'Today is a small step for a transmigrator and a giant leap for a future legendary hero beloved by many women,' chanted Shade in Uriel's mind.
'Oh, please,' Uriel said mentally. 'Don't you have anything better to do?'
'Actually, no. You know, this place is empty, so maybe later I'll do some things to pass the time.'
'What kind of things?'
'You know, things. Nothing really relevant,' he replied.
Uriel looked at the enormous gates of the Academy, which functioned as a city within the city. Built like a fortress with high walls made of hard alloy, a deep moat, countless high-caliber turrets, and a deadly dome that suppressed the air.
'This place is incredible. They must have invested billions to build it,' said Shade.
'I agree with you,' said Uriel.
Uriel looked down, seeing the thin layer of snow forming. He only had three weeks before being sent to the Dream Realm and falling into who-knows-what spell.
He felt a little cold and already missed the darkness.
Looking around, he saw that besides Sunny, there was another sleeper next to him: a girl with short silver hair wearing headphones, with a distant gaze, carrying a tracksuit and no personal belongings.
'Wow, she's pretty for having autism,' commented Shade. 'Hey, Uriel, what if we tried? You know, create a bond and in ten years when she discovers passion, you know what I mean, right?'
Uriel sighed.
'No,' he responded calmly.
'Wuss, chicken, man with no chest hair.'
'What does chest hair have to do with anything?'
'It's the symbol of masculinity,' Shade responded firmly.
'You're crazy.'
'I'm you, so we both are, to a certain extent.'
Out of the corner of his eye, Uriel noticed Sunny staring intently and scrutinizingly at the girl.
"Hey, Sunnless, what's your ideal type of girl?" Uriel asked with a slight amused smile, making the boy tense up and after three seconds give in.
"Tall with a big butt," he responded before closing his mouth.
"I see," said Uriel, looking at the girl. 'Seems like the attraction started here,' said Uriel.
'Right. Right,' responded Shade.
'By the way, do you have any plans?'
'Hmm. Not really. Just take Julius's classes and battle class, and chat a bit with Cassie.'
'With the blind girl? You know that could be a bad idea, right?'
'Hey, she's just a sleeper. Even if her Aspect rank is Sacred she's not that cunning or Machiavellian yet. She's harmless for now.'
'Well, do what you want,' said Shade.
Finally, the gates opened, creating a bridge, which Uriel began to walk across without any worry.
After crossing the bridge, he headed to the sleeper's dormitory, located in the southern zone of the Academy, surrounded by training fields and parks. It was hard to miss.
As Uriel had read, it was a low, modern building constructed with reinforced materials. Most of it was hidden underground, leaving only a few floors above.
Entering the building, it was luxurious, spacious, and well-lit. Uriel, Sunny, and Nephis were led to a large hall where there were about a hundred young unfortunate male and female sleepers.
When he entered the hall, he noticed everyone was well-dressed, carrying suitcases, bags, or backpacks with their personal belongings. It was evident they were rich.
'Hey, Uriel, what if we go to the United States to steal the Federal Reserve's gold? It's not like they really need it,' offered Shade.
'Maybe when we're Saints, we'll go there,' responded Uriel.
Moving away from Sunny, he looked for a place to sit, arriving at the corner of the room—the corner of the outcasts. Uriel sat at the same table where there was a girl adorable as a doll, with blonde hair and blue, vacant, expressionless eyes due to her blindness.
Uriel, sitting down, observed Cassie with curiosity. He didn't make any sound or noise; he simply studied her in silence for a few moments before speaking.
"What's your name?" Uriel asked out of nowhere, startling the girl.
Uriel smiled a little amused.
"Oh, sorry for scaring you. My name is Uriel," he said, satisfied.
"N-no problem, you took me by surprise," said the girl, calming down. "I-I'm Cassie," she responded.
"Nice to meet you, Cassie. It must be difficult, right?" he asked.
Cassie didn't understand what the boy was asking before realizing.
"Yes, it is difficult," responded Cassie, bringing a hand to her expressionless eyes.
Uriel had a moment of silence before continuing.
"I don't know if my words mean anything, but you're very brave."
Cassie tilted her head.
"Why am I brave, Uriel?"
"Well, I can't imagine having a Flaw like yours. But the fact that you don't give up and are interested in moving forward says a lot about your will and courage. I'm 100% sure you'll live a long time and be strong."
'Aside from being a first-class event manipulator,' added Shade in Uriel's head.
"Do you really think so?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes," Uriel's voice came out animated. "Do you mind if from now on I sit with you to chat for a while?"
