Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : Preparing for Ahead
Sunny opened his eyes
He saw the familiar armored ceiling of the police station vault hanging above him. He felt himself much stronger. But it couldn't compare to when he was a saint.
'I'm really back in time'
Sunny was still shocked and confused on how he got back in time. But that question will remain unanswered for a while.
'I'll think about it later. For now'
Sunny looked to his side. He saw the familiar plastic chair and master Jet. With her short raven black hair and her icy blue eyes. She looked the same from what her remembered in the 3rd nightmare.
She wore the same uniform from what he remembered. With her jacket casually unbuttoned, revealing a black tank top beneath.
Currently, she was stretching her arms above her head, clearly bored and sleepy. The gesture forced the thin fabric to tighten, provocatively accentuating her full breasts.
Before he could take his eyes away, he heard her voice
"What are you looking at?" She said in a casual tone but without any humor.
"You" Sunny said casually as he looked at her eyes. Her eyes seemingly rating this new sleeper.
"Well, aren't you an interesting one" master Jet said as she leaned closer, her face inches away from his, as she stares at his eyes.
Sunny looked to the side while his face redding a little "wha..what's interesting about me" he said in little embarrassment clearly embarrassed from her stare.
Master Jet pointed her finger at his eyes "these" she said with her tone carrying some interest
Sunny, clearly confused. Replied while raising an eye brow "what's interesting about my eyes"
"Well, kid. I don't know what you went through. But these eyes are the eyes of a cold killer. Who killed many monsters and..."
She stopped for a while then continued with a smirk
"Humans too"
Sunny thought for a while 'hmm does that mean my eyes look the same from when I was a saint? But that doesn't make sense. My body look exactly the same from what i remember.'
While Sunny was thinking about what master Jet just said he heard her muttered to herself "maybe I should hire him with me in the government"
"Excuse me?" Sunny said while raising an eye brow.
"Don't worry about." Master Jet said while shaking her head.
"Anyway. Welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your first nightmare. Sleeper sunless" master Jet said with Congratulating tone
'Sleeper sunless, it's been a long time since someone called me like that' Sunny sighed in himself while remembering his days before the winter solstice.
"I am Ascended Jet. You can call me Master Jet. These past three days, I was on watch duty due to your Nightmare."
"Master Jet? Can i ask a question"
"Go on" master Jet replied while leaning back on her chair.
"Why would a Master be put on watch duty? Isn't it.. below your pay grade?"
"smart kid, i knew you were interesting. Anyway, Recently there was a lot of Gates opening in this sector. Most of the local Awakened are either wounded or occupied with the clean-up. Or dead. It's always like that close to the winter solstice"
"Plus, there's not a lot of Awakened who, like me, directly work for the government. It's by far the least lucrative or glorious carrier one of us can choose. Would you abandon wealth and fame to work abysmal hours and risk your life, fuelled only by altruism and sense of duty?"
Sunny thought for a while. Before he was regressed. He was a selfish sleeper who cared only about himself. But after everything he has gone through. Everything changed about him.
"I'm not stupid to abandon wealth and fame to work abysmal hours and risk my life for something as stupid as 'sense of duty' but...."
Sunny stopped for a while and then continued
"If I did so, it isn't because of sense of duty"
Sunny looked at master Jet and continued "it's because I want to do it"
Master Jet looked at Sunny for a moments. Then she threw her head back while bursting in laughter.
'Did i say something funny?' Sunny was confused from her
After a while Master Jet stopped laughing and looked at Sunny while brushing the tears from laughter and said
"I knew you were interesting. Saying something like "because I want to"...."
Master Jet stopped for a while and then continued with a smirk
"You know, you should have the strength to support your proposal. Saying something like that with no power. Is gonna make you different from these who do it because their sense of duty"
"Who said that I won't have the strength to say something like that. Don't be shocked when you see me in a couple of years passing you in strength." Sunny replied to Master Jet with a smirk while looking her eyes.
Master Jet burst out in laughter again and then said, "I'll gladly wait for the day to see that"
...
After his talk with master Jet. He took a shower and then walked in front of the mirror and saw himself
'Damnation. I'm short again. Not like I wasn't short though, before regressing, but not this short!!' Sunny cursed in his mind and then noticed his eyes. Just as master Jet said. It was the eyes of an experienced called blooded killer. Behind his eyes was a deep darkness that swallowed all the light.
Sunny looked down and saw his lonely shadow. "Don't worry, body. Soon you'll have many brothers" Sunny joked. Then focused on his shadow sense. He then realized that his shadow sense was stronger than what he remembers. It felt like he has at least about 100 shadow fragments.
'Hmm... is it because of my aspect.' Sunny summoned his runes
***
Name: Sunless
True name: Lost from Light
Rank: Dreamer
Shadow Core: Dormant.
Shadow fragments: [16/1000]
Memories: [Silver bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud]
Echoes:----
Attributes: [Chain Breaker], [Mark of Divinity], [Shadow]
Aspect: [Shadow].
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect description: [You're a miraculous shadow left behind by a dead god. You have broken free from the chains of fate and time and escaped certain death. The shadows recognize you as the heir of the shadow god. You possess plenty of strange and wondrous powers]
Aspect abilities: [Shadow Contol]
***
'The shadows recognize me as the heir of the shadow god, huh? I wonder what changes it would make? Probably gives me more control on shadows'
Sunny dismissed his runes and wore a clean police issued tracksuit and headed towards the cafeteria and ate with master Jet. They had a little conversation before offering him the free psychological counseling. Which he politely refused. Then she asked some questions and mentioned that she's an outskirt rat just like him.
Sunny acted shocked as he heard that. As a part of the protocol, Jet asked if he wanted to go to the academy. This time he nodded in agreement.
