Elizabeth's first month passed in a blur, and before she knew it, she was stepping onto NQSC soil. The voyage itself had been quiet and uneventful, aside from one memorable incident where her body abruptly regressed into that of a two year old.
Even then, her strength hadn't diminished in the slightest. If she ever did end up trapped in a baby's body, she was fairly certain she could still walk on her own two feet. Which, in her book, meant a higher chance of surviving whatever the Spell decided to throw at her.
During the trip, she had also learned something important about her attribute, [Siren of the Sea]. Mundane humans were the ones most affected by it; Awakened still stared, but their gazes lingered for a shorter time, as if something in them instinctively resisted the pull. To avoid the constant attention, Elizabeth spent most of the journey hidden away in her assigned cabin. Thankfully, she did not have to share it with anyone, so she quietly passed the days reading webtoons and binging a handful of dramas.
She didn't neglect her training, either. The ship had a compact training center on board, and while using Aspect abilities there was strictly forbidden for obvious safety reasons, it still gave her something to do besides stare at a wall. She had half‑expected the vessel to be attacked once or twice by some horrific Nightmare Creatures, if only because that was what always seemed to happen in the news she heard, but the ocean remained eerily calm. She even overheard small groups of Awakened whispering among themselves about how strange it was; most ships were attacked at least once in transit, yet theirs glided across the sea without incident and reached NQSC a full day ahead of schedule.
NQSC itself was grand, every bit as magnificent as the so‑called headquarters of humanity was rumored to be. It was Elizabeth's first time seeing it in person, and for a few moments she simply stood and took in the view, letting herself be impressed. What she liked most, however, was the temperature, despite technically being the start of winter, it was still warmer here than anywhere in Antarctica.
'Falcon Scott has a lot to improve on…'
At the moment, she was being driven toward the Academy by a representative of the House of Night, cradled in the back seat of an expensive PTV.
'Getting sponsored really was a great idea. Is this how Legacies live all the time?'
Elizabeth had lived comfortably compared to the average person, but even her relatively cushy life could not compare to the effortless luxury some Legacies enjoyed.
"We have arrived."
The driver's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Elizabeth glanced out the window and saw an enormous red gate dominating the edge of a colossal wall. She thanked the driver, stepped out of the PTV, and found herself staring.
'…Wow. They really gave an entire city to one Academy.'
Back in Antarctica, their Academy barely took up the size of a neighborhood. NQSC's Academy, in contrast, sprawled outward like an independent metropolis. Then again, it was the first and most prestigious Academy for Awakened in the world; of course it would be excessive.
As she examined her surroundings, Elizabeth noticed she was not alone. A short, malnourished‑looking young man stood a few meters away, staring fixedly at the gate in a police‑issued tracksuit. His pale skin had a sickly tinge to it, his black hair was messy, and he appeared to be roughly her age or younger.
Beside him stood a tall, slender girl who also wore a police tracksuit. She had clear gray eyes and a distant expression, as though her mind was somewhere far away, and short silver‑white hair neatly parted to one side. Her presence felt detached, strange, as if the world around her had nothing to do with her.
The short Sleeper glanced at Elizabeth; their eyes met for an instant. His dark pupils seemed unfocused, his expression turning oddly strange for a moment before he shook his head and looked away.
Elizabeth sighed quietly and pulled her hoodie up. It was already late afternoon, and now that she had reverted to her normal size, the hoodie could no longer fully conceal her face. She turned away from them, pretending to be absorbed in the view.
Eventually, the gates began to move. The massive door slowly descended, forming a long, metallic bridge. When its far end settled into the grooves in the ground, a series of heavy clicks echoed through the air.
The three of them crossed the bridge together and stopped at the inner checkpoint, where a man stood guard.
"Sleeper?"
They all nodded. The man retrieved three sheets of paper and handed one to each of them.
"That's the Academy map. Your department is located in the southern quarter. I wish you luck on the trial ahead."
Elizabeth accepted the map with a quiet word of thanks. Then, without further ceremony, the three parted ways. Elizabeth, for her part, had no intention of striking up a conversation with them or with anyone. She had grown socially clumsy around strangers and generally preferred to steer clear of people when she could.
"Boo hoo… come on, sis, it's really not that hard. Go on, the Academy is the best place to make allies. I met my best friend here."
Her brother's voice sounded right next to her, teasing and familiar.
Elizabeth frowned. "Yeah, I know. You've told me that a million times… I just can't, you know."
She hadn't always been like this. Once, she had been outgoing, surrounded by friends and never at a loss for words. But after her brother died and she sank into the deep, heavy fog of her depression, her social circle had withered one person at a time. Her social skills faded with them; by the time she finally found her footing again, she no longer remembered how to talk to people.
"Nah, sis, it's all in the mindset. If you believe you're socially awkward, you will be. Think positive." he said, miming a poke at her cheeks.
"Enough. I just don't want to, okay?"
