The cafeteria slowly regained its usual noise after Sunny's emotional funeral—also known as his birthday celebration. People whispered in confusion, exchanged looks, and tried to decide whether they had just witnessed a party or a low-budget war crime.
Awner leaned back, proud of himself.
Then he felt it.
A presence.
Sharp enough to cut steel.
He didn't turn.
Didn't need to.
Riven.
She stood at the entrance, arms folded, posture military-perfect, expression set to: You are dead to me. She wasn't scanning the cafeteria.
Her eyes were locked only on him.
And—though she hid it well—there was a tiny tightening in her jaw when she noticed he was sitting between Cassie and Sunny… with Cassie leaning just slightly too close for her comfort.
Cassie felt the stare.
Even though she couldn't see, something in her expression sharpened.
Awner blinked.
Huh.
Did my garbage flirting skills finally start working? Was it really that easy? If this were true, I would have had at least one girlfriend in twenty years of my past life. No… maybe it's my face. Or my aura. Or how cool I look— he turned, looked at Cassie, —nope, definitely not my looks.
He kept thinking very hard, as if trying to decode the origin of this unexpected rise in his "riz level."
Cassie whispered, voice tight, "You're in trouble."
Awner stood, and Cassie's fingers brushed his sleeve—accidentally. She quickly pulled her hand back, cheeks heating.
Riven's eyebrow twitched.
Man… this feeling is awesome.
Riven jerked her head toward the hallway.
A silent command.
He followed.
Hallway
The long corridor cast shadows that made the Academy look like a documentary about academically traumatized teenagers. Riven walked ahead, stiff and deadly, irritation practically leaking off her shoulders.
But under the irritation?
Something else.
Possessiveness, maybe.
Or annoyance at her own possessiveness.
She stopped abruptly.
Didn't turn.
Didn't speak.
Just radiated: I'm jealous but I will personally fight God before admitting it.
Awner cleared his throat. "So… you called?"
She turned slowly.
Her face said:
Anger + professional concern + Why were you sitting so close to that girl?
"What," she asked, voice deceptively calm, "in the name of every God, was that performance?"
He shrugged. "Team-building exercise."
"Team-building?" Her eyes narrowed. "You terrorized an entire cafeteria. And you—"
She paused.
A very rare hesitation for her.
"—you were sitting awfully comfortably."
Ah.
Awner bit back a grin. "Just friends hanging out."
"Hm."
She stepped closer. "Your behavior was disruptive. Reckless. And loudly… unnecessary."
Translation:
[Why was Cassie smiling at you like that?]
Awner tilted his head. "You're not just angry."
Her eyes flashed. "Do not be ridiculous."
"So it's not because Cassie laughed at my singing?"
"I—"
She froze.
Awner nearly laughed.
But she reassembled her professionalism instantly.
"I am concerned," she said stiffly. "For the entire class."
He stepped in closer. "Are you sure it's the entire class?"
Her cheeks warmed—so faintly only someone staring directly at her would notice.
"Don't push your luck," she muttered.
She exhaled, frustration melting into worry. "Awner… Sleepers are terrified. They need quiet. Discipline. And you standing on a chair like a circus act does not help them stabilize before the Dream Realm."
He softened. "Are you worried about me?"
Her lips parted—a crack in her armor.
"I worry about all my students," she repeated, voice too rehearsed.
"Even the ones who sit with certain blind girls at lunch?"
Riven's eyes snapped to his. "Awner."
Definitely jealousy.
He raised his hands. "Okay, okay. Just checking."
She glared, but even her glare felt tired now.
"I'm not as reckless as you think," he said.
"You are exactly as reckless as I think."
"But I know what I'm doing."
"That is even more concerning."
He chuckled.
She didn't.
Instead, she looked away—a rare gesture—before whispering softly:
"Just… don't die."
Too soft. Too vulnerable.
It's cute, man. I might fall in love with her.
He touched her forearm lightly.
She didn't pull away.
Her expression flickered through ten emotions—annoyance, vulnerability, denial, something raw she refused to name.
"You're a good instructor," he said.
"You're an idiot," she replied.
"Yet you care."
"It is my job," she said sharply.
"And because I'm charming."
"Leave."
He began to walk, but—
"Just… don't let that girl distract you."
He stopped.
Riven froze too, realizing she had spoken out loud—but she didn't correct herself. She simply turned away, pretending the air itself hadn't betrayed her.
Awner returned to the cafeteria entrance. Cassie was waiting, posture tense.
"You took a while…" she murmured.
Awner blinked.
Second jealousy spike today.
He grinned. "Miss me?"
Cassie looked away quickly. "No. I just… didn't like how she was staring at you."
"You know you can't see."
Cassie: (+_+)
Awner cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. Instagram habit."
Cassie frowned. "What's Instagram?"
Awner: "=_="
He exhaled internally.
When the sun dipped toward the horizon, Instructor Rock gathered them in the foyer of the Sleeper Center and led them outside.
Snow covered the parks surrounding the white building. Other Awakened led their own batches of Sleepers toward the same destination.
The Academy's medical center.
It looked more like a shrine than a hospital, housing both high-tech systems and some of the greatest Healers among the Awakened. During the Dream Spell, every Sleeper's body would lie in protective pods here—safe, monitored, sustained.
If they survived.
If they didn't…
Their bodies would remain.
Alive.
But empty.
Instructor Rock didn't guide them to the pods.
Instead, he brought them to a nearly deserted floor and opened the doors to a gallery glowing with the crimson light of sunset.
Rows of wheelchairs.
And in every one—
A person with a blank, peaceful, horrifyingly empty expression.
The Hollows.
Sunny felt his breath catch. Terror crawled up his spine.
Instructor Rock stood among them with solemn eyes.
"These," he said, "are Hollow."
He paused.
"Each one was once a Sleeper or an Awakened. Some weak. Some strong. Some incredibly powerful. All of them perished in the Dream Realm."
He gritted his teeth.
"If you're lucky, your body dies with your spirit. If not, you end up like this."
His gaze drifted toward where Awner, Caster, and Nephis stood.
"So don't die out there."
System - [Host Main Quest available]
With that, he stepped forward and climbed into the pod.
***
In the vast echoing darkness, he heard:
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Awner!]