"Why the hell do I even try to fight you? It always ends the same." Anvil complained as he held his side.
"Well at least this time you held out till our swords broke. The last time we spared that didn't even happen, so you are getting better." Ash said while controlling his breathing.
"So do the two of you want to join us for an early lunch. This was the last class for the week." Sol asked.
The two nodded in agreement. As they walked a few of them held the spots they were struck. As they walked they chatted about a few things of little importance.
Over the months the six of them slowly grew closer together, mainly due to their interactions with each other in the combat class. Some of them also grew closer like Anderson and Ash with how they worked together to learn math or Zena and Ki Song as Ki Song later joined in with Zena in Nightmare Creature Biology classes. They both had a shared fascination for corpses even if it was for differing reasons.
They had become a group thanks to this. They were considered the future of humanity for the fact that three of them had True Names and Two of them were from prestigious clans. Ki Song was not included in the prestigious clans due to the fall of her mother the year prior. However, one thing was true about all of them, they were some of the best the world had seen. Ash and Sol had reached the point that they could beat some of the Awakened instructors while the rest had reached the point of being able to take on some weaker Awakened.
Once arriving in the cafeteria they all got food and sat down in a group. Ever since they became a group most people stayed away as they didn't want to get on bad terms with any of them as most thought if they were on bad terms with one then they would be on bad terms with all. No one wanted to risk that, so most stayed away.
That was all except a single Sleeper. He was much younger than most and yet he did not act like it. He had dark brown hair that almost seemed black. The first time he introduced himself to the group was the week prior. He called himself Retsa. He was only ever friendly and curious about them. However, every time he was nearby all of them would get a chill up their spines. It was odd. It was as if he was not human. At one point Ash had asked an instructor about the boy.
He was told how he was rescued from some Dream Realm cultists and how the boy was infected because of one of the cultists aspects which was why he was unnaturally young. The boy was not even a teenager.
It was not the feeling that made the group uncomfortable to be around him, but what he did. Whenever he was around the group he would stare right at both Anderson and Zena. He would not blink. He also never talked directly at the two. It was as if they were not there and were at the same time.
Luckily for the group, that boy was not there today. So they ate lunch in peace chatting about small things to keep their minds of the looming threat.
For the next few days they repeated that cycle. Even if the combat class was over they still spared. They ate lunch together and relaxed the rest of the day.
The Winter Solstice had arrived. What would be the last day in the waking world for many had finally arrived.
They day was solemn. The rain fell hard. Everywhere one would go there would be someone just sitting doing nothing. It was as if all the energy they had for training had vanished. Most didn't even level their rooms.
The group meet one last time for dinner. They were all quite due to what waited for them at the end of the day.
"We will survive." Sol announced. "Promise me all of us will survive."
All of them responded in unison, "We will survive." With that the mood at the table lightened even if it was a little bit.
By the time they finished eating the Awakened were calling for everyone to meet in the auditorium. The group arrived and took their seats in the front row as it was designated by where they ranked. Soon the place was filled and Awakened Bolder and all the instructors came onto stage.
"Hello Sleepers. We have called you all here for one final announcement. After this meeting we will be heading to the sleeping pods.
I hope everyone has managed to prepare themselves to the best of your abilities. I and every instructor on this stage knows what the Dream Realm is like. Every single class everyone of you have taken was specifically for preparation for the Dream Realm. Every lesson was to make y'all be better prepared for the Dream Realm and yet we know not everyone will comeback alive. This may sound grim, but it is the truth. He do not want to give any of you false confidence. The Dream Realm is cruel and the Spell is crueler.
The Spell will send you to any spot in the Dream Realm. This means that some of you will end up in death zones. Even if you do there is a chance to survive, so do not give up. Also even if you don't end up in a death zone do not let your guard down even for a moment. Unlike your first trial you will not be fighting against enemies you can handle. There are many Awakened who have volunteered to search all across the Dream Realm. Some even in death zones. They will try their bests to try to find as many of you as possible. If you end up somewhere safe, but not connected to any settlements then try your best to find and capture a gate or citadel. That is you best option. I hope you all survive you venture into the Dream Realm. I wish you all the best of luck.
Now please go row by row and follow the instructors. They will take you to your pods."
Getting up the groups row followed one of the instructors. As they walked no one talked. They were steps away from a possible end. Unfortunately the walk was not far. They walked into a room with many pods, each separated by a cloth veil. One by one each was assigned a pod.
Then it reached Anderson's pod. Hugging Zena one last time. He entered his section. Putting on the special clothes he got in his pod and the lid shut. As he waited for the pod to activate he saw something.
No, he saw someone. The man walked to the pod. However, it was no man. It was a boy. A boy with a friendly look on his face. He stood over the pod, watching. Anderson could not say anything as he had put on a breathing mask.
That's when the boy spoke, "You should not be here. You should not be. How are you here?"
That's all the boy said as he stared at Anderson, unblinking.
Anderson felt something. Fear. True unadulterated fear. It was as if something ungodly had chosen him as its prey. But that fear only last for seconds as the boy moved away.
As he walked the pod finally activated putting Anderson to sleep.
In the last vestiges of consciousness he saw the boy walking away. Only for him to fade into nothing. As if he was only a thought.
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Anderson!]