Leaning against the sleeping pod I woke in, I looked at the cold grey ceiling. The room gleamed with darkness and cold air lingered with no movement.
The place was silent, and no movement could be seen.
A peace of mind rushed my head, looking back at this hellish journey, I couldn't help but chuckle with the deep relief of the waking world. Only after going through the horrors of the dream realm, do you understand how precious life is.
Glowing lights dimmed occasionally in the background, disappearing into darkness, indicating spirits disappear deeper into the realm of the dead.
"When was the last time I could just stay in place and do nothing?" I asked myself with calmness, bringing up a different kind of exhaustion I never felt before. I don't remember feeling before.
"Where do I go from here?"
Looking around one last time, I couldn't help but feel the place resembled some sort of morgue.
In such place each person's life could cease without a warning, however, no one is around to know. "Such a miserable end."
Waiting long enough, I got up to march outside as a proud champion. Before I could move a single step, however, I was greeted by the stare of a stranger. A girl, lying on her stomach on a sleeping pod as if she was on her own bed, eyeing me attentively.
Standing stupefied for an eternal quiet moment, the girl decided to break the screeching silence first. Saying nothing more than "Yo."
The girl had short gleaning black hair tied behind with a bang framing her face, though her haircut is asymmetrical.
She was as young as a teenager, she was petite, and her skin was delicate and slightly pale.
Her eyes, blue as ocean, were sparkling with interest.
"Have I seen you before? I don't think I've seen you before."
breaking out from the daze, I get a bit embarrassed by finding out I shared my thoughts with a stranger.
"H-how long have you been there?"
"I just got here."
I let out the unnecessary tension with a heavy sigh.
"Had a tough way back? Well, it's only been a day so how bad could it have been? I mean, a hundred people stayed in the dream realm for years and came out just last year."
"And what does it make you? A spoiled brat?"
The girl did not seem amused by my reply. In fact, she's quite annoyed.
"Well, that's a bit of rude, don't you think? You don't even know me."
Getting hit by the unexpected hypocrisy, a slight irritation made my skin crawl.
Deciding to ignore the girl, I walked away without wasting time on that trolling conversation.
"Oh, the way is that way, by the way!"
"Uh?"
The uncanny comment made me stumble for just a moment, but it was just enough for the girl to follow me while pointing at the door at the end of the room.
"You asked where to go from here, it's this way."
Without a moment of delay the petite girl took the lead, making it seem as if I follow her.
'That little brat…"
If that girl is here to provoke me… she's doing a damn good job.
Leaving the room, we reached one of the corridors of the academy. Supposedly, we need to update the staff about our return, and they'll arrange an interview.
***
The Interview went on smoothly, concluding with me becoming B – class awakened and a basic citizenship.
After the interview I went down to the cafeteria to eat my fill and return to the dorms. All that is left now is to decide where do I go from here.
A week has gone by so peacefully. In the days I don't have much to do and at nights I go back to the dream realm.
I found myself bound to the gateway in a place called Chained Isles. The Saint overseeing the place found Alticia and I collapsed on the desolated grounds east of the Chained Isles and was kind enough to transport both of us back to the waking world. This is how I woke up as Awakened.
As for Alticia, she fell ill. Infected by the Nightmare Spell and going through the First Nightmare at this very moment.
Saint Sky Tide, the overseer of the Chained Isles, was willing to look after Alticia, probably interested in her story.
In the meantime, I do some hunts, gather soul shards, and make some money to make a living.
It's not much, but it's honest work. With enough battle experience and money, I can think about what to do next, though, I don't think there is anything I can think of.
'I could look for clues or marks of my past.'
One of my Attributes is [Faint of Nothing: A fragment of a previous world yet live in another. Your impact has stained the livings, and yet, you don't belong among them.] hypothetically, it means people would still remember me if I could convince them it is me.
In a way, I'll have to relive my past life to remember first. But is it even possible to?
***
Due to the Winter Solstice, the dorms were re-arranged, ready for the new Awakened to enroll in their middle year, leaving me with a room just for me, myself and I for the time being.
As an Awakened, I can move freely in and out of academy until I settle on a place to stay. The boring days seem to come closer as I find solace in the peace for the time being. However, a small fear is hiding in my mind. A fear of the haunting monarch of the Kingdom of Helios.
Everything that happened was real. Everything was surreal. A time raft or pocket dimension leads to the realm ruled by a sole person.
However, I cannot get help in preparing for the worst.
Drifting my mind, the new runes appeared before me. These runes appeared ever since I woke up as an awakened.
[King's Pawn: Loyal servant to the almighty Supreme Helios].
This Attribute is making me helpless against that monarch. A dreadful reminder of that fateful day. This attribute carries a fragment of Helios' domain; its job is prohibiting me from ever mentioning anything about the upcoming invasion.
The unsettling fear was disturbed, though. The reason? The odd girl from the pods chamber.
Poking my cheek repeatedly, she keeps begging for attention.
After settling in, the girl, whose name had been revealed to be Temmy, refused to leave me alone. She was like a spoiled child begging for attention.
She insisted on sticking around in my room, proclaiming there's absolutely nothing else to do to pass the time, and conveniently, her Aspect lets her barge into my room whenever she feels like it.
"Can you cut it off? Why are you even still here?"
"The same reason you're doing nothing all day. I already asked to go to the mall or something."
"I told you to go, why do you need me for?"
Within the few days that had passed, we became a bit close, or rather, she refused to leave me be, disregarding anything I say.
"You're going to let a helpless girl like me go by myself? Some boyfriend you are!"
"Aren't you Awakened? You're already overpowering most of humanity, also, I am not your boyfriend. You're just being a pain in the ass."
Temmy let out an audible humph as if she loudly pouted.
"Fine, have it your way."
Grabbing me from my legs, she activated her Awakened ability, letting her go past solid objects, kind of like a ghost but a bit more literal. With a little shake going through my body, I fell through my bed under the floor and from there to the room below, leaving me stranded in an empty hallway.
Descending dramatically through the ceiling, she floated above my head with arms crossed against her chest.
"Why are you on the floor in the middle of a corridor, weirdo?" she said with tone of mockery.
"Don't you think you can be a bit more practical?"
With a tired sigh, I get up and give in to her bewildering taunts. "Fine, you little brat, I'm up."
With a little giggle and satisfied smile, Temmy hopped in delight. And I fall her.