Unduh Aplikasi
0.82% Shadow Slave / Chapter 17: Three Simple Words

Bab 17: Three Simple Words

He closed his eyes, then opened them again, hoping that the runes would disappear.

'Please, be gone! Please!'

But the runes were still there, shining slightly, as though mocking him.

Flaw: [Clear Conscience].

Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]

Sunny stared at these three simple words, feeling like there was a bottomless abyss opening right beneath his feet. The Spell, which was usually frivolous with its descriptions, decided to be straight and on point this time. There were only three words. They left him no room to maneuver.

'Can't lie. I can't lie? Me? How am I supposed to live if I can't lie?!'

Sunny's very survival was predicated on his ability to deceive and outsmart other people. Even the Spell itself congratulated him on his treachery! Without the ability to lie, he wouldn't be able to achieve anything.

Not to mention…

His heart suddenly felt as though it was about to stop.

If he could only tell the truth, how was he supposed to hide his True Name? Wouldn't anyone be able to turn him into an obedient slave by simply asking a couple of innocent questions?

"Sh…"

Sunny was about to scream and curse, but at that moment, the Spell spoke again.

[Wake up, Lost from Light!]

The black void spun and disappeared.

***

Sunny opened his eyes.

The armored ceiling of the police station's vault hang above him. No one would call its aesthetics beautiful, but to him, it was the most majestic sight. Only now did he realize how much he had missed the real world.

It was safe and familiar. There were no monsters or slavers… well, at least officially. There was no constant fear of torturous death.

It was home.

In addition, Sunny felt incredible. The cold that had crept deep into his bones during the Nightmare was gone, taking with it all the pain that his wounded body had been enduring day after day. His feet and wrists were not in agony, his back had forgotten the bite of the whip, and he could even breathe without feeling the sharp edges of his broken ribs cutting deeper and deeper into his lungs.

What a blessing!

The sudden disappearance of pain, coupled with the new vitality that permeated his body, almost made Sunny cry.

'I really survived.'

He slowly looked down and then froze, breathless.

On a cheap plastic chair placed beside his reinforced medical bed sat the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She had short, raven-black hair and icy blue eyes. Her flawless skin was smooth, supple and as white as snow. Actually, this was Sunny's first time meeting someone as pale as he himself was. However, while Sunny's pallor looked strange and unhealthy, the beautiful stranger was nothing short of striking.

The woman seemed to be in her late twenties. She was wearing a dark blue uniform with silver epaulets and black leather boots. The jacket of her uniform was 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.

Mesmerized, Sunny almost missed the fact that there was a shoulder insignia on the woman's left sleeve. There were three stars on it.

'Three stars, huh,' he thought, distracted. 'Three stars means an Ascended… huh… yeah. Wait. An Ascended?!'

But before Sunny could fully digest the meaning of this word, he realized that the woman was staring at him, too.

"What are you looking at?" she said, not a gram of humor in her voice.

Sunny blinked a couple of times, embarrassed, and quickly came up with an excuse. Then he opened his mouth and answered:

"Your breasts."

A second later, his eye widened in absolute horror.

Because he wasn't planning to say those words at all! His mouth moved on its own!

A wave of terror suddenly drowned his mind.

The woman slowly smiled with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Then, without any warning, she moved her hand and slapped Sunny across the face.

Sunny whole body was turned around. If it wasn't for the restraints holding him in place, he would have probably flown off the bed. For a moment, he even saw stars.

But it could still be considered getting off lightly. An Ascended, the woman was an Ascended! She could have torn his head clean off with a flick of a finger. Why did he have to offend someone so powerful, of all people?!

Meanwhile, the woman cleared her throat and crossed her arms.

"Are you awake now?"

Sunny held his numb cheek and carefully nodded.

"Good. Let me give you a piece of advice: don't just say anything that comes to your mind. Especially to girls. It's not like you haven't seen a girl before, right?"

'Say "Thank you! I definitely will not!"' Sunny thought.

But instead, his mouth moved on its own, and he said:

"I've seen plenty... but no one as beautiful as you."

Then he flinched back, his face as red as a lobster.

The woman stared at him for a few seconds and then burst into laughter.

"I see you haven't met a lot of Awakened then. By Awakened standards, I'm below average."

Sunny glanced at her with doubt.

