(NATHANIEL) Looking at my flaw, a myriad of curses escaped my mouth in quick succession.
I even noticed my shadow put a hand over its mouth, like a maiden who had just seen the most inappropriate thing in the world.
I didn’t pay it much attention since I had more pressing issues—for example, a terrible flaw.
Granted, it could’ve been worse.
A flaw like Rain’s would’ve crushed me, or even Anvil’s flaw.
That one might’ve been even worse, to be frank.
“Great.
Just fucking great!
Damn it, why does it have to be so damn bad?” There was unfortunately no real answer to such a question, so I’d have to figure something out.
Namely see just how terrible it was.
The first problem that was bugging me was that maybe the flaw had already taken effect without me knowing.
After all, it stated that I would find it hard to preserve my humanity.
So that would entail that I would slowly lose it over the course of time.
Being a Tyrant also probably didn’t help.
However, I did become a Tyrant before receiving my flaw.
Maybe that meant that my base strength would be a Tyrant?
So when I became a Terror, maybe I’d have an easier time holding onto my humanity?
“Gahhh, damn it!” Biting my nails, I grumbled and released them with a sigh.
‘Okay, it’s fine.
I’m sure I’ll manage.
So long as I make sure to know who I am and always retain that knowledge, I should be able to keep my humanity.’ As someone who valued his own sense of self, this flaw was a severe one.
Granted, it could have been worse.
Shaking my head, I dismissed the runes and thought about what to do next.
Waiting for a bit, I listened to hear if there were any footsteps approaching the door.
Noticing that there were none, I pondered over what to do and got an idea.
I looked to my shadow and thought for a moment before issuing a simple command.
“Alert me through our bond if someone approaches.
You can probably sense shadows, right?” Mr.
Shadow didn’t seem quite interested, but it still nodded.
With that, I focused inward toward my Soul Sea.
The moment I did, I felt a waterfall of whispers and incomprehensible ravings wash over me.
I opened my eyes abruptly and looked on as the image of the room appeared before me.
Soon, however, it was obscured by a gray fog.
Once it was completely obscured by the gray fog, I felt as if I were falling into its maw.
The feeling was strange and uncomfortable, and the ravings crashed into me while I fell through the fog.
My feet planted themselves onto the ground, and I opened my eyes.
What met me was a large throne, one whose back was facing the boundless gray fog beyond the castle.
Grasping my head, I felt the strange whispers leave my mind and dissipate.
Sighing in pain, I made my way to the throne.
Looking toward it, I frowned, my hand still gripping my head.
‘Hmmm, I’m not that egotistical.’ I lampooned lightly and focused.
The feeling of the fog bending to my will felt almost natural.
However, there seemed to be a strange force that suppressed it slightly.
Still, the throne before me dissipated into multiple flowing streams of fog.
Moving my hand backward, I commanded the fog to reform itself, and an ancient, long bronze table with ten high-backed chairs on either side appeared in a symmetrical arrangement.
The back of each chair dazzled and shone faintly with crimson red, drawing the outlines of weird constellations that differed from reality.
Nodding with a smile, I raised my hand, and with a command, the chair at the head of the table moved back slightly, allowing me to comfortably sit on it.
Leaning back in the chair, I released a long sigh.
‘Now then, time for a little test run.’ The moment I awoke from the nightmare, I felt a strange force coursing through my body, and of course I knew what it was.
It was Spirituality.
Spirituality felt weirdly comforting, as it seemed to have seamlessly integrated itself into my body.
Focusing on giving form to an object, I watched as the fog gathered into my hand, and soon a topaz pendant connected to a chain appeared in my non-dominant hand, meeting the first requirement for Spirit Pendulum Divination.
While it manifested, I tried to feel my Spirituality, but it seemed not to have been expended, so manifesting things here wasn’t going to cost me anything.
‘Hmm, nice.
