Shadow Slave: Possibilities Without Meaning

A beautiful girl with silver-white hair was staring at Aldric. With a detached look, she stared into his eyes as if he were something to study. She was tall and slender, her natural hair was cut short and parted to the side. 

Aldric didn't realise but he had mirrored the same look back to her.

'What is this feeling?'

A feeling of small animosity built up in Aldric. Like something was fundamentally wrong with the person he was looking at. Something he disagreed with.

[Clear Mind] numbed the feeling but it was still present.

Aldric did not know that this would happen. What would happen when holders of the element of darkness and light met? A kind of resonance. 

Nephis must be very confused. Getting this feeling from a complete stranger with no explanation. 

The feeling was slowly easing into silence. It was a weird first impression but whatever.

He moved his eyes away from the girl.

It seemed that Sunless was trying to socialise with a group 1 table away from him.

"Do you know that I hold a divine rank aspect? " The short boy spoke with a large grin.

The group let out small chuckles. 

"Yeah right. Little guy." A guy at the table said.

"Who are you calling little? I've killed someone for less you know." Sunny shouted in anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you relax" the guy tried to calm the situation.

" Yeah calm down " A girl sitting beside him said.

" Your breasts look deflated. What's wrong with them" Sunny spoke unabashedly.

The group exploded in anger. The girl stood up in silent rage and backhanded him so hard he fell to the ground.

'Is this really his tactic? It seems very short-sighted to me'

Sunny was accurate to his description in the novel. A short sickly sickly-looking teenager that had a sharp look in his eyes. Aldric's own observation of his appearance and attitude made him realise why he was ostracised as a sleeper. 

Aldric came to a finish with his breakfast and made it out of the canteen.

He could still feel a cold gaze following him.

----------

Back in the training hall late at night, Aldric was back to training his aspect abilities. One thing that he was grateful for was his knowledge of fiction. He had an endless amount of inspiration to take from due to how popular darkness was as a power. Yami Sukerhiro was the best for him currently. Simple attacks that did not require years of mastery. Also, his abilities were used in tandem with his sword. Realistically, Aldric would rarely use his powers barehanded if he had a choice. As his proficiency increased, he wouldn't shy away from emulating other techniques. 

"Death thrust."

Aldric pierced his sword forward with darkness concentrated at the tip. It was hard to focus it all at one point so he had to slowly build up the amount he could. 

He named his attacks because of something he learned from his instructor. He was taught that you didn't have to say it out loud however having a name associated with the technique helps your brain form shorter neural pathways. It would allow Aldric to train his body to complete the attack quickly without even thinking.

He had noticed that it took a while for his darkness to recharge once depleted. He hoped the speed could increase with the number of sprites he gained.

As he was slashing, a dark shape looked at him from afar. Aldric stopped his training and sent a cold stare at the origin of the look. The dark figure disappeared as soon as he saw it. 

He had a guess at who it was and didn't think much of it.

----------

Back in the sleeper dorms, Sunny felt a cold chill run down his spine.

He disconnected his connection with his shadow.

"Who the hell was that?"

"How the hell did he see me?"

Sunny didn't know how he was spotted.

With his heart racing at being caught for the first time, he went to bed.

----------

The winter solstice was looming. The tension in the air was thick. Those who were not confident had an air of death following them. Some even had given up. Everyone knew that they could be displaced anywhere in the dream realm. It was a matter of whether you believed in your luck.

Aldric had no clue where he would be sent. The forgotten shore could be an option however the areas surrounding it were also likely. Maybe even unchartered land that nobody knew. All the knowledge in the world would not save Aldric. He had to rely on his luck. 

'Maybe Sunny's fated attribute could send me with him to the forgotten shore' Aldric chuckled at the thought. It was a possibility though.

With 3 days left, it was time to do something he wanted to do for a while. Time to trade.

He opened the application on his communicator. It had a simple design showing you what you could buy and an input for what you wanted to sell. Aldric placed his last three memories on sale.

[Bow Of Bone],[Lizard's Dagger],[Burrow Whip] 

He first had to get his items appraised. He headed to the ground floor where they dealt with the appraisals.

----------

It was the final day. The winter solstice was tonight. 

Aldric had relaxed for most of the day. He completed his basic training and went to chill out in his room. He visited all his instructors and said goodbye. It was not sad for him. He knew he would make it back.

After his visits, last-minute training would just stress him out for no reason. He browsed the net on his communicator and watched all sorts of videos. He connected it to the display in his room. Showing the screen like a home theatre. Dreamscape fights, gaming videos, and listening to music. Aldric took a moment in the chaos to unwind. This moment wouldn't last forever.

An alarm rang out through the building. It was time.

All sorts of medical checks were completed and they went to the assembly hall one last time. 

All the sleepers were gathered together for the first time. They were each taken by their own instructors. Awakened Helen came and led the 20 sleepers she inducted outside into the park. 

"I won't show you anything depressing to bring the mood even further down. I will say to you this. Remember this moment. Burn it into your memory. For when you are fighting for your life in the dream realm. Remember it so you can recall what you are coming back to. And in 5 years, you will remember this moment as a fleeting memory."

"I wish you all the best. May victory be with you."

All the sleepers took in the speech. 

'This is my vantage point' 

"I'll be back..." Aldric whispered to himself.

----------

After being led to their personal rooms, Aldric saw the sleeping pod in the center. Like a coffin, it stood alone. 

He slowly entered the pod and layed down.

"It's time."

Inhale

Exhale

Aldric fell asleep.

[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Aldric!]