Chapter 41: A Stranger's Path

Maya sat on the western side of the Flat Hill, resting her tired body against a large rock while chewing on the piece of roasted monster meat that Arcadius had handed her. She still hadn't fully adjusted to eating monsters, but the roasted meat was definitely a step up from the dried strips that she'd been surviving on for the past couple of weeks.

Maya had arrived in this world about two and a half months ago.

As soon as she found herself on the outskirt streets of the NQSC, she had made her way to a nearby police station. Feeling an overwhelming urge to fall asleep, she'd barely managed to make it there.

Even though it had only been a few moments since she'd been infected, her condition had turned out to be the especially urgent Code Black. So, she'd had mere minutes to acclimate to the bizarre change, before she succumbed to the lethargy.

Almost immediately after she'd surrendered herself as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell, she had been strapped to a weird hospital bed in the basement of the police station. There, she'd slipped into the supernatural slumber that had been her First Nightmare.

Her Nightmare had lasted much longer than normal. Far too long, in fact. This was mainly because she had struggled to accept that she'd been pulled into a fictional world.

However, after about a week of grueling hardships and several close calls with death, she had finally decided to face the truth— that she was, without a doubt, in a fictional world and her life was in real danger.

After coming to terms with her translocation, she'd finally decided to start working towards resolving the primary conflict of her First Nightmare. And she had managed to do it... albeit barely. She shivered slightly. Recalling the events of her First Nightmare was never quite refreshing.

She had completed her First Trial when there had only been about two weeks left until the winter solstice. When she'd finally awoken from her slumber, she'd found a very beautiful woman sitting on a cheap plastic chair placed beside her reinforced medical bed.

The woman with the straw blonde hair, healthy tan and sparkling blue eyes had turned out to be none other than Master Jesse, the Ascended who would go on to serve as one of the key figures in the First Irregular Company during the Chain of Nightmares in Antarctica.

Maya's mood had suddenly been tinged with a hint of melancholy when the beautiful Master had introduced herself. That was because Maya knew what fate awaited her in Antarctica. But at the time, she'd had other things to worry about.

After Master Jesse had expressed her dismay about having to watch over an Aspirant slumbering for more than a month, she had gone on to give her the practiced speech about the psychological counselling, the paperwork with the family, and her place in the Awakened Academy.

Maya'd had some time to think about her next steps in this strange world during her Nightmare.

She didn't know the exact time when she had ended up in this world. She could've been brought here before or after Sunny and Nephis entered the Dream Realm.

Still, she didn't want to take any chances.

Because she had decided to steer clear of the main characters, Sunless and Nephis, completely. Her reasoning had been quite simple.

Maya didn't really care about the main characters. She'd wanted to simply stay away from them. She'd already given up on trying to find a way to go back to the real world. So, the only thing she still cared about, was to survive and thrive in the here and now.

The main characters of any story tend to have a knack for stirring up trouble. Shadow Slave was no different in that regard. The main characters had always found themselves in peculiar— hell, downright deadly— situations. And Maya wanted none of that.

Of course, her reasoning had still been flawed. Because now, she understood that she'd heavily underestimated her Attributes. [Fated] really was as inflexible as it could get.

Still, back then, she hadn't been too aware of what the Attribute was capable of. Sure, she'd known about it from the one time she'd read the novel, but she'd decided to not give it too much credit.

So, she'd told Master Jesse that she wanted no psychological counselling, had no family to speak of— at least not in this world— and wasn't interested in joining the Academy. That had earned her a frown from the gorgeous Ascended.

"Well, what exactly do you want to do, then?" Master Jesse had asked. 

"Do all Sleepers go to the Academy?" Maya had countered. "If not, there must be some other procedure in place to look after the ones who don't."

"Sure there is..." Master Jesse had replied, shrugging. "But it's not a very popular option. Most Sleepers just go to the Academy and prepare for their first visit to the Dream Realm."

She had paused before continuing. "Although in your case, it's probably the same thing either way. You barely have two weeks left to prepare. You won't be able to learn anything there in such a short time, even if you did decide to go."

She had looked at Maya with pity, as if she saw her as little more than someone whose death was written in stone. After a moment, she had offered her a warm smile.

"The alternate procedure requires a lot of paperwork and will be a hassle for the both of us. How about this? I live alone in my apartment. I'll take you with me, and I'll even give you some pointers on how to look after yourself in the Dream Realm. I also have my old sleeping pod there, which you can use on the winter solstice."

Maya had been quite surprised at the strangely generous offer, "And why exactly would you do this? You don't know anything about me."

Master Jesse had sighed at that statement, and said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "It's the least I can do. You've been dealt a shit hand, girl. I've been watching you sleep here for the past month, knowing that you're fighting for your life in there every day. And just when you finally manage to wake up, you realize that in less than a fortnight, you'll be forced back into that same hell. I honestly feel bad for you."

Shit hand, huh? Maya had mused inwardly, recalling the details of her Appraisal at the end of her Nightmare. Well, I'm not too sure about that myself...

However, aloud, she'd only said, "Well, that's very considerate of you, Master Jesse. I'll take you up on your offer, then."

After that, Master Jesse had driven her to her apartment, shown her around, given her some food, and left to return to her job. Maya had expected a Master's apartment to be quite lavish, but she had been disappointed.

Master Jesse's apartment hadn't exactly been luxurious, but it couldn't be called frugal either. It had been... just a normal apartment. Maya had been reminded that government-employed Awakened weren't exactly known for their high pay.

