Shadow Slave: Kindness

Cassie smiled to herself as she strolled along the stone path, the crisp morning air brushing gently against her face. Sunny's flustered reaction was still playing back in her head, as he had dashed toward the bathroom.

Serves him right, she thought smugly. Payback for last week.

Just as the satisfaction warmed her chest—

Thud.

Pain lanced up her shin and, before she could react, her footing gave out. Cassie stumbled forward and hit the ground with a muffled gasp, her hands scraping against gravel.

"…Tch."

For a second, she stayed where she was, lips pressed tight. Not because she was hurt badly — the fall was minor — but because it had caught her off guard. And she hated being caught off guard.

She sat up slowly, her fingers brushing against the culprit: a jagged rock that jutted up from the side of the path, probably loosened from yesterday's wind.

Cassie frowned and reached up to adjust the charm in the form of a bracelet on her wrist.

Her Memory.

Not a memory in the human sense — but a rare, enchanted artifact designed to substitute sight.

It worked by constantly weaving a three-dimensional fog-map of her surroundings, sensing the world like a- hologram in the webtoons -to let her feel the world. As long as she stayed in motion or kept paying attention, the Memory painted a ghostly mental image — enough to walk, to train, albeit some errors.

Because there were limits.

Sudden obstacles? Small, quiet things? Unpredictable elements? Fast moving objects? Or Maybe fast moving attacks?

From what, Humans or... Nightmare Creatures.

Her Memory didn't catch them fast enough. The fog-map lagged by a few seconds sometimes less, sometimes more. And in a world where one misplaced step could mean death, a second was everything.

She could walk. She could navigate. She could even fence, with practice.

But against real monsters? Real combat?

Cassie exhaled sharply while wincing slightly as she brushed dirt from her leggings.

It had been weeks now since arriving at the Academy. Two since induction. One since meeting Avi and Juliet.

She'd trained harder than ever in her life. Teacher Julius was relentless, pushing her endurance, strength, precision — and especially her spatial awareness.

He knew her limits. But he also believed in making her exceed them.

Still… belief doesn't beat biology. Or blind spots.

Cassie tugged her braid over one shoulder, hands lingering on the golden pin holding it in place. Her enchanted Memory let her mimic the world. That's all it was — mimicry.

If someone ran straight at her, she could sometimes react in time. But if they came from behind? If they were faster than the artifact's update delay?

She would lose.

No amount of bravery or stubbornness would change that.

She had always known it — deep down. But now, with the Dream Realm looming six weeks away…

She couldn't help but wonder:

What happens if I hold them back?

Maybe I might meet Sunny there, but what happens if I make him hesitate — just once — and it costs him everything?

She bit her lip, swallowing the thought.

No.

She wouldn't let that happen.

His trust in her was higher then her despair to give up, if at least for Sunny's faith in her.

She couldn't give up.

She won't.

Her hand brushed the Memory again. Its gentle pulse reminded her: the fog may not be perfect — but it was hers to carry.

She'd find Sunny soon.

He was probably sulking. Again.

Maybe she'd tease him a little.

That thought brought a smile to her face.

And for now, that was enough.

"Are you okay?"

The voice cut through her thoughts like a blade — cold, flat, expressionless. The words might have been polite, but the tone was anything but.

Cassie's head turned slightly toward the sound. Her enchanted Memory didn't immediately register anything — but then, slowly, the familiar fog began to gather and outline a human silhouette. Tall. Still.

Female. 

She blinked, just as a hand reached out toward her.

Cassie hesitated only for a moment, then accepted it and let herself be pulled to her feet.

"Ah—yes. Thank you. I just tripped over a rock."

"Okay."

Silence.

An awkward, lingering silence.

Cassie tilted her head slightly. Is… that it?

The girl wasn't moving away, but she wasn't saying anything either.

Am I supposed to say something now?

Cassie bit her lip, then cleared her throat and tried again.

"Um, are you a Sleeper too? Oh—and where are my manners. I'm Cassia. But you can call me Cassie."

There was a pause. Then:

"Yes. Nephis."

Another pause.

And nothing else.

Cassie stood in the silence, fidgeting slightly with the hem of her sleeve. The fog in her mind was slowly adjusting — painting more definition into the girl's figure. Straight posture. either really short or shoulder-length hair. No hint of tension, no hint of emotion.

Cassie shifted uncomfortably. "Well, uh… it's nice to meet you."

No response.

"Um… are you, by any chance, in Teacher Julius's morning class?"

