Chapter 8: Dying is for Idiots.
Sunny and Asher were both drinking some coffee, and Cassie was, well... being Cassie.
"Hey Asher, I heard some funny rumors about something that happened in the combat class?" Sunny said as he nudged Asher's side with a smirk. Asher's cheeks flushed crimson as he narrowed his eyes at Sunny with a sneer, "I know you saw it all from the eyes of your perverted shad-" Sunny instantly put his palm on Asher's mouth.
"You bastard! Fine! I won't provoke your dumbass face; just don't tell anything in the open," Sunny whispered as Asher nodded when Sunny let go. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yes! Your perverted sha-" Sunny put his hand on Asher's mouth again, "I won't call you a bastard for a week, no, 2 weeks! Please don't tell anything!" Sunny whispered again; Asher let out a muffled laugh as he nodded. Sunny sighed as he got back to drinking his coffee.
Nephis eventually came and took her seat next to Asher. Nephis calmly looked at Asher as she said in a straight voice, "Asher, I wanted to talk about what we did together in my room last night." Sunny instantly spat out his coffee as he slowly looked at Asher with wide eyes. Everyone, in fact, who heard Nephis' comment, looked at Asher with wide eyes.
'As expected from the Changing Star. Her communication skills are a lost cause,' Asher nodded to himself as he thought of a way to kill himself due to embarrassment.
"Can we talk privately?" Asher said with a twitching smile, trying not to worsen the situation. Nephis nodded. Both left the table, finding an isolated hallway.
Once they were alone, Asher nervously cleared his throat. "So, um, what did you want to talk about?" he asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.
"Your swordsmanship. I noticed in our spar that your reflexes are impeccable, perhaps faster than mine," Nephis remarked, pausing as Asher smiled at the praise. "However, your body can't keep up with your eyes. So for the next 3 and a half weeks, I shall train you to keep up with your eyes."
Asher nodded with a grateful smile, "So when do we start?" Nephis' lips curled up a bit as she said, "Right now. I want you to run 50 rounds around the academy within 5 hours." Asher's jaw dropped in disbelief, his mind already calculating the miles ahead.
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ASHER'S POV
Just like that, days flew by. Every day, me, Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie sat at the same table. We grew closer, even Cassie and Nephis engaged in conversations sometimes! Though nobody knows anything about each other, and it's only me and Sunny talking. That was a lie. I was the only one who talked; Sunny only nodded back in response. Still! It was at least okay to assume everyone at the table was acquainted!
Turns out, beneath Nephis's cheerful facade lurked a sadistic streak. Her weapon of choice? A wooden stick wielded with the finesse of a medieval torturer. Every time I fail to run 50 rounds around the academy -- which is on a similar scale to a small city!-- I get a red mark on my back.
Picture this: Nephis, the drill sergeant in disguise, wielding her trusty wooden stick like she's auditioning for the role of "The Punisher" in a kindergarten play. "Fifty rounds or bust," she'd declare, with a cute smile that could bring down nations.
Do you know the excuse she gives? "This is your incentive to run faster." Like, don't give me that bullshit, woman! You just like to hit me!
But, due to that torture, I can now remotely keep up with my eyes. I also almost learned everything about Nephis' sword style during our spars. It was unfortunate that Eurys died, only showing me 5 forms of his dragon whatever. It's basically budget demon slayer breathing style anyway.
Funnily enough, due to my photographic memory, I remember the anime explaining total concentration breathing and guess what? I LEARNED IT BABY! No, it wasn't bullshit. It's just that humans had to breathe in more air than their lung's vital capacity.
So, it was nigh impossible in the old earth, but I am a sleeper! But it took a lot of time since [Eidetic Perception] doesn't work, as I didn't actually see it. It was from my memory when I didn't have [Eidetic Perception]. Total concentration breathing still isn't enough to complete 50 rounds around the academy though. At least not in 5 hours.
My academy life was more or less the same aswell.
