The weeks that followed, went more or less with this same pattern.
Sunny was fully concentrated on his Wilderness Survival, and spent very little time with Ray, beyond the occasional breakfast.
Ray didn't mind as much, he knew Sunny still lacked quite a few things to ensure his survival, this was at least his own opinion. The gloomy guy, had after all been keeping a low profile for most of his time here.
As for Ray, he immersed himself fully in his courses. In history, he researched the many different regions of the dream realm and their respective specialties. Aside from that, in his ranged combat classes, he became more and more familiar with throwing weapons and basically mastered the basic skills with them, bows and crossbows were on his training regime as well, but he already had a good grasp on them, from prior weapon training before his first nightmare.
The most fun Ray had, was still in the normal combat course. There, since the second lesson, Nephis, Caster and Ray, were all offered private instructors to refine their skills, but all those instructors, without fail were defeated purely with skill by all three of them. This resulted in them having to go for solo practice, with occasional spars in between.
As for how they went, well, Ray can proudly say, he never lost even once to Caster. He knew he being petty at this point, but Ray didn't care. He just hated the other's guts. When it came to spars with Nephis, both had some kind of unsaid agreement, to only ever use their skills and physical abilities, never, not even once, did any of the two use their Aspects. Resulting in a very balanced win lose rate between them.
In those four weeks, the tension between the Sleepers was also very high, resulting in quite a few 'private meetings', this also included Ray, who at one point just wanted to loose some stress.
Since the day in the combat course, his reputation only increased as time went on, making him quite famous in the Academy. Even then, at meals, if the possibility was given, he would still rather eat with Sunny and Cassia, the blond and blind girl, that somehow was often there. If they were not present, then Ray would rather eat somewhere away from the crowds.
The only thing that completely caught Ray off guard was when his Aunt suddenly came by once, without any notice. And it was by no means a happy meeting for Ray, at least not at the start.
---
It was supposed to be a peaceful day off.
Ray had planned to spend the afternoon in one of the Academy's secluded courtyards, maybe squeeze in some extra training or just relax for once. But those plans went out the window the moment he stepped into the common area and saw 'her'.
Anne Brown stood there, arms crossed, expression sharp enough to cut steel.
Ray's stomach dropped. 'Oh… shit'.
His aunt wasn't just any Awakened. She was an Ascended Master and a high-ranking officer in the Awakener's Bureau. When she was pissed, people tended to disappear for a while.
And judging by the tight set of her jaw and the barely restrained frustration in her stance, she was definitely*pissed.
Before he could even open his mouth, she spoke.
"Ray."
Just his name, flat and heavy.
Ray instinctively straightened. "…Aunt Anne. Nice to see y-"
"Save it." She strode forward, moving with the controlled force of someone who had been waiting to let loose. "Do you have any idea how I found out you conquered your first Nightmare?"
Ray hesitated. "…I'm guessing not from me?"
Anne's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Jet had to tell me."
Ray blinked. "Wait, Jet? She did?"
"Yes, Jet, the same woman who had to bring your sorry ass to the Academy because you didn't bother telling me that you survived, and conquered your first nightmare."
Ray winced. "I thought it was the best way…"
Anne pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply. "Ray. You didn't call. You didn't send a single message. Not a word. Not even a damn text. Nothing. I though the worst happened."
Ray awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "…I forgot?"
"You… forgot?"
There was a long silence.
Anne exhaled sharply, some of her anger shifting into something heavier. "…it was a nightmare Ray, everything could have happened."
Ray's expression shifted.
He didn't have a response to that.
She studied him for a long moment, then sighed, shaking her head. "I get it. You're independent. You always have been, since that day. But that doesn't mean you get to go radio silent after something like that. You scared the living hell out of me."
Ray looked away. "…Sorry."
Anne let the silence stretch a bit before finally rolling her shoulders and taking a step back. "Good. Now, how are you holding up?"
Ray relaxed slightly at the change in tone. "Better than expected. The Academy's… interesting. A lot of training, but I don't mind. I actually like it."
Anne raised a brow. "Making friends?"
Ray chuckled. "…well, I'd say there's Sunny. And Cassia, kind of. Maybe Nephis? I don't really know. Somehow I ended up with the weird people"
Anne hummed, then nodded. "Good. Keep it that way. That is somehow what I expected, you were always like that. Let me guess, you and a few legacies were already at each other's throats?"
Ray stayed quiet but didn't argue.
Anne watched him for a moment longer, then reached into her coat. "Alright. Enough lecturing. I actually came here today to give you something."
"These should help," she said simply, coming closer and touching his shoulder, transferring two Memories.
Ray received them, eyes widening slightly as he felt the weight of their significance. Memories weren't exactly easy to come by, especially useful ones.
He looked back at her. "Aunty… Thanks."
This time, his voice was completely sincere.
Anne's expression softened just a bit. Then she smirked. "Don't make me regret it, kid."
And with that, she turned and walked off, leaving Ray standing there.
He exhaled, shaking his head.
Yeah. That could've gone worse.
---
As the Winter Solstice approached, the atmosphere in the Academy shifted.
It wasn't fear, not entirely.
There was also anticipation. A restless, electric tension that settled in everyone's bones.
The Sleepers knew what was coming.
The Dream Realm.
Not a Nightmare. Not a controlled trial with set rules or familiar dangers.
The wild, unpredictable, unknown Dream Realm.
It was the true test of any Sleeper. Some would return stronger. Others… wouldn't return at all.
Ray felt it in the way people trained longer than usual, pushing their bodies past their limits. He saw it in the way conversations grew quieter, in the looks people exchanged when they thought no one was watching.
The Academy prepared them for this, but preparation could only go so far. No one knew what they would face.
Even the legacies, for all their arrogance, weren't as loud these days. Their confidence wasn't gone - but it had changed. Now, it was more subdued. Sharper. Less posturing, more resolve.
As for Ray?
He wasn't nervous.
But he wasn't taking it lightly, either.
He sharpened his techniques, refining everything he had already mastered. His training with Nephis continued, both of them pushing each other harder with every spar. They still never used their Aspects, an unspoken agreement that neither had to voice.
Ray noticed something about her as the days passed.
She didn't train harder because she was scared.
She trained because she 'refused' to be unprepared.
It wasn't a matter of survival for her. It was something else entirely.
Ray didn't ask. It wasn't his place. Especially because, outside of the dojo, both of them only exchanged basic curtesy and nothing more.
Caster, meanwhile, remained as competitive as ever, but even he seemed to take things more seriously now. The fights between them grew more intense, neither willing to lose ground.
Still, Ray always came out on top.
He didn't gloat. He just knew.
And then, just like that, the day was almost upon them.
The Dream Realm was waiting..