"No."

Cassie swallowed. "Oh."

She was trying. Really, she was. But talking to this girl felt like talking into a vacuum. The responses came back delayed, minimal, like the girl was mechanically filtering everything she said through some invisible scale of necessity.

It was… a little unnerving.

Cassie smiled politely anyway, because what else could she do?

"Well… thanks again for helping me up."

Nephis nodded. Just once. Then, without another word, turned and began walking away — footsteps almost too quiet for even the Memory to catch.

Cassie watched the outline fade from her mental map.

That was… odd.

Helpful, yes. But odd.

It wasn't that Nephis had been rude — not exactly. Just… distant. Disconnected. As if she was going through the motions of interaction without really being part of it.

Cassie frowned slightly.

Does she not like talking? Or maybe… she's just not used to it.

In any case, there was something eerie about the stillness in Nephis's presence. Like a mirror that gave no reflection. Or a blade that didn't shine, but still cut just as deep.

Cassie stood in place for a few seconds, watching — or rather sensing — the fading presence of the girl called Nephis. But something tugged at her.

That cold detachment wasn't hostility. Just... isolation. Maybe even discomfort.

So, she took a step forward.

"Nephis?"

The footsteps paused.

Cassie offered a hopeful smile. "Do you have anything to do right now?"

There was a slight delay.

"…No."

Cassie tilted her head, thoughtful. "Would you like to join me for a morning walk?"

Another pause. A faint shift of air. Then:

"…Okay."

And they walked.

The garden paths were still mostly empty — too early for most Sleepers to be up, especially on a rest day. The light was soft, filtered through layers of climbing vine and thin fog, with only the distant chirping of high-pitched birdsong accompanying them.

Nephis's question came in that same calm, dispassionate voice. "You don't have a helper?"

Cassie chuckled gently. "No. I refused when they offered. But there's a boy who helps sometimes… a fellow Sleeper. He's annoying. A little grumpy. But kind."

Nephis was silent again for a moment before replying: "I see."

Cassie kept the conversation going. "Did you arrive today?"

"Yesterday."

"That explains it," she said lightly. "I knew I hadn't heard your voice before."

Silence again.

Cassie frowned slightly, then asked, "Do you… not like talking?"

There was a long pause.

Then finally, a very soft "…No."

But something about the answer made Cassie smile.

There was a tension in Nephis's voice now — not coldness, but something unfamiliar. Almost like... embarrassment?

She's not avoiding me, Cassie thought. She's just unused to this.

Her voice turned playful. "Hmm. So… what's your favorite kind of clothing?"

"…I don't know."

"What about colors?"

"…I don't know."

"Hairstyles?"

"I… don't know."

Cassie hid a giggle behind her hand. It was like talking to a statue — a very confused, incredibly awkward statue who genuinely didn't know how to answer.

She had her confirmation.

This girl wasn't aloof.

She was just... new to people.

Before she could keep teasing Nephis gently into the world of casual chat, Cassie heard footsteps — light, confident ones — approaching from the corridor.

She turned slightly toward the sound, smiling faintly.

"That'll be Sunny."

Nephis didn't answer.

But she had stopped moving.

Cassie didn't notice. 

Nephis's breath hitched, almost imperceptibly. Her posture stiffened.

And her eyes widened.

She was staring. No — studying.

Sunny rounded the corner, brow furrowed, clearly annoyed. His sharp eyes went straight to Cassie… then flicked with confusion and mild suspicion to the short white-haired girl beside her.

"What, did you really start going along to other sleepers?"

Cassie huffed. "You're the one who stomped off first, remember? And i even fell down just now, my legs hurt."

She took a breath and gestured between them. "Anyway… this is Nephis. She helped me earlier when I tripped. She's a Sleeper too."

There was a moment of silence.

Sunny glanced at Nephis with guarded wariness, giving her a curt nod.

But before he could say anything else, Nephis stepped forward.

Quickly.

She moved until she stood just a breath away from him — barely ten centimeters separating their faces.

Sunny instinctively leaned back, but she leaned forward, scrutinizing him with unsettling intensity. His brow raising, and a tinted blush starting to rise on his cheeks.

Her eyes swept across his hair, his sharp jawline, his onyx-black eyes.

Cassie, still catching up, felt her brow wrinkle.

"Uh… Nephis?"

Then—

"You're Sunny," Nephis said flatly. "My Sunny."

Cassie's brain short-circuited.

What.