The Peregrine rode in the PTV, a cup of black coffee—no sugar—in his hands. He savored the warmth and taste of the luxurious drink in small sips.
'Ah, the black gold,' he appreciated, a mental sigh of delight.
He was on his way to the Academy, accompanied by his peers from the outskirts. But the three of them spoke little.
Ariandel watched the cityscape glide by the window of Master Jet's personal transport, trying to contain the childlike excitement in his heart at being in a fantasy world that was somehow becoming real.
With another sip of coffee, he reviewed his rune page.
===
Innate Ability: [Kaleidoscope]
Ability Description: [Your eyes perceive hidden nuances and interpret the world with a depth beyond the ordinary.]
By Ariandel: Mangekyō Gan! Beautiful luminescent eyes. They expand visual focus and depth perception. They allow identification of Memory levels and enchantments. They have no pupils but see normally. Go figure…
Attributes: [Peregrine], [Soul Watcher], [Light of Divinity].
Flaw: [Immaculate Prism]
Flaw Description: [You must act according to who you truly are.]
By Ariandel: Well, the Flaw doesn't demand truth in words. The pressure lies in living stubbornly, not allowing yourself to be coerced or shaped by external limits or expectations, which will be challenging.
==
[Peregrine]
Attribute Description: [You come from a distant, uncertain place, lost among the paths. Yet, you are accepted here.]
By Ariandel: Beyond the sense of freedom and loss, I feel the very world welcomes me with favor.
[Soul Watcher]
Attribute Description: [Your heart and mind were forged in cutting cold, making you notable for resilience and capacity.]
By Ariandel: The benefits granted are a percentage enhancement of my natural abilities rather than a fixed effect. It's not as powerful as part of Weaver Lineage.
[Light of Divinity]
Attribute Description: [Your soul shines with divine light.]
By Ariandel: Well… shouldn't it be [Flame of Divinity]? Where did the "aflame" go?
==
Aspect Legacy: [Tear of Fantasy]
By Ariandel: Yes, the Aspect Legacy came as a freebie in the package.
Legacy Description: [From imagination's bitterness, where real and unreal intertwine, emerged the Tear, whose threads carried the power to impose will upon the world.]
First Relic: image — Nameless's Cloak — formed.
Second Relic: image — no concept — to form.
Third Relic: image — no concept — to form.
Fourth Relic: image — Aria of Remembrance — forming.
Fifth Relic: image — no concept — to form.
Sixth Relic: image — no concept — to form.
Seventh Relic: image — Terminus Est — forming.
==
First Relic: [Nameless's Cloak]
Relic Rank: Dormant
Relic Tier: II
Relic Type: Armor
Relic Description: [A relic fashioned by the perseverance of a spirit that endured the loss of its world, loved ones, past, and even itself.]
Relic Enchantments: [Dreamlike Matter], [Dreamlike Armor].
=
[Dreamlike Matter]
Enchantment Description: [This imagined manifestation is a garment woven from mystical matter. It is exceedingly beautiful, waterproof, and moderately resistant to deterioration.]
[Dreamlike Armor]
Enchantment Description: [This garment can assume the form of any armor type. The armor's material grants moderate mystical resistance based on type: steel for physical resistance; leather for elemental resistance; fabric for mental resistance.]
===
'Imagination is, without a doubt, the best type of magical ability,' he thought, satisfied, and took a sip of his coffee.
...
At some point, Master Jet looked at him and Sunless and said, "Since the three of us come from the outskirts, I'll give three pieces of advice. Whether you heed them or not is up to you."
The Peregrine returned to reality, and Sunless turned his head, waiting.
"First: once you register at the Academy, they will offer you psychological counseling again. There will also be a valuable reward for sharing your Nightmare experiences and the details of your Evaluation. You may receive a soul fragment, perhaps even several."
Sunless shot a quick glance at Ariandel before frowning.
"You're trying to convince us to see a psychiatrist again?"
Jet shook her head.
"No. I'm telling you to refuse."
Ariandel smiled faintly.
Sunless, surprised, raised his eyebrows.
"Why?"
There was a pause before Jet replied.
"You two may be too inexperienced to understand, but out there in the Dream Realm, Nightmare Creatures aren't the only threat. When you become powerful enough, humans become an equal threat. The less you know about your Aspect, the better."
She continued:
"The easiest way to defeat a powerful Awakened is to exploit their Flaw. That's why the foolish youths at the Academy are encouraged to share their Aspect details. I'm not saying the government will leak your information, but once two people know a secret, it's no longer a secret. And there are many people working for the government."
