People parted as a tall, red-haired man strode by, his grip firm on the neck of a smaller, dark-haired girl, dangling like a cat holding a troublesome kitten. They walked without speaking, heading toward a quiet corner where a bench waited. Sunny couldn't hold her tongue any longer.
"So... uh... could you let go now?" she asked, her voice strained. The pressure on her neck was unbearable—she'd never been manhandled like this before. What did he eat out in the outskirts?
Ares set her down on the bench with a smirk. "Didn't know you had a hobby of causing trouble."
Sunny rubbed her sore neck, avoiding his gaze. "Believe me, neither did I."
She hesitated for a moment before speaking again, her voice low and unsure. "You had no reason to 'save' me. Why did you butt in?"
Her words were sharp, but they carried an edge of rawness, a vulnerability she didn't expect to expose. If you'd asked her who in this room scared her the most, it would have been Ares. Not because of his power, but because of something deeper—something she couldn't grasp. They were the same—outsiders, both from the outskirts. And from the time she spent there, she'd learned the most important lesson: never trust another rat.
The silence that followed was thick and suffocating, stretching out between them. Neither of them moved. Their eyes locked, and for that one fleeting moment, everything else in the world seemed to disappear.
Ares leaned back, his face as unreadable as ever. Then, without warning, he laughed—a sound that reverberated through Sunny's chest, low and maddening.
"Why? Because I wanted to."
Sunny blinked, caught off guard. Was he insane?
"Even if it means almost every legacy here will turn on you?" she spat, her disbelief turning into anger. "You're throwing everything away for what?"
Confusion tangled with her frustration. She didn't understand it. Ares, like her, had no connections, no lineage, no one to back him. She at least had her divine aspect to cling to. But him? He was nothing, and yet here he stood, playing the part of a king without a crown, without an army, without power.
Ares didn't flinch. His smile stayed intact, and his eyes—those deep, intense eyes—never wavered. He stared at her, unwavering, his gaze piercing through her as though he could see right into her soul. Then, his voice came, slow and deliberate, heavy with meaning.
"I know you have a plan," he said, almost as if it were an undeniable truth. "You're not the type to throw away your reputation for nothing. But as for what you said..."
The air shifted. It was no longer just his words. His presence seemed to swell, growing stronger, almost suffocating. It was as if the very world around him bent to his will, as though he had the power to alter reality itself, to rewrite the rules of fate.
His eyes began to glow, a blood-red light that captured her, holding her in place. She felt it deep in her gut—a primal, unsettling mix of fear and something else, something that made her skin prickle.
"Legacies?" His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, as sharp as a blade. "So what?"
A chill ran through Sunny. This wasn't madness. It was something far more terrifying—something she couldn't put into words.
"So what if we're from the outskirts? So what if the world already sees us as dead men walking, as walking corpses waiting to be forgotten? So what if they've decided our fate before we've even had a chance to live?"
His words hit like thunder, crashing through her defenses. She didn't know if it was the force of his voice or the sheer conviction behind it, but it swept over her, making her feel as if the ground beneath her was being ripped away.
"I'm done," Ares said, his voice unwavering, as if every word carried the weight of a decision made long ago. "Done with being a puppet to fate's strings. Done with the world's pitiful definitions of who we are. I will not bend to their will—I will break it. I will burn this world down and reshape it. I didn't save you for your gratitude, or to earn your favor. I saved you because I choose to. Because I have the power to reshape this world as I see fit."
His words hung in the air like a declaration, his very presence thrumming with undeniable force. The intensity of it overwhelmed her, making the space around them feel like it was closing in.
"A king does not kneel to fate," Ares continued, his voice heavy with certainty, as if he had already seen the future and claimed it for himself. "He makes fate kneel before him. And if that makes enemies of the so-called legacies, if that turns them against us, so be it. I will not bow. I will not be weak. Not now. Not ever."
The aura surrounding him peaked, a wild storm of power that threatened to engulf everything in its path. Sunny could feel it—the raw, untamed energy pouring off of him, like an unstoppable force.
Her heart raced as she saw it. The crown of thorns upon his head, the madness burning in his eyes, the raw conviction in his soul. This wasn't a king-in-the-making. This was a king, crowned by his own defiance, by his belief that the world was his to conquer.
For a brief moment, Sunny froze, captivated by the sheer intensity in his gaze. He believed it. Every word. Every challenge. He was already the king he spoke of, and nothing would ever stop him.
And then, something stirred within her. It was a fire, long dormant, but now it flared to life. Her lips curled into a dark smile, a smile that mirrored the fire building in her chest. She could feel it now—the same conviction, the same defiance. His words had ignited something inside her, something that had been buried deep in the ashes of the outskirts.
Her usual calm demeanor was gone. Her eyes flickered with something dangerous, something that echoed his challenge.
Fate?
She would never be its slave.
