Come nightfall, the newly assembled cohort returned to the shelter of Effie's watchtower hideout along the outer wall.
Sunny and Cassie led the way through the dark cityscape, while Caster followed behind, lost in thought.
The newcomers' uncanny awareness of Nightmare Creatures became impossible to ignore. The way they dispatched Awakened threats—creatures that would tear apart ordinary Sleepers—was too seamless, too quiet. Effie had called it butchering, but seeing it for himself made Caster feel like that word wasn't vivid enough. The monsters died fast. Too fast.
In this part of the Dream Realm, the odds were supposed to be stacked against them. Awakened and Fallen creatures roamed freely. Sleepers, even talented ones, had no business fighting them. Yet these two moved like predators in a city full of prey. They flanked their targets from the dark. Foes who focused on one attacker were torn apart by the other. The monsters fought back as best they could, but it just didn't matter.
They made their way through the city far faster than even seasoned Pathfinders of the Host would've managed. No hesitation, no hiding, no excessive detours. The boy's navigation was preternatural, and his strength exceeded even the best of the Hunters. Cassie didn't appear as fearsome at first glance, but then, Caster remembered she was blind.
And somehow, the boy was teaching her to fight.
It didn't make sense. What could even make that possible?
And would he kill anyone who tried to ask? The extent of what secrets he deemed delicate knowledge were not explicitly defined. Perhaps purposefully so, to avoid more prying than necessary for basic trust and cooperation.
The outlandish claims that he traveled through time sounded insane, yet simultaneously were the only plausible explanation for what he witnessed.
He was a prodigy. A singular talent.
But his worldview? Alien.
Try as he might, Caster found himself utterly unable to parse the boy's enmity towards the Legacy Clans, and especially the Sovereigns. The Supremes may be destined to fight for dominion—fated to consolidate humanities' hope under the most powerful domain possible—but such is the world of the Nightmare Spell that condemned Broken Sword's cohort to misery. The world that forced them to grow to the height of their power, only to wield it against those they cherished.
And they would gladly do so, because the Clans valued the preservation of mankind over their own desires. They acted for the good of all.
They were humanities' shield against the Dream Realm. They sacrificed their dreams of a peaceful life for their children to produce the next generation of defenders. They brought order to a lawless, cruel world. They brought hope, offered salvation, and were a force for good.
...Weren't they?
So why did the boy speak of selfishness? Of greed? Of control?
What had he seen that made him believe that?
***
In the early hours of the morning atop the watchtower, the sun crested the horizon and marked the retreat of the Dark Sea.
Sunny stood before his group, eyes scrutinizing the members.
"Before we begin our expedition," he said evenly, "we need to grow stronger."
Turning to Aiko, he spoke reassuringly. "Of all of us, you're the weakest. That's not an insult. It means you have the most room to grow. I'll work with you directly."
Turning back towards the group, his tone hardened again.
"As for the rest of you: you are powerful, but it's not enough to just have power. You need to understand it, harness it... and, most importantly, wield it. To that end, I'll give each of you advice and drills. Take them seriously."
He faced Cassie.
"You fight like the sighted. Stances, motions, forms—imitated but not adapted. You understand the world in a unique way. I've already given you the tools, now it is time to make something of your own from them. Start creating. Let instinct shape your style. Fight the way your senses were made for."
Next, his eyes shifted to Effie. "Effie. In our cohort, you are most suited to be the vanguard. You possess domineering strength, but that is not enough to fulfill the role. In the Dark City, you have been forced to survive on your own. You wield a spear and shield, but have only learnt to be the spear. To fight alongside us, we also need you to be the shield. There are flaws you have developed from overreliance on your physique. Once corrected, your strength will also become your allies."
His eyes narrowed at Caster. "You're the worst offender here. You wield your speed like a hammer, when your Flaw is so obviously telling you to wield it as a scalpel. Use your speed for precision and finesse, not raw power. Use it to disrupt the rhythm of fights. Hasten only key movements. Optimize it's usage, and mitigate your Flaw."
Finally, Sunny turned his gaze to Kai. "You wield a power that is rare among Sleepers. You have access to an extra dimension of movement compared to your peers, yet your mindset is still stuck on the ground. Spread your wings and explore the untapped potential granted to you by the air."
