Day stayed in his decrepit state for a minute or so, panting, and trying to rise. It was dreadfully difficult, and equally as painful to do so, but he fought hard– and eventually lifted himself up.
Starting from the outskirts of the dark city, he slowly began to drag himself forward. He weaved through the narrow passageways in between the innumerable buildings and wearily peaked around the corners each time he neared one. The intact weathered stone walls were certainly good cover, but it was better to be safe. Who knew what else was lurking around here? The first thing he saw was a swarm of creatures that had the capability to overwhelm him in a second, and that was more than likely only scratching the surface of the creatures that could reside in this uncharted section of the Dream Realm. There had to be land creatures here, and what better place to take refuge than a crater where the sea didn't reach?
The passing thoughts on Day's mind was that there could possibly be creatures who had adapted to the dark sea, or, worse or better yet, there was dry-land on the other side, which was why there wasn't a creature at every turn.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell. The crater holding the dark city was too vast, and Day didn't have the means to check– even if that was what he wanted.
So far, his expedition had been just as clandestine as he hoped. He was proceeding steadily, silently, and purposefully. Each turn was carefully chosen by Day, who wanted the quickest possible route to the larger building that he still had a near perfect picture of in his mind.
There were a few times where he was forced to brave a little bit more space than what he wanted after finding a dead end born by the endless rubble, but otherwise, it was smooth.
In fact, it was scarily smooth. For Day, after his first Nightmare, he expected the worst and nothing less. He certainly enjoyed being optimistic, but he was struggling to be optimistic after most of his experiences with living creatures thus far ended up being tumultuous and sudden. He was still most certainly going to take his decided approach with people, but for Nightmare Creatures– he was perpetually worried that one would appear from nowhere with a low growl and attack him.
As much as he hated the fact that he was already being shaped into one of the warriors the Spell was attempting to create, he couldn't banish his innate fear, and gave himself no choice but to work around it. When he thought about what he had been through and what would happen in the future– all he could think was that he wanted as much solace as possible.
'This really isn't a great start to that, is it?' Day thought, shaking his head.
As he neared another corner and peeked out with one eye, his gaze landed on the floor below. On the street where the intact building stood, there was a long street that was much less narrow than the many other roads. Far down this street was the building.
This was it. This was the place he had been looking for…
But Day wasn't fully certain what to do. He had no clue where the creature was currently, only where it'd be. Not only that, but he had zero clue where the man himself currently was, or how long it would take until he got here. Day's worry was that his presence would make the man begin speaking or startle him into causing noise. If that happened… It'd be over.
But the truth was, if anyone wanted to survive in the dream realm, noise was always a top priority. Perhaps if Day slowly walked out with a finger on his mouth to signal him to be quiet, he would react accordingly. Surely, a middle aged gentleman would have more than adequate experience to take a simple hint.
'If he is a gentleman…'
Day glanced out from behind the wall and looked down the street. Like he expected, far out in the distance, the building he remembered could be seen. It really was terribly eerie, and Day hated looking at it.
Luckily, he didn't have to for long. He formulated a plan in his mind, he would walk a little closer to the building, but stay a more than fair distance away, and then walk out quietly from the shadows of the buildings with a gesture to signal the man to be quiet. He wanted to stay where he was, but he knew that there was a fair chance that he could miss the man if he walked out ahead. Day wanted to be in the area of his vision, and where he was currently didn't adhere to that criteria.
So he turned around and continued through the buildings. He was certain to stick near the street as he traversed, so he knew how close he was to the building… or perhaps the creature.
He arrived rather quickly, but didn't stay right in front of the building. Instead, he took a few minutes to scout around a small area and find a shadowy place where he had a good view of the street in the direction the man came from. Eventually, he found a space in between two buildings where one was slightly larger than the other, creating a block where he could easily see back where he came from, but anything that may gaze from the area forward was unable to see him.
He didn't sit down, nor did he even crouch. While obscured by the darkness, he stayed completely quiet, and stood tall. If anything came, or if he heard anything coming– he wanted the perfect leverage to run.
