I finally go to my class, wilderness survival i think. I walk in, the teacher is an older man who seems pretty happy at a student taking his class, a awakened I think, clearly not one that fights a lot too. Makes sense why he's doing wilderness survival. Oh he's talking, I hadn't noticed.
"-Hey are you listening?"
"Oh sorry can you repeat yourself?"
He gives me an unimpressed look for a few seconds
"Of course I am awakened Julius you can call me teacher Julius and you are?"
"Im sleeper ■■■■."
I look around seeing not a soul here other than the teacher.
"Am I the only one who took this class?"
He gets a almost sad look on his face, its not that serious
"Yes, you are. Everyone is always just interested in swinging swords or fists, only a few very smart people know to take this class."
I tilt my head slightly
"That seems dumb, it's not like any of them have ever been in the dream realm. We get combat training but we don't get any real information about what to look for in the dream realm."
He beams, It seems I said something good this time
"Of course that's absolutely correct. Now might I ask what made you choose to take my class other than wanting to learn from a veteran of the dream?"
I straighten up, it's a little embarrassing isn't it? "I was in the wilderness in my first nightmare and I barely could keep myself alive. No food or water and all that" He smiles with a knowing look in his eyes and shakes his head
"It's understandable really, knowing the basics isn't the same as experiencing those same things or learning from someone who has."
I nod, that makes sense, learning from someone who personally dealt with something is better than someone who hasn't.
"Yeah I guess so."
"So do you have any other classes?"
I shake my head, I have an awakened weapon of the 5th tier doubt I'll need the combat class that much. Teacher Julius seems really excited about that, clearly, most people who took this class pushed it to the side.
We both take our seats and he lays out the lesson plan. Quite a bit of it I'm very confused why it's important.
"why exactly am I going to be learning dead dream realm languages?"
He looks at me
"The spell isn't a translator! It gives only the most basic translation. There are multiple runes for danger and each means different kinds of danger so you could better prepare for the danger if you know the kind."
I nod which makes a good amount of sense, it doesn't seem that far-fetched. It isn't the most useful thing ever but I've got 2 months I'm sure I'll learn something useful.
I wasn't paying any attention to the time so I unfortunately didn't get lunch or dinner, to shame the food was really good. I finally go back to my dorm, and I flop on my bed.
I'd far rather just go to sleep but I need to know what my aspect does. I grab a bowl and fill it with water from the sink. I put the bowl on the desk, I try to freeze it without touching it but it fails.
Attempt number two I put my hand in it and I try again, it works perfectly and near instantly too, the problem is I froze my hand in the water. I lift my hand now encased in ice. I try to get the ice block off my hand for like 30 minutes, in the end I'm forced to hold my hand under running water to get it out. I didn't get to the point of bashing it into a wall. At least my hand is just fine, not any kind of reaction to being in a block of ice.
That means I have to be touching the thing to freeze it or the cold maybe comes from me outwards. Test two I turn on my shower and I stick my hand in. I'm able to freeze the water as it comes out. I quickly take my hand out as it gets pelted with ice. That confirms that the cold comes from inside my body outwards.
Test three I take the bowl from earlier and I try to freeze it, the bowl takes a bit to freeze but it works and I'm able to break it easily. That means I'm able to freeze non-living things as well. That makes me remember, that attribute, crown of snow. Did that ice crown turn into an attribute? I quickly check on that attribute to check.
Attribute: [Crown of Snow]
Attribute Description: [Two kings one of snow, one of ash had kingdoms next to each other. The two seemed to get along for years until a plague weakened the kingdom of snow. The king of ash betrayed his friend in the king of snow's time of need. Snow King's kingdom was almost completely wiped out when Ash King made it to him. "You have betrayed me but you will not gain my crown. My power is not something you will ever have, and not one you deserve. It contains the power of all of my subjects you cruelly exterminated and will only go to those who are left"]
So the crown I grabbed was from the snow king and was the power of everyone the ash king killed probably even the snow king himself too.
