Cherreads

Chapter 8 - Crossing the Bridge

I opened my eyes.

What greeted me was the police station's armored ceiling. Its aesthetic was ugly.. 

But currently it looked very beautiful to her! No more fighting or running! I could finally relax!

'Home!'

As I slowly turned my gaze around, my pupils slightly widened at the sight.

'Dayumn..'

Just beside my bed a very beautiful woman sat on a cheap plastic chair.

She had short, raven-black hair and icy blue eyes. Her flawless skin was smooth, supple and as white as snow.

The woman seemed to be in her late twenties. She was wearing a dark blue uniform with silver epaulets and black leather boots. The jacket of her uniform was casually unbuttoned, revealing a black tank top beneath.

Then I saw the three stars..

'An ascended..? What the helly is a master doing here?'

Before I could muster who I was looking at, she met my eyes and smiled slightly.

"Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Vera."

"Oh.. uh.. Hi, thank you!"

I said in the calmest tone I could muster. 

The beautiful woman stood up and approached the reinforced medical bed. With practiced moves, she began to undo the restraint holding me down.

"I am Ascended Jet. You can call me Master Jet. I was on watch duty for the last few hours of your Nightmare. You were in there for a whole week, believe it or not."

"A week..? That is a long time. But why did you arrive now?"

"Oh, you see while you were asleep another awakened was watching over you. But they had to go because they had another mission to do. So I replaced them."

Without a pause she spoke again.

"Oh and before this I was watching over a boy that had went into his first nightmare. I dropped him to the academy, then arrived here."

"You work really hard, Master Jet.." I said as I rubbed my wrists. The poor woman also had dark circles around her eyes.

"Ah yes.. I indeed do."

'Was it just me, or she was bitter..?'

***

Currently, I was enjoying a hot shower. After our short conversation Master Jet had sent me to clean myself. According to her I reeked of death. The unnatural slumber of the Spell would slow down the body's metabolism, and the medical apparatus I had been strapped into was supposed to take care of the rest, but I had been asleep for a whole week.

'Ah.. heaven.' I thought as I pressed my head against wall, letting the water fall on my body.

After a bit of time had passed, I reluctantly turned the tap off and walked over to the towel rack. While walking, I caught sight of myself on the mirror.

The changes on my physique were noticeable. My skin seemed paler than usual, in a healthy way. My muscles looked more toned than usual, and I had gotten leaner. My face had gotten slightly sharper than before, and my purple eyes seemed to have more depth into them. 

'Who is this beautiful lady??'

***

A few minutes later, I was wearing a clean police-issued tracksuit and heading for the cafeteria. Master Jet was waiting for me at one of the tables, with two trays full of steaming synthetic food in front of her.

'Ah..'

I had completely forgotten that I could not feel hunger anymore. 

With a sigh I sat opposite of Master Jet. 

"Dig in."

She did not have to tell me twice, I started to eat the food in front of me calmly even if it did not taste like anything good. 

Why was this her first meal as a sleeper?

After a while, Master Jet spoke up again.

"You look like you are forcing yourself to eat."

"I can't feel hunger. So.. I am feeling weirdly full."

It was mostly a stupid thing to reveal your flaw. But what was she going to do about it? Ruin my eating schedule?

Jet gave me a weird look.

"Ah... that is a unique flaw. Are you finished eating then?"

I nodded as I put the spoon down, I had forced myself to eat both plates.

"Then I'll begin. As per protocol, I am obligated to inform you of a few things. It is mostly a formality. First of all, concerning your Nightmare…"

She glanced at me and sighed.

"You are entitled to receive free psychological counseling. No matter what traumatic experience you have encountered, there is no shame in asking for help. Your mind is as important as your body — it's only right to keep it healthy. Are you interested?"

I shook my head, then she continued.

"As you wish. You can also talk to me. Was it very hard?"

I nodded.

"Worst experience in my life. Never again."

She nodded, giving me a slight chuckle.

"I won't pry any further. I have checked your files, it seems you are a very strong girl." 

I gave her an awkward smile, but I was happy that I had received a praise from a ascended.

"Well there were more things, but most of them were about your parents. But that doesn't apply in your case." She said in a low tone, then continued. "Your luck is quite back like that boy. There's not a lot of time at all. First of all: you are free to do what you want. No one is forcing you to make a certain decision. That is to say, you can choose to prepare on your own, or not prepare at all."

I coughed.

'Who would be stupid enough to not prepare?'

"As a Sleeper, you are also entitled to enroll in the Awakened Academy. You'll be provided with food, lodging and a wide choice of preparatory classes. This late into the year, you won't be able to learn a lot. But it's better than nothing."

She was silent for a few seconds, then added:

"More importantly, you will get acquainted with most of the people who will enter the Dream Realm with you. Some of them might become your companions for life."

'Doubt that.'

"So, what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the Academy? I could have someone transport your belongings to the academy too so we would not have to waste time."

I pondered for a few seconds. Even if there was not much time left, I could learn some things in the academy.

"Sure. I want to go to the academy."

***

I was sitting in a cool PTV. It was Master Jet's personal transportation vehicle, it was my first time sitting in one as I usually used public transport instead.

The drive was quiet. But at some point Master Jet looked at me, and spoke.

 "I'll give you three pieces of advice. Whether you listen to me or not is your business."

"Hm?"

"First: once you're registered in the Academy, they'll offer you psychological counseling again."

'As if talking about it would make it disappear.'

"Reject it. Out there in the dream realm there are other dangers than nightmare creatures."

She looked at me, as if calculating if I understood her.

Well I did. During my own first nightmare I had not dealt with nightmare creatures but humans. I had seen how vile they can be. 

And Master Jet seemed to have understood that I knew what she was talking about just by looking at my eyes.

"Second: there will be a lot of courses to choose from. All types of combat training, deep dives into Nightmare Creature categories and vulnerabilities, basics of various types of sorcery, artifact study and so on."

She paused, seeing that I just stared at her blankly, she continued.

"Disregard all of that. The only course you have time to attend is Wilderness Survival. And since you have attended a prestigious school, I am sure you know how to fight."

At some point, she had parked the car and got out of the car. I followed suit. What greeted me was towering metal walls of the academy.

"What is the third advice?" I asked curiously.

"Remember: no one can survive in the Dream Realm alone. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Try to get along with your peers, even if they don't treat you well. It might save your life."

Without a pause, she continued.

"Well, this is as far I go. I have notified them. Someone will come fetch you in a while.""

She then smiled at me and then pat my shoulder.

"You have done well until now. You have been strong, keep being that way."

And just like that she was gone.

***

The snow was slowly falling to the ground. It was cold and silent in front of the Academy gates.

Finally, the gates began to open. The giant, ridiculously thick sheet of reinforced metal slowly descended, creating a long bridge.

I sighed as cold steam left my mouth.

'Its cold.'

The end of the metal bridge hit the special grooves in the ground and stopped moving after a set of loud clicks. 

With grim determination I walked forward and stepped on the bridge.

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