Shadow Slave

Sunny shifted in his seat, a bleak expression appearing on his face.

'A human?'

Why would a Master be hunting down a human? There was police for that.

Unless, of course, that human was an Awakened…

Sunny was aware that special government agents — carriers of the Nightmare Spell themselves — dealt with those Awakened who broke the law, simply because police officers were often helpless against criminals that possessed inhuman strength and wielded bizarre or dangerous Aspect Abilities. It made sense that Master Jet would be involved in that side of government work, too.

But, honestly, he didn't know too much about how these things usually went.

Glancing at her, Sunny asked:

"Is it an Awakened criminal?"

Master Jet spared him a short glance.

"A… criminal? Yes, you might say that."

She remained quiet for a few moments, and then corrected herself.

"No, actually, do not. The man we must find is not a criminal. He is an animal... a rabid one."

Sunny frowned.

"An interesting choice of words."

Master Jet was concentrating on driving the PTV, so she didn't answer immediately. When she did, however, her voice was strangely calm:

"You are not an inexperienced Sleeper anymore, Sunny, so I will be straightforward. You, of all people, should be able to understand. The Nightmares, the Dream Realm… they take a toll. Some people endure, some people break. Some people carry the nightmares back with them to the real world."

expression slowly appeared on her

are at the top of the world… those who return alive, that is. We have all the privileges, all the money, all the power. But the mark it leaves on us never goes away. After all the pain, blood, and

at the road, her icy eyes full of

crack a lot. The government portrays us Awakened as powerful and noble, the saviors of the world… but really, most of us are walking on the edge, just one little step away from madness. All that trauma can mess one up really good, you know? It's all a big, big mess. So, when one of the Awakened loses control up and makes that last step… what do you

the damage a deranged Awakened could do in the mundane world. His expression

didn't even

you

at him and

— or someone like me — receives the call. Things like that usually don't get out, because the government doesn't want them to. For obvious reasons. Everything is dealt with quietly, and so,

speak for a bit.

talk him down or overpower him, and then put him in cuffs?

other side of this equation a few times in the past, and never in his life had he imagined putting handcuffs on someone, and

gave him a complicated

not

a couple

free to walk around as if nothing happened

course, there was

his thoughts, Jet slowly shook

won't be

into the

"...Ah."

Master Jet sighed.

But we… we are Awakened. Realistically, there is no prison that can be built to hold us. Not with every Aspect being unique, and demanding unique means of containment.

even

only be an

Master Jet said made sense. Awakened were too powerful, and too dangerous. If one of them lost control, then they needed to be dealt with, somehow. In a perfect world, they would go through the same process that mundane humans went

tried, and either locked in a cell

this was not