Which means it's of great power, which is quite the score in whatever form it takes. The description doesn't tell me what the damn thing does though. It's either in line with the ice powers I already have or maybe it gives me power from the things I kill. After all the crown absorbed power from the dead.
The description also explains what happened at the end with the chimera. The crown probably defended me by killing the chimera.
I flop on my bed for a minute I plan on going to sleep before remembering the Daggers. I haven't summoned them nor have I even looked at their runes. Maybe it will explain where the damn thing came from and why it was so insistent on killing me and that man. So I decided to pull up the runes.
Memory: [Snow and Ash Daggers]
Memory Description: [Two kings clashed in a battle that shook the very world. The battle changed the very fabric of the world as well as the beings too close. The clash melted and fused a group of animals making them gain a small shard of the king's powers]
So the chimera came from the clash between the snow and ash kings. How powerful were they? They couldn't have just been saints, maybe they were a rank higher. It's insane, completely insane. Even the echoes of their clash made an awakened tyrant.
That's insane, and I have the snow king's crown, does that make me like a royal or a thief, he did say that only someone of cold could take it so probably not a thief. Maybe I'm actually royalty now, nah that seems just wrong.
The ash king, why did he betray the snow king? What reason could he have? Was it for a good reason or did the ash king think it was for a good reason? Had I done the same thing as him when I betrayed noble? Did Ash King feel guilty or did he feel nothing? Was I just as bad or maybe worse or was I better? Does it even matter someone, was betrayed either way? I didn't even have the shame to look that man in the eyes while I murdered him. Did the ash king betray the snow king for a reason?
I shake my head and I summon the daggers. They weave themselves from sparks of light, although the light is tinted a pale blue.
One for each hand. The snow dagger is straight and seems better for thrusts and stabs. Its handle is a kind of darkly colored wood with carvings, I had gotten a little curious in the past about woods working it seems to be from a maple tree but they don't grow in super cold places, and its blade is silver with a blue tint.
The ash dagger is curved and seems better for throwing and slashing. Its blade is rose gold, its handle is made of pale wood, it's brown maple wood quite the choice to be from the same tree with burns made to be a design that almost glows. It seems I'll have to be a stealth hunter, so I'll try to train walking silently while I'm in the academy.
I finally lay down and close my eyes. Something nags at me. I pull on the thread trying to figure it out. As I pull on it I finally figure it out, I can almost sense heat, like... like an animal, I swear I read about one time.
No matter, it can and will help me a ton when I'm trying to sneak around. Although it won't help with a few things, like the undead or ghosts, or anything that doesn't give off heat. I'll probably have to train the heat sense too how annoying.
Each day goes by a lot slower than ever, it feels odd. Normally days fly by and I normally will just forget it all. I learn dead languages with teacher Julius whom I can't filter out without getting an earful. He's.... fine, he's still a bit annoying but not that bad.
Sometimes he tells me a bit about awakened stuff. Which will help me a lot when I become one, but he seems a bit embarrassed every time he does it. It takes about 2 weeks for him to finally get to why I joined this class. He starts the lessons on each major region of the dream realm and its traits.
"So there are 3 moons in one of the regions.... how odd, that's really weird."
I make a few gestures trying to express how weird and frankly absolutely absurd it is.
"Well, each region has its weirdness. Each one has their own stars and sometimes even the sun acts weird."
I stare at him with a look of disbelief. That's completely insane. In what world would that make sense? In the dream realm it does I guess.
"So if the stars aren't the same in each region then how does one navigate each region?"
"Well to answer that, there's one through line for every region that the most prominent structure or ruin is likely a citadel"
I stare at him with an odd look. The next day he does a practical exam in VR which I do okay in.
I also learn some other skills throughout the next few weeks, one week is dedicated to water and everything that comes with it, including storms. The VR training for that one is kinda easy.
The next week is food, I fail horribly every time I try to cook, every damn time. It really wasn't meant to be. It's to the point I have to do everything in VR as well because if I didn't I'd burn something down.
The next 2 weeks are focused on shelter, how to make one, how to maintain one, how to choose one, and how to clear an area safely.
