"Hello, would you mind if I joined you?"
The blind girl shrank back into her chair, her fingers hesitating before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"O-oh... um, sure?" After a beat, she added, "What... what's your name?"
The boy's response was short, almost sounding distant. "Sunless. My friends call me Sunny. You?"
"Ah, well, hello then Sunless." She smiled faintly, trying to steady her voice. "I'm Cassia."
A low murmur grew through the cafeteria. The rankings for this batch of Sleepers had just been posted, and the room buzzed with excitement. At the top of the list was Caster, a young Legacy. At the very bottom... Cassia. A third of the way down, though, Sunny's name was clearly visible.
'I didn't think I made that big of an impression... Was it just what I shared about my Aspect? Or were the interviewers making psychological profiles to base the rankings on as well?'
Sunny's fingers drummed against the table as he waited for the commotion to settle. Once the buzzing in the room dropped to an undercurrent, he began to speak again.
"Looks like the Sleeper rankings are out for our batch. Want to take a guess at my rank?"
Cassie gave a noncommittal shrug, "Considering you willingly came to sit by me, probably not very high."
Sunny raised an eyebrow, but his lips curved into a faint smirk. "Wow, rude. Actually, I'm in the higher end—still more toward the middle than the top, though."
Cassie's cheeks flushed a light pink. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to offend, mister Sunless." Her hands twisted together in her lap. "I'm sure you've already noticed my... Flaw. Everyone else has. Why would anyone sit next to the walking corpse unless they were an outcast too?"
Sunny leaned back in his chair, his gaze unwavering. "I noticed, sure. But that's exactly why I came over."
Cassie's shoulders slumped, her head fell toward the cafeteria floor. "You don't need to make me your pity project," she muttered. "I've already accepted my fate. Unless I'm lucky enough to be placed next to one of the human citadels... I'll die."
Sunny stifled a soft chuckle. He was relieved that Cassie couldn't perceive the flicker of amusement visible from his new Flaw. It wouldn't help his cause if she knew his mind was drifting toward the irony of the situation rather than sincerity.
'Accepted your fate?' he mused inwardly. 'What a far cry from your future self, Cassie. How ironic.' A small laugh tugged at his thoughts. 'Then again, is it any less ironic that I, with knowledge of the future, am trying to befriend a seer?'
He wiped the amusement from his face, replacing it with a wide, reassuring smile. "You misunderstand, Miss Cassia. There's something here that others don't understand. The Nightmare Spell is fair, uncompromisingly so. If one is cursed with a flaw as dreadful as yours, they are also granted proportional power. I'm sure your Aspect holds remarkable potential."
For the first time since her First Nightmare, Cassie's face softened, a small smile breaking through her usual solemnity.
"Thank you, Sunless—"
"Sunny," he corrected gently.
Cassie hesitated, a quiet half-chuckle escaping before she nodded. "Oh, in that case, thank you, Sunny. You say such nice things, but... what makes you so sure?"
"I have two reasons" said Sunny. "Firstly, I have noticed that flaws have a sickening sort of irony to them. I carry many important secrets, and yet my flaw makes it rather impossible to keep them hidden. Also, consider the strongest Sleeper to ever pass through this Academy. She had truly terrifying powers, with the kind of lofty goals that necessitated them. But her flaw? It forced her to endure excruciating pain every time she used her Aspect."
He let the weight of his words settle in the air, giving Cassie a moment to digest them before continuing.
"Let me make an educated guess... Does your Aspect have anything to do with divination? Being able to see the future, perhaps?"
Cassie blinked, startled by the question, but nodded after a pause, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, and the past as well... from what I can tell. They come to me in visions."
A knowing smile tugged at the corners of Sunny's mouth, though Cassie wouldn't be able to see it.
"Well then, that certainly sounds like the sort of irony I was talking about does it not? A girl who can see the past and future, so her flaw takes away her ability to see the present. How poetic."
Before Cassie could respond, he continued.
"The second reason I am so sure is my own flaw; It isn't like yours in presentation but it is quite vexing. I can't lie, and I'm compelled to answer any question asked of me. On top of that, others can literally see through my emotions. And when I say 'see,' I mean it in the most literal sense. You probably can't tell, though, since... well, you know." He paused briefly, as if reconsidering his words. "Anyway, it's a challenge, to say the least. It will make it incredibly difficult to hide my secrets from people, or form real bonds. So, I'm sure you can see the kinds of problems that's caused me."
The boy paused.
"Shit! I mean... uh... imagine... the kind of... problems..."