I guess this is what you get for being a nepo baby.’ I thought self-deprecatingly and smiled, summoning a piece of paper.
On it, words manifested.
‘…The Awakened Academy is safe…’ I concentrated for a bit and felt that strange energy flow forward.
In response, the topaz pendant moved subtly, and I repeated the sentence seven times in my head.
Closing my eyes, I continued to focus until I felt the pendulum move.
Once i opened them i saw it spin in a steady clockwise motion.
Nodding, I felt that I had lost a small bit of my Spirituality, and well, since I was in Sefirah Castle, it naturally improved the divination and probably also lessened the cost of Spirituality.
While thinking about what to divine next, I felt that a bit of Spirituality was slowly returning to me.
Confused, I turned my gaze, and my eyes widened.
Instantly, I removed the previous words on the paper, and new words appeared.
‘…Sefirah Castle is connected to the Spirit World…’ Once more, I repeated the sentence seven times and injected Spirituality…
and the pendulum moved for a moment before abruptly stopping.
“Guess I expected too much.
I must remember that divination isn’t omnipotent.” Reminding myself of one of the core principles of the Fool Pathway i sighed in disappointment and focused.
Spirituality continued to seep into my body slowly from outside the boundary of Sefirah Castle, so I went ahead and decided to ask another question, more out of curiosity than anything else.
I already expected that Sefirah Castle was somehow still connected to the Spirit World in LOTM.
Even though SS was a completely different universe.
This would probably mean that there was some sort of gateway connecting the two, so who knows?
Maybe one day I would be able to travel into the Spirit World.
Sighing at what sorts of horrors I would have to face, I simply performed another divination out of curiosity.
‘…The space beyond the castle is safe…’ Instantly, the pendant moved and swung in a frenzied and erratic manner.
It spun counterclockwise in multiple loops, nearly getting loose from my grip.
Stopping the flow of Spirituality, I felt a bead of sweat roll down my cheek, and this little divination painted quite the picture.
Deciding to stop for now, I dismissed the paper and pendant, resting my elbows on the long table i looked down at the table in thought.
So, from what I was able to see, there were two things that were important.
The first was that Sefirah Castle, the same one that was bonded to my Soul Sea and thus bonded deeply with me, was somehow connected to the Spirit World.
Now, this could entail a myriad of things, but all that I knew now was that I would receive a steady supply of Spirituality via this connection between the two.
Now the second.
The second was that while the connection did seem stable, there was still some sort of terrible danger lying beyond it.
“There seem to be quite a few problems around here.
So if the connection to the Spirit World is there, can things from the Spirit World find a way to enter my Soul Sea?” Mumbling the question, I dismissed the thought.
If Amon the Blasphemer couldn’t easily get into Sefirah Castle in the original story, then some random creature from the Spirit World had no chance of entering.
Granted, there was the possibility that the barrier preventing beings from entering Sefirah Castle could maybe become unstable and allow something, or someone, to enter.
Just thinking about that monocle-wearing bastard entering sent shivers down my spine.
Feeling a strange sensation come from outside, I decided to leave things off here and exited my Soul Sea.
The moment I did, my eyes fluttered open, and I was in the room once more.
Standing up, I headed to the door, turned the handle, and opened it.
There, the troglodyte was standing with a light smile.
“Well, I’ve gathered your little friends, so let’s go.” He quickly turned around and motioned with his hand for me to follow.
‘I’m not some obedient dog, but all right.’ It reminded me a bit of Eurys and how he expected me to follow obediently, but I simply complied and followed.
We walked for a minute or two, and soon a metallic door slid open, revealing a cafeteria.
Many steel benches, like the ones you would normally see in a cafateria, were lined up perfectly, many of them occupied.
However, the one that caught my attention the most was tucked away in the right corner.
Sitting there was an extremely handsome and tall young man with sharp facial features and pale white skin that made his golden eyes seem almost exaggerated.