The woman shook her head.

"As your soul core develops, the body gets rid of all its imperfections. So it's hard to find an unattractive Awakened, especially among the stronger ones. Live long enough, and you might just become a flower boy yourself."

Then she gave him a thorough look and added:

"Well… maybe. In any case, since you're awake — welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Sunless."

***

Sleeper Sunless.

That was how people would address him now, at least in the short span of days until the winter solstice — after that, he would either return from the Dream Realm as an Awakened or not return at all.

It felt strange to have a title put before his name. In the past, Sunny was rarely even addressed by name. People mostly called him things like "boy", "punk", "brat" or "hey, you!". But now he even had a title.

Sleeper Sunless…

Actually, the correct term was "Dreamer". But humans had their own set of words for those infected by the Nightmare Spell. Carriers who had just finished their First Nightmare were called Sleepers because of how they interacted with the Spell.

Basically, once his spirit enters the Spell, his body was going to fall into slumber. That slumber would continue for days, weeks, or even months — however long it takes him to escape the Dream Realm. Hence the term "Sleeper".

Once he escapes and becomes an Awakened, he would live his life normally during the day and return to the Dream Realm every time he falls asleep. The Awakened were called the same by the Spell and the humans. That word was also sometimes used as a general term for all carriers.

Then, if he were to decide to enter a Second Nightmare and managed to survive, he would become an Ascended — people called them Masters. Masters could enter and exit the Dream Realm as they wished. Some even chose to never come back there at all. More than that, they traveled between the worlds physically, not just in spirit.

And then, above the Masters, there were Saints — those who had conquered the Third Nightmare and earned the right to call themselves Transcendent. They were as powerful as demi-gods, and even more rare. Not only could they travel between the real world and the Dream Realm, but they could also take others with them.

But coming back to Masters…

The beautiful woman stood up and approached the reinforced medical bed. With practiced moves, she began to undo the restraint holding Sunny in place.

"I am Ascended Jet. You can call me Master Jet. These past three days, I was on watch duty due to your Nightmare."

'Right… before I fell asleep, the policeman told me that an Awakened would arrive in a few hours to monitor my condition. To kill the Nightmare Creature if… if I die and let it through.'

Sunny was unwilling to open his mouth, terrified that all sorts of truths would come spilling out. But there were things he simply had to know.

"Master Jet? I have a question."

"Go on."

"Why would a Master be put on watch duty? Isn't it… below your pay grade?"

Jet gave him a dark look.

"You're smarter than you seem. 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."

She opened the final restraint and took a step back.

"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 career 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 wanted to say something flattering. Instead, he looked Master Jet right in the eyes and smirked.

"Of course not. I'm not an idiot!"

'Damn this damn Flaw! Damn!'

She stared at him with a humorless expression. Sunny thought that he was going to get slapped again.

But instead, Jet smiled.

"See, I was right. You really are smart."


Bab 18: Absence of Light

Sunny was enjoying a hot shower. After their short conversation, Master Jet had sent him to clean himself, saying that he "reeked of Nightmare". The unnatural slumber of the Spell would slow down the body's metabolism, and the medical apparatus he had been strapped into was supposed to take care of the rest, but he was still asleep for three whole days.

Even if only psychological, the scent of bloodshed and despair lingered around him.

'Ah, I'm in heaven,' Sunny thought, willing himself to temporarily forget about the looming disaster of the Flaw.

He was alone in the police station's showers, relaxing under the streams of hot water. After a bit of time had passed, Sunny reluctantly turned the tap off and walked over to the towel rack. Coincidentally, he saw himself reflecting in the mirror.

The changes in his physique were subtle, but noticeable. His pale skin seemed a little healthier, his muscles a bit more pronounced. He looked slender and lean instead of emaciated and frail, as he did before. There was a slight luster to his dark hair and a shine to his eyes.

However, he was still rather diminutive. Not exactly a picture of masculine handsomeness, to say the least.

'Flower boy, huh?' Sunny thought, full of bitterness.

Then he suddenly froze, noticing something strange. As he was looking at himself in the mirror, the reflection of his shadow seemed to move. It was as though the shadow lowered its head and quietly facepalmed.

Sunny quickly turned around, piercing his shadow with a nervous look. However, everything seemed normal. The shadow was doing exactly what it was supposed to do, repeating his every motion.