My aspect deals with hot and cold but it can't help me stay out of sight so it's still pretty useful. The VR training sessions are unique and almost fun.
The last week feels almost odd to me, I feel almost sad that these two months are almost over.
Teacher Julius however seems even more incensed to teach me everything he knows.
This last week has been focused on building and crafting things. Each day is another thing, stuff like water catchers, fire, torches, and really anything useful. Even at one point some stuff on boats funnily enough.
There's also some stuff on how to take apart a nightmare creature. Things like skinning it, preserving it, taking the bones out, taking the soul shards out, and how to take out the toxic parts. For making stuff I don't do VR lessons but actually make the things myself.
For the nightmare creature lessons, I don't do them in real life though thankfully because that just seems quite gross.
Each day when night comes around I experiment with my aspect. Apparently, I could even stick my hand in fire and I won't get burnt.
Ice and snow are also able to act as a bandage stopping bleeding, I learned that one when I was messing with the daggers and cut myself.
I have a certain area around me that I can freeze, but no matter what's in it, I can freeze it. Maybe even living beings as well. If that's the case then I stand an even better chance of dealing with anything that could ever come at me. Maybe I could even kill an awakened monster with everything I got.
Although I'm not going to test such an idea, that would be stupid. It also seems that snow doesn't crunch when I walk on it cool enough.
I don't get to know anyone else though, I don't care to. Most range from mildly annoying to really annoying.
The worst ones are definitely the legacies. Their always looking down on everyone else most put no effort into hiding it at all. Most are also quite stupid, they know what to hide of course but it's always so easy to figure out.
The richer ones can range but most are almost as annoying as the legacies. They keep showing off how much money they have.
The normal ones are mostly a normal level of annoying.
The poorer sleepers, the group I'm a part of, are the ones with the most range, some are actually kinda smart and others are dumber than bricks. It's all annoying and useless so I don't even try to get to know them it would waste my time.
Plus I didn't take the same class as them, basically all took combat, I kinda get it as most don't have the kind of memories and aspect I do. Not everyone could stumble into a gold mine like I did. I see most of them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which are all pretty good. It's almost funny to watch the drama, two of the sleepers are already dating, they have to know they'll be separated so I don't get it.
Oh, and the "rivalries" that start are stupidly funny as well as goofy. Why would one want a rival, what's the point of that? I don't get it at all, everything just seems a bit goofy, I mean isn't it tiring to interact with so many people so often, most expect you to act in a certain way.
Wilderness survival is better and more calm because I can not fit a weird mold and nobody is there to say anything except for teacher Julius who doesn't care one bit if I just so happen to sit like a freak sometimes.
Although he isn't too happy when I get into my own head and stop listening.
After two months of being here at the academy the winter solstice was here. That horrid tiredness is back. I of course power through the tiredness. I eat my food as fast as my tired self can and I go to the wilderness survival class. I don't have anything to learn today but... I could very well die and teacher Julius has been quite nice.
"Teacher Julius. If I could choose what citadel I get anchored to, what should I look out for"
Teacher seems a bit happy I decided to visit him
"oh ■■■■! yes I do. If you could go for one with plumbing, that's the biggest tip I can give you, careful with this knowledge, they wouldn't like me giving you better treatment than everyone else"
I nod, I notice his smile change a bit becoming sadder
"Look ■■■■ you better not die, no student of mine will die in the winter solstice"
I tilt my head
"Yeah I'd rather not die either."
We talk for some time, or mostly he talks and I listen. After a while i finally leave, not before he says he'll try to get me a position within the academy. I finally meet awakened rock again as he leads the whole group to the medical center.
At least I'd be well cared for while I get to a citadel, no doubt it will be quite fast. He shows us the hollow, if i die i will become one of them.
Their faces are just slightly wrong. I cant stand it. Half an hour later im finally in my own room. I shrug, "no need to draw this out" I climb into the sleeping pod and I lay down going right to sleep.
[Welcome to the dream realm, ■■■■!