Shadow Slave: The Weave of Madness

Sunny's mind was in disarray, his thoughts tangled and his senses reeling. A faint dizziness clung to him like a stubborn shadow. It felt as though his entire life had flashed before his eyes—compressed into a single, endless nightmare.

But was it really just a dream?

He lingered on the thought, his chest tightening.

No. It can't be.

His gaze flicked to Jet, seated across from him, scarred and weary but unmistakably real.

Master Jet is sitting here, exactly how I know her, other than the missing arm.

The thought anchored him, but not entirely.

Then... was what I lived through my future? Did the Spell grant me some kind of divination ability that shows my future in a dream?

The idea made his stomach churn. He wanted to check his runes, to see if there was some change—some proof of his theory—but his movements froze when Jet's voice cut through the heavy silence.

"You seem awfully calm for someone who was sleeping like a baby in the middle of a horde of Fallen Nightmare creatures."

Sunny's gaze snapped to her, his expression cold and calculating. For a moment, he studied her, searching for any hint of deception.

What are the chances that I'm still trapped in Nightmare's dreams?

The thought lingered, gnawing at him, but he forced it away.

No. That's ridiculous. The mad destrier couldn't possibly have reached someone in the waking world to subjugate their dreams.

He exhaled quietly, though unease still prickled at the edge of his mind.

"I just had a... really long and terrible nightmare," Sunny said finally, his voice low and measured. "To be honest, I'm not sure if it's really over."

Jet chuckled.

"Want me to slap you, just to be sure?"

Sunny flinched, the ghost of a memory flashing through his mind. Even if he wasn't certain whether it was a dream or something far more sinister, one thing was clear—he definitely didn't want to experience that again.

"No!" he said quickly, shuddering. "I'm awake, alright. No need to get violent."

"Good," Jet replied, leaning back in her chair with a faint smirk. "Although..." Her expression grew more serious, her tone turning sharp. "Your nightmare isn't over, kid. This? This is just a breather. A brief moment of respite before the next one begins."

Jet's icy-blue eyes bore into him. "I am Ascended Jet. You can call me Master Jet. I'm here to guide you, so that maybe—just maybe—your next nightmare will be a tiny bit less troublesome. Welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Sunless."

...

Sleeper Sunless.

It had been a long time since anyone had called him that. Or at least, it felt like a long time. Sunny still couldn't be sure if the past six years he'd lived had been real—or if they had been nothing more than a cruel and vivid dream.

But... if it was a dream, it had to be tethered to reality somehow, he thought. After all, Master Jet had behaved exactly as she had in his memory.

For now, Sunny decided to play the role of a clueless sleeper. He asked Jet the same routine questions he vaguely recalled asking her before, carefully navigating the conversation. Her responses were sharp and succinct, just as he expected.

After a brief exchange and an explanation about the gate's emergence and his own condition, Sunny found himself unceremoniously loaded into a government PTV. He was being sent to a temporary shelter for a shower and a change of clothes. Jet had insisted, somewhat bluntly, that he "reeked of Nightmare."

Sitting in the cramped vehicle, Sunny stared out of the tinted window, watching the city blur past.

It was strange. According to Jet, the Category Three gate had appeared with almost no warning, giving the government little time to respond. While the area had been evacuated in a rush, there hadn't been time to escort every sleeper out of the danger zone—him included.

Jet and Wake of Ruin, the old man he remembered from his dream, had somehow managed to completely neutralize the threat without a single casualty. Damage to property was, of course, unavoidable, but the lack of fatalities was nothing short of a miracle.

And yet, something about the whole situation felt wrong.

Jet had said as much herself.

"The gate's call was far too strong for it to be this weak," she'd muttered, her voice tinged with suspicion. "I was certain that at least a hundred corrupted Nightmare creatures would pour out. If not, then the gate guardian would've been a Corrupted Titan."

She'd paused then, her brow furrowed in thought.

"But there wasn't a single one. Not one corrupted creature. The guardian... it's either dead, or it was one of the measly Fallen critters we cleared out, which is unprecedented. And if someone did kill the guardian and took its body before we got there..." She shook her head. "Well, let's just say I don't like mysteries."