While his hair was slightly longer than I remembered, the roots of his hair were still a deep golden color.
Next to him was another young man with slightly shorter chestnut hair, along with a pair of chestnut eyes.
His face was weirdly stoic, as if it were carved to hold such an expression.
Opposite the two was a young lady with long black hair.
She was facing away from me, so I couldn’t see her face.
However, the two young men, who seemed deep in thought, suddenly turned.
Their calm expressions changed into ones that looked as if they had just received the best news of their lives.
In response, the young lady turned, and the moment I saw her, my breath hitched.
Her face was delicate and much paler than before, while her eyes were a deeper onyx than ever.
There was a certain appeal to her face, one that made her unnerving beauty really stand out.
Her expression changed from a grimace as she examined me to one filled with relief.
Seeing them made my heart skip a beat, and I held back from just rushing over and hugging every single one of them tightly.
However, such a thing would cause a scene, and there was already enough on our plates.
So I decided to just be glad that they were safe.
From the corner of my vision, I saw the trog… Luster look at me weirdly.
He just shrugged and headed over.
Meanwhile, I walked a step behind him.
“All right then, boys and lady, your dearly beloved has returned!” He made an exaggerated motion as he moved to the side to outstretch his hands toward me, presenting me to the three of them.
I felt my cheeks flush slightly and gritted my teeth.
‘You…
ahhh, it’s not worth it.’ Deciding against wasting my breath, I simply sighed and gave him a sympathetic smile, one that you’d give a husband who had just found out that his wife cheated on him.
He noticed it and seemed a little baffled.
I just shrugged and sat in the chair, scooting closer to Amy and looking at the other two, who were giving Luster the same look as me.
I felt my shadow shift strangely, seemingly trying to put some distance between itself and Amy.
Looking at its strange behavior, I raised a brow.
However, before I could question it further, I heard Amy’s calm voice from the side.
“Good to have you back.
You know, you had us worried for a bit.” Amy stated, turning her gaze away from the fool of an Awakened.
I frowned and tilted my head.
“What do you mean, had you worried?” “You were in there for nearly four days.
The rest of us took only about three, with Sammy taking exactly seventy-two hours.” At the mention of his name, Sammy turned away from Luster, who was asking why they were giving him those looks.
“Like I’ve been saying, I was only in the Nightmare for up to two days at most.
But for some reason, it took an extra day for me to wake up.” He said, and I just now noticed that unlike the other two, he didn’t have a plate.
Which was already strange in and of itself.
He instantly noticed my gaze and frowned, “Don’t even start.” I looked away and whistled, “No clue what you’re talking about.” I then turned back to Amy.
“So, did you have the same time problem as Sammy?” She shook her head, and I raised a brow.
“Don’t think about it too hard.
It’s the Nightmare Spell.” Luster seemed to have an exaggerated expression of sadness and pulled a chair from another table, sitting at the head of ours.
“Anyway, you’ll have more than enough time to catch up later, so I’ll go ahead and begin.” He looked at us, and once he saw that he had our undivided attention, he began, a bit more cheerful now.
“As per protocol, I am obligated to inform you of a few things.
It is mostly a formality.
First of all, concerning your Nightmare, you are entitled to receive free psychological counseling.
No matter what traumatic experience you have encountered, there is no shame in asking for help.
Your mind is as important as your body—it’s only right to keep it healthy.
Are you interested?” ‘In short, do I want a spy from the great clans or the government to pry into my secrets and tell them my weaknesses?
Hmm, yeah, I’ll pass.’ I pretended to think for a moment and shook my head.
Luster sighed and shook his head.
“Well, all four of you seem rather paranoid.
But believe me, it really helps!” He made the statement with a genuinely proud expression, like a person who was adamant that their opinion was right.
My expression changed to an impassive one, and by the confused look on his face, it seemed that the others had also taken the same approach.
Luster looked down with a dark expression and mumbled something under his breath.
