Before the sun had even begun to rise, a pale boy with jet‐black hair stood facing himself in the mirror. His expression was distant, unfocused, as if searching for something just beyond reach. He stared into his lightless eyes, trying to see deeper—trying to see within his soul.
He sighed.
"It was just a nightmare; it has to be."
But Sunny knew it wasn't. What had saved him on that snowy mountain had hitched a ride home.
"No, that's not possible. Nothing the spell creates is truly real."
Sunny paused, thinking. Then, quickly, he pulled up his runes to check one specific string:
[Shadow Guide.]
He scanned the runes. And there—he found it. Something had changed. The runic symbols had formed to create four words:
The -unknown- lives within.
The rest were still unreadable, but this… this was something. Sunny splashed his face with water, making sure he wasn't seeing things. The chill clung to him, lingering even after the droplets slid down his skin. His fingers tightened against the sink's edge as his mind cycled through possibilities, explanations—anything that could make this make sense.
But it didn't.
[Shadow Guide.] had always been complex, its secrets teasing at the edges of understanding. But this—this was different.
"The unknown lives within."
The words pulsed in his mind like a heartbeat, weighted with something far beyond mere translation.
He swallowed, exhaling slowly, willing himself to think clearly. Was it a warning? A truth? Or something else entirely? His eyes flicked back to his reflection, searching again for proof that he was still himself. No answers came. Instead, the shadows in the dimly lit room seemed deeper than before, stretching longer, breathing as if aware.
Sunny straightened, forcing his thoughts into order. He couldn't afford to dwell—not now. Whatever this was, it was his to unravel. For now, the only certainty was this: something had followed him home, had made its nest deep within his soul.
But he wouldn't let it. He didn't care if he had to tear himself apart. This parasite would regret burrowing into his very being.
Future Sunny was outraged.
"I'm no parasite, you little brat!"
Of course, no one heard his indignation, and he was forced to watch as he himself made threats on his own life.
Later, Sunny made his way to the overcrowded cafeteria, filling his plate with all kinds of delicious food. The scent of warm bread and sizzling meat filled the air, mingling with the distant murmur of voices—a chaotic symphony of hunger, conversation, and routine. He scanned the room, looking for any sign of a seat. Then—he found her.
The same beautiful blind girl with striking but hollow blue eyes sat alone, being aided—or rather, neglected—by a social worker who couldn't even be bothered to pay attention. The woman was tall and gaunt, her dull gray eyes glued to the communicator in her hands, scrolling mindlessly—disconnected, indifferent.
Sunny felt his mood dim. It was always the same. Destined to be an outcast. But his self-pity was quickly replaced by mild fury as he stared at the scene before him. Without hesitation, he approached, his movements sharp, purposeful. He sat down, giving the social worker a well-deserved glare, his presence heavy with unspoken criticism. Then, he dug into his food, keeping his focus on the unfolding situation.
At first, it was small things—the social worker fumbling with the spoon, hesitating as though feeding the girl was some unbearable chore. Then the mistakes piled up. The spoon hovered clumsily, missing its mark more than once. Sunny's grip on his fork tightened. The girl waited patiently, silent, enduring each misstep with quiet grace. But Sunny could see it—the tension in her fingers, the way she adjusted herself after every failed attempt, the way she swallowed her frustration.
And then—his fury ignited. The social worker, distracted and careless, completely missed her mouth as the spoon jabbed against the girl's nose. A startled flinch; then the bowl tipped, spilling warm porridge down her simple but elegant outfit and staining the fabric in an instant.
Sunny's chair scraped loudly as he leaned forward.
"Are you serious?"
The words weren't shouted, but they cut through the air like a blade. The social worker barely reacted, slow to acknowledge the mess she had made—as if it were nothing more than an inconvenience. Sunny's gaze burned, his patience gone. She hadn't just failed. She hadn't just been careless; she had disrespected her. And that—for some unknown reason—he could not ignore.
Sunny's voice was low and cold, barely holding back his rage.
"What's your problem?"
He stared deeply into the eyes of the shocked social worker. After a few seconds, her brow furrowed.
"Excuse me, who do you think you are?"
The boy grinned before replying,
"I'm the sleeper who killed an awakened tyrant without lifting a finger."
The woman stared at him, stunned for a moment—then laughed hysterically, as if she had just been told the funniest joke ever.
"You're both pathetic, you know that, right?"
She got up from her chair and scoffed.
"If you care so much, why don't you look after her?"
Then—she stormed away, leaving the two of them sitting at the table together.
Alone.
"Hey—what happened?" The girl's soft voice trembled with both confusion and concern as she brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. Her tone cut through the fading clamour of the cafeteria, drawing Sunny back to the moment. He paused, fork suspended midway to his mouth, and regarded her with an intensity that belied his earlier fury.
"I—I couldn't just stand by," Sunny began, his voice low and uneven. "The social worker… she's been of no use to you. I saw her fumble with your food, neglect you like you're barely worth her time. When she spilled your porridge, I couldn't let it pass." His words tumbled out in fragments of anger mixed with deep-seated sadness, each phrase weighted with the history of being overlooked himself.
Cassie tilted her head slightly, the dull blue in her eyes softening as she sensed the tumult beneath his composed exterior.
"But why... why did you say what you did earlier?" she asked, her tone both inquisitive and gentle. "That line—'I'm the sleeper who killed an awakened tyrant without lifting a finger'—it sounds like something out of a legend. I mean, how can you speak that way about something so extraordinary?"
Sunny exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting as if searching the very air for an answer he couldn't quite grasp.
"It's only the truth, of course," he replied with wry softness. "Not that it's impressive. In fact, it's not even the most impressive thing I've done."
Cassie stared blankly for a second before bursting out laughing.
"Well... you claimed to have killed an Awakened Tyrant in your first nightmare." She held back a chuckle as she continued. "And that's not even your greatest accomplishment."
She smiled in the direction of his voice. "You're funny, you know that, right?" Then her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh, thank you, by the way. Wait, what even is your name?"
The boy sat in silence for a moment before a slight smile played across his face.
"You're welcome, and oh—my name's Sunless, but you can call me Sunny."
"Thank you, Sunny. I'm Cassie."
However, before he could continue the conversation , a sudden commotion drew his attention.
He looked up and noticed that a lot of Sleepers were gathered around the large screen hanging on the wall of the cafeteria, their faces filled with excitement and awe. On the screen, a list of names was displayed, ranking the new batch of Sleepers from weakest to strongest, most likely deduced from the results of the interviews.
Not particularly interested, he quickly found his own name near the bottom of the list. The only Sleeper who the Academy judged to be less likely to succeed than him was Cassie.
But the commotion was a bit too loud to be just the result of the ranking. Curious, he moved his gaze up. The Sleepers were restless.
"How… how can this be?!"
"I'm not seeing things, right?"
"What kind of a monster is she?!"
Caster was placed in second place. And right above him, the portrait of the silver-haired girl could be clearly seen.
To the right of it, two simple lines of text were displayed:
"Name: Nephis"
"True Name: Changing Star"