Sunny leaned back in his seat, her words replaying in his mind.

It was a lot to think about, true. But not for him. The government could puzzle it out. This wasn't his problem to solve.

He sighed, resting his head against the cold glass of the window.

I already have far more on my plate than I can probably handle.

...

Sunny stood under the steaming cascade of water, his body relishing the warmth, though his mind wandered far away. It drifted back to the dream—or whatever it was—that had clawed at his soul. Whether the events he'd witnessed were destined to unfold or utterly irrelevant, one thing was clear: his feelings about the people in that vision remained as vivid as ever.

If Master Jet was real, then surely the rest of them had to be, too.

Nephis, Cassie, Kai, Effie, Jet... and everyone else.

A conflicted frown crept across his face.

I don't know what I feel about them.

He closed his eyes, letting the hot water pour over his head.

No. That's a lie. I know exactly what I feel about them. What I don't know is what to do with those feelings.

His thoughts spiraled as he replayed the memories from his vision—or rather, what he'd decided to call his "previous life." Now that he'd been thrust back to the beginning, he had a choice. He could let things unfold as they had before, retracing the steps of his past self and rebuilding the same relationships, the same bonds, and the same mistakes.

Or, he thought grimly, I could break the chains of fate and leave them all behind.

The idea sounded simple, even appealing in its clarity. And yet... was that truly what he wanted?

A nagging suspicion gnawed at him—a sinking certainty that, no matter what he did, he would still end up on the Forgotten Shore after the winter solstice. That his path would lead him right back to them. Nephis. Cassie. The others.

His hand curled into a fist, pressing against the cold, tiled wall.

Nephis... just what do I want with you?

The question lingered in his mind, heavier than any chain. At this point, his feelings for her were unmistakable. There was no room for confusion, no space left for doubt.

But clarity brought its own burden. Another face rose in his mind—a different blonde-haired girl, her presence as vivid and undeniable as Nephis's.

Sunny let out a groan, lowering his head until it lightly bumped against the wall.

Ugh... I'll deal with it later.

The weight of it all was too much for his newly awoken self to bear. His thoughts churned like storm clouds, but he forced them aside. There was time—a whole month, in fact—before he had to make a choice.

For now, he let the water wash over him, savoring the brief, fleeting peace.

...

After completing the formalities and receiving the three pieces of advice from Jet, Sunny now stood before the massive gates he remembered so well.

Snow fell silently, blanketing the world in a cold, quiet stillness. The air was crisp, the streets almost empty. This late in the year, there weren't many sleepers left to enter the Academy, but Sunny knew someone would be here. Someone he had been both dreading and longing to see.

Sure enough, there she was.

A tall, slender girl with silver hair and piercing grey eyes stood a short distance away, her expression serene as she listened to music through headphones. She wore the same police-issued tracksuit as him, but somehow, even in something so plain, she carried an air of quiet confidence.

...And a bit of loneliness.

Sunny's heart raced.

Nephis.

Seeing her for the first time in this life hit him harder than expected. Waves of nostalgia surged through him—memories both sweet and bitter, tangled in emotions he wasn't ready to face.

Should I say something to her? he wondered, hesitating.

But then another thought struck him.

No. I haven't even decided if I want to stay with her yet.

It was a futile line of reasoning. Sunny already knew the truth: avoiding her was impossible. Neither fate nor his heart would let him walk that path.

Then what should I say?

Moments passed like an eternity as he stood there, running through countless ways to start a conversation. Nephis remained oblivious to his presence, lost in her own world. For a fleeting moment, she seemed at peace—far removed from the tension and struggles that defined her in his memories.

And then, Sunny noticed the faint sound of music coming from her device.

Of course. He knew this song. It was sung by none other than his dear friend, Kai.

A tinge of irritation flickered through him as he recalled Nephis fangirling over Kai when they first met.

I'll make sure to tease him even more this time, he thought with a wry grin.

It was decided. He couldn't avoid her. Befriending her, in some way, was inevitable.

"I should just ask her out."

Nephis froze. Slowly, she pulled out her earbuds and turned to look at him, her sharp grey eyes locking onto his.

"What?"

Sunny flinched, panic flashing through him.

