No Return (Shadow Slave Fan-Fic)

Days flew by.

They only had four weeks to prepare Themselves for the journey into the Dream Realm, so there wasn't even a minute to spare. Levi noticed that Sunny was pushing himself very hard , he was very determined it seems. He was pushing his not-so-frail body to the brink of exhaustion , along with his mind , absorbing as much information as he can.

Levi himself was also working hard , but he did not have to work as hard as Sunless. Because Levi had some knowledge about the stuff that Teacher Julius was teaching them , but of course , that was no excuse to slack off. Levi worked hard , maybe not as hard as his short partner , but still he did work hard.

In the day, they studied with Teacher Julius, slowly learning how to survive and take care of themselves in the absence of civilization. Their lessons ranged from comparatively simple, like various ways to produce fire, to much more obscure and esoteric, like celestial navigation.

Well, as it turned out, the Dream Realm was not consistent in terms of star geography. Different regions had different stars and constellations, as well as a different number of moons. While the sun seemed to be the same, its behavior was highly unpredictable.

Still, with sufficient knowledge, one could find ways to study the skies and subsequently navigate themselves.

Most of these lessons were, supposedly, already included in the various school curriculums and known to the majority of Sleepers. However, learning something from a textbook and learning the same thing from an actual Awakened were two completely different matters.

Teacher Julius had a habit of going much more in-depth when explaining his subject. Thanks to this time-consuming habit of his, they not only learned about the "what", but also often gained glimpses into the "why". This nascent understanding of the underlying principles of the Dream Realm environments gave them the ability to face any situation with at least some measure of readiness.

Levi was also practicing sewing.. because Teacher Julius had said that when their souls venture into the Dream Realm , their clothes don't come with them. And Levi did not have any armor type memories to cover himself with. So he was focusing on sewing trousers first. He didn't mind leaving his torso out but he definitely did not want to walk around with his lower parts of body naked.

As for memories.. Levi had never checked his runes after coming to the real world... so when he went back to his room , he would definitely check it and study his profile better.

Teacher Julius also insisted on holding practical lessons every other day. Even if some of them had to be done in virtual reality simulations, he insisted on using the full immersion stations with enhanced physical feedback. 

Levi was doing fine but Sunny was always getting exhausted to the bone. However Levi could see that his partner was improving , he was working himself to the bone trying to improve his physical condition as well as his mind.

***

After finishing their supper , Levi and Sunny was walking through the corridors.

"There isn't much time left , do you feel ready?"

Levi decided to engage in conversation with his short friend.

Sunny scoffed and then replied with a bitter tone.

"What do you think? I think I will be fine. As for you.. you are also quite ready. Your physical condition is great and you are also educated."

"Those didn't really sound as compliments.. But thanks anyways.."

Sunny rolled his eyes. After a while of walking Sunless suddenly stopped and also made a hand sign for Levi to stop too.

"What is it?"

"Be quiet!"

Sunless approached the corner , peeking out his head into the other corridor where there were dorms. Levi decided to follow suit and..

Both Sunless and Levi looked quiet bewildered.. a boy and a girl.. both looking beautiful , entered the same dorm room... And that could only mean one thing..

"What did we just witness now..?"

Levi muttered as he stepped away from the corner.

"Believe me , I don't even want to talk about it."

This is how they learned that in the Sleeper Center, romance was in the air. After all, there were a hundred beautiful young people locked underground in close proximity to each other, with the added spice of a deathly threat hanging above their heads. Many felt that life was short and it was their time to seize the day. Passion bloomed in the shadow of approaching danger.

And of course.. Sunny and Levi were excluded from it. Sunless: Because he had made a reputation for himself.. No one really wanted to approach the Lunatic.. or the Pervert..

As for Levi , not many people approached him , because he was usually with Sunless , and of course people wouldn't want to approach Levi when Sunless is around , because he was seen as a pervert.. And even if beautiful women or men approached him , Levi always made excuses and ran away from the conversations.

Not because he was shy , but because they didn't have much time until the winter solstice came.

At least that was what Levi would like to think.. 

***

After that incident Sunny and Levi saw , they both returned to their respectable rooms. 

Now.. It was finally time for Levi to check out his runes. Focusing on the runes , he summoned them and started inspecting. 

Name: Levi.

True Name: No Return.

True Name Description: [A soul cast adrift in the endless tide of suffering, marching forward on a path with no end. Neither death nor despair shall grant release—only the slow, inevitable decay of time itself.]

Rank: [Dreamer.]

Soul Core: [Dormant.]

Soul Fragments: [0/1000].

He was surprised at what he saw next..

Memories: [Pale Thorn]

'What..?'

There was a memory.. but Levi did not remember getting one. If he did the Spell would have announced it.. How had it gotten here? Interested in the memory.. he focused on it to open it's runes.

Memory: [Pale Thorn]

Memory Rank: Dormant 

Memory Tier: I 

Memory Type: Weapon

Memory Description: [In their final moments, a soul consumed by hatred finally let go, embracing the void. But the demons did not allow it.]

Wait.. was this.. a memory that had fell from him..? Was the spell playing a cruel joke on him..?

Levi sighed , not letting anger cloud his mind. The Spell really liked to see him suffer it seems , and he was not happy about it. He decided to check what it looked like.

Focusing on the memory , it was weaved into his hand in 5 seconds. It was a rapier.

The Rapier looked pale , just like its name [Pale Thorn]. The blade of the rapier was in white color , but the handle itself was pitch black. He performed a few thrusts with the rapier , it felt light to use.

However Levi was not going to use the Rapier.. because of his attribute. [Arms of Ruin] imbued his memories with his arm , and it seemed he could also use the weapon physically instead of Attribute forcing him to imbue it with his arm.

Focusing on the Attribute and the Memory , the memory was weaved out of existence , and Levi's Left arm.. felt Enchanted. It seemed each memory could be imbued to a single arm , for now that was not ideal since he was scarce on memories.. but in the future it would come in very handy.

His left arm was enchanted by the memory. He punched his own arm a few times , and he actually didn't feel much pain from it. It seemed that the durability of the rapier had also been transferred to his arm.

And finally.. the enchantment.. it was a passive one. And his punches felt more impactful.. so most likely the weapon had an Ehcantment connected to thrusting... He thought about the punching machine.. how much would he get by punching it..? Without any enchantments or his aspect , Levi had gotten 18.. With his aspect he would most likely get 36... and combined with his attribute..

Levi let out a smug smile. He was satisfied with his..

***

Finally he summoned the rapier back. He was going to continue checking his runes. 

Echoes : [Forest Dweller's Larva]

Attributes: [Arms of Ruin], [Mark of Divinity], [Ashen Burden].

Aspect: [Demon of Corrosion].

Aspect Rank: Divine.

Aspect Abilities: [Corrosion].

Aspect Ability Description: [Everything you touch with your palms corrodes.]

A rune caught his interest as he let out an amused scoff. 

Innate Ability: [Unbroken Mind]

Ability Description: [Your hatred surpasses all. You are immune to mind attacks and any kind of mental trauma.]

That was a powerful Innate Ability. There were many creatures that could attack the mind's of people. Such as the Forest Dweller's Larva. He still could not understand how a Dormant Beast could inflict such mind attack with just a bite of its teeth...

With that Levi cancelled the runes. He was satisfied with what he saw today , and could finally get a good nights sleep. He undressed and lay on his bed , pulling the blanket over himself , he fell into a peaceful sleep.