Day was someone who quite enjoyed giving weird names to peculiar things. One of those names was "Super Extrovert."
For this situation, his, "Social Beep," as he liked to call it, was going off. He would have called it the Social Alarm, but that was too barebones for his liking. He wanted to be quirky.
The Social Beep was telling him that it was a bad idea to approach, and that he would be doing nothing but submerging himself into icy waters if he decided to walk up to the group after that bitter line was uttered by the short boy who stopped near them.
He straightened his posture and watched from a distance. He even leaned against a nearby chair, as if to act like he wasn't interested in what was going on.
The group of people surrounding the tall Sleeper all looked over at the short Sleeper with a plethora of gazes filled to the brim with different intense emotions. From what Day could see, and subsequently understand, none of it seemed particularly pleasant. There were flashes of genuine confusion, and even some obvious hints of anger.
'Yeah… I want nothing to do with that.'
A moment or two later, one of the Sleepers spoke with a questioning tone.
"Uh… friend, you must not know a lot about the Spell. Caster's results are truly remarkable."
'So the guy they are fawning over is named Caster? Weird name, though I guess I can't really be talking?'
Before Day could contemplate further, the Sleeper spoke again:
"He is a Legacy, after all." He said smugly.
'Caster… and he's a Legacy? Huh, that's interesting. I'm sort of intrigued now, actually, why is he messing with a Legacy?'
The ensuing conversation after those first spoken words was bitter, and Day shouldn't have even considered it as anything close to coherent, but there was something about it that irked him.
The short boy explained after some prodding that he had been blessed with a glorious appraisal, and that he obtained a Divine Aspect, and to top it off he said that he was from the Outskirts. Day wasn't one to judge people on where they were from, though he wouldn't lie and say that Legacies garnered no respect from him; so there was a less than miniscule part of him that… Actually believed what should have been illogical ramble.
The boy also said he killed an Awakened Tyrant by spitting, killed an Awakened warrior by waving his fingers around, and was blessed by the gods.
'Am I going insane? Why am I not immediately disregarding him…'
The truth was, the reason wasn't actually insane, and it was also quite obvious.
It was because of what he had been through. He himself had obtained a Divine Aspect, he obtained a glorious appraisal, and he had killed an Awakened Devil by looking at the Sun.
He even, by the Spell's words, "Shattered the past and aided the birth of a new future."
All of that sounded just as crazy as what the boy was saying.
Was what he was saying a lie? Or was the boy trying to make himself seem crazy on purpose? Day had no clue, but even if it was true…
'Why is he acting like that about it? '
That was the real question. Caster was, by usual standards, extraordinarily remarkable. It was useless to go and antagonize him, not just because he was a Legacy; but because he didn't do anything wrong. Before the boy walked away, Caster even wished him luck. Day was put off a bit by Caster saying that he lost his mind and would likely die soon, but the average ear would certainly see his proclamations as illogical, and it wasn't really unfair for him to subtly disrespect the boy who had just said his hard-earned accomplishments were worth nothing. Day would have probably either done the same, or just cursed him balefully in his mind.
Sure, Caster's lackeys did insult him, but Caster himself didn't do it originally, nor did he even talk to him, so Day couldn't understand his thought process.
'Maybe I don't need to understand it. If he's lying, he's lying. If he isn't, he isn't. If he wants to be mean and bitter, he can be mean and bitter. It's not my problem.'
Day cleared his throat and walked forward as soon as the short boy was a sizable distance away. When he arrived at the group, they all put their sights on him with some apprehension in their eyes.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Day, did you enjoy your first Nightmares?"
There were a few moments of silence, and then one of them spoke:
"Did two crackpots walk up to us in a row?"
Day was already regretting his choice to walk up to the group.
"I'm not a crackpot- Or well, I guess I am, but isn't everyone who survived their first Nightmare? Anyway, no- and If you are wondering, I'm not going to go on about how I have a Divine Aspect or how I got a glorious appraisal."
The one who asked if Day was a crackpot spoke again:
"Are you trying to say that you did?"
"No, I'm not trying to say that I did, I'm just- Oh man, nevermind. How about we restart? I'm Day, I'm not a weirdo, it's nice to meet you all."
His frustrating conversation was cut short by Caster, who spoke with a smile on his charming face.
