Shadow Slave: Arcadius of the Forgotten

After his training with Sunny started, the days just seemed to fly by. Cade had a rather tight schedule. Teacher Julius was working both him and Sunny to the bone. Between that, getting close to Cassie and training with Sunny during the night, he barely had time to sleep, let alone do something else.

Rumors had started surrounding the 'supposed' strongest Sleeper who always seemed to be in the company of a sanctioned pervert. These rumors suggested that there was something romantic going on between him and the lonely blind girl and how she had pitifully fallen for the tricks taught to him by the perverted creep, Sunless.

In all honesty, Cade didn't really mind the rumors. He was quite happy with how his relationship with Cassie was progressing. And since nobody except Cade talked to her, she had grown rather dependent on him. Cade could also tell that the blind girl had grown to care for him deeply.

Which is great, Cade thought. Now, she'll never do anything that might cause me trouble. 

And even though his initial goal for approaching Cassie was to safekeep his Attributes from the other two, he had unknowingly grown quiet close to the blind beauty as well. He had also started to care about her, albeit not as deeply as she had. Anyway, everything was going perfectly.

And finally, the winter solstice was upon them.

On the day of the solstice, Cade woke up feeling tired and drowsy. He had exhausted himself the night before, during his training with Sunny. Of course, Sunny would be even more distraught. His training was coming on nicely.

Sunny's speed of progression was much faster than he'd have assumed. The distrustful Lost from Light was growing into an experienced fighter at an alarming rate. Perks of being the main character, I guess, Cade mused.

Today, he had a lot of stuff to get done.

Firstly, he had promised Cassie to meet her for breakfast in the cafeteria. Secondly, he had to hold a graduation exam for his student, Sunny. And he had just the right thing in mind.

He got out of bed, took a bath and headed to the cafeteria to meet up with Cassie. On the way, though, he stumbled upon Sunny who looked like he hadn't slept for days.

"You feeling alright, Sunny?" Cade asked casually.

Sunny looked at him through weary eyes holding back a yawn. "Yeah, just tired. Training all night just gets to you, you know," he replied, looking Cade up and down out of the corner of his eye. "You seem lively though."

"Well, I was just going to meet up with a very pretty girl," Cade said, moving to walk past him. "Anyway, meet me at the dojo in the afternoon. There're no classes today, so, it'll be empty."

"Why?" Sunny asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You don't wanna train today, do you?" 

"You'll know when you get there," Cade said, "Oh, I almost forgot. Happy birthday, Sunny." He didn't wait for a reaction and walked away while waving at him with the back of his hand.

Cassie was sitting in her usual seat in the cafeteria, which was eerily silent today. The usual laughter and chatter was absent. Most Sleepers were in a silent panic while the Legacies remained calm and collected, each minding their own business.

Nephis was sitting at a table with headphones over her head and listening to music silently, a cold look on her face.

In truth, Cade didn't feel particularly cheerful today either. Maybe because he had enjoyed his brief stay at the Awakened Academy.

He had gotten used to teasing Sunny, to his talks with Cassie and to experiencing a different world firsthand. However, that was all coming to an end now.

In the Dream Realm, he could not and would not act all carefree and complacent. After all, he was not planning on dying anytime soon.

He quickly pushed these grim thoughts away, plastered a smile across his face and moved to greet Cassie.

He sat down near Cassie and began, "Hey, Cas."

Cassie straightened and looked up at him, smiling; however, that smile didn't seem to reach her eyes. "Oh, hey, Cade," she said. Then, she quickly looked away and back down at her meal.

Cassie was obviously tense. After all, today was her last day in the Waking World and come night, she'd be thrust into a hellish nightmare. Cade knew that she'd be alright but despite his many reassurances, Cassie remained unconvinced.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Cade asked, his voice light but with a tinge of concern.

Cassie smiled faintly, her delicate fingers tracing the rim of the cup of coffee in front of her. "Not really," she admitted, tilting her head slightly toward him. "Y'know with the Dream Realm and all. So, I just sat there... listening."

