The moment stretched on, delicate as spun glass, each of them understanding without words that something profound had shifted in their world. The silence wasn't just an absence of sound – it was a presence in itself, a chrysalis of sorts, containing the last moments of who they used to be before everything would change
" I... I heard it too," Derek broke the silence, his fingers fidgeting with a loose thread on his sleeve. His shoulders tensed as he spoke, moonlight casting shadows across his angular face. The warehouse's broken windows let in a cool breeze that rustled through his dark hair. "I thought I was going crazy, so I just pushed it away."
"Me too!" Yuno leaned forward on his knees, his usually composed demeanor breaking as excitement flickered across his features. The ring on his slightly long fingers caught the dim light, swaying with his sudden movement.
"And I!" Asher's voice overlapped with hers, his hand unconsciously touching the scar along his jawline. Dust motes danced in the air around him, visible in the streams of moonlight filtering through the ceiling's gaps.
Kira tilted her head, copper hair falling across her shoulder as she shifted position on the concrete floor. Her fingers traced abstract patterns in the dust beside her. "So we all heard it? But why?"
"Has to be connected to being dream keepers," Derek said, running a hand through his hair. His expensive watch - a remnant of his previous life - glinted in the darkness as he moved. "Though I'm still trying to wrap my head around that part."
Yuno hugged his knees to his chest, his academic mind clearly racing behind her thoughtful expression. The old warehouse walls seemed to lean in around them as she spoke. "When I blacked out at the facility, there was this voice... and this strange light. Like nothing I've ever seen before."
"You don't think it's like those superhero comics, do you?" Asher let out a weak laugh, the sound echoing slightly in the vast space. His eyes darted to the shadows gathering in the corners of the room. "You know, the whole 'tuning into your subconscious' thing?"
The warehouse creaked around them, metal beams groaning overhead. They fell silent, eyes scanning the darkness. The exhaustion of their recent escape caught up with them, and one by one, they drifted off to sleep on the rocks
Later that night, Asher woke to find the moon hanging like a bright sentinel through the broken windows, its silver light creating geometric patterns on the concrete floor. He blinked, surprised by how quickly night had fallen. A movement caught his eye – a figure sitting alone to his left, silhouetted against the moonlit wall.
He crept toward it cautiously, his footsteps barely audible on the dusty floor. The shadows shifted and played around him as he moved. Recognizing Kira's silhouette, he began to retreat, his shoulders hunching slightly with awkwardness.
"I can see you, Asher," Kira said without turning, her voice carrying clearly in the night air. The rope she'd been practicing with lay coiled beside her like a sleeping snake. "Why are you running away?"
"Didn't want to disturb you," he mumbled, taking a step back. His boot scraped against the concrete, the sound seeming unnaturally loud in the quiet space.
"Wait," Kira's voice stopped him. She sat cross-legged, her profile sharp against the moonlight. "I figured something out. When I focus, I can see this... interface. Like a clear glass screen floating in front of me. It shows my level, abilities... I even have a weapon. A rope."
Asher's eyes widened, his breath catching slightly. The moonlight seemed to intensify around them as he asked, "How did you do that?"
"It's simple," Kira smiled, patting the ground beside her invitingly. "Close your eyes. Focus. It'll appear."
Asher squeezed his eyes shut, his face scrunching with concentration. Nothing happened. Frustrated, he tried again, this time blocking out everything around him - the drip of water from somewhere in the warehouse, the distant sound of traffic, the whisper of wind through broken windows. After what felt like forever, it appeared, glowing ethereally in his mind's eye:
Name: Asher Reeds
Rank: novice keeper
Level: 1
Slayed: 1
Shards: 100
Weapon: Dagger
Mystery box: ?
"You see it now, don't you?" Kira grinned, watching his expression change. "Your face says it all."
Asher nodded, still transfixed by the floating display in his mind. The information seemed to pulse gently, like a heartbeat made of light.
"What are you two doing?" Derek's voice came from behind them, accompanied by the soft sound of footsteps. He and Yuno approached, their shadows stretching long across the floor as they settled down on nearby rocks. The stone surfaces were smooth from years of exposure to the elements through the broken roof.
"Let me guess," Yuno yawned, adjusting his sitting position on the uncomfortable surface. "The creature?"
After Asher explained, they all tried it themselves, their faces showing varying degrees of concentration and wonder. The moonlight continued to pour through the windows, illuminating their small circle like performers on a natural stage.
"So we're officially dream keepers now," Kira smiled, then frowned slightly, pulling at a loose thread on her sleeve. "Or novice keepers, I guess. Though it looks like Asher and Derek have more shards than Yuno and me."
Derek puffed up his chest, a ghost of his old privileged confidence showing through. "What can we say?"
They chatted and bickered until exhaustion crept back in, their words growing slower and their movements more languid. The night air had grown cooler, causing them to pull their thin clothings closer.
"Let's hope we don't get eaten before morning," Derek yawned, stretching out on his legs straight. The springs creaked beneath him as he settled.
"Whatever comes," Asher gripped his clothes, eyes scanning the darkness one last time, "I'll be ready."
As their breathing evened out in sleep, a figure stood in the shadows beyond barely visible against the night sky. He spoke quietly into a communicator, the device giving off a faint blue glow: "I think they're ready for the Academy, sir."