Deep in an underground level of the Awakened Academy, a dark room was suddenly bathed in bright white light. In the middle of the room, a complicated sleeping pod slowly opened its lid, and a white hand suddenly grabbed the edges of the pod.
The metal reddened under the heat of the hand, it bent as the figure pushed herself up. The woman wreathed in blazing white light sat up and looked around. For a moment, she didn't recognize the room she was in, it had been so long since she had last seen this place.
In her awe, she almost didnt notice the pain. It was a familiar kind of pain that was afflicted upon her every time she used her aspect. It had grown stronger as she awakened, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.
Sighing deeply, she exerted her will over her aspect ability, and the white glow slowly died down. Removing her hand from the already melting metal chassis, Nephis slowly made her way out of the sleeping pod.
At that moment someone hurriedly opened the door from outside, and a doctor walked in with a frantic look on her face. She stared in shock at the awakened Nephis, her jaw hanging open.
Then her gaze went lower, and fresh blood flushed into her face as she turned away.
Nephis frowned and looked down at her body, it was pristine and untouched, just like her body in the dream realm. It lacked any scars or markings, courtesy of her aspect ability.
At that moment she remembered how naked she was. With a thought, white sparks manifested into a set of armour around her body.
Noticing the memory covering Nephis' legs, the doctor looked up once again and tentatively asked:
"Ma'am…Madam Changing Star, are you truly awake?"
She didn't dare to believe her own eyes, this was the woman who had led over a hundred sleepers out of the Forgotten Shores, the Death Zone where hundreds, if not thousands of sleepers had been lost. This was the legacy of the Immortal Flame clan.
Nephis stared at her for a few seconds and then nodded.
The doctor finally seemed to relax and looked at her with a relieved, happy expression on her face.
A few moments later, she smiled brightly and said, her voice full of sincere joy:
"Welcome back to the real world, Lady Changing Star!"
The news of her awakening spread like wildfire, soon a crowd formed near the entrance of the Academy, each and every one of them wanted to see her. To them, Changing Star had become a symbol of hope.
Inside the Hospital Complex of the Academy, Nephis had been taken in for an evaluation. Cassie was seated on a fimsy chair, facing the armoured door with a quiet expression. Her hands gripped the armrest of the chair until her knuckled turned white.
She wasn't alone in the waiting area. In fact, a small crowd of people was there with her — doctors, faculty members, a few disheveled government agents, Academy administrators… everyone was anticipating the news with bated breaths. Their faces were pale, shocked, and excited.
Cassie had been the first to arrive at the scene after hearing about the news, accompanied by some of her fire keepers. They had chosen to wait outside, to guide the others when they arrived.
Suddenly, the crowd parted, and a wheelchair passed through. Sitting on it was a sickly, terribly gaunt young woman.
There was clearly something defective about her body. She was unhealthily thin, with pale skin stretching over brittle bones and a strange twist to her spine. Her legs seemed lifeless and weak, tucked awkwardly on the step of her wheelchair. Her neck was clearly struggling to support the weight of her head.
That was Effie, or rather her physical body. It was quite different from the giant warrior she was in the dream realm.
Behind her was the familiar frame of Kai, who had accompanied her to the academy. The Awakening made Kai's slender figure even more graceful, his perfect face even more handsome, and his electric green eyes even more mesmerizing.
His luscious dark auburn hair was now neatly cut and styled, his clothes were simple and exquisitely fashionable, and the several pieces of jewelry he wore somehow managed to enhance every one of those features by bringing it just the right amount of attention.
As soon as they reached her, the huntress froze for a moment, and then aske din a hoarse voice: "Cassie! Is it true? Princess is back?"
Cassie turned towards her, and slowly nodded, "Yes, she's in there. I managed to get a glimpse at her before they took her in."
Effie did not move for several seconds. Then, a wide grin split her face. It looked as if she was on the verge of starting to howl again.
"Hell yes! I never had a doubt! No Nightmare Creature exists that can keep that pampered psycho down!"
Cassie couldn't help but smile a little, infected by her jubilation.
Behind Effie, Kai swayed a little, and then leaned on the wall to keep himself upright.
"Gods… thank the gods…"
Then, they fell silent, it was clear that they were lacking someone. Someone who for all intents and purposes should have been the first one here.
Kai cleared his throat and then looked at Cassie, "Any news about Sunny?"
Cassie paused, and then shook her head.
Sunny had gone missing a few days ago, the last anyone had seen of him was in the chained islands where he had gone to explore. As Cassie was the only other one anchored there, she would know if he returned. But he hadn't, he'd completely disappeared off the face of the planet.
This had worried the cohort greatly, Effie had even gone so far as to temporarily stay in his home, keeping a watch over his sleeping pod. Kai would have gone with her if he wasn't afraid of being recognized and leading a crowd of appreciators to Sunny's residence.