On their way to the academy Master Jet said
"As a fellow from the outskirts, I'll give you 3 pieces of advice. Whether you listen to them or not, its not my business"
Sunny nodded as he listened closely, knowing what she was going to say.
"First: once you're registered in the Academy, they'll offer you psychological counseling again. There will also be a valuable reward for sharing your experiences in the Nightmare and the details of your Appraisal. You'll be able to receive a soul shard, maybe even several of them."
"So?" Sunny replied with confusion
"Refuse" master Jet replied said with a little sharp tone
Sunny chuckled and replied with smirk "Yeah I wasn't even considering spiting out anything. Neither my trial nor my flaw. I wouldn't have survived this long if I was this open"
Master Jet smiled at his reply "good, Secondly: there will be a lot of courses to choose from. All types of combat training, deep dives into Nightmare Creature categories and vulnerabilities, basics of various types of sorcery, artifact study and so on. Disregard all of that. The only course you have time to attend is Wilderness Survival."
"Yeah I was thinking about joining a class like that. The main threat in my trial was the cold rather than the enemies themselves"
Jet looked at him with clear amusement "You really are smart. I'm convinced that if anyone survived, it would be you. Anyway, we arrived" Master Jet stopped the car and opened the door. Getting out. Sunny saw the familiar building of the academy.
Seeing it reminded him of the days there before the winter solstice. Although he didn't make any friends. He enjoyed teacher Julius classes. And even wrote to him a report about the forgotten shore, which turned out to be a jackpot.
"This is as far as i can go, I've already notified them. Someone will come fetch you in a while" she said while looking at the walls of the academy
"What's the third advice?"
Master Jet looked at him for a while. Then sighed
"Remember: no one can survive in the Dream Realm alone. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Try to get along with your peers, even if they don't treat you well It might save your life."
She then smiled and patted on his shoulder "make sure to survive. Sleeper sunless. If you did, I'll buy dinner for you. All on me" she winked at him cheerfully.
"I'll make sure to. You gave another reason to survive" master Jet laughed at his response then she got back in her PTV and drove off.
...
Sunny stood infront of the gates of the Awakened academy. He looked to his side and saw another sleeper. Although it was the first time he meets her in this life. He knew her more than anyone else.
'Neph...'
A wave of emotions surged through him when he looked at the girl standing besides him. Their memories played in his mind. Their first meeting in the forgotten shore. Their fight in the crimson spire. How he felt betrayed when she said his true name. And made him leave her on her own in that lonely place.
'No, no. I won't let that happen again. I promise to get you back. I won't leave you behind.'
"Why are you staring at me?" Without realizing. He stared for a while at neph.
"No, I was just thinking if I should introduce myself. I am Sunless by the way. You can just call me Sunny" Although it wasn't the main reason but it was true.
"I'm nephis" she said after looking at him for a while with anxious eyes. without giving him a chance to speak she walked away.
'Great. I bet she's thinking that I am the one who was sent to kill her.' Considering how she looked at him and how his eyes looked like. She probably thought that he was someone sent by the sovereigns to kill her.
....
Everything in the introduction ceremonies went like how he remembered them. He didn't try to talk to anyone. And if anyone tried. He just gave one or two word answers clearly showing he doesn't wanna talk. After a while, people started avoiding speaking to him.
In the corner of his eyes he saw Cassie. A mix of emotions started raising again. Happiness to see her again and hatred to what she has done in the past and how everything after becoming an awakened was all her planning. In reality Sunny was scared from what Cassie can do
'Calm down Sunny! It's a new life. She did nothing to you. In fact, your aspect is her worst enemy.' Sunny tried calming himself down and then thought if he should start a conversation with her.
After moments, he started walking towards her. Making his footsteps make loud noises so she could her him. "Hey there"
Cassie looked towards Sunny with confusion "are you talking to me?" She asked while pointing at herself.
"Yes, you. Is there a problem with that?"
"No, no, there is not. But why are you talking to me?"
"To now each other? Anyway, I'm Sunless. But you can call me Sunny. "
"I'm Cassia, you just call me Cassie"
"Pleasure to meet you Cassie."
After that they stood there in awkward silence. After moments, Cassie coughed in embarrassment in and said "Anyway. Why are you talking to me. I'm sure you can tell that I am blind." She said with sadness in her tone
Sunny tapped on her shoulder "so what if you're blind. That doesn't mean anything. In fact, that means that you have a powerful aspect that the spell had to make you blind." Sunny tried cheering her from her sadness
Hee eyes winded, and tears started forming on her eyes. "Thank you, thank you for your compliment"
Sunny was shocked to see her cry suddenly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he tapped on her shoulder
"No, don't worry. I was just.... touched by your words. No one believed in me" she said while brushing the tears from her eyes. Their conversation was cut by Awakened Rock speech
After that, everyone went to their rooms. After changing, he went to the cafeteria. After finishing his dinner. He went to a small office to start his interview. Like his first time. He created the impression that he's just a weak, harmless sleeper.
Later that night in his room. Sunny started recalling the memories of the shadow dance in his head.
[You have received an aspect legacy shadow dance]
'Finally' Sunny sighed. He then took out a note to write everything he knows, every major event. After 2 hours, Sunny finished writing till the last thing he remembers before regressing.
First goal: [before winter solstice]
[1-Achieve the first step of the shadow dance.]
[2- leave a good impression on Neph]
Second goal: ??????
Third ??????
Sunny looked at the paper in front of him. Noting everything he should do. Then Sunny stared coldly on one of his notes
Fifth goal: [preparing for the 2nd nightmare]
[1- ??????]
[2- ??????]
[3- Don't let Mordret escape]
"This time. I'll make sure you stay trapped there forever, Prince of Nothing" Sunny muttered in hatred
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone