The party was intimate and short, but pleasant. Everyone who Sunny cared about was there.
Well!
Everyone except for the children from the orphanage, but those who weren't at least a sleeper, for one reason or another, weren't allowed to enter in many places.
Rain also wasn't present, but she didn't even know if he is alive or exists, probably.
Some hours later, after the party.
The Sleepers were gathered in an empty room.
There, they saw rows and rows of wheelchairs. In each wheelchair, there was a person with a blank, strangely peaceful expression on their face. All these people were completely silent, motionless, and still. They did not show any reaction to the appearance of guests.
'Hollow...' Thought Sunny looking at them.
Seeing them in person was truly chilling. The mere sight of these people now reduced to nothing more than empty puppets was really scary.
Instructor Rock looked at the empty people with solemn eyes.
"There is a reason I brought you all here. Look well and remember. Some of you may know who these people are... for those of you who don't, they are called Hollow."
He gritted his teeth.
"Each one of them was once either a Sleeper or an Awakened. Some of them were weak, some of them were strong. Some were even incredibly powerful. All of them have perished in the Dream Realm. If you're lucky, once your spirit is destroyed, your body dies with it. But if not, you'll become just like them. Hollow."
Instructor Rock glanced in the direction where Caster, Nephis and Yuki stood, and then added:
"So don't you dare go hollow!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Half an hour later, the Sleepers had been led to their personal rooms and were preparing to enter the pods.
In one of the rooms, the blind girl, Cassia, was standing in front of her pod. She was clutching the ring of her grandma in her left hand, praying silently. The ringed hand was resting on her chest, closed in a fist. Cassie was motionless staring at her pod with her blank blue-eyes without even dare to lift a finger.
She was scared. Very scared.
Knock.Knock.
The knocking at the door of her room brought her back to reality.
She rubbed her eyes to wipe away the tears and went to open the door.
"I heard there's a crybaby here!"
Said Sunny to mock her while entering the room.
Cassie puffed out her cheeks in offense and replied: "I'm not a crybaby!"
Sunny laughed a bit at her offense.
Cassie was so cute with her cheeks all puffy. He would really like to squeeze them.
Then he looked at her better.
Cassie tried to hide it but Sunny could clearly see the tear marks on her beautiful doll-face.
It didn't take his shadow sense to know that she was still crying.
But despite this, she was making herself look strong in the eyes of others.
In that moment, looking at Cassie in her pitiful state, Sunny really wanted so much to tell her more!
He wanted to tell her about the dangers that await them in the future.
How the knowledge given by her visions will weigh on her.
That he won't leave her alone, not now, not ever!
But he couldn't.
Not out of fear of altering the future, since the past had already been messed up by his [Foreign] attribute apparently, neither out of laziness.
But because Cassie also needs to become strong in her own way, and the only way she can do that is to figure out for herself how to behave based on her Aspect and visions.
So... Sunny simply hugged Cassie, stroking her hair with one hand, careful not to tug at the split ends that had formed from her fear.
She was now resting on his chest, again.
Cassie could hear his heartbeat.
Sunny was scared, too.
Somehow, this gave her comfort in a way she couldn't describe yet.
"Take care!" Sunny said to her in a low voice.
Cassie returned the hug and smiled, squeezing her eyes on his chest.
"You too!" She said.
Then Sunny left the room, wishing for the blind girl good luck.
Sunny then went to meet Yuki.
"Good luck" He said hugging her as well.
Yuki returned the hug with clear affection and a smile, she was adapted to her flaw by now.
Although, Sunny had yet to figure out how her flaw was 'freezing' her emotions somehow, it wasn't very clear how it works, actually!
Releasing the hug, Sunny looked for a moment at Yuki. She opened her mouth as for saying something, but the words died in her ice-red lips for a moment, her head slightly bowed.
Yuki seemed lost in thought.
"Good luck to you, too!" Yuki finally said, and she turned back, entering in her room.
Sunny went to meet Nephis lastly.
She had already entered in her room. Sunny knocked on the door and entered before she could answer him.
There's a reason to why Sunny decided to go to her lastly! And it's because, honestly, Sunny has no idea how he feels about Nephis.
He'd be lying to say that he doesn't like her, and Sunny can't lie!
Nephis and Sunny are the endgame, after all. But his feelings for Nephis aren't as strong as those he felt for Jet or Cassie right now.
Also -and don't forget-he's not the original Sunless, and he has no intention of limiting himself to love just Nephis. He wanted more.
Tsk! Never mind!