He stepped back, addressing all of them.
"These are your exercises:
"Cassie and Caster, you two will spar. Caster, you are only allowed to use your Aspect for a single motion at a time, and must wait for your necklace to counterbalance the effects of your Flaw before using it again. Go until essence exhaustion, or until Cassie wins a round."
His tattoo rippled. Shadows shifted.
"Effie, you'll face Serpent. Don't fight it. Prevent it from reaching my shadow over there. Two uninterrupted minutes of defense, and you're done. Timer resets on every failure."
"Kai. You will be building a new intuition about archery, so abandon the conventions you have learned. Shoot while moving in the air, and vary your speeds and directions. Remember, you chose a bow because the leverage behind its strikes come from tension, not footing. Embrace that."
***
Cassie stepped forward smoothly, deflecting a blow from the Legacy scion. She was facing Caster, the Academy's top fighter. His speed and strength far outstripped her own, she had yet to approach winning, but as their sparring stretched on, a realization crept in.
She could compete.
The encounters were far from one-sided beatdowns. They actually exchanged blows, and it took appreciable time for the boy to break past her guard.
As the fights went on, something clicked. Confidence was her hardest wall to overcome, and the only point of reference she had to compare herself with was with her teacher.
And by that impossible standard, she was always falling short.
But she wasn't training to become Sunny.
She was training to become herself.
And that was something she could do. Something she could be confident in. She hadn't realized her growth compared to what was actually attainable.
Untethered from doubt, she leaned into her senses, fought by instinct. She stopped trying to mimic her teacher, and understood what it meant to fight as herself. To fight as one who lacks sight means the angle you hold your upper torso is untethered by the motion of your eyes and head. It can prevent your opponent from easily reading your intent by gaze, to let you obscure some of your body language.
She realized she didn't need to fight exactly like everyone else. She was already standing on her own two feet, and she was ready to build upon her foundations. Her teacher had not lied when he said she was invaluable in the journey so far. She was better than she thought, and she could be proud.
***
Effie planted her feet. Serpent darted across the courtyard, a blur of coiled motion.
She had understood instantly that the elusive snake was too fast to press into, and so she had instead opted to take a defensive position between the shadow and the snake. In her initial tries, she made ferocious and powerful strikes, but her foe nimbly evaded them and slipped behind her.
With time, she changed tactics. Not striking with the force to defeat the creature, but rather only with the force necessary to deter its approach. Doing so let her reset her stance faster, to respond sooner, and defend longer. A realization began to set in. A realization about what Sunny had meant when he told her that she relied too heavily on her physical might.
Her strength was devastating and left any she hit crippled or dead. She didn't have to modulate her force, to probe weaknesses, or engage in the dance of combat. She fought her targets efficiently, avoiding their attacks and brutally punishing their openings. That was all she had to do, when surviving on her own. It was both what was most natural, and what was most effective.
But maximizing her value in fighting with a group was different. They would be fighting enemies who could understand the threat posed by her, and try to attack her team instead. If she did not fight with discretion, she would lack the flexibility to adapt. The gaps she left with her strikes may not have been of consequence to her before, but as a vanguard they would be.
It had been years since she had fought with others. She began to remember.
Serpent's advances were staved off longer and longer, reaching their target less and less.
***
Kai hovered in the air, inspecting the result of his latest shot.
It went against everything he knew about archery to shoot in this way. Instinct told him: Stay still. Aim carefully. Be stable. In fairness, doing it like this had completely ruined his accuracy. Where he could normally hit targets reliably, he was now doing so infrequently.
But, he began to see what Sunny had meant. The extra dimension of flight gave him access to tools archers typically lacked. Momentum, both in speed and spin, that he could impart into his arrows. Angles of attack that were inaccessible to those on the ground. The ability to be close and accurate, but still always out of reach.
He was keenly aware that outside of Aiko, he was the weakest here. It was embarrassing. He could fly, and the majority of the creatures fought in this region had no means with which to handle such a thing.
He too wanted to be dangerous, to be powerful, to fight for what he believed in and to make the world a better place.
This could be his weapon to do so.
***
Off to the side of the scattered drills, Sunny and Aiko spoke.
