Ariandel looked around and fixed his gaze on Sunless, still bound by his First Nightmare. His eyes lingered on him.
'Hello, Sunless 'Mongrel' Lost From Light, central character of this world,' Ariandel thought, smiling with eyes shining in excitement.
Slowly, he shifted his attention downward, to the one who watched over them in their nightmares.
Seated on a plastic chair beside the reinforced medical bed was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Raven-black hair, light-blue eyes, flawless pale skin like snow. He already knew her well—or at least liked to think so.
She appeared to be around twenty, wearing a dark-blue uniform with silver pauldrons and black leather boots. Her jacket, casually unbuttoned, revealed a black tank top beneath. In that moment, she stretched, arms raised above her head, bored and drowsy, the fabric hugging her body provocatively.
Jet and Sunless were beloved figures, recurring in dreams and imaginary scenes. But now… they were here, real.
Ariandel sighed, hypnotized by seeing the characters come to life. Then, an uncomfortable sensation hit him like a punch to the gut: he was thinking like a stalker, an obsessive fan spying on his idol's privacy.
Choking on his own awareness, he shuddered.
'They never knew me, and I… never really knew them. I'm acting exactly like a stalker…'
He drew a deep breath to calm himself.
'Better not let these feelings surface like this again… I don't want to seem too strange…'
Shaking his head—he tried, but couldn't—he turned his attention to something more productive. Though awake for some time, Jet still ignored him, as if his presence simply didn't exist.
'I think I know why.'
Ariandel was sensing varying degrees of pressure from the people around him, something he nicknamed Mental Sense. It was as if this conscious perception of others formed a Mental Aura, an invisible field influencing attention and presence.
'That "pressure" might explain why some Awakened and Nightmare Creatures can perceive stares and even directed thoughts.'
By retracting his own mental aura, he activated a subfunction of his [Dream Being] Ability.
'By pulling back my aura, I hide my own consciousness and influence others perception, creating a silent absence that prevents them from focusing on me.'
He smiled slightly, murmuring to himself:
"Beware the 'Spectator'."
Then something caught his attention.
Sunless was about to awaken. His eyes moved beneath closed lids, and Ariandel smiled watching the scene, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. He wanted to cross his arms, but the memory of his restraints stopped him.
'By all the dead gods! How many times have I forgotten I'm strapped to this bed?'
He adjusted himself as much as possible, suppressing the urge to break free.
"Well… not that I'd go around damaging government property," he murmured with a touch of humor.
Not that he had the strength to break that thing, anyway.
'Ah, focus, Ariandel… A golden comedy is unfolding right before you. Don't miss it!'
He watched Sunless trying to process Jet's presence by his bed, imagining the thoughts echoing through his mind as he tried to understand that disconcerting figure.
The Peregrine nearly laughed seeing Sunless's obvious panic upon noticing Jet's shoulder badge. He looked like a fish out of water, and Ariandel could've sworn Sunless was about to stammer apologies—if his own Flaw allowed it.
'There's no price to watch live and in color, Sunless trying to be… bold.'
Then, in a fit of nerves, Sunless blurted out an awkward 'breasts'.
The silence was palpable.
Jet glared at him, while Ariandel tested his psychological invisibility, curious to see how long she would continue to ignore his presence.
SMACK!—
He barely contained his laughter watching Jet's slap, which only didn't send Sunless flying off the bed because the restraints held him.
"I've seen many… but none as beautiful as you," Sunless said, recoiling. His face as red as his embarrassed thoughts.
Jet laughed softly, melodiously.
"As your soul core develops, the body sheds all its imperfections. So it's hard to find an unattractive Awakened, especially among the strongest."
She then crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly.
"Since you're awake, welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Sunless."
With those words, she released Sunless's restraints.
"I am Master Jet, of the Government."
That was the moment Ariandel had waited for. With a gentle, polite smile, he finally allowed himself to be noticed.
"Oh, sorry—guess it's time to introduce myself… anything beyond this, and I'll be forgotten in this bed," he said, entering the scene—with his deep, soft voice.
"You! Where did you come from? And this is the second time you've suddenly appeared behind me!" Sunless complained, startled.
"So you've been having fun at our expense all along, hm?" Jet asked, raising an eyebrow.
The Peregrine smiled a bit more, delighted by the situation.
"That wasn't exactly my intention. When I woke, I kind of was… being ignored, so to speak—"
Jet interrupted him, sizing him up with a keen look.
"You're trying to make fools of us, aren't you?"
"…"
"…"
She approached and, with calm movements, undid the bed restraints.
"Come on, Sleeper Ariandel."
Her tone carried a chilling irony.
"Now you can walk. But remember: as the first to try mocking me… you might not survive to tell the tale."
***
Across the room, Sunless watched them with a mix of perplexity and disbelief.
The young man's composed posture, his subtle provocations, and his audacity in front of an Ascended like Jet… it left him nearly in shock.
'This guy has to be crazy. Or very brave. Or… both?'
'Someone needs to warn this fellow about the kind of person he's provoking…'
'How did his hair grow so long? And those eyes… how ridiculous.'
As soon as Master Jet finished loosening the last restraint, Ariandel gave her one final, almost mischievous look, a friendly smile that seemed out of place.
Sunless felt the tension rise in the air like a storm about to break.
But Jet only smiled, an expression that made her gaze even more unsettling. Perhaps she enjoyed the provocation… or was merely saving her revenge for later.
'This is still going to end badly for him,' he thought, swallowing hard.
And when Ariandel finally rose, Sunless realized that somehow this damned fellow already acted as if he owned the situation.