SWNOVELXO Chapter 6: speech
People parted as a tall red-haired man passed by, with a shorter dark-haired girl hanging from his hand, looking like a cat holding a troublesome kitten by the neck.
The two kept walking until they arrived at an empty corner with a bench. Sunny couldn't help but talk.
"so..uh..could you let go now?" she pleaded, she never experienced being lifted by the head so mercilessly before, her neck was starting to hurt, 'what was he eating in the outskirts!'
"didn't know you had a hobby of causing trouble." said Ares as he put Sunny down on the bench, not paying attention to a certain blond-haired girl not far from them.
"Believe me, neither did I." Sunny rubbed her aching neck, not meeting his gaze.
"but...you know..."
"hm~? know what?" Ares smirked as he neared Sunny's face.
Sunny had a reddened face, she was both embarrassed and depressed. 'why did shadow god have to be stingy with the appearance upgrade, just look at him!'
"you had no reason to 'save' me. Why did you butt in?" she sighed and asked warily, if you were to ask Sunny who she feared the most in the hundreds of teenagers here, it would be Ares. Why you ask? The answer was simple, she and him were the only ones from the outskirts, and if she got any lesson from that shithole of a place, it was to never trust any fellow rat.
"...." silence reigned, the air got serious as both figures locked eyes.
Ares leaned back and laughed, "Why you say? Because I want to!" Sunny was gobsmacked, was this guy insane?!
"even if it caused almost all the legacies to hate you? Are you stupid?" she couldn't make sense of it, You're from the outskirts, with no backing, no training, no nothing! She at least had a divine aspect, but what did he have to have this much courage?
"I know you have a plan of some sort, you don't look the type to forge a bad reputation for nothing, and I won't pry, as for what you said." paused Ares, his aura changing abruptly, his mesmerizing eyes glowed with an ethereal crimson light.
"legacies? So what! So what if we're outskirts rats, so what if people think we have no chance of survival, naming us walking corpses? avoiding us once they know we're doomed. are we cursed by fate? unloved by the world? what nonsense! I say flip the tables and spit on fate! I did not save you for gratitude or favor, but because it is my will to shape the world as I see fit. A king does not bow to the whims of fate—he commands them, even if it makes enemies of those who would cower before destiny."
"I'll live as a king, for I am one! Legacies? Enemies? why should I cower in front of those who'll kneel before me?" ended Ares, his Aura peaked, He could feel the teeniest bit of power entering him.
Sunny could swear she saw a thorny crown on his head, his visage plastered with a maddening grin, this insane man believed every word he just sprouted! Utterly insane! Oh, Sunny why do you keep attracting weirdos?!
But what she didn't see was her own grin and fast-beating heart, her abysmally dark eyes looked as if shadows were swimming frantically in them, Fated? bound to be a slave and lose freedom? she will not lower her head and accept these shackles!
Unknown to them, the oracle behind them was clenching her heart, the mark of tears under her eyes, the seed of hope was planted.
'it's about time I start acting like a true monarch.' thought Ares as he quickly viewed his runes.
Name: Ares
True Name: Scarlet King
Rank: Dreamer
Crimson Core: Dormant
Destruction fragments: [14/1000]
Memories:--
Echoes:--
Attributes: [King's Road], [King's Instinct], [Monarch's Body]
[King's Road: the threads of fate bind all beings, but The King despises fate, and so he created his own. fate doesn't control you, but you make your own]
[King's instinct: all beings have instinct, yours is a step above.]
[Monarch's body: your eyes are more powerful, your heart is special, your blood is unique, and your soul is more vigorous.]
Aspect: [King's inheritor]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Innate Ability: True King
Ability Description: [As a true king, It is only natural for you to be respected and feared, the more you act like a King, the powerful you become.]
Class abilities: Dormant ability: [terror]
[Terror: upon use, Whoever glances upon you feels primordial fear.]
Aspect abilities: [Monarch's Gluttony]
[Monarch's Gluttony: you are capable of devouring other beings to get stronger.]
Flaw: [Oblivion: you are unable to gain memories.]
Aspect Legacy: [Bloodforged Aegis: A legendary armor crafted in the depths of an ancient, cursed forge, where molten blood replaced steel. It is said to have been created under the watchful gaze of a tyrannical god, imbued with the wrath and hatred of countless souls.]
His eyes focused on his aspect and innate ability, based on his understanding, he has to be a king, gather fear, respect, and hope, to grow stronger.
Sunny finally got a grip on herself and sighed. "I hope you stay alive, giant. I don't want such an insane person to die early."
"Don't worry, I'm not easy to swallow." Ares winked and snickered, gaining a laugh from Sunny.
the two kept talking aimlessly, everyone avoided the troublesome duo and marked them dead. they only had themselves now.
that was until a behemoth of a man entered the stage.
The giant man had wide shoulders, an athletic build, and a gorgeous brown beard. His eyes were calm and serious. After reaching the center of the stage, he gave Sleepers a long look. his gaze met the 'dead' corner, but he didn't pay them much attention. Finally, he said in a deep, reverberating voice:
"I am Awakened Rock. Sleepers, welcome to the Academy."
Everyone listened without making a sound.
"In less than a month, you will be summoned to the Dream Realm. Some of you might think that you are well prepared. You're wrong. The Spell is merciless and cunning. The moment Awakened begin to think too much of themselves, they die. I've seen countless Sleepers like you lose their lives. I've also seen experienced Masters lose theirs. Even Saints are not assured to survive."
'hell hole indeed, the difficulty is outrageous.'
"In the following four weeks, we will do everything in our power to increase your chances of survival. You will receive training from the best instructors in the world. However, don't be misled by their fame: in the end, whether you return from the Dream Realm alive depends only on one person — you. The responsibility to survive is yours, and yours alone. "
Except for the Legacies, Sleepers were looking at each other with growing fear in their eyes. Awakened Rock continued:
"You are not children anymore. It's a shame, because you ought to be. But the Spell has decided otherwise. You have been to the First Nightmare, so you already know what it's like. Your parents, your teachers and your friends can't help you anymore…"
both Ares and Sunny shrugged, they were alone from the start anyway, one lived through hell in a nightmare from the beginning, and the other suffered in the outskirts were loneliness and death were common, help was non-existent.
Finally, the speech got to the important part. Awakened Rock paused, giving kids listening to him a few moments to digest his words. Then, with a short nod, he continued:
"Now we will talk about the difference between Nightmares and the Dream Realm…"
#after a while#
A lot of kids gained much from Awakened Rock's speech, mainly Ares, knowledge about nightmares and the dream realm, nightmare seeds, and the unbalanced ranks in the dream realm.
"If you can't locate or are unable to reach the nearest human Citadel, search for an unclaimed Gateway. It will usually be inside or near the most prominent landmark of the region. Work together to defeat its guardians and come back alive."
rock gave them a heavy look.
"That is all for today. Next, follow the instructions sent to your communicators to find your assigned dormitory. Once settled, you may proceed to the cafeteria for some late supper. There will be a round of interviews after that, to prepare your suggested curriculums. Get a good night's rest. Your training starts tomorrow."
Ares could already feel the incoming headache.
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and that's it for today's chapter, tell me how u feel abt Sunny/Ares interaction.
hope u have a good day xd