Shadow Slave: Arcadius of the Forgotten

The Wilderness Survival Class was uneventful. Cade and Sunny greeted Teacher Julius, who seemed overjoyed by the fact that the topmost Sleeper of this year's crop had taken Wilderness Survival and not some combat training.

However, that joy was short-lived because as soon as Sunny announced that it was none other than Master Jet who had pointed them this way, Teacher Julius's mood turned sour and he began to badmouth the Soul Reaper.

Neither Sunny nor Cade said anything to defend the undead Master, simply because they didn't know too much about her... well, at least Sunny didn't. 

Later that evening, Cade sat silently in his dormitory room. What to do, what to do? he thought idly. Sunny must be spying on Changing Star and Caster's fight in the dojo right about now.  

Cade wondered if he should go to the dojo too. Of course, he could also have decided to practice with his own Ability. But the thing was...

His Flaw was too unpredictable. What if he just decided to go on a rampage and started killing people? Even in the presence of Awakened professors, that was bound to cause some lasting damage. So, he decided to refrain from doing that for now.

Should I go to the dojo to take a look anyway? he debated. No, no, I don't think I should. Nephis will probably force me to fight her and if I instinctively activate my Ability, things could get out of hand. Better to just sit here and think about what to do in the future. 

And so, he contemplated his plans silently. However, while thinking, his thoughts drifted to his parents and his home back in the real world. But he banished them immediately. One problem at a time, he told himself. 

By the time he was done thinking about the future, it was already late into the night. He was quite bored, just sitting there and doing nothing.

So, he decided to try something fun. 

Back in the real world, Cade had been a lonely guy. So, he hadn't had much to do except surf the internet for novels, movies, anime and stuff. Novels had been his favorite.

And Shadow Slave?

That had definitely been his number one. As such, he had read it several times and therefore, the timeline of this world was woefully clear to him.

So, he knew that Sunny would be sneaking into the dojo right about now; the one where the other Sleepers, including Nephis and Caster, had been tested.

So, Cade decided to surprise him. 

Moving through the dark, Cade sneaked into the dojo himself. Struggling to see in the dark, he gave up trying to detect Sunny. He knew that Sunny was already there and figured that he had most probably been seen. But perhaps Lost from Light wanted to retain some kind of advantage on Cade and hadn't decided to reveal himself just yet. 

Walking straight into the dark expanse of the dojo, Cade sighed and announced into the blackness, "You don't have to hide, you know? I thought we established that there would be no enmity between us." 

Sunny shifted slightly and awkwardly, clearly dazed that he had been discovered in the embrace of the shadows. "I wasn't hiding!" he shot back, obviously annoyed. "I just didn't wanna talk to you. Honestly... you give me the creeps." 

Cade chuckled lightly and turned to his side, walking towards a wall. There, he found a light switch and turned on the light. The dojo was illuminated by a dim yellowish glow and Sunny was standing at the center of the ring where the Sleepers had been tested. 

"That honest tongue of yours is gonna bite you in the butt one of these days, you know," Cade said, turning to look at Sunny. 

Sunny was already facing him and his eyes seemed to widen slightly at the mention of his Flaw. But Sunny quickly shrugged off the shock, apparently acknowledging the fact that Cade was very, very well informed about him.

He shook his head and said, "What are you even doing here? Come to train in secret, so no one can see what you can do?" 

Cade walked towards him and stopped at an arm's length from him. He shrugged and said, "To be completely honest with you, I don't need to train; not really. It's one of my Attributes. It makes me proficient in all forms of combat, be it weapon-mastery or hand-to-hand." 

Sunny's jaw dropped upon hearing Cade's words. He seemed very surprised by this revelation. "What kind of a broken Attribute is that?! That's cheating!" he said incredulously. 

"It is what it is," Cade said. "It's not like I took it for myself. It was given to me by the Spell and I'm not one to complain." 

He looked around the dojo and weirdly enough, a strange idea popped into his mind. "You know..." he said, "Since we're both here and there's no one around to bother us... Sleeper Sunless, how would you like me to teach you how to fight?" 

Sunny stared at him for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by Cade's strange offer. However, at the same time, he was also deep in thought.

Cade was almost sure that Sunny would accept his offer. Knowing as well as he knew Sunny, Cade concluded that Sunny would grasp at any opportunity that would enhance his chances of survival in the Dream Realm. So, Cade was positive that Sunny would not let this unique break slip away. 

Also, there was no ulterior motive behind Cade's offer of teaching Sunny how to fight. He hadn't even been planning to do this. But seeing the ring and the dojo around them, Cade had just decided to do go with the flow.

I don't even know why I'm in this strange world in the first place, Cade thought. But I might as well help the good guy— who in this case is, strangely enough, the most devious and treacherous bastard I've ever come across.  

And if he could earn a little bit of Sunny's confidence in the process, all the better for him.

Sunny didn't outright reject his offer, but he didn't readily accept it either. After a moment of thought, he narrowed his eyes at Cade. 

"Even if I do decide to take you up on that— and that's a pretty big 'if'— what's the point?" he said. "It's not like you'll be able to teach me anything worthwhile in the little time we have left here in the Waking World. You may be a master of combat by pure luck, but I'm someone who's never learned how to fight fairly. So whatever you think is gonna come out of this, I think you're wasting your time." 

"That might be true, but wasn't today the first day of combat training classes?" Cade countered, elbows bent, palms up in a casual shrug. "If they can refine their skills, shouldn't you at least have some rudimentary knowledge of fighting? You don't wanna head into the Dream Realm completely blind, do you?"

"I guess not..." Sunny muttered, still a little hesitant.

"Come on, dude..." Cade encouraged him. "I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart, you know? If you don't wanna do it, just say so. I won't force you or anything."

After a few more seconds of thought, Sunny nodded lightly. "Alright, I'll take you up on your offer. So? What're you gonna teach me? Swordsmanship?"

Cade paused, considering it. Then he shook his head. "No, not swordsmanship. You'll pick that up eventually."

His grin turned mischievous. "What I'm gonna teach you has nothing to do with weapons, actually. We're gonna be learning how to throw straight hands."

He punctuated the last words by punching a fist into his palm, a devious smile spreading across his face.