Capítulo 14: Goodbye
The police cruiser slowed onto the curb of a dainty old building. Written in black writing, "Willow Oak Orphanage" was cased in iron over the arch of an old rusted gate. The building was old. An old prison from a century ago was repurposed into an orphanage by a philanthropist at the time.
Aldric got out of the vehicle and walked straight through inside. He passed the sleeping receptionist and went straight to his room.
All his items were exactly as he left them. The dust was kept to a minimum but a thin layer was still present. Silently, he packed all his clothes into his empty suitcase that he kept beneath his bed. His communicator was dead so he charged it while packing. It was one of the most valuable things he owned. The futuristic phone was not used to contact anyone but to surf the internet.
15 minutes later, he was ready to leave. He neared the front door.
"Are you not going to say goodbye?" an elderly voice spoke behind him.
Aldric turned around and saw the matron. She adopted the look of a stereotypical caretaker. A long dress, glasses, and grey hair.
"You were always detached from this orphanage. Like you were seeing beyond it. Looking at something far ahead." She spoke in a wise tone.
Aldric adopted an embarrassed look at being called out like that.
"I wasn't that bad was I?"
She didn't respond to his comment and carried on. She did give him a look though.
" Congratulations on passing your first nightmare. I'm glad you're back safe and sound." She said with a soft and endearing look on her face.
"Thank you Madam" Aldric responded with a warm smile.
It felt good to have someone care that he came back. A warm sensation spread in his heart. He was not some sociopath in his old world. Not a bullied high schooler. Not an assassin. Not an overworked corporate cog in a machine. He had friends. Family. Goals and aspirations. And he knew that whatever was remaining there would live to see it through.
" I don't doubt that you have plans beyond this orphanage and that I will not see you soon. However, I will say that I hope you visit." She had a knowing look in her eyes.
She gave him a hug with no chance of refusal.
" I won't promise anything but I will try." Aldric responded honestly.
With that, the conversation was finished.
Aldric went back inside the vehicle. He gave one last glance at his old home and looked back forward.
----------
It was a long journey. It took over 4 hours to arrive. After all, the NQSC was a very large place to traverse. Aldric saw a lot of the good and bad of the siege capital. The technological marvel that was the city center. The beautiful greenery that was so scarce in the waking world. Compared to where he lived which was in the northwest, the architecture was so humane. It was built for the enjoyment of humans. Not the brutal minimalistic design that was visible in his zone.
His analysis came to a stop as they approached the red gates of the academy city. Once cleared to go through the entrance, they cruised through the city within a city. Aldric observed the heavy artillery lining the giant walls along the edge of the city. All sorts of buildings of different designs and for different purposes met the window of the car. Finally, their journey came to an end when they arrived at the giant metal gates of the Awakened Academy.
"This is as far as I can take you. Someone has been notified to get you. I wish you all the best." The man said looking in the rearview mirror.
"Thanks for the lift." Aldric said as he left and took his suitcase from the trunk of the car.
----------
Aldric was now in a small room. It was temporary lodgings before being assigned a dorm room. It was said that given how chaotic it was trying to get all the sleepers into a scheduled routine, they would hold a ceremony at the beginning of each month. Aldric missed the October ceremony by 6 days. Luckily as the winter solstice approached, they conducted a ceremony every week. It made sense as the sleepers literally could not afford to wait to be inducted. Every day mattered for their survival.
Aldric was waiting for the ceremony to start which was scheduled for tomorrow. It was now the early afternoon. He had a lot of time to kill before sleeping. He decided he would familiarise himself with the place.
----------
Standing in a small group of 20 people, Aldric waited for the presenter to arrive. Everyone stood in a large assembly hall. He surveyed the group and noticed how extraordinary everyone looked. Most of the sleepers looked well above average in terms of looks. Almost as if all imperfections were purified out of their body. Clear skin. Healthy vitalised hair. As if the best that humanity had to offer was displayed. It was frightening to Aldric. The power that the spell had. The ability to change the fate of those it infected on a whim.
While everybody was eager to share and speak about their first nightmare, It was hard to initiate the conversation in such a small group. To speak first would mean getting the attention of everyone.
The hall was in an awkward silence.
A young woman came to the podium and spoke in a tired voice.
"The Awakened who usually gives the ceremony speech is not available today. I am Awakened Helen." She spoke.
A gorgeous blonde-haired and blue-eyed petite woman stood on the podium. A blue uniform fitted snugly around her curves. Nothing explicit but enough to compliment her frame. She had a youthful appearance that contrasted with her sharp eyes. She was not armed with anything.