She hadn't meant to say it out loud. A few passersby turned, staring at the girl apparently arguing with thin air. Heat rushed into Elizabeth's cheeks, sharp and immediate, but she forced it down, drew a steadying breath, and dismissed the phantom of her brother with a thought.
A few minutes later, she located the building listed on her map: the hall where the latest batch of Sleepers would be inducted.
Inside, the building was bright and spacious. The main hall was already bustling with people; hundreds of young men and women, all Sleepers, stood clustered in groups as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Elizabeth hadn't been in a room full of Awakened since her brother's memorial, and the sheer concentration of presence here made her feel slightly self conscious.
Wherever she looked, she saw confidence. Many wore designer clothes and subtle family insignias, their posture and poise marking them as Legacies, there were more of them gathered here than she had ever seen in one place.
Scanning the hall, she quickly picked out the two Sleepers from the gate. The silver‑haired girl stood alone, with her headphones on, and her gaze unfocused as music shut out the world. The short young man, on the other hand, was already engaged in a lively conversation with someone.
'He's more social than he looks.'
Suddenly, the person they were talking to slapped him and walked away in anger. Although he did not seem bothered by it. Heck, he was smiling.
'…Never mind.'
She quietly started toward an empty corner she had marked as safe, a little pocket of solitude away from the others. Before she could make it there, someone stepped directly into her path.
"Hey! You're a Sleeper too, right? Me too! I can't believe it. This is exactly how they describe it in the webtoons I read, don't you think so?"
Elizabeth blinked, her mind briefly going blank. After a moment, she managed a small, awkward "Yeah," and tried to edge past the stranger.
Another voice cut in before she could escape.
"Right? It's always been my dream to become an Awakened… although after my first Nightmare, I'm not so sure anymore."
They heaved an exaggerated sigh and shot her a meaningful look, clearly fishing for a reaction.
Elizabeth stared, bemused, then nodded. "Uh… cool… excuse me, passing through."
She took half a step, only to find her way blocked again as yet another Sleeper joined in.
"Really? What kind of Nightmare did you have? I doubt it was as horrible as mine."
In what felt like the span of a single breath, a small cluster formed around her, voices overlapping as they traded stories and questions, all of them directed at, or anchored around, her.
'What… is going on?'
Was this the side‑effect of [Siren of the Sea] again?
As the surrounding crowd thickened, Elizabeth tugged her hoodie further down, ducked her head, and used the chaos of the crowd to slip away.
"Huh? Where did she go? I wanted to ask her name!"
"Hey, do you think I have a chance with her?"
"Dream on, frog face. You're living proof that not all Awakened are attractive."
Elizabeth exhaled in relief as she finally reached her chosen corner. It was no longer as empty as before, but still quieter than the rest of the hall. The largest crowd in the room had formed around a tall, handsome young man with slightly tanned skin, messy black hair, and vivid green eyes. Their voices rose and fell in excited waves, impossible to fully block out.
She glanced at the clock hanging above one of the exits and sighed.
'When will this induction ceremony start? Hopefully before evening…'
Nightfall was dangerous for her. Her Flaw tended to turn her older than she currently looked, and more often than not, the result was a busty, middle‑aged woman. She doubted her current clothes could handle that transformation cleanly.
Another sigh slipped out of her.
'I should have brought my headphones too…i miss listening to Night&Gale.'
"WHAT? Ascended? You received an Ascended Aspect? What… what was your Appraisal?!"
The sudden shout sliced through the noise. Elizabeth's ears instinctively perked up, her attention drawn back to the handsome young man at the center of the crowd.
He smiled gently.
"Oh. It was 'excellent.'"
Elizabeth couldn't help the small, private chuckle that escaped her. To the others, that man was probably a once in a generation genius. It only highlighted how absurdly high the potential of her Divine Aspect really was.
'It really isn't a big deal…'
Suddenly, she heard an echo of her thoughts.
"Ascended, excellent? That's it? What's the big deal?"
She turned her head and saw that the remark had come from the short Sleeper she had seen earlier.
'What's with that reaction? Does he… have a Transcendent Aspect?'
After a moment of stunned silence, one of the handsome young man's companions finally blinked and laughed.
"Uh… friend, you must not know much about the Spell. Caster's results are truly remarkable, impressive even. He is a Legacy, after all."
The short Sleeper scratched his head.
"Are you trying to pull a prank on me? You call that remarkable?!"
The air around them tightened. The bewilderment in the gathered Sleepers' eyes sharpened into something close to anger.
'Even if it doesn't impress me, getting an Ascended Aspect is still pretty amazing.'
Once again, her thought was mirrored out loud.
"Listen, friend. If you don't think an Ascended Aspect is remarkable, then please share with us your own amazing results. What, pray tell, was your Appraisal?"
The short Sleeper hesitated for a moment, then scratched his head again.
"I would let you know… my Appraisal was, uh… it was 'glorious.' Yes, glorious. And the Aspect I acquired was of the Divine rank!"
The words hit Elizabeth like a physical blow to her stomach. Her eyes widened.
'…What?'