"Listening? Listening to what?" Cade asked, leaning in a bit closer. 

She shrugged, her big blue eyes seeming to look right through him, even though she couldn't actually see. "Sounds. In the dark, you notice everything. The creak of the floorboards, the winds outside, someone walking down the corridor... It felt like the whole world was awake."

Cade took her free hand in his own, something that was now considered normal between the two of them. "You should've asked me to keep you company," he said, his tone softening. "We could've spent the entire night here talking about... things." 

"Things?" she prompted, tilting her head curiously.

He shrugged, his carefree mask slipping a little. "You know, like where we're gonna end up. If we'll... you know... see each other in there..." His voice dropped on the last part, unsure if it was the right thing to say.

Her fingers stilled on her glass. "I thought about that," Cassie said softly, her voice trailing off into the quiet silence of the cafeteria.

Cade glanced at her, resting his elbows on the table as he studied her face. "Oh yeah?" he said, his voice low but tinged with a hint of curiosity. "What did you think about?"

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something more, but she hesitated. Finally, she said, "About how... if we don't see each other, it'll be kind of strange. I mean, I've gotten used to you being... around."

Her cheeks flushed faintly, and she turned her face slightly, as if trying to hide the color rising there. And failing.

Cade's grin softened into a genuine and warm smile. "You've gotten used to me, huh? I'm not sure if that's a compliment or—"

"It is," she interrupted quickly, surprising even herself with the urgency in her voice. "I mean... I'm glad you're here. I'm glad I got to meet you."

His smile widened visibly, not the usual teasing smirk. It was gentler, more real. He understood exactly what she was trying to say, even if she couldn't quite find the words.

He found himself oddly relieved by the fact that she was going to miss him. But guilt tugged at his conscience. He'd all but forced this friendship, yet she had embraced it genuinely, trusting that he'd protect her— a promise he knew was false.

He leaned back, releasing her hand but keeping his gaze fixed on her. His tone sharpened imperceptibly as he said the next words. "You don't have to worry, Cassie."

Her head tilted slightly to the side, her pale blond hair falling like a curtain over her shoulder, "What do you mean?"

Cade hesitated, but continued nonetheless. "Do you remember the first time we talked to each other? During the induction ceremony?"

She nodded, confused by the unrelated question.

"Well, then you must remember when I said that I know a great many things," he leaned forward again, speaking in a low voice. "It wasn't a figure of speech, Cassie. I do know a lot of things; things that don't make sense."

Cassie smiled wryly, amused by the tone of his voice. "What, you're an oracle now?"

Cade kept looking at her, no longer smiling but a serious look on his face. "We both know there's only one oracle sitting at this table presently," he said in a hushed voice.

Cassie tensed a little, a frown creasing her features. She hadn't told Cade about her abilities and affinities. This was simply because he'd never bothered to asked. So, she was caught a little off-guard when Cade mentioned her potential as a seer.

She remained silent for a while and then asked slowly, "Just what are you trying to say?"

Cade sighed lightly. "This is gonna sound absurd, Cassie... but I know where you're gonna end up in the Dream Realm and let me tell you this: It's not a place any Sleeper, no matter how strong, has any business braving."

Cassie grew more tense, seemingly kind of uncomfortable, but she didn't let her surprise overwhelm her. Instead, she calmed herself and said, "How could you possibly know that?"

"I've shown a strange tendency to know things I'm not supposed to, haven't I?" Cade said, leaning back and shrugging. "Consider this one of those things."

Cassie's frown deepened. She obviously believed Cade's words. However, she didn't say anything in response. After a moment, Cade said, "Ease up, Cas. When I say that the place is dangerous, I mean it. But I also know that you're gonna be alright."

She looked at him, her blind eyes piercing his. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Trust me, I'm not," he said, "It's not gonna be easy though. You will suffer... and you will despair. But more importantly, you will grow. And at the end of it all, you'll come out stronger than ever."

Cassie considered his words for several moments before speaking again, "And you? Where will you end up?"

Cade didn't know the answer to this question, but he had enough confidence to hazard a guess, "I'll most likely end up in the same place as you... I think."