Sunless wore an expression of understanding.
"Thank you, Master Jet."
She nodded.
"Second: there will be many courses to choose from. All manner of combat training, deep dives into Nightmare Creature categories and vulnerabilities, basics of various magics, artifact studies, and so on."
Sunless swallowed hard.
"Master Jet will tell us to focus on another course, right?" Ariandel interrupted at that moment, maintaining his calm demeanor.
Sunless turned to him.
"Hm?"
Jet looked at Ariandel, pleased.
"You're perceptive."
Then she continued:
"Ignore all those. The only course you have time for is 'Wilderness Survival'."
"What?" said Sunless, confused.
"It's different for city kids, who learn many useful things in school and from tutors. But we don't have that advantage, do we? What was the greatest threat to your life during the Nightmare?"
Sunless thought it over. Superficially, the most dangerous he faced was the tyrant, followed by Auro of the Nine. But in truth, what almost killed him in the end was...
"The cold."
Jet smiled.
"Clever. You only know city survival. But the Dream Realm is mostly nature. Do you know how to make fire? How to procure food? How to find safe shelter? No. Fighting monsters matters, but it's useless if you starve or succumb to the elements. Trust me. I learned the hard way."
The Peregrine watched Sunless nod in agreement, irritated with himself. His thoughts wandered.
'Sunless—a cynical youth, with a dark, suspicious view of life. Yet he carries a sharp wit and a persistent desire not just to survive but to find success in this chaotic world. He lives with a degree of paranoia, always alert, but that distrust kept him standing.'
'What a difficult situation.'
Ariandel sighed mentally. He couldn't help feeling compassion for the small social disaster.
'I don't know what my life was like here before the Awakening, but in the first life, I still had a good mother and many opportunities before that abrupt end. I was happy.'
At that point, Master Jet stopped the vehicle, opened the door, and stepped out.
Sunless and the Peregrine followed, momentarily stunned, staring at the colossal metal gates before them.
Ariandel let himself be carried away by the moment's fantasy.
This was…the famous Awakened Academy.
"This is where I stop," Jet said, her gaze uninterested in the Academy walls.
"I've notified them. Someone will come for you soon."
There was something dark in the depths of her light-blue eyes, and Sunless shivered.
"What's the third piece of advice?"
Ariandel, eyes fixed on the magnificent structure ahead, murmured in a firm, contemplative tone:
"No one survives alone. That's life's essential point. We need someone to share the burden, to support us. We live in society because we rely on each other, even if trust carries risks. It's that balance between vulnerability and safety that sustains the world—the true weave that holds it together."
He paused briefly, absorbing the weight of his words before continuing:
"There, it's even clearer. Loneliness is unsustainable. The need for others asserts itself, even when trusting seems dangerous. Sometimes, an unexpected bond can mean the difference between life and death."
Ariandel's words hung in the air, unexpected and weighty. Sunless blinked, half in disbelief, not expecting something so profound from someone like him—a boy from the outskirts, under sixteen or seventeen, with memory gaps.
He first reacted with a bewildered smile.
"Wow, Ariandel… Who would have thought?" he said, both surprised and curious, wondering what story shaped someone so young to speak that way.
Jet remained silent for a moment and looked at the Peregrine with a slight nod of respect.
"Indeed, boy… There's more to you than meets the eye," she said, her tone softer than usual, almost reverent before that sudden wisdom.
Suddenly, she smiled and firmly grasped the shoulders of both Sunless and Ariandel.
"You two have done well so far. So keep it up, and stay alive."
With one last look, Jet climbed into her PTV and, in moments, departed, leaving only the distant hum of the engine and the weight of her words in the air.
The end of the metal bridge hit the special grooves in the ground and halted with loud clicks. Sunless looked ahead, wondering what kind of life he would lead over the next four weeks.
Keep your Flaw and Aspect secret, learn to survive in the wild, be kind to your fellow Dreamers. It didn't seem so hard.
But for some reason, he was certain these weeks would be as challenging as his First Nightmare. Or perhaps even worse.
The silver-haired girl, seemingly free of such worries, stepped onto the bridge ahead.
Ariandel followed with his usual aura, then cast him an encouraging glance.
Sunless sighed and reluctantly followed, keeping his distance. Something in that other's gaze made him wonder if he truly understood what lay ahead.