"My Nightmare was good, but I saw you standing closeby, so I assume you know as such. It's nice to meet you, Day. I'm Caster… something I assume you know as well?"
"Yep. To both. I was standing over watching, and thought it'd be fun to come over and chat for a few minutes with you fellas. I'm not going to stay for long, but I know that the induction ceremony is starting soon, and I want to pass more time, so hello
There were a few more whispers, but to Day's joy, the group accepted him quite graciously and chatted with him. Well… Chatting with him wasn't actually what happened. They just focused their attention back on Caster and kept fawning over him. After a few minutes, Day became bored. He was integrated into the group in a way that made him look like one of the lackey's standing around the Legacy. He didn't really like that, so he interrupted one of their excited questions to say that he was going to split off and go find something else to do. They didn't really seem to care too much, but to his surprise Caster gave him some kind parting words, wishing him luck.
Day trotted away curiously and continued to explore the induction hall, but he eventually grew bored once again. He didn't like to admit it, but he wasn't particularly intrigued by any of the stories he was told or the mentions of peoples aspect ranks. It wasn't that he thought himself better than them, but it became pretentious quickly. Giving every single person he talked to constant positive reaffirmations because he didn't wish to undermine their experiences drained him of his energy. That wasn't even to mention the fact that he embarrassed himself by fumbling his words multiple times when he was asked questions about his experiences. He was over talking to people.
He found a comfortable bench closeby and sat down, while wondering when the actual ceremony would start.
Then moments later, as if to answer to and cure his increasing boredom, a giant man appeared on the stage. He was wearing a dark blue uniform, and was the personification of intimidation in Day's eyes; mostly because of the intense gaze he held.
After a moment or two of scanning the crowd like a vulture, he spoke.
"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the Academy."
The following speech done by the man was one of the most effective scare tactics Day had seen in his life.
By effectively undermining even Saints, over exaggerating; but not by much, the Spells deadly influence, and kindly telling the Sleepers that nobody can or will help them anymore, he infused the Sleepers with a whirlwind of fear that could only be compared to the likes of the Dream Realm itself.
Even Day couldn't help but be put off by the words uttered. The reality of it all hadn't really set in, but by the way of the words of Awakened Rock, it was starting to now.
'It's fine, Day. You said it yourself, you would find a way. There's still so much for me to test… Hopefully my Divine Aspect will help guide me on the way. I just need to train diligently, like I said I would…'
Awakened Rock proceeded to explain the difference between Nightmares and the Dream Realm. Day had always been extremely studious, and there were quite a few times where his school had Awakened come in and speak to the children in an assembly; so these concepts weren't foreign to him. Because of that, he didn't pay particularly close attention to what Awakened Rock was saying, instead, he just lost himself in his own thoughts. They were constantly racing. There was nothing more in the world that he wanted than to test his Aspect Ability, but unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to escape.
Midway through his speech, Awakened Rock said something that peaked Day's interest.
"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."
Day took a sharp breath in and hunched over, looking down at the floor.
'I knew that… but to hear someone speak about the thing that almost got me killed. It hits. To think that after everything I went through, the thing that almost ruined my chances of survival was a damned mimic betraying me. What a sick joke.'
A few moments later, Awakened Rock explained something else that made Day give a visible reaction.
He explained that in the Dream Realm, unlike Nightmares, there are no limits to the creatures you can see. He even went as far as to say that one could run into an Unholy Titan and not even know what hit them if they were unlucky, another scare tactic, presumably. This one was less effective, but he couldn't help but notice the faces of a few of his peers when he mentioned an Unholy TItan. It made sense though, such a creature was unfathomably far out of reach.
Like everything else Awakened Rock had said, this wasn't necessarily new information to him, it was just a reminder of what was ahead. A reminder that in the Dream Realm, he could thrive just as easily as he could be torn to pieces by something so incomprehensibly strong that he couldn't contend it even with the arsenal of a Legacy.
'The difference in strength between ranks really is something. It's not even just the raw strength or speed itself. Experience, Aspect Ability, Memories… Perhaps even Echoes.'
Next, Awakened Rock told them to check their communicators to find their assigned dormitories. He also mentioned that they were welcome to come to the cafeteria for some late supper, which was certainly pleasant.
Day did as the man instructed and made his departure for his room. On his way out, he noticed in the distance something that made his heart drop to the floor.
