Shadow Slave: Arcadius of the Forgotten

[1] "Name: Arcadius"

 "True Name: Shroudkeeper" 

[2] "Name: Nephis"

 "True Name: Changing Star" 

A smirk crept across Cade's face and he turned away from the screen. Huh, he thought, amused. Guess they decided to give me more credit. Must be because of the Memory I showed them.

He had decided to show the interviewer his sword Memory, the Voidfang. Slaying an Awakened Demon in your First Nightmare was a very huge feat. Did I brag too much? he thought, slightly worried. I did try to hide some of the details but I guess Changing Star wasn't that convincing. 

He moved his gaze across the cafeteria, trying to catch a glimpse of Nephis. He had guessed that the taciturn, indifferent girl would be sitting in a secluded spot listening to music by her lonesome, uncaring about who placed where. But he was proven wrong.

Nephis was standing some distance away from the crowd of Sleepers. However, her clear grey eyes were fixed on Cade's name on the screen. Cade could not point out the exact meaning behind her expression, but he could've guessed. She was looking at the rankings as if something inherently wrong had happened there.

After some time, her gaze broke off and she scanned the cafeteria, as if looking for something. Or someone.

Cade caught her eye and instinctively tried to look away, but Nephis strode toward him with unmistakable purpose.

Caster of the Han Li Clan made an attempt to intercept her, but she didn't spare the proud Legacy so much as a glance. Her focus was entirely on Cade, grim determination bubbling in her clear grey eyes and— are those sparks?

Indeed, faint white motes of energy flickered in her gaze as she moved with a poise befitting someone of her station.

This should be interesting, Cade thought, a smile tugging at his lips. He met her eyes head-on as she closed the distance between them; they were roughly of the same height.

The cafeteria fell into a hushed silence. All eyes turned toward the unfolding scene.

"Nephis," Cade greeted casually, his tone light despite the weight of the moment. "A pleasure to see you again."

He widened his smile, looking straight into her sparking grey eyes. She stared back in silence, unwavering. Then, her lips parted, and she spoke three simple words, "Who are you?"

Cade tilted his head, amused. "I believe we've already been introduced," he said lightly, though the tone seemed oddly misplaced. "But I suppose I shouldn't flatter myself. Someone of your station probably wouldn't remember a nobody like me."

He placed a hand over his chest and dipped his head slightly. "Arcadius," he said politely. "From the outskirts."

Nephis considered him silently. Cade had a strong feeling that she would remember him this time. After a long pause, she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, "Shroudkeeper... I see that your First Trial went quite well."

Cade was genuinely surprised. Nephis wasn't the type to strike up conversations with strangers. Still, he kept his expression neutral.

With the same fake smile still plastered across his face, he replied, "Oh, that? Just a fluke. I simply got lucky."

She didn't respond immediately; her expression was unreadable. But there was something calculating in her gaze, something that hinted at deeper consideration. Finally, she said, "The rankings beg to differ."

Cade shrugged. "Probably just a superficial reason. Maybe my True Name sounds cooler than your own? Yeah, I'm sure that's it."

Nephis didn't even blink. "I do not think so," she said, taking a step back, her stance steady. "Say... shall we settle this with a duel?"

Cade blinked, caught off guard. "Um... excuse me?" he asked for confirmation.

"I said— fight me," Nephis announced, her voice cold and unyielding.

Cade laughed nervously. "Uh, no. No, thank you. I think you're overestimating me," he said simply. Then, he turned to leave, and added over his shoulder, "I'm flattered that you think I'm worth your time, but... respectfully, I'll pass."

He took a step forward— then stopped as a firm hand gripped his arm.

Cade glanced back. Nephis had a vice-like hold on him, sparks still dancing around her fingers.

"Nephis... dear," he said with a strained smile, "please let go of my arm."

"No." Her voice was resolute. "You will fight me. Right here. Right now."

Cade sighed internally. He had a good idea as to why she was acting this way. She believed that the Sovereigns were after her life— and rightly so. And therefore, she was naturally wary of someone she knew nothing about and wanted to gauge his abilities for herself.

Still, Cade was somewhat of a stubborn person himself.

He was tempted to accept the challenge but quickly discarded the idea. He hadn't faced anyone in combat since his Aspect had evolved and wasn't even sure if he could fully control it yet. What if he instinctively activated his Ability? With so many people around and the cruel nature of his Flaw, things could turn ugly fast.

"No, I won't be doing anything of the sort," he said firmly. "And you can't force me to." He grimaced slightly. "Also, you're sort of starting to hurt me."

Nephis hesitated, then released his arm, though indistinguishable sparks still flickered around her fingers. Her grey eyes lingered on him, filled with calculation. "This is not over," she said quietly before turning on her heel and walking away.

Cade shook out his arm, wincing slightly. She hadn't been gentle— her grip had burned with tiny motes of flame.

Thank the Gods I was able to talk some sense into her, he thought, relieved. He walked back to the place where he had been sitting earlier. Sunny kept staring at him intently. 

"What?" Cade asked, frowning slightly. 

"Just what the hell did you do to get a True Name in your First Nightmare?" Sunny asked, curious but not awestruck. 

Of course he's not awestruck. He has a True Name too, you idiot! Cade reminded himself. Then, he leaned forward and whispered into Sunny's ear, "You tell me what you did to get yours. I'll tell you what I did to get mine." 

Sunny's breath hitched as Cade said the words. As he moved back from next to Sunny's head, he noted his expression.

Sunny was... horrified. He was stunned by the sheer magnitude of the revelation. At first, his expression didn't change much and he tried to laugh it off as a joke... poorly. But when he saw that Cade wasn't laughing but looking at him with a smirk, he understood that Cade knew the truth. 

