Flaw: [Clear Conscience].
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
Sunny stared at these three simple words, feeling like there was a bottomless abyss opening right beneath his feet. The Spell, which was usually frivolous with its descriptions, decided to be straight and on point this time.
'Can't lie. I can't lie? Me? How am I supposed to live if I can't lie?!'
As an outskirts rat he relied on lies, builing up a wall between him and the world. Even in his nightmare he found out the value of keeping secrets.
'Knowlege is the strongest weapon in the world.' He thought back at his nightmare. If he no visions and had not known of the birds and their transformation, he would have never survived.
How was he supposed to keep up his wall?
What if someone asked him about his abilities? He would have no choice other than to answer truthfully.
[Wake up, Feather of Twilight]
The black void of the spell spun and disappeared.
Sunny opened his eyes.
The armored ceiling of the police station's vault hang above him. No one would call its aesthetics beautiful, but to him, it was the most majestic sight. Only now did he realize how much he had missed the real world.
It was safe and familiar. There were no monsters with unspeakable strengh trying to kill him.
It was home.
n addition, Sunny felt incredible. His eyesight was clearer, and much sharper. His bones felt more durable, his flesh and muscles were stronger and his blood was much purer, filling him with unnatural vigor.
'I really survived.'
He slowly looked down and then froze, breathless.
On a cheap plastic chair placed beside his reinforced medical bed sat the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
She had short, raven-black hair and icy blue eyes. Her flawless skin was smooth, supple and as white as snow. Actually, this was Sunny's first time meeting someone as pale as he himself was. However, while Sunny's pallor looked strange and unhealthy, the beautiful stranger was nothing short of striking.
Humans became more beautiful the higher in rank they were. Even though he saw creatures of the highest rank,the thing was they were creatures, not human. Thats why her apperance was so stunning to him.
Sunny could not help but to stare.
"What are you looking at?" she said, not a gram of humor in her voice.
Pain was beginning to build up inside his head. It was just a moment ago that she asked but pain was slowly overwhelming him, forcing him to answer.
"You." He simply said.
The pain of his flaw was not the usual kind. Sunny knew pain. He already had strong endurance for it, especially after his nightmare. But this pain was an exception. Experiencing normal pain could never make him endure it for longer.
Trying to explain his answer, sunny added.
"Its just that you are the most beatiful person I have ever seen."
To his horror the words he was thinking about did not come from his mouth.
"I see you haven't met a lot of Awakened then. By Awakened standards, I'm below average."
Sunny glanced at her with doubt.
He did not belive her one bit.
"As your soul core develops, the body gets rid of all its imperfections. So it's hard to find an unattractive Awakened, especially among the stronger ones."She explained."Live long enough, and you might just become a flower boy yourself."
Then she gave him a thorough look and added:
"Your transformation had been the strangest I have ever seen. You should probally look in a mirror soon."
"Well… anyway. In any case, since you're awake — welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Sunless."
Sleeper Sunless.
That was how people would address him now, at least in the short span of days until the winter solstice — after that, he would either return from the Dream Realm as an Awakened or not return at all.
"I am Ascended Jet. You can call me Master Jet. These past three days, I was on watch duty due to your Nightmare."
"Master Jet? I have a question."
"Go on."
"Why would a Master be put on watch duty? Isn't it… below your pay grade?"
Jet gave him a dark look.
"You're smarter than you seem. Recently, there was a lot of Gates opening in this sector. Most of the local Awakened are either wounded or occupied with the clean-up. Or dead. It's always like that close to the winter solstice."
She opened the final restraint and took a step back.
"Plus, there's not a lot of Awakened who, like me, directly work for the government. It's by far the least lucrative or glorious carrier one of us can choose. Would you abandon wealth and fame to work abysmal hours and risk your life, fuelled only by altruism and sense of duty?"
Sunny wanted to say something flattering. Instead, he looked Master Jet right in the eyes and smirked.
"Of course not. I'm not an idiot!"
'Damn this damn Flaw! Damn!'
"See, I was right. You really are smart. Jet answered, amusement twinkling in her eyes.
Sunny was enjoying a hot shower. After their short conversation, Master Jet had sent him to clean himself, saying that he "reeked of Nightmare".
Even if only psychological, the scent of bloodshed and despair lingered around him.
'Ah, I'm in heaven,' Sunny thought, willing himself to temporarily forget about the looming disaster of the Flaw.
It had taken him some time to go inside the shower. He had developed a bit of fear of it after quiet litterary melting the last time he entered it.
He was alone in the police station's showers, relaxing under the streams of hot water. After a bit of time had passed, Sunny reluctantly turned the tap off and walked over to the towel rack. Coincidentally, he saw himself reflecting in the mirror.
'What the hell?'
His eyes, once black, had changed.
He reflexively took a step back. Bright Yellow eyes with three dark circles inside them met him.
They were the same ones Big Bird had. Only his were the same size.
The changes in his physique were subtle, but noticeable. His pale skin seemed a little healthier, his muscles a bit more pronounced. He looked slender and lean instead of emaciated and frail, as he did before. There was a slight luster to his dark hair and a shine to his eyes.
However, he was still rather diminutive. Not exactly a picture of masculine handsomeness, to say the least.
Shifting his attention back on his eyes he frowned.
'There is something strange about them.'
Focusing on them he felt a sudden dizziness.
'Its hypnotysing. Staring in my own eyes.' He thought.
'They looked eerily beautiful.'
Then the dizziness came back. His vision bagan to shift the same way it would when entering his soul sea. This time only, he did not see his soul sea but the mirror.
It did not share the same perspective his eyes did but came from farther below.
Another eye had sprouted from his hand, the same eery yellow met him when looking down.
Sunny saw himself from the perspective of his third eye.
He was speachless.'Is this my aspect ability?' he thought, his mind in shambles.
'Some people get the ability to throw fire around or crush walls with their bare hands. And I?'
"I get to have another of those creepy eyes? How is this fair? And how will this help me fight abominations."