Cassie raised an eyebrow, "You don't know?"

"I don't. I am a variable in the things that I know," Cade said. "But don't let this get your hopes up, Cassie. Even if I do end up in the same place as you, I'm sure you'll probably never see me there."

Cassie seemed surprised by this; more surprised than she had been when he'd told her that he knew where the Spell would send her.

"Why? Are you going abandon me? After all those fancy speeches about being there for me? After promising to protect me?" she said, her voice shaking slightly, as if struggling to hold back the emotions held within it.

Cade leaned forward, almost overcome by emotion himself. He took both her hands into his own and said, voice soft, "I won't have to. The people you'll end up with will be more than capable of protecting you... and besides, I'll always be watching."

Cassie seemed to struggle getting a grip on her emotions. She seemed relieved by his earnestness but at the same time, she looked taken aback by his words.

"But why? Why won't you show yourself to me when we're so close?" she asked, eager to hear his answer.

Cade ground his teeth as he hesitated to say the next words. "I'm sorry, Cassie. I lied to you about protecting you. The truth is, I'm not capable of protecting anyone but myself."

Cassie was dumbfounded. She looked at him with a mixture of emotions raging behind her blind eyes.

"I don't mean it rhetorically or anything, Cassie. I am genuinely incapable of protecting anyone but myself," he said, trying to mend the conversation. "It's my Flaw. Whenever I use my powers, I lose control. If you or anyone else were close to me during that time, I'm afraid I'd kill you in a fit of uncontrollable rage."

That was not the only reason why Cade was planning on staying away from the trio. But Cassie didn't need to know about his other, more outlandish reasons.

Cassie drew her hands away from his and raised them to her temples, smoothly massaging her head. Apparently, all these strange revelations were too much for her.

"That's why even if we do end up together, I'd never let myself work with you," Cade added. "Or anyone else, for that matter." 

"You can't survive in the Dream Realm alone, Cade." Cassie said.

"Well, I guess that remains to be seen," Cade admitted. "Anyway, I've said more than what was necessary." He stood up. "Cassie. If we really do end up together, even if I can't be there by your side, just know that I'll find you. Know that I'll be there... watching."

He smiled crookedly, clearly not happy with what he had just done. "And who knows? Maybe one day I might just pop up out of nowhere and say hello…" he added as a kind of forced joke.

He turned to walk away, his heart heavy. He hadn't planned on saying these things to her, but somehow, he'd ended up doing just that. It's alright, Cade reassured himself. I couldn't let her leave holding onto a false hope that I'd find and protect her.

"Cade, wait!" Cassie said, taking his arm. "We don't need to part on bad terms. You've always been so supportive and so... kind. I was so sure that I wouldn't survive in the Dream Realm, but you... you've reassured me. You've given me hope."

She gripped his arm tightly, gentle tears falling off the sides of her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much... for everything."

"You're welcome," he said warmly, moving in to wipe her tears away. "And don't cry. It's not like we'll never see each other again. In fact, once you get back, I'll be waiting here to greet you."

She looked at him through teary eyes. Even though she was blind, those eyes of hers seemed to see… so much. "You promise?" she said.

Cade nodded, "Yes, I promise. And this one… this one I'll keep. Definitely."

"You'd better," she said, pouting slightly. "Next time you break a promise, I won't be so forgiving."

"Sure," he said.

"And Cade?"

"Hmmm?"

"Take care of yourself in there. Don't do anything reckless and please... please don't die," she said, turning her head to look down.

He took her by the shoulders and said, "You too."

Then he hugged her, his arms wrapping tightly around her small body. She clutched him tightly as well. And after what seemed like an eternity, they let go.

Then, without speaking another word, Cade turned to leave the cafeteria.

As he was leaving, he noticed that the other Sleepers had been staring at him and Cassie; even Nephis had been looking their way, her eyes followed him as he walked away. The hearty farewell seemed to have lifted their spirits out of the gloom and as he left the cafeteria, Cade found the silence slipping away and being replaced by the usual chatter and small talk.