Did I say that out loud?!

He scrambled to recover, his mind racing.

"I... I meant to say, I was contemplating how I should make you cooperate with me," he said quickly.

Nephis tensed slightly, her posture shifting just enough to suggest she was ready to defend herself if necessary.

"What do you mean?"

Sunny cursed himself internally but pressed on.

"I-I mean, no one survives in the Dream Realm alone. It's better to have allies. You're the first sleeper I've met, I thought I should... ask you to become my friend."

The words stumbled out awkwardly, but his flaw left him little room for subtlety.

Nephis studied him for a moment, her sharp gaze unreadable. Then, to his surprise, she nodded.

"Oh. I see."

Her stance relaxed, and she crossed her arms casually.

"Yes, that is acceptable. If we end up in the same area of the Dream Realm, mutual cooperation would be beneficial."

Sunny exhaled quietly, relief washing over him. Somehow, he had managed to navigate the situation without making it too awkward—or revealing more than he wanted to.

The first hurdle had been cleared.

But the next one loomed far larger in his mind.

I still need to decide what to do about Cassie.

...

The sleeper compound was small and filled with training fields and parks. Sunny found himself amidst hundreds of other sleepers who were waiting for the beginning of the induction ceremony.

The grand hall was almost identical to how he remembered it from years ago in his previous life. It was strange, seeing it so unchanged, yet being acutely aware of how different he himself was.

All of the young sleepers were well-dressed and had belongings, unlike Sunny and Nephis who were roaming around in police trachsuits, empty-handed and utterly out of place. Especially Sunny who, unlike Nephis, was considered downright ug- below average before all these beautiful men and women.

'Whatever,' he thought, clenching his jaw. 'Just wait until I become a master again. None of you rich brats will compare to my beauty and unmatched glamor!'

The last time Sunny stood in this hall, his only goal had been to appear weak and unremarkable. He had played the part of a pathetic outcast so well that no one in their right mind would see him as someone worth noticing, let alone having a true name and a divine aspect.

But now?

Now, things were different. He had lived a life being true to himself. He had tasted strength, camaraderie, and even love. He no longer felt the need to keep everyone at arm's length, or hide behind false personas.

But still, he won't go around revealing his true self just yet. That would be stupid. The best course of action right now would be to avoid the sleepers altogether, but knew that it would be a bad idea as well.

I told Nephis I was looking for allies. I have to keep up at least some level of appearances. Starting our relationship with her getting suspicious of me would be a bad move.

Still, it would be bad if any of these people ask him his true name by mistake. He won't be able to get away with it like he did with Harper.

He remembered how killing the innocent guy hurt him deeply, all to protect his true name.

...Which still ended up getting exposed.

His face soured as his eyes fell on the lone corner of the hall, where a blonde-haired girl with striking blue eyes and a pretty face sat all by her lonesome self.

Seeing her empty, expressionless stare made Sunny feel a little bit of pity amidst his boiling emotions.

'Right, she is completely blind without her awakened ability.'

He worked his way to the lone corner of the room, giving neutral answers to the occasional questions he received from the curious sleepers. Unlike last time, it was easy for him. He had years of experience deceiving people with his flaw.

Eventually, he sat down on the opposite side of the bench, staring at the blind girl.

To most people, the blind girl was destined to die. No aspect, no matter how good, could make up for one's lack of sight. Thus, the girl emanated an aura of death that made other sleepers avoid her.

Little did they know how devious and dangerous the person sitting next to him would turn out to be. Knowledge was power after all, and no aspect provided it better than the blind seer's sacred aspect. If they knew better, they would have worked hard to befriend her.

...If only befriending her meant she wouldn't betray you and give away your most guarded secret and your freedom.

Sunny scowled.

'Not yet. I am not ready to talk to her yet.'

With nothing else to do and there still being no sign of the induction ceremony starting, Sunny decided to check on his runes.

'If I remember correctly, I had 12 shadow fragments at this point of time. 10 from killing mountain king, and 2 from its larvae.'

Sunny summoned his runes, and almost fell down the bench.

'What the hell!'

PS: Sorry for the cliffhanger I just wanted to pull a g3 :)