Like this, he waited. Perfectly still, perfectly focused, and perfectly silent.
He waited for an hour. And then two more after that.
When another hour past the first three began, Day became impatient; not out of annoyance, but out of fear. Where was the man? Did Day come to the wrong place? Was there a mistake?
'No… There couldn't have been.'
This was the exact place where his vision took place. In his mind, when he first got his vision, he had a vague understanding of the timeframe… It had to be happening soon. Day knew it. So why?
Just as Day's thoughts were about to go to a place of no return, something happened…
Far in the distance, at the very end of the street, someone came out from around a corner. Day couldn't quite tell who it was, but as he got nearer, and nearer, and as Day prepared to step out with his chosen gesture… He finally figured out who it was.
'No… No way. Caster?!'
It was Caster. The Legacy boy with a smile just as charming and intriguing as his lineage as a member of the Han Li clan had shown himself. Day was completely, utterly bewildered about the chances of this encounter happening, but that wasn't even his most prominent thought.
'Hold on, wasn't the person in my vision a middle aged man?'
Why was the middle aged man not a middle aged man? And to boot, it was Caster? How was this possible?
Day hesitated. There were passing thoughts about things like if it was another creature, but that didn't seem likely… Why would the Spell lead him to his death like this?
Surely it wouldn't. Day had tasted firsthand how the cruelty of the Spell also showed its fairness in full display. This had to be him.
Therefore, Day knew what he had to do, and wasted not a moment more before doing it.
He stepped out from the shadows with the finger of his intact arm over his mouth.
'It doesn't matter. If I ponder for too long, we will die.'
When Day came into Caster's sight, he immediately went on guard. Sparks of light began to coalesce around his hand, and a sword appeared moments after the sparks merged.
Caster studied Day for a few moments, up and down.
Day did the same, but neither moved.
Over Caster's body was armor. It had metallic silver-plated shoulders, boots and also protection around the waist area of his body, but a lot of it was some sort of thin, thick brown material. All in all, it looked flexible.
His sword was a silver shortsword, which Caster held tightly with both hands.
Luckily, it seemed Caster had taken the hint, and didn't call out to Day. Day started to slowly move forward, he had no weapons or armor on him, and therefore didn't look threatening; or so he hoped.
Luckily, he was right. His demeanor was enough for Caster to become less weary of his presence. As Day neared, Caster lowered his sword, but kept his intense gaze on Day. When Day got close to Caster, he didn't stop, instead, he passed him and turned around, before then gesturing for Caster to follow.
At first, he didn't. He stayed still for a few moments, and then looked back in the direction Day came, then looked back at Day with an annoyed gaze.
Day mouthed, "Trust me."
With a quiet, soft sigh, Caster reluctantly began to follow. Silently, the duo walked off of the street. Instead of going the way Day came, however, they went through the buildings on the right side of the road, and subsequently away from where Day had first arrived as well.
For the next fifteen, grueling minutes, they silently walked. Occasionally, Day glanced back at Caster to see what he was doing. He was constantly studying Day. He would avert his eyes whenever Day turned around, but it was hard to miss that feeling of an intense gaze right on his back; especially when the owner of that gaze also held a sword. Day didn't like letting Caster walk behind him, but Day had a feeling that if Caster wished to attack him, he would have done so already. Caster probably wanted to know what exactly was going on. Smart choice, in Day's opinion, but Day was still weary of the Legacy boy.
Maybe the reason Day was so self conscious of him was because he was partly… No, mostly the reason that Day had been ostracized. Day, with his True Name, had been compared time and time again to Caster and Nephis and their endless talent. They sort of laid off when he showed his dedication, since he was usually alone punching a punching bag or swinging a sword, but they still gossiped.
It was hard for Day not to hold at least some dislike for the one who was apparently so much better than him.
After a while more of walking, Day looked back to Caster and started to whisper.
"Uhh- So-"
Caster interrupted him.
"Why did you stop me and lead me the other way?"
A weak frown streaked Day's face.
