A youth was standing under a shower. Warm water was pouring on his pale skin, making it rosier. His abyss like eyes were looking at his reflection on the mirror, deep in thought. It is Fang Yuan
"Ascended Jet, huh! She felt like an immortal zombie from my previous life. Her soul core felt broken and very similar to the dead apertures of immortal zombies. And she is very dangerous. It felt like she could slice my soul. She is much much weaker version of Spectral Soul... But.."
"Sunny....No! Sunless. What an interesting, fellow!" Fung Yuan smile.
"He felt like shadow and his shadow was...'alive'. He also felt...sacred. Spark of divinity!"
"This ability of mine...is truly wondrous. Having the ability to sense someone's presence and discern the nature of the presence. Knowledge is power. But there is more to this ability."
Fang Yuan enjoyed the remainder of the warm shower. Then he dried himself.
***
A few minutes after that, he was wearing a clean police-issued tracksuit and heading for the cafeteria alongside Sunny. Master Jet was waiting for them at one of the tables, with three trays full of steaming synthetic food in front of her.
"Help yourself."
Fang Yuan just sat down and started eating. Meanwhile, Sunny glanced at the cheap gruel and sighed.He sat down and began to wolf down the gruel ravenously. He was very, very hungry as if he hasn't eaten days.
Sunny stole a glance at Jet, then Fang Yuan and wondered.
"What are you thinking about?" Jet asked Sunny.
Sunny choked on the gruel. He remained silent.
"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 Sunny a weird look. But Fang Yuan sensed his inner struggle.
"Alright. Are you almost finished with your food?"
Both Sunny and Fang Yuan 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 you two's Nightmares…"
She glanced at them 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 two interested?"
Sunny shook his head and Fang Yuan remained silent.
Jet shrugged and continued:
"As you wish. You two can also talk to me. Was it very hard?"
"It was simultaneously much worse than I expected and exactly as bad as I expected."
She nodded and looked at Fang Yuan.
"Just your normal Tuesday."
Jet was 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."
"So… what happens now? What else are you obligated to tell us?" Sunny asked.
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 families, but… well. I've read your file and his 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 stay, you two's luck is exceptionally bad. There's not a lot of time at all. First of all: you two 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."
"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."
"So, what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the Academy?"
"I am going." Fang Yuan immediately answered.
Sunny thought about it. Finally, he looked down, at his empty tray, and made a decision and thought of something, then answered.
"Yeah. I want to go to the Academy."
***
Sunny and Fang Yuan was standing in front of the massive, seemingly indestructible red gates of the Awakened Academy. The Academy was, in fact, a city within the city. It was built like a fortress, with a high wall made of hard alloy, deep moat and numerous large-caliber turrets which were placed in certain positions to create a deadly air-suppression dome. No Nightmare Creature, not even colossal titans, were supposed to be able to break through its defenses.
It was a legendary place. Actually, many of the most popular webtoons, youth dramas and novels took place right behind that wall. Adventures, rivalries and romantic entanglements of the young Awakened heroes were the mainstream theme of modern entertainment. Never in his wildest dreams did Sunny imagine actually becoming one of these heroes.
But Fang Yuan wasn't interested in that and he was keenly observing the place. It would become his source of power.
The snow was slowly falling to the ground. It was cold and silent in front of the Academy gates. Except for Sunny and Fang Yuan, there was only one other person — another new Sleeper.
It was a tall, slender girl of around their age, with clear grey eyes and a detached look on her face. She had strange, silver-white hair that was cut short and neatly parted to the side. Just like him, she was dressed in a police-issued tracksuit and had no personal belongings with her. On her head, there was a pair of old-fashioned headphones. She was calmly listening to music while they waited.
There was a certain vibe to the silver-haired girl. It was as though she was apart from the world. She looked confident and self-sufficient, but also a bit lonely.
Sunny glanced at the girl and sighed, thinking who knows what.
But Fang Yuan kept looking at her.
"Her presence feels like the sun, radiant and... ever-burning. She felt sacred, yet also faul..."
"The Sun, a Shadow and War. Three converging at one place. This going to be interesting."
At this moment the girl stared back at him. They directly stared each other down for a moment, then Fang Yuan turned forward.
Finally, the gates began to open. The giant, ridiculously thick sheet of reinforced metal slowly descended, creating a long bridge.
Master Jet's parting words echoed in Sunny's mind.