Shadow Slave

On one of the underground levels of the Academy hospital complex, in a small room that was filled with the massive rectangle of the dream pod and various pieces of medical equipment, a delicate girl with pale blond hair was sleeping beneath the transparent glass lid, her face surrounded by wisps of cold vapor.

Suddenly, a series of lights ignited on the surface of the pod, and the medical machinery in the room came to life, producing various noises.

A few moments later, the girl opened her striking blue eyes and screamed.

…On a top floor of a private care facility in the center of a city, in a spacious room with tall windows and a luxurious interior, a state-of-the-art sleeping pod stood silently, bathed in sunlight. An attending nurse sat in a comfortable chair beside it, monitoring the vital signs of a beautiful young man who slumbered inside.

For the past three years, there had not been a single minute when the young man was left alone. His pod was surrounded by fresh flowers, and someone was always there to keep watch.

For three years, the flowers and nurses came and went, but the young man had remained the same. Nothing about him ever changed.

Suddenly, the nurse opened her eyes wide.

A second later, the sleeping pod shone with bright light. Its lid swiftly slid sideways and hid in a special housing slot.

The figure inside was slowly raising in the air, as if pulled up by an invisible force. The beautiful young man was… levitating.

The nurse remained motionless for a few seconds, stunned. Then, she hastily ran to the panel on the wall and pressed a call button.

…In a small apartment in one of the less prestigious areas of the city, in a tiny room, a tall young woman was lying in an old and barely functioning pod. This one was possibly the last representative of its model, taken out of production a long time ago. Still, it seemed like the most luxurious thing in the apartment, by far.

The door of the room was open, letting in the sound of a news broadcast. A pleasant and confident tone was currently saying:

"...unusual number of Awakenings! Dear viewers, we… we are currently receiving a report from our correspondents, and will be able to update you on this event shortly. The representatives of the great Legacy Clans, meanwhile…"

Suddenly, the sound of the broadcast was cut out, replaced by a heavy, hopeless silence.

Soon, the sound of tentative steps could be heard, approaching the room where the pod stood.

the armored glass of its lid from inside, sending a net of cracks through

lights suddenly blinked and then went out. It was

with a thunderous noise, and then, a pained human voice

"Damnation!"

the lights came back, revealing the figure of a lithe young man with pale skin and dark hair standing near an overturned medical

was a disoriented, confused expression on

sleeping pod

However, it was empty.

hidden even deeper

bigger, and much better guarded,

stood a simple sleeping

transparent lid, a young woman with ivory skin and long

the growing commotion outside, inside the tranquil room, it was quiet and

Nothing changed.

not shine with bright lights, the medical

the glass coffin of the sleeping pod, the young woman continued to dream, as if cursed to remain in

***

room, slowly realizing

was back at the

returned to

which

the hell did

Speaking of which…

he was naked. To

armor weaved itself out of black strings and covered his skin, he

to force himself to not summon the Midnight Shard as well.

was the real world.

to be the correct one. Just a few moments after he had made it, the door of

she froze. Her eyes widened in horror, and she raised a hand to