After that, for the next two weeks, whenever she'd had free time, Master Jesse had taken it upon herself to teach Maya a few crucial tips and tricks to help her navigate the perilous wilderness of the Dream Realm.

She hadn't bothered with combat training, because she believed that she wouldn't be able to impart any real skill in such a short time. Master Jesse had felt that offering incomplete knowledge or false confidence would only lead to disaster in the Dream Realm.

So, instead of that, she had focused on practical survival lessons— like how to build a fire, how to desalinate water, how to forage for food, which plants to avoid, and other essential skills.

Finally, about three weeks ago, the winter solstice had arrived, and Maya had been thrust into the Dream Realm. As she had taken in her surroundings, she'd quickly realized that all her efforts to avoid the cohort had been in vain.

She had found herself in the exact same time and place as the three of them— the Forgotten Shore.

After first seeing Nephis and Cassie, Maya had been briefly tempted to reveal herself and join them. But she had swiftly discarded the idea.

She hadn't been at the Awakened Academy, and if she told them the truth— that she was also sent here at the same time as them, she wasn't sure if they would believe her.

Besides, her debilitating Flaw didn't allow her to work particularly well with others.

She also remembered that Cassie's Dormant Ability allowed her to 'read' other people's Attributes, and Maya wasn't sure how she could explain her own to the blind seer. Changing Star's presence there had only deepened her skepticism.

So, in the end, she had chosen to observe them from a distance. At least, until the appropriate moment arrived. And she had just the right opportunity in mind.

Maya possessed an Attribute called [Iron Spirit], which made her immune to all kinds of mind and soul attacks. So, she'd decided that when the trio got stranded on the Ashen Barrow, she would swoop in, save them and finally join the cohort for real. After all, they were bound to trust her if she saved their lives.

That hadn't exactly been her original intention, but seeing as how [Fated] clearly wanted her to be involved with them, she'd decided to just go with it.

However, before her plan could've been brought to fruition, she had found out that she was, in fact, not alone with the trio. She had come to know that there was someone else in the Crimson Labyrinth. Someone strong.

She had been resting on the coral mound that the trio had abandoned on their fourth day in the Dream Realm. Relaxed and carefree, she'd sat leisurely atop the massive coral formation. Finally, she had decided to take a look at how the trio's journey to the statue was going.

She'd managed to hunt a few Scavengers at the base of the hill with the use of her Aspect Ability, and desalinate some water from the Dark Sea. So, she was feeling rather confident in her success. 

Her Innate Ability made her nearly imperceptible, so, she'd tracked the trio down without stumbling upon any Nightmare Creatures.

But what she'd seen had shaken her to the core.

The trio had been… attacked. By a human, no less. The attacker hadn't struck personally, relying on their Echo to do the job instead. And as they fled from Sunny's shadow, Maya had made a decision to follow them too.

And she had found them.

A young boy with black hair and ivory skin, clad in an intricate black armor. He'd been struggling to escape Sunny's encroaching shadow. Gloomy had just been about to set its eyes— or whatever it had instead of eyes— on him.

But the moment the shadow was about to glimpse the boy, he had breathed deeply and exhaled a thick, black mist.

Maya had recognized it instantly— True Darkness. But as soon as it left him, his body had faltered. He had staggered, then collapsed onto the ground.

Maya hadn't seen it through the shroud of blackness, but she had heard the plates of his armor clink and clatter. And then— he had risen. And started walking back towards the trio.

Maya had hesitated. She'd had a feeling that nothing good would come of that confrontation if the unknown figure revealed himself to them, or worse, fought them head-on. So, she had done the only thing she could think of.

Hoping to distract the intruder, she had summoned one of her Memories— a dagger— and hurled it into the mist, aiming for the spot where the boy had cried out 'no' just moments before. Maya had heard the dagger connect with the his armor.

The moment the dagger hit, the Darkness had stirred. And it had shifted— toward her.

Maya had instinctively stiffened, forcing herself into absolute stillness. Her Innate Ability had taken hold, cloaking her from detection. She knew too little about the boy to risk an encounter. So instead, she had made a decision to remain hidden for the time being.

She had also decided to return to the coral mound, listen in on the trio's conversation and possibly learn something about the unknown Sleeper.

So, soon after, she had made her way back to the coral mound, and hidden on the other side of it just in time to avoid meeting the gaze of the three Sleepers. Sunless had been in the worst shape of the three, and to Maya's relief, he hadn't bothered using his shadow to scout her side of the mound.

Maya's Innate Ability had also been of tremendous help. 

After eavesdropping on their conversation, Maya had learned of a completely new Sleeper. Someone named Arcadius. Apparently, he also had a True Name— Shroudkeeper. Maya didn't recall any Sleeper by that name, let alone someone who had been bestowed with a True Name. 

It hadn't taken Maya long to figure out that this mysterious Shroudkeeper was actually someone like her— someone who had been translocated from the real world to this fictional world. 

After that deduction, Maya had managed to track the elusive Sleeper down, somehow. He, too, had been keeping an eye on the three Sleepers, so it hadn't been too difficult. 

Initially, Maya had thought that she would reveal herself to him as soon as she found him, considering that he was the closest thing to a companion or ally that she could possibly have in this world.

But upon actually finding him, she had quickly changed her mind.

Because simply put— this Shroudkeeper... was a damned lunatic!