Cade casually started to eat the rest of his breakfast. He looked at Cassie, who asked, "What was that all about?" 

Cade shrugged indifferently. "There was a ranking of Sleepers from strongest to weakest. Somehow, I placed at the top and Nephis was in the second place. She didn't seem to be too happy about it. Oh, and I also have a True Name, just like Nephis. Mine is Shroudkeeper, hers is Changing Star." 

Cassie dropped her spoon, which she had almost brought to her lips and looked at him, dumbfounded. 

He looked back at her. Her facial expression was a strange mixture of awe, fear, wonder and reverence. Cade covered his face with a palm. Gods, she's hopeless, he thought. He shook his head and watched her silently. 

Finally, she seemed to gather her wits. She opened her mouth and said, "You... you have a True Name? And you're the strongest Sleeper here?" 

Cade shrugged again and said, "Yes, I do and apparently I am. Though I think they're exaggerating it a bit." He stretched his arms and stood up. "Anyway, we've gotta get to our classes, haven't we? Cassie, do you need some help getting to your classroom?" 

She shook her head silently, seemingly still in shock and said, "No. No, you go on ahead. I'll manage." 

Cade didn't press. Instead, he looked at Sunny who was still reeling from the fact that Cade knew he had True Name. Cade smiled at him and said, "Hey, Sunny, you done, buddy? Let's go!" 

He looked Cade in the eyes, still in denial that Cade had figured out his most well-guarded secret. His lips parted and he said in a strange tone, "Go? Go where?" 

"Where else? To our new class. You've taken Wilderness Survival too, right?" Cade inspected. 

Sunny seemed to come back to real life, gathering himself. Looking at Cade, he asked, "Yes. Wait, you took Wilderness Survival? Why? I thought you didn't think much of Master Jet's opinion." 

"I'm not gonna discard it completely. Sure, I might disagree with her here and there but she was right regarding some things too. Like the fact that we don't have enough time to study any other course completely," Cade said. "I mean, if I've never picked up a sword before, what's the point of embarrassing myself in front of a bunch of other Sleepers in Combat?" 

Of course, that was not the real reason why Cade had decided to bypass combat training. The truth was... he didn't need any training. His [Battle Master] Attribute made him proficient in all forms of combat.

And besides, he was not sure he wanted everyone to know that he was such a good fighter. Rumors are one thing. But if anyone actually sees me fight, it might not turn out so well. 

Sunny kept staring at him, seemingly kind of angry at him. He's definitely gonna try to kill me, Cade thought, sighing internally. This guy's too insecure about his freedom.

Finally, Sunny said, "Alright, I guess you're right. Come on, let's go." 

Cade waved at Cassie saying, "Catch you later, Cas." As she waved back, he followed Sunny out of the cafeteria and towards the Wilderness Survival classroom. 

On the way to the classroom, Sunny looked at Cade and asked, "How'd you know? How'd you figure out that I had a True Name and that I kept it hidden?" 

Cade shrugged. "I knew. How? I don't think I'm obligated to tell you that. In fact, I've known ever since we first met in front of the police station."

He turned to look at Sunny. "Look, Sunny. I am not your enemy and nor am I gonna use the information that I have on you against you. I mean, if I really wanted to, why haven't I already? Do you really think I don't know what your True Name is? Or what it can do?" 

Sunny came to an abrupt halt and looked around frantically, scanning his surroundings for eavesdroppers. "Shhh… zip it, bastard," he hissed. "One second you say that you're not my enemy and the next, you're announcing my greatest weakness to anyone who can listen." He muttered the last few words under his breath, so that only Cade could hear them. 

Cade tensed, realizing his mistake. He whispered lightly, "Oh, sorry, my bad." Then, he beckoned Sunny to keep walking. 

Sunny came up by his side and fell into steps with him. "Look, I won't be able to resist you if you do decide to abuse your power over me. But know this: if you ever do enslave me, only one of us is walking away from that." 

Cade nodded solemnly, "I am well aware of what your freedom means to you, Sunny. Hell, everyone's freedom is priceless but most don't recognize its worth because it's never threatened. You, on the other hand, face a unique conundrum.

"Your freedom, your very free will hangs in the balance… so, I understand why you might be so paranoid regarding your True Name and your Innate Ability," he looked at Sunny, "But Sunny… I'm asking you, as a friend, as a fellow outskirts rat— trust me on this. I won't betray your trust. I promise I'll take your secret to the grave." 

Sunny looked back at him, the anger and indignation in his eyes receding a little, "Gods, you sure know how to give a speech, you condescending bastard." He continued after a long pause, "Look, I don't trust anyone. But if you're not gonna use this against me just yet, I guess I can live with that." 

Cade smiled widely. "That works for me," he said, nodding vigorously. "As long as you don't actively try to kill me, I promise that I will never use it against you." 

Sunny glanced at him with a loathsome gaze and walked in silence for a while. After some time, he said, "It's still weird. Knowing that you're just a mood swing away from becoming someone's slave." 

Cade sighed. "I know," he said. "And I could've kept it from you, but I had to make sure... make sure that if we do end up working together in the Dream Realm, you won't have to hold anything back." 

"Yeah, right," Sunny said, irritated. "Gods, I hope I don't see you anywhere in the Dream Realm. In fact, I wish that you die in there. That'd be convenient." 

Cade was a little taken aback. Knowing what he knew about Sunny's Flaw, he knew that Sunny was telling the truth about wishing for him to die in the Dream Realm. However, looking at Sunny, he only chuckled.

"You see, Sunny, I'm almost as tenacious as you," he said lightly. "I don't die easy." 

"Yeah. Whatever," Sunny said, before picking up his pace and walking ahead in silence.