Cassie laughed, though now it was not forced. She hadn't truly laughed in quite a while, so the genuine motions felt foreign to her. But, it was real, and it left a warm feeling in her chest.
"Well then, Sunny," she said, "perhaps you do know a thing or two after all, poor choice of words aside. Does enduring such a terrible flaw really grant you the kind of power you claim those like us to have?"
Sunny responded smugly. "Firstly, let's be clear. I'm not 'claiming' anything, I'm observing. Being able to see the past and future... That's a terrifying gift, Cassia. You'd do well not to underestimate yourself." His smile widened. "As for your question—of course I'm sure. I'm the strongest person in this room, after all."
Cassie raised an eyebrow, her expression sharpening. "But you said earlier that you weren't at the top of the rankings. How do you explain that?"
Sunny's smirk vanished, then he threw his head back and laughed. "Of course I wouldn't be. Why would I tell those damn interviewers everything about my powers? They're not going to keep anything secret, and I sure as hell don't want those snobby Legacy Clans knowing everything about me."
Cassie's expression morphed into one of confusion.
"Are you not a Legacy yourself?"
Sunny's laugh grew louder. "No! Do you honestly think any Legacy Clan would name their kid 'Sunless'? As if! I was born and raised in the outskirts. I'm as much of a street rat as they come." He leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting. "Though, I guess you could say I'm on track to make a Legacy Clan of my own. I've unlocked my Aspect Legacy after all. So, in a way, I would be from one—just retroactively. But, It doesn't count yet."
Cassie's brows furrowed deeper, and she voiced her confusion.
"Aspect Legacy? But you're a Sleeper. You've said some incredible things, but this whole conversation feels... crazy. It hardly seems believable."
Sunny felt excitement dance inside him. 'She's just about there, lets give it the final push, shall we?'
Wordlessly, Sunny activated Serpent's Ascended ability: [Grace of Shadows]. The intricate tattoo adorning his body slithered down to his feet and across the ground into Cassie's shadow. Since the Spell would likely say something in response, Sunny allowed her a brief pause for listening to any messages or reading runes that she needed.
Now, Cassie's voice was one of surprise rather than skepticism.
"What... what the hell is this?"
"Oh, that's just part of my Aspect Legacy," Sunny explained casually, though his words were anything but. "Right now, it's akin to an Echo of an Ascended Beast, and I can leave it in the shadows of people important to me. I obviously haven't been to the Dream Realm yet, so hopefully that will be enough to convince you I'm telling the truth. A Fallen Beast would never show up in a First Nightmare, and no Legacy Clan is has an affinity for shadows."
He paused to give the girl a moment to digest.
"The only way I could have this creature right now is if I unlocked my Aspect Legacy. So, hopefully you understand I speak the truth."
Cassie's face drained of color.
"A-Ascended?!" she stammered, her voice trembling slightly.
"What? Did you forget?" Sunny's tone remained light, almost teasing. "I told you I was the strongest person in this room. That includes Awakened Rock over there, by the way. I can't lie, so when I say it, I mean it quite literally."
Cassie snapped her gaze toward him, her expression a mix of disbelief and growing urgency.
"You said it was 'part' of your Aspect Legacy. What does that mean?"
Sunny allowed a small, knowing, "Ah" to slip past his lips.
"I did say 'part,' didn't I?" He said playfully. "My Aspect Legacy has seven total relics for me to unlock as I master a battle art. I've claimed three right now. And, actually, I'm planning to show you the other two some time."
A blush returned to Cassie's cheeks, though it was faint. She shook off the dizzying confusion of their exchange, and as her emotions settled, a familiar despondency found its way back into her expression.
"I take back what I said about doubting you, Sunny..." Her voice softened, though there was still a trace of sadness in it. "You've shown me enough to know you actually want to befriend me... even if the things you're telling me are impossible."
She shook her head. "I really do appreciate you talking to me. Ever since I got this Flaw, no one has treated me like a real person. I get it... I also wouldn't want to get attached to someone who's about to die."
Sunny replied jovially. "Let's change that, then, shall we? I grew up in the outskirts, so I know a few things that might surprise you! I had a friend who was blind once, and I've got first-hand experience with adapting to a loss of vision. Whoever is helping you adjust now, I promise I can do a much better job. People trained to instruct the blind aren't used to working with hosts of the Nightmare Spell, and that changes a few important things."
For the second time since her First Nightmare, a smile bloomed on Cassie's face. It was small, but it was a start.
"Thank you."