Sunny was slowly opening up to me, though his vocabulary seemed limited to a single word: "bastard." Ah, the sweet melody of friendship! That guy should have gone to therapy when I told him to though.
My control over gravity has improved as well. I don't use it in training as I would rather not depend on an augmented body and also because I have turned… a bit… masochistic...
It's Neph's fault. I promise.
Anyway! I could definitely complete 50 rounds, no, 60 rounds even, if I push myself with gravity but that would defeat the entire purpose of training, plus I can't use it in battle as my control is not good enough to apply it in battle other than moving in a straight line.
In all four weeks, I haven't beaten Nephis even once in our spars. In combat class, there was Caster, nursing his ego after a certain... incident involving my foot and his nether regions. His attempts to challenge me to sparring matches were met with polite refusals, much to his chagrin.
Every time he looks at me, his face screams "One day, I will kill you!"
He is a scary guy.
As the weeks passed, I slowly began to accept the reality around me... The ache for my family, though they were only foster parents, gnawed at me like a persistent itch, a constant reminder of the life I left behind.
And my friends... well, the less said about them, the better. Their faces blurred in my memory like fading photographs, their voices distant echoes in the caverns of my mind.
Ironically, I have a photographic memory.
Sometimes, in the quiet moments between Nephis's punishing training sessions, I allowed myself to wonder what they were doing back in my old world. Did they miss me? Did they wonder where I had gone? Or had I simply faded into the background, a forgotten memory in the tapestry of their lives?
Was this all a long dream?
No.
The pain of Nephis's beatings reminded me.
This was no dream.
This was my reality now, whether I liked it or not. With a resigned sigh, I pushed aside my guilt, burying it deep beneath the surface, and focused on the path ahead.
For better or for worse, this was my new life, and I had to make the most of it. And so, as the day of reckoning in the dream realm drew near, I steeled myself for whatever trials awaited me.
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"What the fuck are you doing" Sunny snorted as he saw Asher watch a taekwondo fight on his communicator"Training," Asher deadpanned, his eyes glued to the screen. Sunny laughed, "If you think watching something is enough to learn it, I would be beating Nephis without breaking a sweat!" Asher's lips curled as he used every fibre of his body to not laugh his ass. "What?! Do you not believe me? I have a divine aspect, you know!"
Asher burst into laughter while Sunny simply scoffed and looked front with his arms crossed. "Why are you smiling Cassie?" Sunny asked with a frown as he saw Cassie showing a rare smile. "Happy birthday Sunny!" She said cheerfully. Sunny's expression froze. He forgot it was his birthday.
"U-Uh, Thanks."
'Wait, how does she know it's my birthday?'
He opened his mouth to ask but was interrupted by Asher, who wrapped him around his shoulders. "Wait, Sunny! I didn't know that it was your birthday! How about this, I get us some ice cream. It's my treat!" Sunny looked at Asher with narrowed eyes as he shouted, "The fuck do you mean, 'it's my treat'! The ice cream is free, dumbass!" Asher chuckled as he waved his hand dismissively, "Don't pay attention to minor details. Haha."
"You bastard! Let go of me-"
Just then, Nephis spoke up, "Happy birthday Sunny." She said before going back to drink her coffee.
Sunny's expression softened. "Thank you Nephis."
"You are still a pervert though." She added, stabbing Sunny in the chest.
Before he could retort, however, Asher got up and pointed a finger at Sunny, "You never told me thank you! You simp!" Sunny got up as well with clenched fists and furrowed brows, "What the fuck are you talking about!? You never wished me!"
"Huh? I wished you!"
"No, you didn't!"
"It doesn't matter! Tell me thank you as well!"
"FUCK YOU, BASTARD!"
"HEY! I HAVE A NAME, YOU KNOW!"
"NOBODY FUCKING CARES!"
"I DO, FLOWER BOY!"
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
"THEN CALL ME BY MY NAME!"
"FUCK YOURSELF!"
Nephis looked at the two and sighed. Cassie put on a sad smile while looking at the three as she thought with a bit of tears in her eyes, 'It's a shame… I wanted to spend more time with you all.'
