Solaire was guided into the Sleeper section of the compound, located in the southern part of the academy. It was relatively small and quiet. He was brought into a large hall where about a hundred people — other Sleepers like him — were gathered, waiting for the induction ceremony to begin.
His eyes landed on a silver-haired girl. From eavesdropping on nearby whispers, he learned her name: Nephis, from the Immortal Flame Clan — a name even he recognized. Near her stood a short guy with messy black hair and pale skin. Something about him felt… off.
Most students carried suitcases or duffle bags. The only ones without any luggage were Nephis, the strange black-haired boy, and himself.
"No one seems to be approaching me. Is it because I'm from the outskirts?" he wondered. Just then, the black-haired boy walked up to him.
"You don't look like a Legacy," the boy said. The sudden conversation startled Solaire, who flinched slightly before focusing on the stranger.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the boy added with a smile. "My name's Sunless, but you can call me Sunny. And you are?"
Solaire stared at him for a moment, then summoned his memory.
[Hi, my name is Solaire. Nice to meet you, Sunny.]
Sunny blinked, caught off guard. "You… can't speak? Were you born like this, or…?"
Solaire smiled faintly.
[Flaw. Not being able to speak is my Flaw.]
Sunny seemed disappointed for a moment, then quickly recovered and gave a polite smile. "Well, hopefully we'll cross paths again. Nice talking to you."
Solaire nodded and gave a small wave. Watching Sunny walk off, he sighed internally. "I guess no one really wants to talk to me." He quietly moved to a nearby bench and took a seat.
The room fell into silence as a large man walked up to the podium. His deep voice rang out:
"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers — welcome to the Academy."
"In less than a month, you'll be summoned into the Dream Realm. Some of you might think you're prepared. You're not. The Spell is merciless and cunning. The moment Awakened grow arrogant… they die. I've seen countless Sleepers perish. Even experienced Masters — Saints, even — are not guaranteed to survive."
"E–Even Saints?" "He must be joking!" whispered voices erupted across the room.
"Quiet!" Rock snapped. "You are not children anymore. It's a shame — because you ought to be. But the Spell decided otherwise. You've all faced the First Nightmare. You know what it's like. From now on, no one can help you — not your parents, not your teachers, not your friends."
Solaire listened silently. Not that he had much of a choice. When Rock began explaining the difference between the Dream Realm and Nightmares, Solaire paid close attention.
After some time, Rock wrapped up the session. "That's all for today. Follow the instructions sent to your communicators to find your assigned dorms. You may head to the cafeteria for supper. There will be a round of interviews afterward to help prepare your training curriculum. Get a good night's rest. Your training starts tomorrow."
To Solaire's surprise, his dorm room was private — it had a soft bed, a desk, a dresser, and even a bathroom. "Such luxury! I should've gotten infected sooner," he joked to himself.
Sitting on the bed, he opened his runes:
Name: Solaire
True Name: Chosen Undead
Rank: Dreamer
Humanity: Dormant
Humanities: [2/100]
Memories: [Estus Flask], [Wanderer's Armor], [Soldier's Regret], [Interpreter]
Echoes: —
Aspect Name: [Kindler of the Flame]
Aspect Description: [Thou who art undead, art chosen. And in thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the resting place of the █████, where the fate of the Undead thou shalt know.]
Aspect Rank: Awakened
Innate Ability: [Kindler]
Ability Description: [You are linked to the flame and can tend to it.]
Aspect Ability: [Blessing of Invulnerability]
Ability Description: [Dodging successfully grants a brief window of complete invulnerability, allowing you to pass through enemy attacks unharmed.]
Flaw: [Fading Echo]
Flaw Description: [Your voice has been silenced. With each step toward power, the world forgets you a little more. Words fade… and so does your presence.]
"I still don't understand. How did I become human again?" His gaze shifted to the Humanity counter. It had gone down by one.
"Huh? It's two now?"
He closed his eyes and entered his soul sea. Only two sprites circled the flame of the Kiln.