“Why are they so mean…” Shaking his head, Luster cleared his throat and continued.
“Well, since you’re similar to your friends here, I’m guessing you also don’t want to talk to me about your Nightmare, right?” This time, I gave him a smile that you’d give someone you pitied and nodded.
This only further soured his mood.
“Right…
well, that’s about it.
Would you like to go to the Awakened Academy with your friends?” ‘My, my, why so down?
Did you not get your way?” The guy was barely showing any emotion now, but that’s what he got.
Not only did he seem quite arrogant, but he even seemed to be rather interested in Amy.
Granted, that was due to his flaw, but still, it didn’t matter.
The moment he began to seem overconfident and superior, I already made sure to focus on one thing.
And that was the agenda to bully him.
The other three also seemed rather annoyed by him, and they followed along as well.
So after he said some more jargon about certain things, we went outside, and since I didn’t have an appetite, I didn’t eat, however i did take a few pieces of bread off Amy’s plate and pocketed them.
*** The ride in the PTV was slow and awkward.
Luster drove us in his own personal PTV, and the whole ride he was wearing a frown, one that seemed rather unnatural on his face.
I got shotgun, so I rode in the front, enjoying the scenery of NQSC.
The other three were behind me.
Steven was rather quiet the whole time, almost as if he were holding something back.
Noticing this in the rearview mirror, I frowned and turned in my seat to look at him.
“Is something wrong, Steven?
You seem a bit different than usual.” Raising a brow, Steven looked me in the eye and shook his head.
“No, it’s just…
well, I’m dying to ask you about your Nightmare, but I know you don’t want to talk about it with this guy around, so I’ve been holding back my curiosity, that’s all.” “Oh, well, when we get some privacy, I’ll talk about it with you all.” Glad that my friend wasn’t going through something, I gave him a smile, and once he looked at me, he smiled in return and relaxed.
Luster, meanwhile, had his mouth agape and looked directly at me.
“Shouldn’t you be watching the road?” Instantly, he opened his mouth a bit wider and turned back to the road.
‘How irresponsible, and now I’m here missing Master Jet, tsk tsk.’ He mumbled something under his breath again, but I didn’t bother listening to it.
I did, however, summon my runes once more.
Sequences: [Sequence 9, Seer] Digestion (1%/100%).
[Sequence 9, Marauder] Digestion (1.6%/100%).
[Sequence 9, Apprentice] Digestion (0%/100%).
Smiling, I entertained the idea of being even more obnoxious.
However, I refrained.
There was only so much ridicule a warm-blooded man like him could handle before snapping.
And I’d rather not face an Awakened.
While we continued to ride, Luster seemed to have a lightbulb moment and relaxed in his seat slightly.
I looked ahead, and soon, a massive red gate appeared before the car.
‘Holy.’ Looking at the gates of the Awakened Academy, I whistled with a smile.
After all that pain that I, and no doubt my friends, went through, we finally made it.
As the PTV stopped, we exited quickly, and I didn’t even bother saying goodbye, in the interest of being disrespectful and digesting more of the Marauder potion.
Me and Amy circled the PTV since we both exited from the same side, and while I was close to the driver’s side window, I heard the sound of a window rolling down.
Looking back, I saw Luster looking at us.
Sammy and Steven noticed the sound as well and looked back, while Amy gave him a sidelong glance.
Luster seemed uncertain about something, but he simply sighed and looked at us.
“I forgot to mention something.
Be sure that if you do Awaken, you don’t go joining any suspicious people.” Raising a brow, I was about to ask before Steven suddenly appeared beside me without warning.
I ducked to the side while Steven gave Luster an eager look.
“What do you mean?” Luster was also surprised.
However, he just chuckled uncomfortably under Steven’s piercing gaze.
“Well, about five years ago, a certain organization became popular.
However, they are popular for all the wrong reasons, namely for being so mysterious and deadly.
