Shadow Slave: Kindness

[A/N : SOME SLIGHT CHANGES BUT YOU SHOULD READ STILL...]

That was something Sunny was keenly interested in.

Of course, he had a general knowledge of how things were set inside the Spell. But the First Nightmare had already shown him that reality was different from how it was portrayed in popular culture in a number of small but infinitely important ways.

He needed to separate truth from myths. And, of course, it was very advantageous to hear it from the mouth of someone who had actually been to the Dream Realm.

So Sunny was all ears.

Awakened Rock began to speak:

"Most people are aware of what Nightmares are — because they have an impact on the real world and their lives. All of you have been warned before entering the First Nightmare that, should you perish there, a Nightmare Creature would be allowed to cross the threshold and enter reality."

Yup. That was why Master Jet had stood watch by his side, waiting with her weapon at the ready—prepared to strike down whatever monstrosity might come out.

Sunny stole a glance at Cassie sitting beside him. She hadn't moved much. Her face was calm, but he caught her knuckles tightening ever so slightly as Rock spoke. Maybe she was thinking of her own First Nightmare. Maybe she still remembered it too clearly.

Sunny hesitated… then leaned in just a little.

"You okay?" he whispered under his breath.

Cassie didn't look at him, but nodded once, almost imperceptibly.

That was enough.

"First Nightmares are unique, because each of them is individual. That's why only a single Creature can appear. However, starting from the Second Nightmare, things become much more dangerous. These Nightmares are not tied to an infected person. Instead, they are born in the Dream Realm. While the Seed of the Nightmare is growing, any number of Awakened can attempt to conquer it."

Hunting down Nightmares was the main responsibility of the Awakened. Sunny knew that much.

He tapped the back of the bench idly, lost in thought. Would I be able to do that? Just… go looking for a Nightmare?

"Should they all die or fail to find the Seed before it matures, a Gate will open in the real world, letting through countless monsters. You all know the consequences. Other Awakened will be forced to withstand the onslaught on this side, but then there can be massive destruction or losses among the civilian population."

Opening Gates. Everyone feared them.

It was also the second disaster the Spell had brought, after the initial Nightmare wave. Back then, it had only been dormant beasts. But Gates? They had ranks. Sunny remembered reading how even Rank 1 Gates could destroy towns, and Rank 5s were catastrophic.

Not long before he was born, one such Gate had wiped out a continent. Gone—just like that.

Awakened Rock's voice grew solemn.

"So it is not wrong to say that the purpose of the Awakened is to enter the Dream Realm, seek out maturing Nightmares, and close them before any harm could befall the real world. From this, you can see that the Dream Realm and the Nightmares are connected, but are not one and the same. If Nightmares are the destination, then the Dream Realm is the road. But it is also so much more."

Very romantic. Does Awakened Rock have poetic inclinations?

"Simply put, the Dream Realm is a world. It is vast, mysterious, and mostly unexplored. It is also dead. There is no life out there except for the Nightmare Creatures, corrupted ecosystems… and now us. But it wasn't always dead. We can tell that once, a long time ago, the Dream Realm was home to several primitive civilizations. There are a lot of ruins buried in its soil."

Sunny glanced sideways again. Primitive civilizations, huh?

He remembered the black mountain and the caravan. He remembered the temple slave, and the Mountain King.

Something still itched at the back of his mind.

Those people… they had felt too real. Too specific.

From what he knew, those old civilizations weren't really primitive at all. They just followed different rules. Soul cores, mysticism… miracle and madness.

What were their names? Why did they fall?

Maybe they were destroyed by the Spell itself.

"We don't know if the Dream Realm exists inside the Spell as one of its illusions, just on an unimaginably larger scale, or if it's real, with the Spell only serving as a pathway between two realities. However, we do suspect that the illusions conjured up inside the Nightmares are based on its history. They are replicas of past events, somehow reconstructed from the depths of time."

So that really might've been a slave caravan.

Sunny thought back to how time had seemed to move in reverse at the beginning of his Nightmare. He thought about how it would have ended without him.