"What happens if I place another one in the fire?" He tried to grab a sprite — but it didn't budge. "It's stuck?"
Thinking it over, he muttered, "Maybe… sacrificing a sprite turns me from Hollow to Human?"
He stoked the flames briefly, then left his soul sea. "Alright, time for dinner."
At the cafeteria, he grabbed an assortment of meat and a glass of orange juice. Just as he turned, he spotted something heavenly on one of the counters.
"Bread! That's bread — and honey! And butter!"
He excitedly filled his plate with bread and snagged a few honey and butter packets before finding an empty bench to sit at.
Across the room, Sunny watched Solaire excitedly hoarding bread. "Must be from the outskirts like me," he thought. "But does he have no shame? He's just publicly announcing he's a peasant. Couldn't be me."
Solaire, meanwhile, was already digging in. "Oh my god — this is even better than the one I got at the ration store! Absolutely delicious!" He cleared the plate in no time.
Checking his communicator, he realized it was time for his interview.
The interview was relaxed — more of an inquiry than a test. The interviewer began:
"Would you mind telling me the nature of your Aspect Ability? Is it combat, sorcery, or utility?"
Solaire hesitated, then decided. "He told me not to share, but this doesn't feel like a normal Aspect. And I'll be getting soul shards too — win-win."
He summoned his memory,
[It is a combat-type Aspect.]
The interviewer jotted that down. "So I assume your flaw is that you can't speak?"
Solaire simply shrugged. More scribbling.
"Can your Aspect deal damage directly?"
[No, it can't.]
The interview continued — questions about his Nightmare, his Aspect Rank (which he disclosed as Awakened), and a few others. Once it was over:
"Thanks for your answers. You can collect your shards at the counter outside. Since the information wasn't especially critical, you'll receive five shards."
Solaire gave a polite nod and left. "Nice! I can probably buy a decent memory. I still don't have a weapon."
Back in his room, he collapsed onto the bed. Pulling out one of the soul shards, he wondered, "What happens if I crush one of these?" After a moment of hesitation, he did.
Energy surged into him. He checked his runes again.
Humanities: [2/100]
"...And there goes a shard. Just my luck." He sighed and rolled over. "Time to sleep."
The next morning, Solaire woke up, washed, and left for breakfast.
"Honey butter bread, soft and sweet… Golden toast beneath my feet… Mmm-mm, nothin' else I need," he thought, nearly skipping with excitement.
He once again stacked his plate with bread and honey butter, settling at another empty table.
"I guess this is the second part of my flaw. No one really seems to notice me…" While people acknowledged his presence with a nod, no one struck up a conversation — other than Sunny.
There was a buzz in the cafeteria. A ranking board had gone up. Solaire scanned the list — he was somewhere near the middle to bottom.
"Maybe because I shared too much?" But what surprised him more was Sunny — he was even lower on the list.
"No way. He must've held back. That creepy feeling I got from him… he's hiding something."
This was not just a feeling, the only people who noticed him were those significantly stronger than him. The fact that Sunny was the only person other than the awakened, who talked to him further cemented his intuition.
He glanced around and spotted Sunny staring at the board with a strange, unsettling grin.
"Knew it. He's terrifying. I should avoid him."
Most chatter, however, centered around Nephis.
Name: Nephis
True Name: Changing Star
"A True Name?! I had to die fifty times to get mine. Just how much did she go through?"
After finishing breakfast, he browsed the list of available classes — combat, sorcery, utility, and several survival classes.
"Wilderness survival, huh? I'll never survive the Dream Realm with just what I know. Yeah, that's it — I'll take that."
He headed to the classroom and stepped inside, eyes widening at its sheer scale. The instructor spotted him immediately.
"Come in! Two in one year — the stars must've aligned!"
The man had lively eyes, messy grey hair, and bushy eyebrows. "I'm Awakened Julius, but you can call me Teacher Julius. Come, sit with your peer!"
Solaire blinked. "Only two students? Isn't survival important? And who's my classmate—?"
He turned — and saw a familiar face.
"Yo! Remember me?" said Sunny, grinning wide.