They usually recruit newer Awakened and trick them into signing up.” Once he said that, Steven hummed, and I heard Sammy approach slightly closer, while Amy herself also paid more attention.
“What are they called?” Steven inquired.
Luster put a finger on his chin and seemed to contemplate for a bit.
“If I’m remembering it right…
the Blood Sanctify Sect…” (NARRATION) After Luster informed the four Sleepers of the dangerous organization, he was still in a rather bad mood, so he drove to his favorite place.
NQBC, more widely known as the ‘Northern Quadrant Booze Capital,’ was a popular place that served high-quality beer.
Some of it could even get Masters drunk, if the rumors were true.
He simply parked his PTV and entered the bar.
The bartender, who he was good friends with, greeted him warmly and started making him his favorite drink.
‘The Missus Strong.’ A drink that had only a strong and bitter taste.
It could get you drunk if you drank multiple cups, but one cup wouldn’t hurt.
Maine, the bartender, was an Awakened who possessed an Aspect that could naturally improve things and heighten qualities of his choosing.
So that was why he had built such a good business.
That, and his naturally cheerful and electric personality.
He was a dark-skinned man with long, fluffy brown hair and a short goatee, giving him a gentlemanly look.
With practiced ease, he prepared a simple cup of the beautiful velvet alcohol and placed it on the counter.
Luster sat on the stool and grabbed the drink.
For a moment, he admired the aroma.
Unlike usual, his smile was gone, and instead of thanking Maine with a snarky comment, he just sighed.
Maine noticed this and raised a brow.
“Oy, what’s with you?
Don’t tell me…
hmmm, you must’ve gotten rejected by a rather reasonable and pretty miss, didn’t ya?” Luster shook his head and took a small sip, exhaling in satisfaction.
“Well…
I did kinda get rejected, I guess.” Nodding with a smile, Maine put his arm on the counter and scooted closer to him.
“Now come on, you wouldn’t happen to not want to talk to lil’ ol’ me, would ya?” Once more shaking his head, Luster looked at the drink and downed it immediately.
Burping, he didn’t even have time to react as his glass was instantly refilled.
Suspicion furrowed his brows as he looked at Maine.
“Oi, are you trying to get me drunk so I tell you what happened?” Maine snorted and shook his head.
“What gave you that idea?
Clearly you’re out of it.
Go on, drink a bit more.” Against his better judgment, Luster took another drink.
This drink then turned into two, then three, and then he was shirtless and resting his head on the counter.
“Oh my, you seem rather sad.
Now, are you feeling up for a little chat with your buddy?” Luster hiccupped slightly and moaned.
Maine was eager to hear what had happened.
After all, it wasn’t every day that one of the most cheerful people he knew looked so downcast.
“Well…
I was looking after some Sleepers, and…
and they were being so mean!” Maine cocked his head in confusion, and Luster continued.
“And every time I spoke, they gave me these…
these condescending looks, like they would rather do anything else than speak or listen to me!” He slammed his head on the table, and thankfully the table was made from a sturdy material, so it held up well.
“Can you believe it?!
They were bullying me!…
And they were Sleepers…
who gave them the…
the right to look down on me…” He burped and coughed numerous times throughout his speech.
Soon enough, Maine lost all interest and decided to just finish up the dishes that had piled up due to him neglecting them for a short time.
While he cleaned the dishes, he sighed.
‘Haa… Kids these days.’ Some time passed, and yet another Awakened that had some sort of terrible experience with multiple Sleepers barged in.
_______________________ Author’s Note: I had fun writing this cahpter, especially the Luster getting bullied part he 🙂 Next Chap will be on Tuesday and then Friday, i’ll see if i can manage a third, works been a bit hectic so i usually rest when i have free time at home.
Anyway enjoy your day!
Also feel free to ask some questions and make sure to leave a comment or two to motivate me!
P.S-The chapter was a bit late since i had to search for my fat ahh cat that got lost.