"Straight to the point! Umm- So, you see…"
Day stopped for a moment. He actually hadn't thought about his explanation yet for why he led him away, that was the last thing on his mind– since there were much more important things to worry about up until now.
In hindsight, though, the explanation actually wasn't that complicated.
"There was a terrible creature nearby. I noticed it from far, far away, but luckily, it didn't notice me. I was hiding and then I saw you, and decided to lead you away so you didn't end up going into the area where I saw it. That… Certainly wouldn't be good."
Caster frowned deeply, but his gaze held… Relief? Thankfulness? Either way, his eyes had become softer. That certainly caught Day's attention.
"I see. Well, Day…"
Day was sort of shocked for a moment, but then quickly calmed down.
'Why am I always inclined to think that people talking to me have no idea who I am? Not like I ever tried to act mysterious… Ugh, that backfired on me, didn't it?'
"How about we band together?"
Day tilted his head.
"What?"
"By the Spell. You are… "
Caster trailed off and then sighed.
"Let's band together. Think about it, two instead of one? No downsides to that. I can't say I enjoy traveling alone through this gloomy city."
Day blushed a little bit. He didn't want it to turn making himself look like an idiot into a routine.
"Sorry, sorry. I get it. I was just a little confused by the offer. Guess I expected that to be a default or something. Anyway- if we are going to travel, umm, how about we just try to make our way to that Castle? It felt very welcoming, like it was calling to me– or something…"
Caster pondered for a few moments, and then nodded.
"Makes sense."
"Really?"
"No."
Seemed like Day was already failing at making himself look smarter.
"Oh… So you don't want to go?"
"No, I didn't say that. You asked me if what you said made sense, I said no, it doesn't mean anything more than that."
"Yeesh, alright then."
Caster turned away and continued forward, passing Day in the process. It was weird. Moments before, Caster was behind Day with a sword. Now, he was taking the lead.
Day sighed.
' I'll just chalk it up to him trying to show he trusts me or something. Yeah, that definitely, totally makes sense.'
Just as Day was about to start following, suddenly, Caster stopped and turned around with one smooth motion. At first, Caster looked Day in the eyes, then, his eyes ran down his figure.
After getting a good look at Day, Caster spoke:
"Actually, hold on a moment. That… Whatever that is around your lower half– Isn't fitting for someone of your stature. Nothing you have done is, if I'm being honest, but here… Touch my hand."
'My stature?'
Day raised an eyebrow and reached forward. Caster did the same, and then… Day felt a jolt in his hand and then heard a voice in his mind; the Spell.
[You have received a Memory: Veil of Steel]
[Your benevolent light shines brighter.]
When Caster finished transferring the Memory to Day, he felt his body overcoming a profound change. His intact bones strengthened, his muscles bulged with power, his mind became sharper. It was euphoric, but in a different way from when he had finished his first Nightmare.
Because most of all, he felt his soul becoming much more full.
'Am I becoming stronger? Without absorbing soul shards?'
'Unbelievable…'
Day summoned the Veil of Steel over his body. It wasn't some sort of powerful, mighty armor, but rather a thin veil of silver fabric with a few metal plates covering certain sections of his body. In Day's eyes, it looked similar to Caster's armor, only instead of being brown it was silver. It had boots, gloves, a chestplate, and a couple other small plates covering the more vulnerable parts of his body, but as Day moved around; he couldn't help but notice just how little the armor restricted his movements.
After he finished feeling out the armor, he looked at the runes.
When he checked the rank, his eyes widened.
It was of the Awakened rank. The armor Caster had granted him was Awakened.
Day gulped. How well equipped was this boy to be willing to give up such an item so easily?
Day's eyes started to run down the runes. It had a long description, and an enchant, but Day didn't really wish to read that at the moment, even if it was important. If they ever reached a place to camp out, he would read it then.
Instead of looking into the armor further, he focused his attention on a certain number that had finally changed after many weeks of wonder.
[Remnants of Kindness: 100/1000]
'What?'