" You might be wondering why there are so few of you in such a large hall. The Awakened Academy welcomes well over 1000 sleepers in a given year. This does not mean every week roughly 20 people arrive at our doorstep. Like anything, there is an element of randomness to the spell. All we know is that towards the solstice more and more of you will be coming. 12 weeks ago, it was only 5 people gracing our doors per week. In December, there will likely be 100 joining us per week. It varies." She explained.
"Enough of that. I will now explain to you some of the amenities that are offered here. You all know the purpose of this place. It is in the prologue of every damn webtoon after all." She casually joked.
A string of soft laughs echoed in the hall.
" Free food and lodging is given. A wide range of topics are taught by awakened experts. Training grounds for you to practice your abilities fully."
"We also offer a store. Where you can buy or trade memories. I understand you might have received a memory not suited for you. However, it might be perfect for somebody else. Do not worry, we have strict rules and regulations for trades that prevent any foul intentions. Finally, be ready for an interview surrounding your first nightmare and how we can help you. Also, your curriculum will be discussed then. That is all." She gave a short bow and left as quickly as she came.
Upon her departure, it seemed that the awkward silence died a quick death. People started talking and introducing themselves to each other. They were eager to speak to someone in the same boat as them.
A voice beside Aldric spoke out.
"Hey, what's your name?"
Capítulo 15: Ceremony
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Aldric, you?" he responded with an amicable face.
"Lena"
Lena was a short and petite girl. Just over 5 feet, she had brown hair that was shoulder length. She had a tomboy-like aesthetic going for her. Fitted in named brands, it seemed she was part of the high-ranking citizens. These people spared no efforts to train their children with awakened tutors. Whatever money could buy.
"So what happened in your first nightmare?" she spoke excitedly as if she was hearing the latest celebrity drama.
"I don't want to talk about it, to be honest." Aldric said in a friendly but somber tone.
"I get you. Well, see you around." She smiled and walked away to join a group of people animatedly talking.
' She probably just wanted to compare nightmares to make herself feel better or superior. Or maybe even entertain herself.' Aldric thought. Like that kid in class who asks what you got on the math test. Nothing malicious but not self-aware of his true intentions.
"Aldric Vesper!" A voice called out.
Aldric turned around and met the voice.
"It's time for your interview."
----------
"To begin, this is not an interrogation. You are free to refuse to answer any given questions. However, we do reward truthful answers. On my left is a truth-reading device. Made by the utility-based aspect of an awakened, it will flash green when you are telling the truth and red when you are lying. Tell me one basic truth and lie to calibrate it for you."
"I like cold showers."
The stone in the center of the device shone a ruby-red colour.
"I ate porridge for breakfast today."
The stone switched from the previous red to an emerald green.
"Sorted. Now is there anything you would like to say about your nightmare?" the man in a blue uniform spoke.
" Nothing really. It was uninteresting compared to what I've seen online." Aldric responded casually.
The man gave Aldric a look and glanced at the stone quickly. It was still a green colour.
After all, he was not lying. Compared to the fantasy-like stories he read of large-scale wars determining the fate of countries, his underground adventures were not that amazing.
" Is there anything of historical significance that you learned in your nightmare?"
"No, nothing comes to mind."
That was genuinely true and not doctoring his words. There were no references to gods. No shrines or temples. Aldric didn't even have the chance to receive a divine lineage. He was not worried though. With what he knew, there were ways around this hiccup.
"Would you like to tell me about your aspect?"
"I don't know all that much about it. I think it could be utility-based." Aldric said in a confused tone.
The man was slowly getting more and more bored. He usually looked forward to young impressionable kids excited to talk about their first nightmare in depth. Venting to someone about it.
'This kid really is average.' He mused.
"Finally what is your Aspect rank?"
" Ascended" The teenager spoke.
The word got the immediate attention of the interviewer.
"Hey, that's amazing. You have a lot of potential."
Habitually he glanced at the stone and saw the ruby-red light shine at him.
His smile dropped and he looked at the boy. The boy had a mischievous look in his eye and a smirk on his face.
'I've been played.'
He was used to this. Knowing that the rankings were mainly based on your aspect rank. People often tried to lie to rank higher. To have more respect and status in the Academy. To be the main character of the story. Maybe they thought they could trick the stone by believing it themselves.
"Nice one kid. Are you a dormant?"
"No"
He was surprised. It was often the lowest-ranked aspect holders that thought they had nothing to lose that lied.
"Awakened?"
The teenager responded with a slight head nod. The interviewer didn't think much of it and concluded the meeting by asking one final question.
"Have you decided what subjects you want to cover?"