Only time will tell how things will unfold.
Hearing someone enter her pod room, Nephis turned around menacingly, thinking it was Caster. Fortunately it was only Sunny, which gave her relief. After he failed at that time to threaten Sunny to keep him away from her, Caster didn't try to do anything else to him. This reassured her, but the Legacy was still annoying trying to hit on her.
It bothered her, but Nephis couldn't do anything to him except push away his avances. After all, Caster is still the heir of the Han Li Clan under Valor, and their engagement was made by both the leader of each Clan.
She hated it! To be engaged to someone she didn't love and will never love, but she couldn't do anything about. Her father was a Sovereign, and Nephis just a Sleeper now, but tomorrow...
Let's see who will laugh in the end!
Sunny entered Nephis's pod room and was now just a few steps away from her.
He looked at her; Nephis was also lost in thought, just like Cassie and Yuki earlier.
"Are you ready to brave the dangers of the Dream Realm and slay an unfathomable Godlike entity?" Sunny said at her raising a thumb up.
It made him look ridiculous, but it was worthy! Because Nephis was really amused by his acting.
"Always!" She nodded, answered him proud.
Then Sunny took a few steps forward and hugged her. Nephis was taken aback first, fearing that he will do to her what he did to Cassie earlier.
Sunny is not thinking about kissing her right now, isn't he?
The thought made her blush a little, but seeing that it was just an innocent hug, she returned it, stretching her arms around him and resting her chin affectionately on his left shoulder.
Unbeknownst to Nephis, Sunny smiled, his chin resting on her shoulder too. The plan worked perfectly!
First he had to get close to her, then capture her in an embrace to low her defense, and now... as soon as Nephis loosened the embrace, Sunny whispered in her ear:
"See you on the other side."
He said and without shame, Sunny gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and ran off towards the door immediately after, before she could fight back.
Mission passed! Respect +++
At his act, Nephis became paralyzed, standing in her room, the temperature of the room seemed to suddenly increase.
Nephis's face frowned in anger. She knew it! Lecherous Shadow!
He is nothing more than a treacherous lecher!
Mongrel! Pervert! Enemy of women!
A few minutes later, a Nephilim entered in her pod, swearing to herself that she'll make that Shadow pay later when they'll meet in the Dream Realm.
After saying goodbye to the girls, Sunny still had to say goodbye to two people before aheading toward his room.
Professor Julius said goodbye to him simply shaking his hand, wishing him good luck and said: "Be back fast Sleeper Sunless and remember! No student of mine ever die in his first expedition on the Dream Realm."
Lastly, it was Jet's turn.
Sunny had stepped out for a moment to say hello to her, the Academy staff didn't make a fuss about it since he would be back sooner or later anyway.
In the past, some Sleepers have already attempted to escape the Academy, thinking it would save them from the Winter Solstice, but it was clearly futile! Their bodies were found shortly afterward somewhere near the institute; their souls had entered the Dream Realm directly on the same day. This is also why, after the first few times, no one stopped them; at most, they retrieved their bodies and threw them into their respective pods to keep them safe and avoid losing face.
"You've matured." Jet said to Sunny, there were only the two of them around at that moment. They were standing in front of the Academy's exit door.
Sunny tilted his head and smiled, not understanding her statement, "Why did you say so?"
Jet crossed her arms, getting closer to him.
"Your eyes! The way you talk, act, interact with others. After your First Nightmare you seem to have become more mature, before you were much more annoying towards me, or other girls. You were more clingy too. But now, you behave more like the gentleman that you so proudly spoke to be."
Hearing this, Sunny was... mortified. He didn't thought that he was so annoying from her point of view, but who could blame him?
Jet has been the only light he had meet so far in the Outskirts after she passed away. He didn't behave like this only to hit on her, but because he didn't want to lose Master Jet too.
As for the story of his behavior toward the other girls... well! That's a story for another time.
"Clingy, eh! So, did you miss the old me who was always around you these days? Because, I'll let you know, this is the last chance for you to give me that kiss."
Jet sulked and hitted him on the forehead with a finger. "I'll take it back, you are still the same little Devil."
"Ouch!" Said Sunny, massaging the hitted spot with a hand.
How many times have the two of them already repeated this gag?
It was a little discouraging, but Sunny knows Jet cares about him.
Then...
Unexpectedly.
Jet caught his lips in a kiss, their tongue suddenly intertwined.
Sunny's mind froze, he wanted this, but he didn't expect Jet to be so... childish.
