Shadow Slave

Master Jet looked at him for a while, then smiled.

"Perfect. That is a good goal to have... especially for people like us."

She took a sip of tea, then closed her eyes for a few moments.

"...Alright. There are many ways to become strong, some more straightforward than others. Ideally, you would want a powerful organization backing you up, but that is not the only way. In fact, such a partnership is a double-edged sword. You gain a lot, but also have to give a lot in return. I'll provide you with the basic information, and you can decide for yourself."

Sunny straightened a little and listened to her attentively. Master Jet thought for a few seconds, and then said:

"In this next few days, you will have to decide what Citadel to go to. That is not the same as joining a faction, but closely tied to it. Usually, young Awakened have to compete for the right to join a desirable faction and therefore be taken to the Citadel it operates from. Your case is different, though. Everyone wants you… and I mean everyone. So you can pick any of the human Citadels in the Dream Realm to call home."

She paused, yawned, and then continued:

"As you should already know, there are three great human Citadels in the Dream Realm, as well as many smaller ones. The primary Citadels belong to the great clans, while the smaller ones can be either ruled by a lesser clan or remain independent. Regardless, all of them are situated around the three main human enclaves and tied to them in one form or another. No matter where you go, you'll be in the sphere of influence of one of the great clans, it's just that you can be either in its center, close to the center, or on the periphery."

Sunny scratched his head.

"What about the government? Doesn't the government control many Citadels?"

Master Jet shook her head.

"Out there in the Dream Real, the government has less influence than the great clans. It does, however, maintain a presence in all the important Citadels, which allows us to play a unique role. In the Dream Realm, we serve as a… connective tissue between the three factions, I guess. That flexibility has its own benefits, if you ask me."

She knocked lightly on the table and said:

"In any case, even if you decide to refuse the obvious choice of settling in one of the great Citadels, you'll have to select one of the three territories. They are not connected, as some people think. In fact, there are deadly and extremely hazardous regions separating each of the human dominions from each other. So, that is going to be your first decision — which territory to choose.

That made sense. If Sunny chose to go to Bastion, for example, he would have the opportunity to build a relationship with the great clan Valor, which ruled it, or any of the lesser clans in its sphere of influence. He would lose the opportunity to be recruited into the great clan Song, though, or any other clan that existed in a separate human territory. And so on.

Master Jet finished her tea and looked at the empty cup with a solemn expression.

to… you are smart enough to figure out the pros and cons of that path by yourself. All I will say is that you will never be truly accepted as an equal by the members of the Legacy clans

expression darkened. Caster's face suddenly appeared in his mind, eyes full

proud scion

to

face. Had she experienced her own share of hardships because of her lowly background?

Jet's path to becoming an Ascended must have looked like, she sighed, then smiled with

Actually, it's a dream come true for many, most even. With your renown, Sunless, any clan would be happy to give you patronage. Some might even adopt you. Hell… with your looks, even marriage is not out

his tea and did an

"Marriage… what marriage?!"

She shook her head.

clans recruit talents? There are patronage contracts, adoptions, and matrimony, the latter being the

Sunny stared at her with wide

of incentives to join them instead of others. The most wealthy factions will even shower you with soul shards. You and I both know how

wistfully, lingered for a bit,

But you also won't be tied down by any obligations, free to travel around the Dream Realm as you wish,

by the cornucopia of choices in front of

being showered in

Master Jet grinned.

What do you

for a while, then

I'll… have to think about many

though that was

Nothing good can come from rushing such

took a small, secure plastic container out of her pocket and pushed it to Sunny. He took it and

"What's that?"

She shrugged.

for a while. Don't use more than one patch at a time… wait, why am I explaining this to you? You're from the outskirts, so your knowledge of stimulant use must be extensive. In any case, with that, you'll be able to stay lucid for about a week. Contact me when you're ready to make a decision, and I'll arrange the rest. Oh, also feel free to call me

up, stretched a little, and gave him a

out there. Warms my heart to know that another one of us did. I'll