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Finally done with his last supper in the waking world, Asher was about to walk out from the cafeteria when he saw Cassie sitting alone at their table. Asher let out an audible sigh before walking up to her. Asher held Cassie's arm, prompting her to get up with a short yelp.
"It's me, Cassie."
"Oh Asher, you scared me."
"I'm sorry, let's go to the sleep pods together."
Cassie nodded as they began to walk in silence or it was supposed to be. "Hey Asher, remember when you said you'll protect Sunny because he is weak."
Asher nodded but realized she was blind. "Uh.. Yes, yes."
"I am also weak. Will you protect me?" Cassie said as she faced Asher with her big cerulean eyes. Asher grimaced, 'Don't give me that look! It's criminal to act like that when I know what you are about to do!'
Asher coughed as he said, "If I find you in the Dream realm, sure."
"I see. If you don't find me, what will I do-?"
"Beg."
Cassie flinched as Asher continued in a serious tone, "Beg people to help you. To protect you. There's no shame in telling people that you want to live."
Cassie stopped walking. Asher turned back with a frown. Cassie dug her nails into her frock as she bit her lip, tears forming at the side of her eyes.
"I want to live, Asher."
Asher had a quizzical face, "What?"
Tears streamed down her eyes as blood dripped down her lip she was biting. She suddenly ran into Asher and yelled, "I WANT TO LIVE, ASHER! I BEG YOU! I WANT TO LIVE!" Asher felt his tracksuit get wet as Cassie cried loudly. 'Please don't do this! I don't want to get Cassie close to me! This is Cassie! Cassie, we are talking about!'
Asher gently pulled himself away from Cassie as he awkwardly patted her head. "You will live, Cassie. I swear upon my beautiful face that you will live." He said as Cassie sniffled. Asher's frown softened into a gentle smile as he sensed Cassie's calm returning.
"Dying is for idiots anyway! And you, my dear, are anything but an idiot," he declared with a playful smirk, hoping to lift her spirits with his lighthearted banter.
Cassie turned her head towards his voice, her sightless eyes reflecting a mix of emotions. "Let's get to the pods now," Asher suggested, his tone gentle yet resolute. Cassie nodded with a sad smile, her trust in him unwavering despite the darkness that surrounded her. "Dying is for idiots huh…" she mumbled as she gripped the air.
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As the Sleepers were led to their individual rooms, Asher felt a sense of trepidation clinging to him like a stubborn shadow, his heart pounding in his chest with the weight of uncertainty. But unlike the others, his fear wasn't solely rooted in the unknown; it was compounded by the burden of the future he carried within him.
Asher stared at his sleep pod with a complicated expression, his mind racing with the knowledge of what lay ahead. His gaze flickered nervously over the white ceiling, anxiety gnawing at his insides as he contemplated the journey ahead.
Taking a shaky breath, Asher reluctantly took his seat in the sleep pod. "I am probably going to end up in the forgotten shore," he whispered to himself, the weight of his foreknowledge heavy on his tongue.
Closing his eyes, Asher surrendered to the embrace of the pod, the familiar hum of machinery surrounding him like a cocoon of unease. Every creak and groan of the metal seemed to echo his own apprehension, amplifying the sense of dread that gripped his heart.
At that moment, as he drifted into the realm of sleep, Asher couldn't help but wonder if he was truly ready for the challenges that lay ahead. Despite his knowledge of the future, uncertainty lingered like a shadow, casting doubt on his ability to navigate the twists and turns of fate.
And then, as if to confirm his deepest fears, a voice pierced the silence, its tone both welcoming and ominous in equal measure.
[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Asher!]
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[A/N: Hi guys! Finally! The forgotten shore! The starting chapter will be rushed but it will go back to the turtle pace, like did you ever see a shadow slave fanfic with more than 4 chapters for the academy arc?! Anyway, I think you all will like it.]
P.S: If you have any power stones, Please donate. I will appreciate them.
Thanks.
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