No Return (Shadow Slave Fan-Fic)

The Sleeper part of the compound was relatively small and situated in the southern part of the Academy, surrounded on all sides by training fields and parks.

It was a low, modern building constructed with reinforced materials. Like the majority of buildings in the Academy, most of it was hidden below the ground, leaving only a couple of floors above it. With its white, pristine alloy walls and wide windows, it must have looked beautiful in the summer, contrasted against all the greenery around.

Inside, the building was spacious and well-lit. Sunless , Levi and the silver-haired girl were taken to a large hall where a hundred or so of young men and women - Sleepers of the same unfortunate timing as the two of them - were already waiting for the beginning of the induction ceremony. Most of them were nervous, tense and excited.

Logistics of the Academy were a constant headache for the administrators since the rate at which the Spell infected people was always chaotic. There was no way to orderly structure for batches of Sleepers to undergo any type of standardized education on a shared schedule: some of them had a full year to prepare for the Dream Realm, some only months, some even mere days.

That's why these induction ceremonies were held each month at the beginning of the year and then every week once the winter solstice began to loom near. Some of the Sleepers in the hall had to wait days to be inducted, while the three of them had lucked out and was delivered to the Academy just hours before the scheduled event.

Once inside the hall, he understood two things.

Firstly, everyone was well-dressed and in possession of a suitcase, a duffel bag, or at least a backpack carrying their personal belongings. They were obviously coming prepared, most likely from home, sent off by their families. So Sunless , Levi and the silver-haired girl, who came empty-handed and wearing simple police-issued clothes, were not a norm like he had assumed, but actually an eye-catching anomaly.

***

In half an hour.. pretty much everyone in the room hated the small guy's guts...

Levi was standing in front of him and looking at him.

"Did you have to be so... honest..? You made a bad name for yourself you know...."

"Well, someone's gotta say it, right? Not like I care what they think. I'm not here to win a popularity contest, Levi. But hey, at least now they'll know who not to mess with. Saves time."

"Well.. I guess that is one thing.. but didn't Master Jet say make acquaintances..? You could have done better.."

"Look who is talking! You did nothing other than stutter when girls approached you!"

Levi rolled his eyes and bit back a remark.. it was true.. Levi hadn't managed to get acquainted with anyone either.. so he was stuck with the small guy. Not that he is complaining. He is fun to be around..

Sunless looked in some direction ,Then Levi looked at there too.

Their eyes fell on a particular group of Sleepers. There were five or six of them, gathered around a tall, confident young man.

The young man had brown hair and a gentle, handsome face. His eyes were green, with a hint of friendly humor. His posture, figure and attentive gaze betrayed someone who went through extensive training. Everything about the young man screamed of nobility and strength.

Just at that moment, one of his companions was saying with a tone of amazement:

"Ascended? You have received an Ascended Aspect? What ... what was your Appraisal ?!"

The young man smiled humbly.

"Oh. It was "excellent.""

Sunny stopped in front of the group, as though by accident. After hearing the young man's answer, he frowned and looked at him with disdain.

Then, with a voice full of utter bewilderment, Sunny said:

"Ascended, excellent? That's it? What's the big deal?"

Levi immediately facepalmed and turned away , acting like he didn't know Sunless at all.

***

At the cafeteria , Sunless and Levi were forced to walk to a corner that no one really wanted to approach. Sunless had been declared as a pervert.. and Levi.. fortunately they didn't think much of him. He was quiet and calm even if he had such a perverted.. partner. 

The corner they sat at.. there was a girl , she looked quiet beautiful and breathtaking. But she was blind.. and most likely she would not be able to survive in the dream realm without help. So one one was willing to sit next to her. 

'what a shame.'

Sunless and Levi took a seat in front of her , they didn't exchange any greetings , and Sunless was being quiet too. 

Around the cafeteria , there were many Sleepers. Most of them were trained individuals and some were in legacies. People mostly stayed in groups here.. and the center of the group would be a legacy or a powerful person.

The ones that stood of were Caster , who was from Han Li clan.. He seemed to possess and ascended aspect.. and the other one was Shashi , she wasn't from a clan. But she seemed to come from a rich family. She was quiet tall and looked elegant , she had piqued Levi's interest , additionally she had paler skin than a normal human would have. She looked like a vampire.

Every corner of the room was filled with powerful people. As for their corner.. a pervert , a pretty boy with white hair , and a blind girl.. Most people called their corner the death corner. But Levi knew that he was no weakling.. he had received a Divine aspect and a True Name right from the start.. additionally he was immortal. And.. even if Sunless looked weak , he thought that he would survive too , he seemed cunning.

As though answering his thoughts, a tall man in a dark blue uniform appeared on the stage. Not only was he tall, he was actually almost a giant. Sunless seemed to be looking at the man in awe.

"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the Academy."

Everyone listened without making a sound.

"In less than a month, you will be summoned to the Dream Realm. Some of you might think that you are well prepared. You're wrong. The Spell is merciless and cunning. The moment Awakened begin to think too much of themselves, they die. I've seen countless Sleepers like you lose their lives. I've also seen experienced Masters lose theirs. Even Saints are not assured to survive."

'Nice encouragement..'

"In the following four weeks, we will do everything in our power to increase your chances of survival. You will receive training from the best instructors in the world. However, don't be misled by their fame: in the end, whether you return from the Dream Realm alive depends only on one person - you. The responsibility to survive is yours, and yours alone."

"You are not children anymore. It's a shame, because you ought to be. But the Spell has decided otherwise. You have been to the First Nightmare, so you already know what it's like. Your parents, your teachers and your friends can't help you anymore ... "

Finally, the speech got to the important part. Awakened Rock paused, giving kids listening to him a few moments to digest his words. Then, with a short nod, he continued:

"Now we will talk about the difference between Nightmares and the Dream Realm..."