A girl who could only be compared to a picturesque painting made by the hand of the most talented artist was being led along by a social worker through the crowd. Her movements were sluggish, her eyes the same, and Day, upon seeing the scene… knew exactly what made the girl stand out from the crowd.
'Oh man.'
She was blind. The girl was blind. Day couldn't help but mourn for the girl. He wished her nothing but the best, but the tragic reality of her situation was that she would likely pass away, standing lonely and afraid, waiting, preparing herself in the darkness for when the Dream Realm would send something her way to tear her apart.
Day frowned deeply.
'I wish her the best.'
Sometimes, he wondered if the Spell lost sleep over the terrible things it caused.
'The Spell isn't a person… That's a silly thought.'
Shaking his head, Day left the hall and departed for his room. About ten minutes of contemplating the girl's situation later, he finally arrived. He couldn't seem to get it out of his head, no matter how hard he tried.
'Let me just distract myself. Food! Sleep! A shower! Come on Day, distract yourself…'
He unlocked his door with a sigh and stepped inside.
'Woah. '
When he stepped inside of his room, he was thoroughly distracted.
The room was equipped with everything he could need and more. A bed, a table, a dresser with bedsheets and a few changes of clothing, a bathroom. Peeking inside the bathroom, he couldn't help but notice that there were also multiple towels and washcloths for him to use, as well as all the necessary supplies to take a shower.
The room was a treat, but what made Day overjoyed was not the plethora of supplies at his disposal, but rather…
'Pairs of clothing! Bless the Academy! I don't need to embarrass myself by walking down to ask them for something to change into!'
There was clothing. Multiple pairs, in fact. They were white, and they didn't seem like they were made out of cheap materials.
Without wasting a second, he picked up a pair and ran into the bathroom. His eyes were gleaming with a brilliant shine as he stared at the shower in his own personal bathroom. It was glorious.
He immediately hopped in and did exactly what he said he would; take the longest shower of his life. He only exited the shower thirty minutes later, and even then he did it reluctantly.
He was going to be sure to use the fact that they had a large hot water supply for his own benefit as many times as he could throughout the next few weeks.
When he left the bathroom, there was a towel wrapped around his head and body. His hair was short, but also long. The ash-blonde mess, when wet, covered his eyes completely.
It didn't quite reach his shoulders around his head, luckily, but it wasn't far off. Because of that, he liked to use two towels to make sure that his hair dried properly and didn't block his eyesight.
He dried his legs and spent the next ten minutes doing absolutely nothing while sitting on his bed. When he dried his hair a sufficient amount and brushed it thoroughly enough for his liking, he dressed himself begrudgingly and departed to grab something to eat. He had things he wanted to test, but there were weeks to do that.
There was only one opportunity for him to have his post Nightmare food and water.
When he arrived at the dining hall, he weaved through the Sleepers.
The cafeteria was formatted with a buffet-like arrangement, where Sleepers could grab any and everything they wanted out of a rather vast assortment of Wheats, Meats, and Veggies.
He filled up his plate to the brim with all of the three options and found a seat. When he sat himself down and took a good look at his plate, he cursed at himself under his breath.
'I don't think I got enough…'
Shrugging, he tore apart the food like a gluttonous beast and wasted yet another thirty minutes of time.
When he finished, he was completely, utterly stuffed. It was delightful. He put his plates and cup away where they were told to do it and then slowly dragged himself back to his room. He was really living it up. At his orphanage, they only had certain portions of food each day for their three meals. They could go grab a second serving, but generally, there wasn't a lot left for Day when it came his turn once more.
He always let the little ones grab their second servings first, and sometimes, if he knew that one of the kids near his age had a bad day, he would let them go up first. Because of this, there were times where he would go to school, or go to bed hungry. He never complained, though. He wasn't even sure if the orphanage caretakers knew that he had a big appetite. That was how secretive he was of his endeavors.
When he arrived at the door of his brand new room, he unlocked it and threw it open, before stomping inside happily.
He closed the door behind him and locked it. Then, he turned around and spared a glance at his bed.
'The bed can wait for a while… There's something infinitely more important I need to do now, while I have a full stomach. '
It was a long time coming, but he finally had some time alone.
It was time to test his Aspect Ability.