Klein gazed down at the plate of untouched food before him and sighed. He was tired, very tired. It was the winter solstice after all. Soon he would fall asleep in a pod and enter the Dream Realm for the first time.
It was because of this; the cafeteria was so silent. Because for all the sleepers here, this would be their last day on Earth for a long while.
Not to mention the fact most of them won't make it back.
The air way heavy. Fors, sitting across from him looked especially somber, but truth be told, Klein wasn't as nervous as everyone else, because he knew where he was going to end up.
He had divined where he would land in the Dream Realm using dream divination and received a response. It wasn't very clear, but he could make out a large dark ocean.
The only place that matched that description was the Storm Sea!
Granted, the Storm Sea wasn't a great place to land, but at least Klein could prepare ahead of time. He had gotten Professor Julius to increase their swimming sessions and lessons on star navigation. He also used his spare time to study up on aquatic nightmare creatures.
All three would be key to surviving the ocean and were necessary for the plan he had made. The moment Klein entered, he would use the stars to locate the direction of the nearest citadel and swim until he reached it.
It wasn't the best strategy, and it would still be incredibly dangerous, but it was better than the other sleepers going in blind.
In fact, the biggest thing Klein was worried about was that his dormant ability was practically useless in the Storm Sea.
He had had figured out the functions of his dormant ability, shortly after his true name got leaked by Amon, by using dream divination.
His ability [Flame Control] was an incredibly versatile but lacked outright power. It allowed Klein to ignite anything flammable within a thirty-meter radius around him, and by lighting himself on fire, travel between flames.
He could also fire a small burst of fire, with power comparable to a mundane rifle, by snapping his fingers.
It was an ability with great mobility and even had offensive options. It was everything Klein expected from a divine aspect; however, if he was going to be dropped into the ocean, then it would be useless.
But if everything went as he hoped, then he wouldn't need to use it and could instead swim to safety. Nightmare creatures were going to be a problem, but with [Shadow's Veil], he should be able to avoid the various abominations lurking in the deep.
So, all in all, Klein was in decent spirits.
But it still didn't improve his appetite.
Standing up, Klein turned in his untouched plate before heading to the ceremony hall. This is where all the sleepers were to gather before entering the Dream Realm.
He noticed Fors was walking beside him, but neither of them were in the mood for conversation.
The hall was silent and somber, and that didn't change when Awakened Rock gave his speech and led them underground to the sleeping pods. But first Awakened Rock showed them the hall of hollows.
The hall was filled with empty shells. The unfortunate people who failed to survive the nightmare realm. Who failed to return home, and while this disheartened many of the sleepers, it filled Klein with a strong sense of conviction.
His siblings were still waiting for him. Benson and Melissa. A good life awaited the three as long as Klein survived and returned home to them. So, he could not become hollow. He could not die.
He had people waiting for him.
Soon they were dismissed to their rooms.
It was time to enter.
Taking a deep breath, Klein climbed into his pod, and as the lid closed around him, he couldn't help but lampoon.
I'm courting death again...
Everything went black, and then he heard the voice of the Spell whisper.
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Klein!]
---
Staring at the hall of hollows, Fors felt her stomach drop. This was her future. She had spent the past four weeks training, attending classes, practicing with her ability, and yet she still knew her chances weren't high.
She wasn't a legacy, she lacked memories, her ability wasn't suited for survival. Maybe if she had more time at the academy, then maybe she could find some courage, some positivity, but she only had a month to prepare, and she knew it was insufficient.
Stepping into her room and laying down in her pod, Fors couldn't help but pray.
Gods, if you're still out there, please send near a citadel or people, just give me something. Please don't send me to die.
Her vision turned black, and she heard the voice of the Spell whisper.
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Fors!]
---
In a room down the hall, a sleeper climbed into his pod. He has a broad forehead and slightly curly hair.
As he watched the lid close around him, the corners of his lips curled up.
Nudging his monocle, Amon whispered one last sentence.
"This will be interesting..."
Everything went black, and the voice of the spell whispered in his ear.
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Amon!]
***
Author's Note
I know this chapter is short, but I felt like this was a good place to leave off, first night in Dream Realm will be next chapter.
I think this might be too big of a time skip, but I really wanted to get to the Dream Realm, because that is the interesting part. If you don't like it, I'll go back and add some new Academy chapters, but if you're fine with the pace then I'll continue with the Dream Realm.
Thank-you for reading!
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