Cassie quickly shook her head.
"I wouldn't mind," she expressed.
Uriel smiled, although Cassie couldn't see it.
'Hey, Uriel, now that I think about it, isn't Cassie like a kind of Toph from Avatar?'
Uriel blinked.
'Now that you mention it, yes, I think so,' he said, realizing a bit of the similarities between both characters.
Uriel glanced sideways, seeing Sunny approaching, looking a bit discouraged, though upon seeing him, his face became a bit annoyed.
Uriel waved his hand, indicating he should sit; there was enough space.
Sunny sat at the table reluctantly.
"Cassie, this is Sunnless. Sunnless, this is Cassie. She's blind, so be a bit tactful when dealing with her," said Uriel.
Sunny gave him a clearly irritated look but said nothing.
"H-hello," greeted Cassie.
"Hello," said Sunny simply.
After the basic exchange of greetings, an Awakened entered, beginning the induction talk.
After a talk that Uriel didn't even pay attention to, he let out a light yawn, wondering what was for dinner.
'Remember to look for more strippers,' reminded Shade.
'You really have a problem with that.'
'Shut up. I have my preferences, and you have your strippers—goth girls with big butts.'
'That's called being a man of culture.'
'Damn, I want a goth girl with a big butt,' said Shade with a shout that made Uriel frown a bit.
'Don't shout; it gives me a headache.'
...
After Uriel found his personal room, which curiously was next to Sunny's room, much to the boy's annoyance and his amusement, he entered.
The room had a bed with a soft mattress, a desk, a wardrobe, and a private bathroom. The materials were new and pleasant, and the smell was sterile, far from the nauseating smell of the outskirts.
There were also several sets of clothes with the Academy's emblem.
Sitting on the bed, he felt the soft and comfortable mattress beneath him.
"This is really comfortable," said Uriel with a satisfied expression.
'Tsk. Lucky,' said Shade grumpily.
"Come on, it's not that big a deal."
'Whatever, it's not like I'm jealous or anything.'
"Uh-huh, whatever you say."
Standing up, Uriel summoned his first memory.
...
Memory: [Dark Mantle]
Memory Rank: Awakened
Level: V
Type: Armor
Description: [When the first Lord of Night fell, his mantle did not disintegrate. Darkness preserved it as a symbol of sovereignty, waiting for a new worthy owner.]
Enchantments: [Living Shadow] [Concealment]
[Living Shadow] Description: This mantle automatically reacts to attacks with lethal intent.
[Concealment] Description: Reduces others' perception of you.
...
"Hey, don't you need something about lineage to see the enchantments?" asked Uriel.
'Fool. We received the blessing of True Darkness, so we can see the enchantments of these memories, although activating them is impossible since we're sleepers,' explained Shade.
"Right."
Uriel looked at the dark mantle. The armor was made of soft black fabric with several hard plate elements to withstand impacts or cuts. In his opinion, the armor looked incredible on him, so he had no complaints.
Dismissing the armor, Uriel left his room, heading to the Academy's cafeteria.
Upon arriving, he filled his tray with all kinds of delicacies: rice, fried chicken, sauces, french fries, fruits.
With a smile, he sat where Cassie was, greeting her, making the girl not startle this time when he spoke out of nowhere.
They chatted for a while.
After Uriel finished eating, he headed to his appointment with the Academy staff.
The interview was quite simple. Given that his Aspect wasn't related to slavery or anything like that, he shared part of his abilities, as well as the fact of his True Name, something that shocked the worker.
After the interview, he left the office, heading to his room, lying down to sleep, although it took him a bit since inside his mind he heard the noise of construction—something impossible but somehow possible.
Early in the morning, Uriel was eating breakfast with great effort, taking, of course, a cup of coffee with plenty of sugar.
Soon, his stingy companion with the Divine Aspect arrived, who as always had a face like everything could go to hell.
After a brief exchange and nod, they ate in silence for a few minutes until a commotion was heard, which Uriel ignored, focused on his food and his mental argument with Shade about whether One Piece was really the friends we made along the way.
"H-how... how can this be?!"
"I'm not seeing things, right?"
"What kind of monsters are they?!"
Uriel stopped arguing with Shade, looking at the screen with curiosity.
He didn't have to search much upon seeing his name, which was in second place, behind Changing Star.
Name: Uriel
True Name: Lord of the Darkness.
Uriel simply took a sip of his coffee and returned to his food. He could feel Sunny's gaze with intensity, reevaluating his assessment of him, but honestly, for now, he just wanted his coffee.