Chapter 20: Uneasy Reunion
The wind of Antarctica tore through the endless expanse of white, causing Dolin's messy black hair to flutter behind him. Jagged rock spires protruded from the ground, and mountains could be seen dotting the distance.
Ruined vehicles jutted from the snow like forgotten monuments, but his attention remained fixed on the two figures moving steadily in the distance.
Legacies.
He was almost a hundred-percent sure they were legacies. From the distance he was out, he couldn't make out their facial features, but they seemed to be well equipped with both armor and weapon type memories.
Must be nice, he thought dryly. Memories handed to you before even entering the dream realm.
As he drew closer, the two figures became clearer. They were walking in a loose formation, not interacting with each other much. Their distance displayed an obvious lack of personal bond.
He took a deep breath, and finally called out, his voice echoing over the frozen plains. His voice came out in a distorted tone, having to make its way through his oddly shaped bone-plated tentacle helmet, but it still caught their attention.
"Hey! Over here!"
The two figures stopped immediately. In an instant, both reacted, raising their blands and adjusting their stances. Dolin's chest tightened, realizing his mistake.
Right. This armor…
The Bonefiend armor, with its tendrils and jagged plates covering every inch of his body… it looked monstrous, almost like a nightmare creature.
No response came. Their eyes didn't waver, their blades ready. Dolin sighed, unsummoning his helmet. The winter wind whipped at his face, exposing it to the cold. His face was fully exposed. The wind stirred his hair, and the two figures could see that he was a human.
A voice rang out, almost familiar to Dolin.
"Dolin… is that you?"
Another voice came. "...That's another Dreamer?"
Dolin blinked, finally recognizing the two dreamers in front of him.
The first voice who had called out to him was someone familiar. The instructor had said that Dreamers would usually end up with other Dreamers upon entering the Dream realm, and he was right.
In front of him was a surprising pair. It was Cecilia and Blake, the two Dreamers that could have been said to be the strongest during his stay at the academy.
Dolin let a small exhale. He was glad that at least one of them was someone he knew already. Blake could be an issue, but he could deal with that bridge when he got to it.
"Cecilia," he said, nodding at her. "It's good to see a familiar face."
Cecilia's expression softened. Blake on the other hand squinted at him, seemingly still cautious.
"You survived," she said. "Your memories… the armor and that crown…"
Dolin tilted his head. He had hid his memories during his time at the academy, and it was apparent he wasn't a legacy. "I was pretty lucky. Got some early yesterday when I arrived."
Blake raised an eyebrow, finally speaking, "Cecilia. Who is this? I don't remember him from the academy."
Dolin considered his words. ""That's not surprising."
Dolin hadn't made a big impression at the academy. And with Blake's arrogant attitude, he wasn't surprised that Blake had not noticed him. In fact, Blake's ignorance toward his presence in the academy attested to his attempts to not stand out.
Blake's eyes narrowed.
"I'd remember anyone worth remembering."
He then paused.
"...So what you're from the city?"
Dolin's face curled into a smirk. A hint of amusement made its way onto his expression.
This will get under his skin.
"Outskirts."
Contrary to how Dolin thought, Blake didn't burst out. He instead let out a quiet, almost intrigued breath.
"Yeah," he said. "That tracks."
Cecilia cut in before the conversation could escalate any further.
"How did you survive?" she asked. "Your aspect isn't combat focused.
Dolin shifted his stance.
"My aspect still helps," he said. "Just not directly…."
He paused.
"The rest was just… dealing with it. Perhaps a little luck to."
Blake huffed.
"Luck huh…."
"It's been working," Dolin said.
He then continued, "What about you two?"
Cecilia answered. "The first night was rough," she said. "We almost didn't find shelter in time and there were more nightmare creatures than expected."
She then glanced at the horizon before adding,
"You know where we are, right?"
"Antartica," Dolin said.
Cecilia nodded.
"No citadels. We only studied outdated maps. If we run into something we can't handle…"
Blake finished the sentence for her, "Then we will overcome it."
Dolin glanced at him, but didn't rebut Blake's comment.
Instead, he said, "We cannot stay still. We should make some ground before the night comes. Another snow storm could come at any moment.
Cecilia nodded. "Agreed."
They began to shift, preparing to move…
Then Dolin spoke again, to further solidify his position.
"I killed an awakened nightmare creature."
That stopped them.
Blake let out a short laugh.
"Sure you did."
Dolin then summoned a memory. The Traitorous Edge began to form from a swirl of sparks in his hand.
It was an awakened memory. It could be used as proof that he had killed an awakened nightmare creature. The fact that he hadn't gotten it from the awakened monster he had killed before but from an awakened human in his first nightmare didn't matter.
This time, the reaction stuck.
Cecilia frowned.
"...How?" she asked. "We could only take down a couple awakened beasts with our aspects."
Dolin met her gaze.
"My aspect helped. And my swordsmanship."
Blake's eyes lingered on the weapon for a moment.
"Just don't fall behind," he said. "We won't stop for you if you do."
Cecilia glanced at him, silently weighing his words.
"As long as he can keep up, it doesn't matter," she said.
Dolin nodded.
"That's the plan."
Then Cecilia turned toward the horizon.
"We should move," she said. "We have spent too long here already."
Without any more interruptions, they started forward.
Three figures moved across the endless white, like three specks of dirt on a sheet of white paper.
Not allies, and not quite strangers.
Simply survivors… survivors forced into the same direction by a place that could kill them at any moment.