"I clearly saw you move," he said, feeling a bit strange. "You have just moved on your own, right?!"

Sunny glared at the shadow, which obediently glared back.

"Did you move or not?"

The shadow enthusiastically shook its head.

'What the?!'

"What do you mean, "no"?! You've just moved your head! Do you think I'm a fool?"

The shadow seemed to think for a bit and then shrugged.

Sunny was left with his mouth agape.

"Your shadow is more independent than most. It is an invaluable helper," he muttered finally.

Right. This was how the Spell had described his Aspect Ability.

But what exactly could his shadow do?

He decided to experiment a little.

"Hey, you. Tell me what you can do."

The shadow was silent and motionless.

'Right. It doesn't have vocal cords.'

As though that made any sense! Shadows were not supposed to have muscles either, and yet it knew how to move.

"Uh… show me?"

No reaction. It seems the shadow was content pretending to be an ordinary, lifeless blob of darkness.

Sunny sighed.

'I'm doing this wrong.'

Independent or not, the shadow was still a part of him. It was a manifestation of his Aspect Ability. So instead of asking the shadow, he really should have been asking himself.

"Not going to talk, are you?"

Sunny closed his eyes and directed his perception within, exploring himself for the first time since returning to the real world. He felt the beating of his heart, the steady rising of his chest, the slight chill of the shower room. He heard droplets of water falling on the tiled floor. Felt the movement of filtered air against his skin.

And there, on the verge of his consciousness, something new.

A completely new sense.

Sunny concentrated on it, and suddenly a whole other world opened to him. It was hard to describe with words, just like one would have trouble explaining how hearing or touch feels.

It was as though he could communicate with vast forms that crowded around him and receive an understanding of both their own shape and the surrounding space, guided by the different degrees of pressure they exerted on his mind and each other.

That understanding came naturally and instantaneously, like an instinct.

These forms were shadows. And among them, one — not the largest one, but the deepest — didn't feel like an external entity. It was like a part of his soul.

Once Sunny grasped the feeling of it, he could sense the shadow just like he sensed his limbs. The only thing was that his limbs were made out of flesh, and the shadow was made from the absence of light.

Sunny opened his eyes and looked at the shadow. Then, with a thought, he willed it to raise an arm.

The shadow raised an arm.

He willed it to sit, stand, turn around, kick. Then he willed it to change shape, turning into a circle, then a line, then a monster. And finally, back to his own silhouette. The shadow was mercurial and fluid, like water. The only constant was its size.

"Ha! How about that?"

The shadow pouted, then reluctantly raised its thumbs.

"But how are you useful?"

He willed the shadow to strike the towel rack. It obediently moved and delivered a powerful kick. Of course, since it was just a shadow, its leg passed over the towels harmlessly, not even causing them to sway a little.

"Is that… all you can do?"

In his mind, the image of shadow tentacles tearing the mighty tyrant into little pieces cracked and shattered mercilessly. It seemed he would not be competing with Shadow God any time soon.

How regretful.

The shadow looked at him with disdain. Then it shrugged and stopped moving altogether, clearly offended.

Sunny sighed and took a towel off the rack.

"Alright. I will explore it later."

***

A few minutes after that, he was wearing a clean police-issued tracksuit and heading for the cafeteria. Master Jet was waiting for him at one of the tables, with two trays full of steaming synthetic food in front of her.

"Help yourself."

Sunny glanced at the cheap gruel, which was not so different from the stuff he used to consume in the outskirts, and sighed. Somehow, he had expected his first meal after becoming a Sleeper to be more lavish.

Still, it was food.

He sat down and began to wolf down the gruel ravenously. He was very, very hungry.

In the process, his thoughts began to wander. Sunny stole a glance at Jet and wondered. The Spell told him to find a master, and the next thing he knew there was a woman calling herself Master right in front of him. He tried to imagine being an obedient slave to someone like her.

Weird thoughts started to appear in his mind…

'You know what, Sunny,' he thought with dark irony. 'Knowing your luck, this would be a perfect moment for her to ask…'

"What are you thinking about?"

Sunny choked on the gruel. He felt his mouth beginning to open, and put all of his will into staying silent. A second passed without him saying anything. Then a weird pressure appeared in his mind, which soon turned into blinding pain. He endured it for a couple more seconds before giving up.

