After both of them finished their showers, Kaeya stepped out first, toweling his hair dry before slipping into a police-issued tracksuit. The faint scent of soap and steam still lingered in the air as he adjusted the zipper, running a hand through his damp hair before heading out of the locker room.
Talion looked at his reflection in the mirror.
His dark brown hair fell just slightly over his forehead. His eyes were a clear blue that stood out even more against his now sharper features. The slight fat that used to soften his face was gone, leaving behind a more defined jawline and straight nose. Even if he'd never cared much about his looks before, he had to admit it now — he actually looked pretty good.
__
A few minutes later, both Talion and Kaeya were dressed in clean, police-issued tracksuits, heading toward the cafeteria.
Awakened Joshua was already seated at one of the tables, two plates of synthetic food placed neatly in front of him.
"Help yourselves."
Both of them sat down, and Talion immediately dug in. For him, food was just fuel — he didn't care much for its taste. As long as it filled his stomach, it was good enough. That was one of his so-called hundred useless skills, as he liked to put it.
Kaeya glanced at him for a second, then at his own plate. After a brief thought, he began eating as well.
'At least he didn't make a fuss', Talion thought. For those who grew up in the outskirts, synthetic food was supposed to be a luxury. Acting disgusted by it would've been suspicious.
After a few minutes of quiet eating, Joshua finally spoke once they were almost done.
"All right. Now that both of you have finished, I'm obligated to inform you of a few things as per protocol." He paused briefly before continuing. "First of all, regarding your Nightmare — you're entitled to free psychological counseling. No matter what you've been through, there's no shame in seeking help. Your mind is as important as your body; it deserves care. Are either of you interested?"
"No," both of them replied in unison.
Joshua nodded. "Understood. Since both of you are from the outskirts and have no remaining family members, there's not much paperwork to go through. The only thing left is to decide how you'll prepare for your first journey into the Dream Realm."
He leaned back slightly. "You're free to prepare however you wish — or not at all. However, both of you are entitled to enroll in the Awakened Academy. You'll be provided with food, lodging, and a wide selection of preparatory courses. Given your circumstances, I'd say that's your best option."
Talion and Kaeya didn't need convincing. They had already made up their minds. Not joining the Academy would've been the foolish choice.
"In that case, I'd like to go to the Academy," Kaeya said.
"Same," Talion added.
"Good," Joshua replied with a small nod.
A short while later, the three of them boarded Joshua's PTV and headed toward the Academy.
The ride was quiet. Neither Talion nor Kaeya felt like talking, especially with Joshua sitting there. Both simply stared out the window, watching the unfamiliar cityscape pass by.
In the crowds outside, Talion could see faint, glowing cores within a few people. The sight made his head ache slightly.
Maybe it was the movement of the PTV, or maybe something else. Either way, it wasn't bad enough for him to care.
___
Talion and Kaeya stood before the massive red gates of the Awakened Academy.
It was like a city within a city.
"Damn… this place is huge, isn't it?" Kaeya's voice carried a mixture of awe and excitement, his eyes scanning the walls and the courtyard beyond.
"Yeah," Talion replied, though his mind was elsewhere. He wasn't focused on the scale of the Academy. What mattered now was figuring out whether they were in the same year as the main cast. From what he had learned, the winter solstice was roughly a month away — the timing matched canon. What remained uncertain was the year.
Before he could dwell on it further, the gates began to move. The massive sheet of reinforced metal, impossibly thick and heavy, slowly lifted, revealing a long bridge that extended into the Academy grounds.
The end of the metal bridge met the specially designed grooves in the ground with a series of loud clicks, locking into place.
Kaeya stepped forward first and Talion followed behind him.
___
As they walked through the Academy halls, being guided toward the main hall where all the Sleepers gathered, Talion focused on his ocular ability. Through the subtle distortion of his vision, he could see dozens of human-shaped blue figures standing in the large hall.
'Should I try to find Sunny and the others like this?' the thought flickered in his mind.
'Wouldn't it be a hassle to scan a hundred people like this, though?'
Just as the thought passed, one particular blue figure a young male drew his attention with an almost magnetic pull. He focused on it, and in an instant, the blue hue dissolved, revealing a slim, pale-skinned boy with black hair.
'Yeah… that's Sunny, isn't he?'
That was convenient.
He scanned further and quickly spotted Nephis, Cassei, and Caster.
The descriptions from the novel he had read were strikingly accurate. Cassei, as written, was stunning — more beautiful than any actress Talion had seen in his own world. And many of the female Sleepers around were surprisingly attractive, though he quickly pushed himself not to linger on that thought.
It was then that the true potential of his ability hit him — though not in any morally upright way.
'Holy… shit… X-ray vision… How didn't I think of this till now?!'