The kiss was a mess, it wasn't the first kiss for Sunny but by the way she was kissing him, it was clearly the first kiss for Jet.
Despite her ascendant beauty, she had never been in a relationship.
Jet stretched her arms around him, pulling him in a tight, warm embrace. Sunny pushed away every other thought, closed his eyes and concentrated only on the kiss, feeling their lips and tongues intertwining as he returned her embrace, holding her back with a hand and stroking her hair with the other.
They stood like this for a whole minute, until Jet broke the kiss.
They caught their breath, both blushing as they still looked at each other with their arms still intertwined in each other. Gladly no one was present there to see them.
"I-I hope you're satisfied now!" Jet said to him between one breath and another, her voice barely a whisper and full of embarrassment.
"Hm?" Sunny nodded, unable to think clearly after the kiss.
It has been even too intense for both of them.
And then, Jet pulled him again in her embrace.
Given his height, Sunny had his head on her chest right now, this was on of the few advantages of his height.
"Please! come back Sunny, come back to me!" Jet said to him, tightening the hug.
"I will! Have you already forgotten what I said to you before my First Nightmare? I'll never dreamt to leave alone a beauty such as you." He said to her.
A bold statement but also a promise, made in the embrace between two souls, two survivors of the Outskirts who had actually no one else except each other.
A few minutes later a divine Shadow, the holder of the lightless Crown, Sunless was standing alone in front of his pod.
Despite the indifference he had shown in the days leading up to the Solstice, the anxiety and fear he had managed to avoid until now were coming at him all at once.
Sunny stared at his pod, not daring to move a step.
He looked at his shadow.
"Are we really going to do this?"
The shadow nodded, raising a triumphant fist to encourage its master.
Sunny took a deep breath.
He remembered how he had shamelessly vowed to himself, during the Spell appraisal, to obtain everything that he want. Power, riches, women. It was quite the embarrassing scene that he made.
Since he had become Sunless, he felt like this life was not is own. He felt only a thief who was stealing the life of another. Because of this, he has harbored the same dreams that the original Sunless had in the Novel.
Opening a Cafe, taking care of his sister, hanging out with a lot of girls... Actually! This last one was more his own dream than Sunny's, and for another reason yet.
But by now, after overcaming his First Nightmare, he had grown tired to compare himself with the original Sunless.
He is Sunless now!
Sunless made his choices and he will make his.
Now that he was at peace with himself, Sunny looked back at his pod and take a step forward.
Suddenly...
The door of his room opened.
Turning around, Sunny saw Yuki standing a few steps from him.
The girl stood rigid in front of him, her fingers crossed on her skirt, she wore a strange expression who doesn't add up to her character.
What its happening? Sunny had already said goodbye to her.
Why did Yuki look so torn?
She had really a trembled expression on her face, like she was holding back something.
He had never seen her like this.
On second thought, Yuki looked like this before, during the party and even when he said goodbye to her earlier.
Sunny tried to ask, worried.
"It's something the matter, Yuki?"
Yuki tried to speak, but the words died again on her lips. Some words are heavier than a mountain.
She simply took a step forward, caughting his cheeks with the hands and pulling him closer to her face.
Yuki kissed Sunny. Even this kiss was childish and a mess, she putted in all her inexperience.
During the kiss, she handed to Sunny a folded piece of paper, then she broke the kiss and run away out of the room.
She didn't say nothing.
Sunny was motionless once again, staring at the door where Yuki ran away with a satisfied expression.
'Two in one day? Who am I, the bastard son of Rocco Siffredi?' Sunny thought, smiling proud of himself.
Then, he noticed the paper that she handed him during the kiss.
Sunny opened it.
He read its contents, blinked.
Sunny read it again.
And then again.
And again.
And again.
With every reading, the proud smile disappeared from his face.
The words written on it were now printed on his very being.
After reading, he immediately stormed toward the door, leaning out of the room.
"YUKI!"
He angry shouted her name, but looking around...
Yuki had already run out of his sight. So, Sunny activated his Shadow Sense only to find out that the girl had just fleeing into the Dream Realm.
"YUKI!!!" Sunny tried again in vain, punching the door of his room furiously.
'Coward! The bitch ran away!'
What did she know that he don't?
Sunny reentered the room, slamming the door behind him.
Cursing out loud everything he knew, he lay down on his pod.
Sunny so entered the Dream Realm.
On the ground of his room, lay the piece of paper from before.
On the paper, the following words were reported:
----------------------------------------------------------
Don't trust your memories.
----------------------------------------------------------
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Sunless!]