Day was still lost. How had he become stronger without absorbing soul shards? How had he obtained almost a hundred of something that he had zero of before? And why did it happen right after Caster gave him a Memory of all times?
Day squinted at his runes.
'My flaw showed itself for the first time, and then I gained these Remnants of Kindness… The name, 'Remnants of Kindness' itself poses a question, so perhaps..?'
'Yeah, it probably has to do with me saving Caster. There's no way it doesn't. But why did it happen after Caster gave me a Memory? Hmm… Maybe this isn't something I can figure out after one experience– like basically everything that has to do with my Aspect Ability. I should try to figure it out soon though, if it makes me more powerful… Wait, what if I can't absorb soul shards because of this? No, maybe that's illogical? Ugh, by the Spell...'
Day stayed silent for a few moments, clicked his tongue, and then shook off his confusion when Caster himself started to show vague wonder at why Day looked so shocked. There would certainly be benefits and problems if he had a different way of progressing than the average Awakened, but that was something to figure out later, since he didn't fully understand how his flaw worked, and when it would flare up again.
If Caster asked, it'd be easy to say he was just surprised at him granting Day with Awakened armor, but he wanted to avoid the conversation.
'Jeez, whatever– the timing doesn't matter. I just need to keep this information in mind from now on. My flaw probably has something to do with the Remnants of Kindness, which apparently make me stronger, and maybe, just maybe, saving people who my flaw guides me to give me the mysterious remnants. Good to know. '
After he calmed down, Day flashed a cheery smile. He was thankful. What Caster had granted him with an unbelievable boon. To Day, any armor was no joke, and this would certainly be an irreplaceable lifeline for the time he spends in the Dream Realm. Even if Day never had his life saved by it, he would still be grateful just for the cover. He didn't enjoy being half naked.
"Thank you."
At a moment's notice, after Day thanked him, Caster's demeanor changed from slightly curious to evidently dismissive. Then, he turned away and started to slowly walk forward.
"It's the least I can do. We should go now. Let's avoid the direction we came from."
'Gosh, mysterious much? He was acting all charming at the Academy, now he's like a shell of what he was before… Does he dislike me or something? No– No way, right? I technically just saved his life, which he definitely knows, and he just gave me armor… '
Day started to follow.
'Ugh! Why do I even care? I'm sick of thinking about what could possibly be going on in this Legacy's mind. I'm just going to act however the heck I want. We are in the dream realm, what's he gonna do if my personality is a little off in his opinion? So what if he's dismissive and rude in conversations?! There's no time for such immature thoughts! I'll have to get over it!'
Day huffed.
Caster spared Day a quick glance after his sudden noise, and then turned back forward. After a moment of awkward silence, Caster spoke once again.
"I assume you agree with the idea of planning our route to find the entrance to the castle, since it's the most likely place where the gate would be around here. I say we try to get close to the wall and then trail it if the entrance isn't right there. Let's just try to avoid Nightmare Creatures until we get there and check it out, yeah?"
Day nodded.
"Yeah."
"Alright then… glad we are in agreement. Let's just hope we can actually avoid them."
After that, both of them went silent. Whether it was to avoid the chance of alerting anything or just because Caster didn't want to talk, Day didn't know, but at the moment, he didn't care anymore.
As Day followed behind Caster, they weaved through the narrow spaces quietly. Caster, it seemed, was just as meticulous as Day himself. He peeked around each corner as he neared one, and pondered each turn for a few moments before deciding to take it. Day sort of just let him do it, since Day himself saw no real problem with any of his choices.
After a while, there was a certain thought he started to attempt to shake, and it was unfathomably confusing for Day, especially after the events of his first Nightmare:
'Wasn't saving Caster's life too easy?'
He wasn't thinking about how in his vision Caster was a middle aged man, even though he did want to know. He wasn't thinking about how he had obtained an Awakened memory so easily, even though it was extraordinarily important. He wasn't even thinking anymore about the implications of the idea that he may have a different way of progressing than average Sleepers. No, instead, other things were on his mind…
Because the truth was, Day didn't believe for a second that the Dream Realm would let them off that easily.