I find myself in a vast black space with stars everywhere standing on nothing. The stars were connected with white strings.
I try not to pay much attention to it. I'm seeing the inner nightmare spell. I don't know if the spell is alive and it probably doesn't matter. Maybe it does but I don't care, won't be my problem.
[You have received a memory: Snow and Ash Daggers.]
That's pretty damn nice. I'm quite a lucky person, well I'm the most lucky of the unlucky. A weapon that's of the awakened rank and class 5 too, I'm going to have quite the easy time when winter comes around.
I also got an armor as well... and whatever that crown was but the spell didn't say I got a memory when I grabbed it so I didn't get to keep it. How sad it looked pretty cool too. I wanted it, I'm guessing stealing doesn't pay.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over]
[A nobody servant noticed old tracks in the ash. They saved all of their fellow servants and tricked their master into becoming the hunted, while becoming the hunted as . The two tracked into a place of snow and ice. They betrayed their master, killing him. They gain the sealed crown of a long-dead king that their masters ancestor betrayed]
[You have defeated an awakened human: prince of ash]
[You have defeated an awakened tyrant: chimera of snow and ash]
[You have gained the lost crown of the snow king.]
[You have achieved the impossible!]
[Final appraisal: glorious. Your spite knows no bounds.]
Well, I guess I am quite spiteful but that's not why I did anything I did. I'll take such a high appraisal honestly, maybe the spell will change my useless aspect to be more than just being good with the cold and some heat. Maybe I'll get some good stuff from this ice powers or the like. Yeah or snow powers or something, hope it doesn't go off of the servant part.
[Dreamer ■■■■, receive your boon!]
[You have been bestowed a true name: heat seeker]
I got a true name, a true name! What did I even do that was so.... insane? It had to have been that ice crown, it just had to be. Nothing else would make sense. The rest was hard but that crown stuck out for how odd it was. Wait I'm jumping up and down, embarrassing.
[Your aspect is ready to evolve: Evolve aspect?]
"Of course I want to do that, who wouldn't after all! Yes, evolve it"
that was exactly what I wanted, I'm not useless anymore fuck yeah! I start pacing back and forth this whole this is completely and comically insane. Me out of all people getting a true name, and now my aspect is evolving too.
[Dormant aspect cold servant is evolving...]
[New aspect acquired]
[Aspect rank: Divine]
[Aspect Name: Child of Cold]
Holy, what did I do to get that? I'll take it but damn I am one lucky person aren't I? Divine aspect, nobody has ever come out with one. I'll be so damn famous, nobody can ever ignore me ever again.
I have to dial it back, a lot. I can't just tell people about this. There's probably a reason why nobody has ever come out with one. If it took just what I went through in my nightmare to get such an aspect then many more people should have them. Yet I've never heard of anyone with one. I check my runes because in what world wouldn't I?
Aspect: [Child of Cold]
Aspect Description: [You are the child of a law of this world, of the cold left behind by the death of a god. You long for heat for warmth yet never will you find it. You take the heat from the world yet stay as cold as the grave]
Innate ability: [cold of the dead]
Ability Description: [No warmth may enter your body or your soul. You can not freeze nor can you overheat. The world can never change your temperature]
This is all crazy, what did I do? Why did I put on the crown? Was the fact that I put it on good or bad? I'm leaning on it being good but still. That crown must have been something very very special. Not just special but it has to be divine it just has to be. Maybe the chimera and the prince had some important future too, that and I did save all of the servants apparently.
[The first seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
I jolt a bit at the feeling of growing cold. Like something being awakened it's really hard to describe but it's not bad. It isn't which is pretty damn nice. If anything, I feel stronger healthier anywhere the cold touches becomes better and stronger.
The cold grows, it feels nice like having drunk a cold drink after a long day in the summer sun doing hard manual work.
When it reaches my eyes I can see the actual soul sea and not just the runes. The sun, which is probably my soul core, is a pretty pale blue. The light it gave off is dim and not that strong and if anything it looks colder to be in its light than outside its light. Also, I'm quite sure there's someone at the edge of my soul sea. Well, I'll deal with that later.
[Aspect ability acquired]
[Aspect ability name: Frozen Over]
I'll look at its description later and all that. I'd love to get out of here and lie down already. I'm definitely going to the academy and god I want to lie down in a good bed already. That and get the money, awakened almost always get payed a ton and a divine aspect user? I'll get even more money!
[All power has a price.]
[You have received a flaw.]
[Your flaw is insurmountable cold]
Everything goes cold. So cold, colder than anything I've ever felt. It felt like all warmth in me was zapped out completely. It's horrid in a way I can't explain even if I wanted to. I was so damn cold, and i cant warm back up. What the hell is wrong with me? No, I can't feel the warmth from the air too. Everything is too cold, i always hated the cold.
