When Loki woke up the first thing he realized, was that something or someone was breathing very close to his face and when he opened his eyes he froze.
A face hovered a hand's width from his own. The woman had short, swept back black hair with an almost almost metallic sheen. Her features were angular and refined, high cheekbones, a slender nose, pale skin and piercing red eyes
She wore a high collared bodysuit in sleek shades of crimson and black, the colors shifting like synthetic muscle beneath the skin. Over the body suit she wore a dull black trench coat, with sculpted shoulders and a flowing hem.
"Morning," she whispered as soon as Loki opened his eyes.
Loki's body moved before his mind could process. Even while strapped to the reinforced chair his fingers twitched and countless grey threads spilled from them.
Those thin grey lines unfurled into the air. They looked delicate and were invisible to anyone else. They reached for the women automatically, trying to wrap around her.
Though much to Loki's surprise they did nothing.
The woman didn't flinch, in fact she didn't react at all. As soon as the threads touched her they would dispersed uselessly.
Realizing what he did Loki swallowed.
The woman leaned even closer, her expression brightening with interest.
"Oh, how cute." she muttered.
As she straightened, Loki finally saw the rest of her figure. The first thing Loki noticed was that she was tall, taller then even himself, with long legs wrapped in the shimmering body suit. Her stance was lazy and relaxed but it still exuded balanced and impossible control. Altogether she looked almost inhuman, Loki almost instantly came to a conclusion, this woman was a Master. And so Loki averted his eyes from her and looked around the room, he had already attacked the women he didn't want to offend her any further, he noticed two more people in the room, both mundane police officers.
But as he was looking, suddenly his vision shifted. Loki saw strings. Grey and faint, clinging to every thing in the room like dead veins. They were attached to the reinforced wall, the doors, the lights hanging above his head and to the chair he was sitting on. Loki looked towards the officers in the room. Anchored to their bodies were more string but unlike the strings clinging to everything else in the room these stings were longer, shimmering with dull grey light, they floated upwards almost as if they were alive.
He drew a slow breath then looked towards the woman again and right in the middle of her chest, Loki could faintly see the outline of a single core and from within the core extended countless grey threads almost like a raging river encompassing her entire form and unlike the others the strings weren't leaving her body.
Loki averted his gaze from her once more, closing his eyes, he shook his eyes trying to bring his vision back to normal.
The woman folded her arms, looking at Loki she spoke. "You survived your first nightmare. Congratulations. Sleeper Loki."
----
Loki stood under steaming water, the grime bleeding off him, after Master Rukana had politely asked him "we will have a conversation after you stop smelling like shit".
This was his the first proper shower, since coming into this world. His mind was filled with thoughts during the shower. Once he was finished he took a proper look at himself in the mirror.
His face was exactly the same as before the nightmare. Only his eyes had changed. His eyes had turned silver. If someone looks closely, they might swear they see thin, grey threads drifting behind the pupils.
His skin had lost the sickly pallor he once had. Now it was smooth and pale in a healthy way, as if all the frailty had been burned out of him.
After taking a shower Loki changed into a simple track suit provided at the station. Once he was done, he was escorted to the hall to meet Master Rukana.
----
Once Loki arrived at the hall he quickly found Master Rukana sitting at a table.
He stood for a moment then walked up to her.
"Hello, hmm master Rukana." Loki said
Looking at him up and down she finally replied.
"You don't smell like shit anymore, come sit. You can have a meal, we will talk once your done."
Loki was hungry, so he was more then happy to fill his stomach before anything else. So while he was eating the bland synthetic food provide at the hall, Rukana was watching him like he was some kind of puzzle she wanted to solve by slicing it apart, Loki even felt his skin sting for a moment. And as soon as he was finished the woman spoke.
"As per protocol, I am obligated to tell you a few things pretty boy. Firstly you are entitled to receive free therapy in case something or someone brutalized you in your first nightmare and left you with trauma." pausing for a moment, she spoke again with a smile "So do you wanna go or not kid."
Loki heart chilled a little. "No." he replied.
She stared at him for a moment, the laughed.
"hahahahhaha, as expected of an outskirt rat, you people are the same...hmm its actually a miracle you even survived."
Hearing her words Loki's eyes Narrowed. Looking at her once more he realized that he didn't like this woman at all.
"Is that all or is there something else you're obligated to tell me." Loki spoke his voice a little colder then before.
She paused for a moment the spoke with a smile again.
"As a sleeper, you are entitled to enroll into the Awakened academy. Everything you need would be provided there." without waiting for Loki's, reply she spoke again. "hahahah who am i kidding, an outskirts rat, where else you you go if not the academy? A ditch? Right?"
Loki stared at her for a moment, the replied with an even brighter smile.
"Yes, I want to go to the academy."
In his heart he had decided that if he ever gets a chance, he'd teach this woman proper manners.
'Hmmm maybe i should turn her into a marionette' Loki thought.
What he didn't even realize was that his Flaw had already started effecting him.
"Anything else" Loki spoke, with a smile.
Rukana stared at him for a moment and then spoke again.
"Tell me about Your nightmare." Her tone almost like a command.
Loki's instincts screamed, at the same time he felt a buzz in his head as if someone was compelling his to answer truthfully and almost instantly his vision also changed, once again he say countless threads, and looking at the bitch in front of him, he say a change, in addition to her single core there also another core in the middle of the ring on her finger.
Loki immediately guessed, the source of the compelling influence in his head was coming from the ring, which was most likely a memory, because there were faint sliver threads going from the ring towards his head.
Loki had an urge to summon the hunters fang and stab the bitch in her eye but he knew he wouldn't be able to even if he tried, maybe if she was an awakened he might have tried.
So instead Loki decided to play a game of his own,
"Why should i tell you, what's in it for me." he spoke with a pout, keeping his expression slightly dazed, his body completely under his control not giving away any signs of him acting.
Rukana was a little surprised at first. She probably hadn't expected this type of answer.
"What do you want" She asked.
Smiling inwardly.
"Echooooo" Loki shouted rising both his hands into the air.
Now people around the hall were also looking at them with strange faces.
Rukana's face darkened a little,
"I don't have an Echo but i can give you a memory" as she spoke the buzzing in Loki's mind increased, while it still couldn't effect him for now the pressure was increasing slowly.
"alright" spoke Loki while lowering his head.
Seeing this Rukana extended her hand towards him seeing this Loki held her hand and as soon as he did, a voice rang in his head.
[You have received a memory]
"Now tell me about your nightmare did you receive a lineage" she spoke, Loki's head buzzing once more.
"Well i had a fight with tree then suddenly a cat came out of nowhere and killed the tree. And then boom, i was staring at your face." Loki spoke while making impressions with his hands. Internally he was thinking about the lineage. So that's what the bitch wants.
"but what's a lineage" then he spoke while scratching his head.
The woman looked at him without speaking for a moment then muttered under her breath "so its not you huh."
Loki heard it clearly but he pretended not to.
"Don't worry about it sweetheart. Now one last question before i send you off to the academy, tell me a secret only you know."
Outwardly Loki scratched his head then a smile appeared on his face.
He leaned forward and spoke in a low voice
"I have a True name, do you want to know?"
Rukana's face blanked for a moment the her eyes narrowed, Loki felt chills run down his spine.
"Tell me then" she spoke, the buzzing in head increased once more.
Loki shushed her with his finger the spoke in a low voice.
"The Fool"