Shadow Slave: Flaw of Gods.

Part of the complex for the Sleepers was relatively small and located on the southern side of the Academy, surrounded on all sides by training grounds and parks.

It was a low, modern building made from reinforced materials. Like most buildings in the Academy, a large portion of it was hidden underground, leaving only a couple of floors visible. With its white, pure alloy walls and wide windows, it must have looked beautiful in the summer, contrasting with all the surrounding greenery.

Inside, the building was spacious and well-lit. Veil was led into a large hall where about a hundred young men and women—Sleepers from the same unfortunate time as him—were already waiting for the initiation ceremony to begin. Most of them were nervous, tense, and excited.

The logistics of the Academy were a constant headache for the administrators, as the speed at which the Curse infected people was always chaotic. There was no way to arrange groups of Sleepers for standardized training according to a general schedule: some had a whole year to prepare for the Dream Kingdom, others only a few months, and some had just a few days.

That's why initiation ceremonies were held every month at the beginning of the year and then every week as the winter solstice approached. Some Sleepers in this hall had to wait for several days, but Veil was lucky, and he was brought to the Academy only a few hours before the scheduled event.

Upon entering the hall, he realized two things.

First, everyone was well-dressed and had a suitcase, gym bag, or at least a backpack with personal belongings. They had clearly come prepared, most likely sent here by their families from home. So, Veil, arriving empty-handed and in simple clothes provided by the police, was not the norm, as he had assumed, but an eye-catching anomaly. Fortunately, he wasn't the only one like this.

He noticed a guy dressed the same as him, standing in a circle of Sleepers—he was busy telling some nonsense to a young man with cheerful eyes. And yes, he was the very same Sleeper who had been with Master Jet.

Now he knew his name was Sunny, and after a while, his opinion of him worsened. He heard something about "divine aspects," "How to defeat an Awakened with just a finger flick," and "saliva that kills Titans."

The part about the divine aspect intrigued him, since he was the owner of one. But after hearing what he said next, he just thought he was either crazy or a completely uninformed braggart. Who would boast about being able to kill an Awakened tyrant with a spit?

However, after a few minutes, Veil's thoughts about Sunny as a braggart began to dissipate. His deficiency, once again, made itself known: memories began to fade, leaving only fragments. But one detail remained clear—Sunny had piqued his interest.

He approached a quiet corner of the hall where Sunny and another quiet girl were standing.

The girl was fragile, modest, and beautiful. Her neat, carefully selected clothes looked simple but tasteful. Light blonde hair, large blue eyes, and delicate facial features made her look like a porcelain doll. However, her gaze was completely empty, which made Veil feel a strange discomfort.

He stopped in front of them, but Sunny was already looking at him with an expression that could be read as "What do you want?"

— "Hi, don't want to talk?"

— "Talking to someone is the last thing I want right now," Sunny replied coldly, turning away.

But after a few seconds, he frowned and spoke to Veil again:

— "How old are you?"

Veil frowned as well. Was his age that noticeable?

— "Thirteen. Didn't you just say you didn't want to talk? Changed your mind?"

Sunny smirked.

— "No, I still don't want to. I'm just curious. Listen, I really don't care. Go take a walk somewhere else."

Veil stared at him for a long time, but then simply turned and walked away. What could he do? Nothing.

But then he heard the girl's voice, which had been there all along.

— "What did he do to you? Is it really so hard to just talk?"

Sunny exhaled irritably.

— "You have no idea how much."

Veil looked at the girl again, and suddenly his guess was confirmed. Her empty gaze was explained simply:

— "You're blind."

Her face briefly twisted in pain.

— "Yes."

Veil sighed.

— "I'm sorry."

An awkward pause followed. Veil looked embarrassed, realizing he had accidentally pressed on a sensitive spot. However, the silence didn't last long.

— "Hi, don't want to talk?" he unexpectedly asked again.

Sunny frowned.

— "You already asked."

Veil looked at him in confusion.

— "Did I?"

Sunny gave him a strange look.

— "Forgotten spark…" Veil muttered softly.

— "What?" Sunny asked.

— "Nothing, forget it. So, can we talk?"

Even the girl standing next to them looked a little puzzled by their conversation.

Sunny sighed heavily.

— "Fine. What do you need from me?"

— "You're from the outskirts, right?"

— "Yes."

Veil's eyes lit up, and he pointed at himself.

— "So am I!"

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

— "And what's the big deal?"

— "Let's be Comrades?"

Sunny looked at him seriously and, with clear irritation, said:

— "No, of course not. Do I look like an idiot to you, hanging around with some loser who hasn't even turned fourteen yet?"

He immediately snapped his mouth shut, realizing what he had said.

Veil smirked irritably, and then, without warning, punched Sunny in the face.

Sunny collapsed to the floor, losing his balance. Laughter erupted behind them, and mocking comments came from the crowd.

He jumped up, his face flushed with anger and humiliation.

— "Sorry, I feel bad that you're so pathetic," Sunny blurted out, and then bit his tongue again.

Veil tensed, preparing for another round, but before anything could happen, they were interrupted.

A tall man in a dark blue uniform appeared on stage. He wasn't just tall—he was almost a giant.

The man paid them no special attention and shifted his gaze to the front rows of the crowd. Finally, he spoke in a deep, booming voice:

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