Would the slave have died along with the others?

Probably.

He looked at Cassie again.

"Hey," he muttered, barely audible, "Do you… do you think those stories inside the Nightmares… were ever real?"

Cassie blinked. Then, quietly: "Yes."

That was it. But it made something stir in him.

"There are four main differences between the Dream Realm and the Nightmares. Firstly, it doesn't have a 'story'. There is no predetermined conflict you are forced to resolve. You can move freely and explore, provided that you have the strength to stay alive in the wilderness. Most people tend to stay close to one of the human Citadels."

That's good to know, Sunny thought.

Though, with my luck, the Spell's going to throw me straight into some cursed swamp full of demon eels and giant talking snakes.

"Secondly, as I have already mentioned, there are no people in the Dream Realm except for those who came from the real world. There are only monsters. Some of them can mimic human appearance, though, so be mindful of that."

Sunny paled slightly. Wait—what? Since when was that a thing?

He looked around. None of the others looked surprised.

So the Legacies knew… of course they did.

He frowned. That was creepy. Really creepy.

"Thirdly, unlike the First Nightmare, no Nightmare Creatures will appear in the real world if you die in the Dream Realm. It may sound cruel, but that's a good thing. Awakened forces are already spread thin. If we had to monitor every Sleeper, we wouldn't have the resources to handle more important matters."

Cold, maybe. But it made sense.

And finally, Rock continued:

"And lastly, and most importantly. Unlike Nightmares, which are bound by the rules of fairness, there is no limit to what kind of Creature you can meet in the Dream Realm. During its trials, the Spell won't pit a dormant human against an opponent many ranks above them..."

Sunny snorted.

Yeah? Tell that to me when I was running from a demonic mountain gorilla and a living nightmare knight. But sure—only one rank above. That made all the difference.

"...But in the Dream Realm, no such restrictions exist. Theoretically, you can stumble upon an Unholy Titan and die before even realizing what happened. So be careful and stick to the regions with enemies on par with your own rank. It's not an ironclad guarantee, but at least there will be less of a chance of you biting off more than you can chew."

Sunny nodded. That's the plan. Stay hidden. Stay low. Don't bite more than I can chew. Sounds survivable enough.

Awakened Rock paused, then added:

"When the solstice comes, you will be drawn into the Dream Realm. The exact location of where you will appear can't be predicted in advance, but there is a high chance that many of you will find yourselves in close proximity to each other. Band together and proceed to the nearest human Citadel. Each Citadel is built around a Gateway. Once you reach it, you will be able to return."

Gateways. That was how they'd escape. If they could reach one.

"If you can't locate or are unable to reach the nearest human Citadel, search for an unclaimed Gateway. It will usually be inside or near the most prominent landmark of the region. Work together to defeat its guardians and come back alive."

He gave them all a heavy look.

"That is all for today. Next, follow the instructions sent to your communicators to find your assigned selection desk. Once you have decided which courses you wish to take, you may proceed to the cafeteria for breakfast. There will be no time to prepare your suggested curriculums. Get a good rest at breakfast. Your training starts at 1:00 pm today and all are introduction classes covering what you will be taught in those classes for the next 2 months . Your actual training starts tomorrow"

With that, Awakened Rock gave them a final nod and left the stage.

Sunny let out a long sigh.

"Can't be predicted in advance," huh?

With his luck, he'd either land directly in a peaceful Citadel surrounded by friendly faces—or in the middle of an abyss ruled by ancient cursed tree spirits.

Please… let it be the first one. Just once.

But really… he was more focused on something else.

He nudged Cassie gently with his elbow.

"…So… uh. Do you like chocolate?"

Cassie turned to him with an unreadable expression.

He flinched. "I mean—I hope you like it. I heard girls like chocolate. I didn't mean anything weird by it, just—uh…"

Cassie raised an eyebrow. Then, to his astonishment, she simply replied:

"…It's fine."

Sunny blinked. He smiled.

Maybe things weren't so bad after all.