"I was thinking that it would be a perfect moment for you to ask me about what I am thinking," he finally said.

Jet gave him a weird look.

"Alright. Are you almost finished with your food?"

Sunny nodded.

"Then I'll begin. As per protocol, I am obligated to inform you of a few things. It is mostly a formality. First of all, concerning your Nightmare…"

She glanced at him and sighed.

"You are entitled to receive free psychological counseling. No matter what traumatic experience you have encountered, there is no shame in asking for help. Your mind is as important as your body — it's only right to keep it healthy. Are you interested?"

Sunny shook his head. Jet shrugged and continued:

"As you wish. You can also talk to me. Was it very hard?"

How could he answer?

"It was simultaneously much worse than I expected and exactly as bad as I expected."

She nodded, satisfied with that explanation.

"That's a good attitude. I won't pry any further. Us outskirt rats are way more resilient than people think."

Sunny looked at her in surprise.

"Master Jet… you grew up in the outskirts?"

She grinned.

"What? You can't tell because of my exquisite manners and polished exterior?"

He blinked a couple of times, surprised.

"I couldn't tell at all."

After thinking for a while, he added:

"Are there a lot of people like us among the Awakened?"

Jet's smile disappeared.

"No. There's not. In fact, they can be counted on one hand."

As expected. Odds were really stacked against people like them. That made the three stars on Jet's insignia even more exceptional.

'One day, I'll be a Master too.'

If she can do it, why can't I?

"So… what happens now? What else are you obligated to tell me?"

Sunny had no idea what he was supposed to do after leaving the police station. The winter solstice was just several weeks away.

Jet leaned back and answered:

"That's basically it. There are some additional hoops to jump through, mostly having to do with your family, but… well. I've read your file, so I know it doesn't apply. The only thing left is to decide how you will be preparing for your first journey into the Dream Realm."

She looked at her communicator and grimaced.

"I must say, your luck is exceptionally bad. There's not a lot of time at all. First of all: you are free to do what you want. No one is forcing you to make a certain decision. That is to say, you can choose to prepare on your own, or not prepare at all. Party until the lights go out."

Sunny was not very well versed in partying.

"However, I would advise against that. As a Sleeper, you are also entitled to enroll in the Awakened Academy. You'll be provided with food, lodging and a wide choice of preparatory classes. This late into the year, you won't be able to learn a lot. But it's better than nothing."

She was silent for a few seconds, then added:

"More importantly, you will get acquainted with most of the people who will enter the Dream Realm with you. Some of them might become your companions for life."

'And some may end up trying to end that life once we're inside the Spell,' Sunny added, reading between the lines of what Master Jet had said.

"So, what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the Academy?"

Sunny thought about it. Strangely, his Flaw was silent, not forcing him to answer one way or the other.

'Is it because I haven't made up my mind yet?'

Finally, he looked down, at his empty tray, and made a decision.

Free lodging and food, you say?

"Yeah. I want to go to the Academy."


Load failed, please RETRY

Hadiah

Hadiah -- Hadiah diterima

    Status Power Mingguan

    Membuka kunci kumpulan bab

    Indeks

    Opsi Tampilan

    Latar Belakang

    Font

    Ukuran

    Komentar pada bab

    Tulis ulasan Status Membaca: C17
    Gagal mengirim. Silakan coba lagi
    • Kualitas penulisan
    • Stabilitas Pembaruan
    • Pengembangan Cerita
    • Desain Karakter
    • Latar Belakang Dunia

    Skor total 0.0

    Ulasan berhasil diposting! Baca ulasan lebih lanjut
    Pilih Power Stone
    Rank 200+ Peringkat Power
    Stone 8,668 Batu Daya
    Laporkan konten yang tidak pantas
    Tip kesalahan

    Laporkan penyalahgunaan

    Komentar paragraf

    Masuk

    tip Komentar Paragraf

    Fitur komentar paragraf sekarang ada di Web! Arahkan kursor ke atas paragraf apa pun dan klik ikon untuk menambahkan komentar Anda.

    Selain itu, Anda selalu dapat menonaktifkannya atau mengaktifkannya di Pengaturan.

    MENGERTI