gonna head off to my class," he said. "You heading to survival?"
"Yeah."
Jaren hesitated, before letting out a grin.
"Try not to fall asleep in there."
Dolin snorted. "I'll manage."
As Jaren walked off, Dolin took another look at the scene.
Another True Name.
This place had just become even more interesting.
***
The Wilderness Survival Classroom was as he expected.
Empty and quiet.
Dolin stepped inside, and looked around.
There was one person in the room, a middle aged man flipping through a book seated at a desk.
He looked up as Dolin entered.
"Ah," he said. "Someone actually showed up."
Dolin walked in.
"Wilderness survival right?"
"Yes," the man responded.
He bookmarked his book before closing it, and set it aside.
"I am awakened Rhel, what is your name?"
Dolin took a seat in the chair opposite the man
"It's Dolin."
"Nice name."
Dolin opened his mouth again, "Am I the only one, or will there be more coming."
Rhel responded, "Usually there are almost none, with most dropping out. You didn't pick this on accident right?"
"No."
"Good."
Just as the man said that, the door opened again.
Both of them glanced over.
A girl walked in.
She didn't hesitate at the doorway and just stepped in as if she knew she was supposed to be here.
Her eyes darted across the room, taking in Dolin, the instructor, and the room.
"Wilderness survival?" she asked.
"Correct," Rhel said.
She nodded and pulled another seat over, not saying another word.
"Well. That makes two. What a rare occasion," Rhel said, clasping his hands together. "My mentor would be proud."
Then, looking at the new arrival, he said, "Name?"
"Cecilia."
Rhel nodded.
"Good. Since there are only two of you, we can skip formalities."
He leaned back slightly.
"Let me ask you both something?"
Dolin answered first.
"I want to survive."
Rhel then looked at Cecilia.
She didn't answer immediately.
"Because fighting isn't enough."
Rhel's expression shifted, giving an approving look.
"Correct," he said.
Rhel stood up finally.
"Most sleepers think survival is instinct. It's not. It is knowledge."
He reopened the book that he had been engrossed in from before.
It was a map.
The Dream Realm.
"You won't know where you land," he continued. "You won't know what's around you, and won't have time to figure it out."
Dolin watched quietly.
"People assume they'll have time to think," Rhel said. "They won't."
The lesson started simply.
Water.
Shelter.
Movement.
All basic things, but taught with in-depth explanations that opened Dolin's eyes to things he had never considered before.
What started as simple explanations quickly turned into something else. Both he and the girl, Cecilia, took in everything the man said. He was like a fountain of knowledge, filling their minds with all they needed to know about surviving.
What started as basic explanations turned into something else.
Details and small things began to add up.
How to read terrain.
Signs of what to avoid.
By the time the hours had passed, Dolin had stopped thinking about anything else.
The cafeteria incident had vanished from his mind. None of it mattered, as he was getting information.
Useful information.
Rhel eventually stopped, closing the lesson on a good ending point.
"That's enough for today," he said. "Next time we will review some more and do some practical work."
Dolin stood up, stretching.
"Alright."
The girl beside him let out a yawn, but did not say anything, as if in deep contemplation.
On the way out, Dolin walked beside Cecilia for a short distance.
Neither of them spoke at first, but then.
"You're a legacy," he said.
Not a question.
Cecilia glanced at him.
"Why?"
"I saw you near the group of other legacies in the cafeteria."
When Dolin was looking around the cafeteria, he remembered seeing her near the other legacies, not too close, but still close enough to group her together with them.
She looked forward again.
"...Does it matter?"
Dolin shrugged.
"No."
A short pause came.
Then she added.
"Yours isn't combat focused."
Dolin looked at her, with an intrigued expression.
"How did you figure that out?"
"You hesitated earlier," she said. "When he mentioned aspects."
Dolin could not deny that.
Fair.
They walked a bit further.
"If you're betting on surviving with only survival classes," she said, "you should take it seriously."
Dolin let out an annoyed sigh.
"I am."
Cecilia nodded.
And just like that, their short conversation ended.
As Dolin headed back to his dorm, his thoughts began to drift. He thought about his runes, his future, and then more on his aspect. This would have to be his main focus for the time-being. He had made multiple tests on the abilities of his aspect, and yet he had made zero progress. His "Puppeteer" trait had worked before in his nightmare, yet he was unable to use it again. Perhaps he was only able to use it back then due to his intense battle, but still, he expected something. His current dormant ability, Doubt Manifestation, was still a mystery as well.
With that, he exhaled.
This was not going to be easy.