Shadow Slave alternate paths: The sun of song

The day that Sunny left the great citadel was uneventful. He woke up and took a quick shower, then began packing his meager belongings in a duffle bag.

He met up with Silence in the training hall, as per her orders.

'The sun's barely out...' Sunny thought. 'What could be so important?'

In truth, he was a little sleep-deprived; he had sat all night on the bed trying to figure out many parts of his aspect.

How do you gather shadow fragments?

What else could his shadow do?

Is there a way to get rid of [Fated]?

"Morning, sister," Sunny waved as he approached.

Silence didn't respond at first. She was facing away from him, arms crossed, watching the sun rise through the tall windows of the training hall. Her armor was already on—sleek, black, and unadorned, like her.

"Sleep well?" she asked without turning around.

Sunny snorted. "Define 'well.' I had a very intense conversation with my shadow. He wasn't helpful."

Silence finally turned, raising one unimpressed brow. "You're leaving today. I'm not wasting time with your nonsense."

Sunny smiled. He had grown close with Silence, both as siblings and as teacher and student.

Sure, she seemed to be the definition of tough love, but she cared in her own small way.

"Speaking of your shadow," she continued, "Have you had time to study your aspect more?"

Sunny tensed just a little bit; he had to be careful with his wording.

"No... not yet. Aside from occasionally doing some action on his own or me controlling it, it seems to be a normal shadow," he answered.

Silence nodded along.

"While you were training the other day... your shadow seemed to make subtly different moves," she pointed out. "I would recommend looking into it."

Sunny was confused.

Had it?

He stared at his shadow with suspicious eyes.

His shadow just crossed his arms and looked back defiantly, as if it had been wronged.

It almost seemed to say, 'Yeah? So I was! So what?'

Silence watched all this with slight amusement.

"Anyway, I will bring you back to the waking world. From there, a government agent will drive you to the academy," Silent Stalker continued.

Sunny tilted his head for a moment before asking:

"I thought my existence was supposed to be hidden?" he asked.

"Technically it is, but since the academy is under the government, it's near impossible for them not to know," she said, a hint of contempt in her voice. "Only the elites have access to such information though, so also expect one of them to drive you there."

Sunny nodded.

Silence reached out her hand. Sunny was about to take it when:

"And one more thing." She paused for a moment. "Don't disclose any unnecessary information about your aspect to anyone, especially the academy or government."

"Also... good luck"

And with that final message, they both disappeared from the dream realm.

***

Sunny opened his eyes to find himself lying on a leather seat inside a sleek black car, its windows tinted to obscure the outside world. The hum of the engine and the soft vibration of motion told him they were already on the road.

Transitioning between realms took a toll on the bodies of Sleepers.

Silence seemed to have left.

Sitting in the driver's seat was a woman in a crisp dark uniform. She didn't turn to look at him, but the moment his breathing shifted, she spoke.

"You're awake. Good."

Sunny sat up, rubbing his temple. His mind still felt foggy—he hated transitioning between realms. "You are?"

The woman had pale skin, almost as pale as his. Her hair was short, only about reaching her shoulders. The one defining feature she had was her icy blue eyes.

If he hadn't met his sisters and gotten used to the beauty of Awakened, he might have said something embarrassing.

"Master Jet," she replied curtly.

Sunny blinked.

Master?

As in Ascended?

He recalled what Silence had said: 'Only the elites have access to such information though.'

He smiled. "A pleasure."

She just stared on ahead.

"So, uhm, Master Jet, right?" he said awkwardly, trying to test the water. "Where are you from?"

"The Outskirts." She smiled a little. "What? Couldn't tell behind my suit and my manners?"

Sunny was a little shocked but didn't let it show.

"Uhm, to be honest, no. I used to be from the Outskirts too, you know?" Sunny said quietly. "It was only later on I was adopted."

Sunny wondered if he shouldn't have said that, but then again, it wasn't a secret that all the Saints of Clan Song were adopted.

So, what if he was from the Outskirts?

Jet didn't respond at first. Her hands remained steady on the wheel, eyes locked on the road. For a moment, Sunny thought she was ignoring him again. But then she spoke, her voice low and dry.

"I could tell," she said.

Sunny blinked. "Huh?"

Jet glanced at him briefly, her eyes a little softer, through the rearview mirror. "Your posture. The way you looked around when you woke up. Like the world might bite."

Sunny thought for a bit. 'Yeah, that seems about right.'

"Are there many like us?" he asked curiously.

"No. I could count the number of Awakened from the Outskirts on one hand," she said. "They all die during the first Nightmare, and if not there, then the Winter Solstice."

It was a brutal truth.

Would Sunny have been able to survive his first Nightmare without training?

He looked back on his decisions.

Maybe?

Probably not.

'Guess that makes sense,' Sunny supposed.

"Well, umm, any advice?" Sunny asked hopefully.

"Take Wilderness Survival," she said without hesitation. "I don't know how long you have been adopted, but I'm guessing not for long. Sure, you may know the basics, but the basics aren't enough out there."

Sunny pondered it and nodded. Things that might seem like common knowledge for legacies were new to people like him.

Silence had indeed taught him, but one week wasn't enough to teach him everything.

Just the bare minimum.

Screeeeech.

They halted in front of a very large complex.

"We're here," she said.

Sunny got out and stretched.

He 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, a 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, was supposed to be able to break through its defenses.

No one seemed to be outside except him, since yesterday was supposed to be the ceremony.

'Probably better,' Sunny thought. 'Better than listening to instructors for hours and having to... ugh, socialize.'

He turned back to Jet and said goodbye.

"One more thing," Sunny heard from behind him. "Don't die, kid."

Sunny turned his head and managed a half-smile. "I'll try not to. It is very unpleasant, after all."

With that, he walked towards the Academy.

A/N: consider leaving a review or a comment, motivates me for future chaps :D