The next morning, Uriel was enjoying his cup of hot, sugary coffee, chatting a bit with Cassie and ignoring the occasional looks Sunny shot his way.
It was a perfect monotony, broken only by the arrival of a new addition: none other than Changing Star, who sat at the same table. Sunny tensed.
Uriel simply sipped his coffee. Cassie frowned slightly, and all the sleepers glanced at their table, but a look from Uriel made them avert their eyes.
No one said anything, sticking to their meals until Uriel and Sunny went to their classes with Master Julius.
On the way, Uriel decided to break the silence.
"So, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate my sparring match with Changing Star, Sunless?" Uriel asked.
Sunny remained silent for a second before responding.
"A nine."
"Why not a ten?" he asked curiously.
"You could have ended the fight quicker, but you didn't. Why?" the young man asked suspiciously.
"Relax your paranoia. I simply enjoy learning fighting styles. If you want, I can train you, as long as you call me 'Master.'"
"Never," Sunny said immediately.
Uriel just laughed lightly, amused.
"Well, suit yourself, but I'll keep the offer open," he said, entering the classroom where Julius was waiting and immediately began teaching.
After class, around five, Uriel left the classroom and headed to the combat dojo for his training, where he was placed in the advanced class with a training partner: the Legacy boy.
Since Shade was asleep and couldn't switch places, he decided to fight and gain his own combat experience, developing a style different from Shade's.
He naturally had Shade's knowledge and movements memorized, so by mixing a bit of Shade's style, Nephis's, and Caster's speed-based style, he began to create a new, functional style.
Thanks to the Legacy boy and nearly three hours of combat practice, he had made small progress in his style.
The days quickly passed in a blur. He studied and learned with Julius, continued teasing Sunny—who, after days of enduring it, now tolerated his presence and wasn't as withdrawn, slowly opening up.
If before he had a charisma of -50 with the protagonist, now he could say he had a charisma of +20, which was a huge leap.
Another important matter for him was his battles against Nephis.
As agreed, they met once every week until the winter solstice, with the same bet.
For these fights, he sometimes fought himself, and sometimes Shade took over. Both won their matches and improved their combat styles.
He noticed that, unlike in the canon, Nephis grew stronger with each encounter, learning from past mistakes and devising new strategies, making their fights more intense and creative.
Finally, there was his interaction with Cassie. He had made significant progress with the girl, offering support and helping her adapt to her Flaw by guiding her on how to use the supersenses she had acquired.
Recently, she even spoke a bit with Nephis and Sunny, accelerating their meeting and friendship.
Honestly, Uriel was curious about what would happen and how things would change in the future.
Something else he did—or rather, something Shade insisted on—was participating in the sleepers' romantic scene. He left that to Shade until it was over.
He made sure it wasn't anything serious, just casual encounters with some girls who caught his interest and were interested in him.
Finally, after four weeks, the winter solstice arrived.
...
When morning came, Uriel woke up, stretched, took a cold shower as was his morning routine, changed, and headed to the cafeteria, where he got plenty of delicious food and a good cup of coffee sweetened with honey.
After filling his tray, he sat in his usual spot next to Cassie, while Sunny sat across from him and Nephis sat beside him.
"Good morning," Nephis greeted.
"Hi, Neph," Cassie greeted cheerfully.
"Hello," said Uriel, while Sunny also gave his greeting.
Uriel took a sip of his coffee before speaking.
"Oh, right, happy birthday, Sunny," he said, making the boy blink in surprise.
"How do you know it's my birthday?" Sunny asked.
"I asked you two weeks ago," Uriel reminded him. Sunny blinked, remembering that. He had been more immersed in studying runes at the time.
"Thank you," the young man said.
"Happy birthday," said Cassie.
"Happy birthday to you too," said Nephis, looking at the boy shorter than her.
Sunny felt overwhelmed by the congratulations, feeling a smile slip onto his face.
...
Later, as night fell, Uriel observed the capsule where he would be trapped for a long time.
'Where do you think I'll end up?' Uriel asked Shade.
'My answer is the same as yours,' said Shade.
'Maybe if we're lucky, in some citadel. Or who knows? Maybe we'll end up in Godgrave?' he said with a sinister smile.
'I hope that's not the case. Not even Saints come out alive if they go alone, not to mention the cursed creatures in that place,' said Uriel, entering the capsule.
'Right, right. But anyway, we could leave if we get to the top of the bone and take the path to Revenheart or Bastion.'
Uriel didn't respond as he watched the capsule close.
Finally, he closed his eyes, and the voice of the Spell whispered in his head.
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Uriel!]