"Your telekinetic powers should have frightening versatility," Sunny said, eyes on her rather than the exercises around them. "But you've never truly developed your ability. Why?"
Aiko scratched the back of her head, sheepish.
"I'm flattered you think so highly of my Aspect... but that's a strange question coming from you. You know everyone's Flaws. Why ask what you already know?"
Sunny raised a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "Actually, I don't. Yours is the one I never learned. We were business partners—friends, but not around often enough for me to glean it. Still, the way you just framed that answer... it sounds like it's relevant."
He paused.
"You don't have to share. But if I'm going to help you push your Aspect further, I need to understand what's holding it back. I had assumed you simply lacked core saturation. But even after absorbing all the shards we collected on the way here your Dormant Ability strength remains unchanged."
Aiko flushed. "Well. I guess you'll be learning something today as well," she muttered. Then she sighed, folding her arms tight against her chest.
"My Flaw reads: [You cannot hold on to what you desire]. From what I can tell, it's why my telekinesis is so weak. I can barely grip objects with it, though gripping with my hands seems relatively normal. I sometimes drop money I am holding onto, though I was always somewhat clumsy. It's hard to understand the full effect of my Flaw and what it does."
Her voice quieted. "I've only ever been able to use my Aspect on small things. The gentlest holds and little nudges upward, mostly to fight gravity."
Sunny suppressed a laugh, though amusement leaked through his Flaw. Various details from his past life about the girl's failed business ventures surfaced in his mind, and he started to contemplate the possible connection. Aiko shot him a vicious gaze, sensing the amusement despite his unmoving expression.
"I see. That... does explain a lot. Still, I want to test a few things. To find out exactly how your Flaw limits you."
***
They began with the basics.
Aiko attempted to lift various objects—rocks, weapons, and crates. Each time, the same result: the longer she tried to hold on, the weaker her grip became. Control faded as if the Aspect itself resented her persistence.
"It's not strength you lack," Sunny observed, "but retention. The longer you try to direct something, the more your Flaw makes it slip."
Next, he shifted focus.
"Stop trying to hold the object," he said, tossing a pebble into the air. "Just... nudge it."
Aiko willed her Aspect to life. The pebble twitched somewhat strongly midair as if it had hiccupped.
Better. Not useful yet in combat—but interesting.
They tested on people next. Could she act on him directly? No. Her power failed when applied to others. But she could nudge on what he held or wore—a detail worth noting.
Then came multitasking.
Two objects. Nudges only.
She managed that easily. Three, four, five—simple nudges, no problem. But any attempt to meaningfully control one object for too long drained her focus completely from others.
Sunny's frown deepened. 'Hmm.'
He moved to the weapons rack and plucked a rusted training sword, balancing it flat across his palms.
"Try rotating this. Apply force to the tip, then the hilt."
The blade wobbled side to side.
"Ok then, not like that. Don't think about the parts. Just spin it. Intuitively."
Aiko hesitated, then focused. The sword spun along its center, slow but deliberate. When she layered the spin with a directional push, it drifted sideways mid-rotation. She was also able to move the axis of rotation.
'Ah. Interesting.'
Finally, he was making progress! Cracking the girl's Aspect had turned into a fun puzzle. Aiko wasn't limited to translation, she could also apply torque.
Now came tests with promise.
Sunny walked forward, and Aiko applied soft force to the heel of his boots—it wasn't enough to make him adjust yet. Then, she layered in a subtle twist. Now it was getting somewhere.
Force on his pant legs, forward on the back of his knees. It combined nicely with a downward rotation to force his legs to bend.
Then motion to the stones beneath his feet.
Each movement alone was meaningless. But combined? It made his balance falter.
Sunny stopped and turned, a grin on his lips.
"You're starting to see it."
She combined everything she learned while Sunny practiced sword swings. It pushed the limits of her focus, but she achieved a miraculous feat.
She hadn't overpowered him. But she'd thrown off his form. The balance of the most talented swordsman in his generation. Done by a half-dozen small-force inputs applied in harmony.
Sunny nodded, satisfied.
"You've got something. Your Aspect lacks strength, but not utility. You can't move a boulder, but you might be able to redirect an enemy's blow or twist a foot mid-step. Nudge an allies' strike back on target. It's a subtle, but very promising weapon fueled by your intelligence and creativity."
