The suffocating silence in the cafeteria weighed heavily on the room.
Ray, as usual, arrived later than most, his routine unchanged despite the gravity of the day. He walked in, plate in hand, and immediately noticed the atmosphere. The tension was thick, pressing down on the students, making even the simplest movements feel sluggish. Hardly anyone touched their food. Conversations were nonexistent.
His gaze swept the room until it landed on the usual corner where Sunny and Cassia sat, both looking as out of place as ever. Without hesitation, he made his way over, plopping down across from them.
"Hey, what's up with the mood? It's not like we're guaranteed to die, right?" he said casually, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
Sunny shot him a look but didn't reply. He merely sipped at his coffee, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent than usual. Cassia, as always, remained silent, though Ray swore he saw a small twitch of her lips - amusement or annoyance, he couldn't tell.
Then, as if something just clicked in his head, Ray gave a short chuckle and reached out to pat Sunny on the shoulder.
"Oh, right. Happy Birthday, buddy."
Sunny stiffened slightly, his grip tightening around his mug. Ray's words echoed in his head. How did they even know that? Cassia had already congratulated him earlier, which was strange enough, but now Ray too? He was sure he had never told anyone his birthday. But before he could question it, Ray had already moved on, casually digging into his meal like nothing had happened.
The day passed in a blur of restless waiting. Nobody trained. Nobody talked much. They just waited for the moment they would finally step into the Dream Realm.
Then, when the time came, they gathered.
Awakener Brock stood before them; his gaze sharp as he surveyed the group. He wasted no time.
"Follow me."
The Sleepers moved as one, their footsteps echoing against the cold stone floor as Brock led them down, deeper into the Academy. Not to their prepared rooms. Not to where their bodies would be safely stationed. Instead, Brock led them to another room.
And when he opened the doors - silence.
The group froze. Inside, stretching as far as the eye could see, was a sea of people. Most sat slumped in wheelchairs, their bodies thin and weak. Their eyes were open, but their gazes were vacant - empty, unseeing. There was no light in them, no recognition of the world around them. Lifeless.
Hollows.
Some of the Sleepers had already heard of them. Others were encountering the reality for the first time. Brock turned to face them; his expression unreadable.
"This is what happens when you die in the Dream Realm."
No one spoke.
"Their bodies remain, but their minds… their souls… are gone. Whether they're truly dead, or trapped somewhere beyond our reach, no one knows." His gaze swept across them. "Some of you might end up here. Though, I truly hope no one will end here this year."
A cold chill settled over the group.
Ray already knew about the Hollows. It wasn't new information to him. And yet, standing here, seeing them like this, seeing just how many of them there were—it was different. It wasn't fear that gripped him. It was pressure. A reminder of just how real this was.
Then, as Brock turned to lead them away, it happened.
A sharp, searing pain shot through Ray's skull. His vision blurred, his legs buckling as he instinctively reached out, gripping the cold stone wall for support. The whispers. They were always there, always murmuring at the edge of his senses, but now - now it was different. Louder. Clearer.
And for the first time, at least when he was in a crowd, it wasn't just whispers. It was as if he had met one of the hollows. As if something had reached back.
The moment lasted only seconds, but it was enough. Someone noticed.
"You okay?"
Ray forced himself to straighten, inhaling deeply. The whispers were fading again, returning to their usual dull murmur. He exhaled through his nose. Gave a small, easy grin.
"Yeah. Just a headache."
Brock studied him for a moment but didn't press. Then, without another word, they continued. They still had one last destination.
Soon they reached the prepared rooms. Some awakened healers walking around checking up on the equipment and everything in general. They were the ones most responsible for keeping their bodies alright, while thy would venture over.
Ray says his goodbyes, to the few people he interacted with over the month and then walks into his room.
Everyone was now alone in their rooms; they were all decorated the exact same. Simple sterile rooms, with only really having some kind of capsule or casket like device standing there.
As there was still some time, before they could truly enter, most people tried to get their minds straight, some checked their runes again, some repeated mantras, or refocused on their dreams and goals.
And Ray?
He belonged to the second type. He wanted to make sure everything was right, before he had to enter. While it wasn't much, even he was slightly nervous now, brought forth by the extreme unease of the masses.
Name: Ray Brown
True Name: [Lost Witness]
Rank: Dreamer
Faded Core: Dormant
Faded Fragments: 40/1000
Memories: [Oblivion's Thread], [Guardian's Shackles], [Sentinel's Embrace], [Stormpiercer]
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Traceless], [Nullborn], [Spark of Divinity], [Heir of the demons]
Aspect: [Herald of *********]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Innate Ability: [Coming of Oblivion]
Aspect Ability: [Fade]
Seeing them, wanting to take another look at the gifts of his aunt, Ray returned to his Soul Sea for a moment. There was still about twenty minutes, before everyone had to climb into the device, and get sent over.
Upon waking up in his soul sea, Ray was met with the familiar light fog all around, in the sky, the star, always fading and returning to existence hang high. He focused his gaze towards the four glowing smaller spheres around it, summoning them to come down and materialize before him.