Having read over the handout given to him when he entered the academy the first time, he had made his choice.
"Wilderness survival. Weapons Instruction and Archeology."
"Good job in choosing a small number of subjects. Sleepers often try to fit in as much as they can, spreading themselves too thin in most cases. Your classes will start tomorrow. That is all for today with me. Enjoy your stay here."
Aldric stood up and left the small room.
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Having followed the instructions given to him by his communicator, Aldric finally found his assigned dorm. It was a standard room with all the amenities needed. A private bathroom and a large set of clothes. The most noticeable thing was the display along the back wall that mimicked a window. It had a screen that portrayed the weather outside. Early autumn warmth with dead leaves littering the floor. A window was impossible to have as they were underground. After quickly scanning the room for anything out of place, he sorted his belongings into the cupboard.
On his way here, he was thinking about the interview. His goal was to be seen as average. Contrary to popular belief, it's not the weakest or the outcast that gets the least attention but the average person. Nothing of note and nothing of value to add. You can't even be a source of entertainment to others. He manipulated the interviewer by giving him a yes-no question about his aspect. It was hard to disguise his aspect ability of darkness as weak so he had to have a higher aspect rank to not be ranked extremely low and be looked down on. He didn't want to get attention by refusing to answer a question. To be honest he had no reason to be so secretive however he saw it as good practice for his future as he would only accomplish more and more and get the attention of all sorts of people.
Aldric went into a meditative state to calm his brain. As he focussed on his breathing, [Clear Mind] gave him a tranquil feeling. It was time to analyse his abilities.
It would have been foolish of him to do it in the police station or even in the temporary lodgings yesterday. He didn't know if he was being monitored. Having scanned his room, he was in the clear.
'Status'
Rank: Dreamer.
Dark Core: Dormant
Dark Sprites:[58/1000]
Memories:[Unwavering Spark],[Cragborne Armor],[Malice Of The Deep],[Cavesweller Garms][Bow of Bone][Lizard's Dagger][Burrow Whip]
Attributes: [Insight][Clear Mind][Destined]
Aspect:[Made In Abyss]
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Abilities:[Dark Well]
Aspect Ability Description:[You can manifest the Darkness within.]
He focussed on the memory he received from that dreadful worm.
Memory:[Malice Of The Deep]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Memory Description: [Found at the bottom of a colossal chasm that scarred the earth. Its origins are unknown.]
'What a short description'. He couldn't see any enchantments.
'I guess that the ability would only be available to Sunless with blood weave or those with the correct aspects. Like members of Clan Valor.'
He summoned the Memory and felt a decrease of something inside his heart.
'So that is my soul essence. I couldn't even feel it before.'
A glitter of light suddenly appeared in front of him. Like dragonflies at night, the light formed the shape of a blade.
A large claymore formed in the air ready for him to grab. A silver entwined handle that twisted like rope touched his palm. The guard of the sword was extremely detailed. Concentric ridges reminded him of the worm in the same silver colour. Surprisingly light, the blade itself was long and sharp. Double-edged, it was a black colour with a tint of green shining on the edge. In the center, a green-like vein was positioned heading towards the tip of the blade. Aldric did not know what the blade was made from.
The length was standard for a claymore however the sizing was perfect for him.
Aldric was grateful that he had a weapon. It would have been stressful to procure one through other means.
Dismissing the weapon with a mental command, the memory exploded into a myriad of photons. Disappearing before his eyes.
Something else caught his attention. Something that played on his mind during the entirety of his nightmare. His third attribute.
[Destined]
Attribute Description: Your fate has been hastily stitched on the tapestry.
"Damned Spell!" Aldric complained.
'It wouldn't even explain the stupid thing.'
Aldric could patch together a theory with his insight and context clues. It seemed that the name itself could give hints. Destiny is the act of making your own path. The future. Whereas fate is often said in past tense as if it's set in stone. Maybe he could make a path to his desired future without fate getting in the way as it does for Sunless with his fated attribute.
For Sunless, fate often was his worst enemy. He tried his best to avoid becoming a slave. His preparations led to his enslavement. He avoided clan-related politics by going to Antarctica. Only for it to have been their battleground the whole time.
'Fate wouldn't be so easy to avoid.' Aldric had a weird feeling.
He also wondered how it would work for prophecies.
"What next?"
His flaw.
His flaw had given him no trouble as of yet as if it wasn't there. He knew. He knew that it would rear its ugly head in the dream realm. He knew.
He would explore his abilities tomorrow. Now it was time to sleep.
After washing up, he silently went to his bed and fell asleep. Ready for his classes tomorrow.
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