In Sunny's mind though, a different thought occurred. Aiko lacked raw power now, but what if that were to change when she Awakened, or even Ascended? In fact, given her apparent ability to influence multiple objects effortlessly with such versatility, even just a modest boost in force would make her truly terrifying to fight. This was also only her Dormant Ability, which would have negligible essence cost in the future.
Cassie's insistence to train her took on a new light.
'Did she get a vision?'
He shook away the thoughts. It didn't really matter.
He turned to the rack and grabbed a second rusted blade.
"I taught Cassie the sword style of my first teacher. For you, the second fits better."
He tossed the sword to Aiko, who caught it awkwardly.
He began to instruct her in the firm and grounded battle style of Saint. The efficient defense and explosive offense would serve Aiko best given the type of power she wielded. Her Aspect could create openings and broaden her defense, and this style was best suited to quickly capitalize on the effects.
As Aiko moved through the forms, he stepped behind her, whispering in her ear.
"While you train, try using your Aspect to help Cassie during her spars. Don't get caught."
Aiko's eyes lit up with mischief. She hated that stuck-up Legacy boy, and would love to see him fall on his ass.
***
Caster gritted his teeth, his sword clashing repeatedly with Cassie's.
She had surprised him.
Her movements were calm, fluid—frustratingly difficult to punish. At first, he hadn't needed his Aspect to gain the upper hand. But that hadn't lasted long. Before he knew it, he was leaning on it, then eventually growing annoyed at the handicap Sunny had placed on him.
Cassie was blind, but that didn't seem to matter.
It wasn't instinct. Not just that. It wasn't heightened senses either—not entirely. She moved like someone with complete awareness of her surroundings. As though she could see the fight unfold from above. Every feint fell flat. Every misdirection was met with perfect economy of movement.
It was uncanny. Almost unnatural.
And yet, the most galling part wasn't her.
It was himself.
He was getting better.
Through trial and error, he was uncovering the sharp edges of his Aspect—when to deploy the burst of speed, how to shape the momentum it left him with, what openings it created or closed. Sunny's irritating lesson echoed in his head: It's not enough to have power. You have to know how to wield it.
His speed had made him the strongest fighter of his year, but wielding it well made him realize how much farther he had to go.
Cassie's fighting was strange, as was Sunny's method of teaching, but damn if they weren't effective. Caster had come expecting to dominate. Instead, he found himself adapting. Sharpening.
Still, his pride wouldn't let him lose. The starting gap had been too wide. It couldn't be erased—not in one afternoon. That was the truth of the matter.
...Until it wasn't.
He started to feel it first in his footing. A slight imbalance. A falter. Then his sword swings, lacking in precision. Her blade moved faster, struck harder. It was gradual, so gradual he might've blamed it on fatigue.
But why did she still have stamina?
At the height of their bout, he stumbled as his stance broke. Her sword was there immediately, stopping just at his neck.
He froze.
She had won.
Something about it felt... wrong. Subtle, unplaceable. But when he glanced around, clarity hit like a hammer.
Kai was soaring midair, his arrows curving with eerie elegance, shots striking his practice targets.
Effie's dance with Serpent looked as if she was holding off a legion of enemies.
Aiko, off to the side, was smiling wide as she repeated the foundational katas Sunny had shown her.
And above him stood Cassie, a blind girl who had just beat him in single combat.
Well, single combat to the best of their knowledge anyway.
In that moment, Caster understood something crucial.
He didn't have to like Sunless. He didn't have to agree with him.
But only a fool would reject the opportunity laid before them.
Legacy pride be damned. Sunny was a font of knowledge from which he could grow far stronger.
***
The training wound down.
The sun hung low, casting long shadows over the cracked stone of the yard. He fed the exhausted students generously with endless servings of freshly roasted meat skewers.
He looked out over his cohort.
As he observed the ripples of change he'd set into motion—his mind drifted to one in particular.
To a now shadowless girl, left an empty Hollow, with whom he once stood side-by-side.
He looked down at his hand, at the way it caught the dying light.
Not yet.
But one day.
"Training's over. Get some rest. Tomorrow we start again."
No one argued.