The next moment, he was surrounded by the four spheres. Inside them being his memories, one being a dark, and ominous thread, that didn't seem to have a correct form, as it was winding around constantly. The next being two shackles, both made of some unknown material, and engraved with strange glowing runes, the left ones even had a broken chain still hanging at its end.
Those were the ones, Ray received in his first nightmare.
Looking at the other spheres, he was met with the two gifts his aunt handed him. One being a meticulously crafted armor of dark steel, called [Sentinel's Embrace], the other one, a mostly silver halberd, always crackling with strands of electricity, this was [Stormpiercer].
They were quite useful and good memories; they fitted the situation perfectly. Having looked at them enough, he checked their abilities again. One may call him a control freak, but he'd rather call himself someone careful.
[Oblivion's Thread] (sealed)
Memory Rank: ??? (Currently: Awakened)
Memory Tier: ??? (Currently: Third Tier)
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [A forgotten entity once asked his brother to do him a favor, and so he did. This weapon was said to cease to exist, but through an unknown way, reappeared in this world once more.]
Memory Enchantments:
- [Unseen Cut] – This weapon's attacks seem weaker than they are, making the enemy feel less pain, but still deal the same damage.
- [Slumbering Potential] – This Weapon is currently only a remnant of its former glory. It was sealed for unknown reasons and now waits to be freed from its shackles.
- [Shaping] - This Weapon has no fixed form; it can take every form needed for the user. Injecting essence and thinking of the wished form, will transform it in a matter of seconds.
[Guardian's Shackles]
Memory rank: Awakened
Memory tier: Second tier
Memory type: Armor/Utility
Memory Description: [A pair of heavy, rune-engraved iron shackles, remnants of the eternal duty of the armored beast that once guarded the labyrinth. Though broken, their presence still carries the weight of unyielding endurance.]
Memory Enchantments:
- [Guardian's Duty] – A guardian has to stand tall and do his duty. The Wearer will feel less exhausted wearing these shackles. It can slightly regenerate stamina at all times.
- [Imprisonment] – When the user expresses a strong desire to bind someone and injects the necessary essence, then the shackles will imprison and hold this enemy. The stronger the enemy, the more essence and the stronger the desire has to be.
[Sentinel's Embrace]
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Tier: Second Tier
Memory Type: Armor
Memory Description: A suit of segmented, dark steel armor worn by an unnamed guardian who stood unshaken against countless foes. Though aged by time, it still carries the remnants of its former master's unyielding resolve.
Memory Enchantments:
- [Steadfast] – The armor passively dampens the force of incoming strikes, reducing impact and making it harder to be staggered or knocked down.
- [Last Bastion] – When the wearer takes a decisive hit that would leave them critically injured, the armor momentarily hardens like stone, absorbing part of the damage before shattering the reinforcement. Only usable, once a day.
[Stormpiercer]
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Tier: Fourth Tier
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: A masterfully crafted halberd with a silvered axe head, an elongated spear tip that hums with latent energy, and a dark metal shaft etched with storm-like patterns. The remnants of a long-lost storm still slumber within its core.
Memory Enchantments:
- [Gathering Storm] – With each swing or thrust, the halberd builds an internal charge of static energy. Once fully charged, the next strike releases an electrified burst upon impact, shocking the target and disrupting their movements.
- [Tempest Step] – If the weapon is spun or repositioned swiftly, it generates a brief, localized surge of static that slightly repels projectiles and momentarily enhances the user's agility.
Satisfied with what he saw, Rey focused on the only parts of his runes that still made him feel uneasy, his attributes.
[Traceless] – You are unable to leave marks in the river of time. Only one version of you can exist at any point of time
[Nullborn] – Your existence is a mistake. Your whole being shouldn't exist, and yet, here you are. Your presence causes a glitch in the tapestry of fate around you, in turn causing your potential to be immeasurable.
[Spark of Divinity] – You were in contact with the Divine. Now you have a spark of it in your soul.
[Heir of the demons] – Your presence is generally more ominous than others, much weaker beings will easily feel intimidated or repelled by you. You will feel connected to others with a special fate.
His attributes, since the first time he had seen them, Ray felt restless about them. All alone were one thing, but together they made no sense to him.
First of all, his existence is supposed to be a mistake? How should he interpret this? Then next, he is unable to leave traces in the river of time? So, his whole existence is in essence meaningless?
Ray wouldn't take this just lying down. His [Nullborn] attribute also brought in another part. His existence causes a glitch, so in his mind, he just needed to make his existence so strong and important, that the world had to accept him as a being.
Besides them, [Heir of Oblivion], was especially problematic in his first Nightmare, after that it wasn't as bad. Though, that could also be caused by his behavior, or possibly even because of the glitch. He didn't know what it was, but there was something.
Having taken a look at everything of importance, Ray left his Soul Sea and after seeing the time nearly over, started climbing in the device. It felt weird, but he wouldn't feel like that for long, soon enough the dream World would get him.
Closing his eyes he waited.
Some time later a voice echoed through this darkness:
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Ray Brown!]