Her voice rang out, sharp and filled with newfound fire, every word charged with defiance. "Then let's see who fate dares to break first."
Her heart pounded in her chest, her soul alive with a power she hadn't known she had. She wasn't just reacting to Ares' madness—she was feeding it. She was rising to meet it.
And deep within her, a part of her was smiling as she embraced the challenge. Fate had no hold on her anymore.
Not now. Not ever.
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Ares stood still for a moment, eyes locked on his runes as he reflected on his current state. It's about time I start acting like a true monarch, he thought, his focus sharpening.
Name: Ares
True Name: Scarlet King
Rank: Dreamer
Crimson Core: Dormant
Destruction Fragments: [14/1000]
Memories: --
Echoes: --
Attributes: [King's Road], [King's Instinct], [Monarch's Body]
Aspect: [King's Inheritor]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Innate Ability: True King
Ability Description: [As a true king, It is only natural for you to be respected and feared. The more you act like a King, the more powerful you become.]
Class Abilities: Dormant ability: [Terror]
[Terror: Upon use, anyone who glances upon you will feel primordial fear.]
Aspect Abilities: [Monarch's Gluttony]
[Monarch's Gluttony: You are capable of devouring other beings to become stronger.]
Flaw: [Oblivion: You are unable to gain memories.]
Aspect Legacy: [Bloodforged Aegis: A legendary armor forged in a cursed forge, where molten blood replaced steel. It was created under the watchful eye of a tyrannical god, infused with the wrath and hatred of countless souls.]
His gaze lingered on his aspect and innate abilities. He understood now: to grow stronger, he had to be the king, to gather respect, fear, and hope. Only by acting like a true monarch would he rise.
Sunny, finally regaining her composure, let out a long sigh. "I hope you stay alive, giant. I don't want someone so insane to die so early."
"Don't worry," Ares winked, his voice light and playful. "I'm not easy to swallow." He snickered, making Sunny laugh in return.
The two continued their aimless conversation, unbothered by the silent judgment of their peers. Most of the others had already written them off as dead, marking them as troublemakers. But they didn't care. They had each other.
That was until a towering figure entered the stage.
The man was massive, with broad shoulders and an athletic frame, a thick, beautiful brown beard covering his strong jaw. His eyes were calm, but serious. When he reached the center of the stage, he glanced around at the gathered Sleepers, his gaze briefly falling on the 'dead' corner where Ares and Sunny sat, though he didn't give them any particular attention. Then, in a deep, resonating voice, he spoke:
"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the Academy."
Silence followed his introduction. Every ear was tuned to him, waiting.
"In less than a month, you will be summoned to the Dream Realm. Some of you may think you're prepared, but you're wrong. The Spell is merciless and cunning. The moment the Awakened start to believe they're invincible, they die. I've seen countless Sleepers lose their lives. I've seen experienced Masters fall. Even Saints are not guaranteed survival."
Hell hole indeed. The difficulty is outrageous, Ares thought, a chill running down his spine at the gravity of the situation.
"In the next four weeks, we will do everything we can to increase your chances of survival. You'll train under the best instructors in the world. But don't be deceived by their fame: when it comes down to it, whether you survive the Dream Realm depends on only one person—you."
Awakened Rock's words hung heavily in the air. The Sleepers, aside from the Legacies, exchanged fearful glances, the weight of his words sinking in.
"You are no longer children. It's a shame, really. But the Spell has decided otherwise. You've already seen the First Nightmare, so you know what it's like. Your parents, your teachers, your friends—they can't help you now."
Ares and Sunny exchanged glances, the same thought passing through both their minds. They'd already been alone for a long time. One had survived hellish nightmares from the start, while the other had endured the loneliness and death of the outskirts, where help was nonexistent.
Awakened Rock paused, letting the students absorb his words. After a moment, he continued, his voice grave:
"Now, let's talk about the difference between Nightmares and the Dream Realm."
Some time later, as the speech ended, many students felt they had learned much, particularly Ares, who had gathered critical knowledge about the Nightmares, the Dream Realm, Nightmare Seeds, and the unbalanced ranks within the Dream Realm.
"If you can't locate or reach the nearest human Citadel," Awakened Rock said, his tone serious, "look for an unclaimed Gateway. It's usually located inside or near the most prominent landmark in the region. You'll need to work together to defeat its guardians, but your goal is simple—return alive."
Rock's gaze swept over them, his eyes heavy with meaning.
"That's all for today. Now, follow the instructions on your communicators to find your assigned dormitories. Once you're settled, head to the cafeteria for some late supper. There will be interviews afterward to discuss your suggested curriculums. Get a good night's rest. Your training starts tomorrow."
Ares felt a headache coming on, the weight of what was to come already pressing on him.
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and that's it for today's chapter, tell me how u feel abt Sunny/Ares interaction.
hope u have a good day xd [this was rewritten btw]