As a matter of fact, they had already applied for a transfer in citadels. Just so that they could start exploring the area in search of their companion. Effie was especially more willing to do that, in fact she would have been on her way to meet a Valor Clan representative right now if Changing Star hadn't suddenly awoken. She had already lost Lucien to the existence under the Hollow Mountains, she did not want to loose Sunny to whatever abomination he had faced in the Chained Isles.
It was at that moment that the armored doors finally opened, and one of the Awakened healers in the employ of the Academy appeared from them.
The three members of Changing Stars Cohort turned their attention towards the healer. Everyone gathered in the waiting area held their breaths.
One of the government agents couldn't contain herself and asked:
"How… how is she? Lady Changing Star is really back?"
The healer lingered for a moment, and then nodded.
"She is. Her physical condition is fine… better than fine, even. Perfect. As for her mental condition…it is surprisingly healthy. She is awake now, and has requested to see the members of her cohort first."
Saying that, the healer turned towards the three awakened huddled together near the gate.
"Please head inside, she is waiting for you."
Cassie nodded and stood up, seeing through Effies eyes she walked towards the door. The other two members of their cohort followed close behind.
Nephis was sitting on the hospital bed, still wearing the Starlight Legion armour. She was staring at the door, her eyes reflected the guilt she was feeling at the moment.
Then, the gate opened, and three people walked in, and Nephis' eyes instantly brightened. Cassie was in the front, still wearing her blindfold, Her lower lip trembled as she 'saw' Nephis, and a piece of her broken heart seemed to heal.
Behind her was a frail looking woman in a wheelchair, she wore a wide grin on her face, a grin that unmistakably belonged to Effie the Huntress. Right behind her was a young man who looked like he had walked straight out of a magazine. He was wearing a foolish smile.
Seeing them Nephis couldn't help but let a smile appear on her face. Opening her mouth she said: "I'm back."
Cassie was the first to get to her, she stared at where Nephis was sitting for a few moments, and then promptly pulled her in a hug. Her blindfold darkened as wet tears stained the cloth.
"I'm sorry."
She whispered, repeating her words again and again.
Nephis froze, and then relaxed into the hug. Almost mechanically her hand moved and patted Cassies back.
"It's alright," She said, "We are both back now."
Effie and Kai stared at the scene, partially confused as to what they were talking about, but they didn't disturb the two, letting them have their moment.
A few moments later, Cassie pulled away and silently wiped her face.
Nephis turned towards the others, and then frowned, looking around.
"Where's Sunny?" She asked after not seeing him anywhere.
Deep in the Hollow Mountains, Lucien who was staring blankly at the ceiling of the Nethers workshop suddenly jumped up to his feet. While waiting for his Storm Essence to Replenish, he decided to study some more runic sorcery.
Walking up to the statue of Storm, Lucien summoned his memories just to be safe, and then touched the onyx stone.
Near instantly he was transported to the other statue inside the tower. Time was still frozen here, but that didn't matter to Lucien who could still move freely. He didn't dare to head down, where the physical form of the corruption was sealed. He didn't even look in that direction.
His goal this time was above, in the workshop of Nether, where the Daemon had carved runes all over the walls. When he had first seen those runes, he had almost died on the spot, The onslaught of foreign information had almost drowned him.
Now, he was stronger, he had risen in class and had received a piece of Nethers divine lineage. He had been able to look at the runes corresponding to six daemons and survived. It stood to reason that the room full of runes wouldn't kill him immediately anymore.
Taking a deep breath in, Lucien walked up the stairs, enhancing his body with his dormant ability as he ascended. His black armour lit up as a forest of purple lightning appeared on it's surface. The light fell on the walls, lighting up the dark stairway until eventually he reached the room.
As soon as his eyes fell on the runes, a deep pain suddenly invaded his mind, crawling between the folds of his brain like thousands of tiny ants. It was painful sure, but it was manageable.
Enduring the constant buzzing in his head, Lucien began studying the runes one by one.
The first few runes he saw, he couldn't really understand. Apart from the vague understanding he received from his attribute. He could tell what some of them meant, but to translate an entire sentence was beyond him.
As he was doing that, a certain set of runes appeared before him. There were seven of them, below them, they were connected to six more.
Frowning, Lucien focused his mind on the top row of runes first. Slowly, painfully slowly his mind translated the runes.
Blood.
But it wasn't just the liquid that flowed through a beings veins.
Bone.
But it wasn't just the skeleton that gave them form.
Flesh.
But it wasn't just the organs that allowed them to live.
Mind.
But it wasn't just the intelligence that made them different.
Spirit.
But it wasn't just their will to exist.
Soul.
But it wasn't just the energy that gave them their aspects
Shadow.
But it wasn't just the light they obstructed.
Together, these seven parts made up a person. It was more than just their physical form. These were the fundamental building blocks of a living being.
And connected to them were the names of the gods.