[Wake up Heat Seeker]
I open my eyes. The roof of the police station was above me. I blink a few times, and finally, I get an annoyed expression. It was nice to be able to look annoyed when I wanted to. I look over and I notice a pretty good-looking guy, mid to late 30s too, he's definitely an awakened. He notices me looking at him and he stands up with a reserved expression.
"Hey kid you're awake,"
It's said with a sigh like he thought I'd die in my nightmare for sure for some reason.
"Why do people keep calling me kid?"
He blinks not expecting that
"because you're young enough to be a sleeper?"
"That's bad reasoning in my opinion. I'm 19, legally an adult."
He gets a dumbfounded expression. He quickly dismisses it and gets a calm expression
"I'm awakened Shawn I've been keeping watch over you while you were in your nightmare."
I look at the two stars on his outfit for a second.
"So do I get to go to the academy now?"
He gives me a weird look.
"How about you relax for a bit sleeper ■■■■. That had to have been terrible."
I nod slowly it's a fair point I was asleep for 2 or 3 days.
"Then can I go to the academy?"
"....yes then you can go to the academy."
I sit up. Later I'm done with my bath, I had tried using the hottest water possible but I stayed so So SO damn cold. My face looks different in some way... I look like I've been frostbitten, did my flaw do that? It sucks big time more than sucks I can't feel warm.
I put on the police tracksuit and I walk over to awakened whatever. I should probably be nicer to him but I don't care enough to be nice to the guy. He puts a tray of some synthetic food, food might be too nice of a term for it but it's not going to poison me. I eat with what I assume is a look because the guy seems a bit guilty. He clears his throat
"Well, sleeper ■■■■ as all awakened are entitled to you can have free counseling because of your nightmare after all the mind is just as important as the body"
I stare at him for a few seconds
"No, I'm good. If the government has to, could someone contact my parents. Anyways could I please go to the academy now?"
"Uh yes I guess we can go to the academy"
Soon I'm at the gates of the awakened academy. I see a few people here and there. I don't pay much attention to anyone around me. Some people talk to me but I don't brag, I wish I could, I wish I could shove it in those damn legacies' faces.
A true name and a divine aspect none of them could compare. But I'm almost 100% that if anyone knew i have a divine aspect i would be either killed or forced to join one of the pompous clans.
The same might even happen if I tell them my true name, plus all of those stupid questions, I am not dealing with that shit, not now not ever.
Soon a guy named Awakened Rock appears and makes his point that the dream realm is very very dangerous pretty damn clear, going on and on about it. I'm mostly thinking about what class to take. From my time in the dream realm, I can tell one thing. I need to learn how to survive out there because I was absolutely useless.
I was starving and I had so little water, I had to rely on some nepo baby. I might have more survivability than most but I am not going 3 days without proper food ever again. Also, I am cold as all hell I want, no need, to get in some kind of bed and wrap myself in blankets.
After he's done I look at my communicator, I follow the instructions to find my dorm room. I promptly take the blanket off my bed and I wrap it around myself while I look around my new dorm. I take a jacket out of the closet and I put it on. Nothing helps with the cold, I can only keep from getting even colder. I then go to eat, the food's pretty good too.
After a while it's time to do an interview. They ask about counseling, I refuse of course my nightmare wasn't as hellish as I thought it would be and they also probably report that stuff to the government. They ask about my aspect and the like. I answer what I know, which is almost nothing as I still haven't looked at the runes but they don't need to know that. I should probably do that sooner or later.
The next day I get out of bed do the expected washing up, then I go get some food. After a while of ignoring everyone, their loud, I notice the rankings were posted. I take a look, I'm on the lower end but still closer to the middle. It pays off to just not care. That did remind me, I really should look at my runes, I can't keep ignoring it.
Name: ■■■■
True Name: heat seeker
Rank: Dreamer.
Soul Core: Dormant.
Ice Fragments: [12/1000]
Memories: [Armor of Ash] [Snow and Ash Daggers
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Crown of Snow], [Mark of Divinity], [True Cold] [Being of Cold]
Aspect: [Child of Cold].
Aspect Rank: [divine.]
Aspect ability: [frozen over]
Aspect Ability Description: [All you touch is turned to ice it is capable of great destruction and great creation]
Aspect Description: [You are the child of a law of this world, of the cold left behind by the death of a god. You long for heat for warmth yet never will you find it. You take the heat from the world yet stay as cold as the grave.]
Pretty good, I now have some way to kill things with my aspect. An ice aspect could be pretty useful all in all. I've got a awakened weapon and armor, I'm all set to easily deal with any problems I could find in the dream realm. Well unless I get dropped into a death zone that is but what are the odds of that.