Wren stared blankly.
'I am going to the Valor? Is this a nightmare, an illusion?' He thought while sitting beside the Saint he had met the day before.
The headmaster, Ellie, looked at him with a warm smile.
"Aren't you happy, little Wren? You always wanted to go to the Valor clan, and now, a Saint is going to take you under her tutelage." She said while looking at the dazed child.
Wren snapped out of his dazed expression and nodded with determination.
The Saint sitting beside him remained silent.
"Since it has come to this, it's time for me to bid you farewell, little Wren. You have to visit me after you become an Awakened." She said with her usual smile.
He smiled.
"I will," Wren said before standing up and giving her a small hug. The Saint stood up as well, and then the two of them left the cabin.
While walking in the hallway, Saint Tyris chose to speak.
"Child, the road ahead for you will be very harsh in the next eight years. Are you ready for that?"
Wren silently nodded before the two of them vanished from the Waking World.
***
7 years had passed.
In the vast, empty darkness, myriad distant stars shimmered with ethereal light. The vista of the night sky was boundless and stark, full of promise and mystery.
Above it was another sky, which was blue and bright, full of sunlight and gentle winds. White clouds flowed across it, telling enchanting stories with their movement and shapes. Between the bright sky and the dark sky, an island floated in the air.
It was surrounded by freely levitating pieces of rock and ancient masonry, its surface awash in the soft radiance of the sun, and its underbelly veiled by impenetrable darkness. Several gargantuan chains stretched away from the island, cracking thunderously as it slowly rose and fell.
This place was the Chained Isles.
Among the islands that had fallen in the cycle of rise and fall, there was one island that remained frozen in its place. That small island was the Sanctuary of Noctis, the citadel of the Chained Isles.
There was a grass field, and in its centre, massive menhirs stood in a perfect circle, which encompassed another, smaller one. This larger circle formed the outer wall of the citadel, while the smaller one formed the inner.
In the northern segment of the sanctuary's interior, the White Feather Clan's residence was situated.
Inside the vast dining hall, three figures were present. Among them was a young man with long white hair that ended in molten gold tips.
He was sitting beside a couple. One of them was none other than Saint Tyris, while the other was her husband, Master Roan.
"The day is coming near." Saint Tyris spoke as she cut through the cooked meat kept on her plate.
Wren nodded.
"Teacher, I have a request." He said.
The Saint stopped her movement, looking at her student, waiting for him to speak.
Wren hesitated a little, but spoke his words clearly.
"I was thinking if I could visit the Awakened Academy, you know, to build connections after these seven long years?" The look in his eyes showed how much he wanted to go.
The saint remained silent, resuming the movement of her hand to cut the meat, before she chose to speak.
"It seems you want to leave our family as soon as you become an awakened, that hurts me very much. Was I such a bad teacher to you?"
Wren choked on his food, coughing a few times before gulping down a large amount of water.
The master beside them chuckled.
"Sunshine, let him have some slack, has he not listened to every word you have said? His first nightmare is near." He said.
The saint finished her meal.
"It doesn't matter. The moment he stepped into this place, it was already decided what life he would live from that onwards. However, the request to let him go to the academy was already discussed, and he has been allowed." She replied coldly.
Wren smiled.
"Thank you, teacher." He said before standing up and bidding the couple a farewell. Outside the residence, a young woman stood.
It was a young woman with dark wavy hair and alabaster skin. She wore an intricate suit of lusterless, black armour and a red cape.
Her eyes were as cold as the sharpest of swords. They were also of a strange, vibrant colour — bright red, the same as her full lips and vermilion cape. With her alabaster skin and raven-black hair, she looked both beautiful and daunting, like a lethal blade.
However, as cold as she looked, Wren couldn't help but smile.
"Am I dreaming in the Dream realm? Awakened Morgan, the princess of the Valor clan, is here to meet me? Oh, how blessed I am!" He exclaimed while stupidly putting a hand on his chest as if he had been blessed by the dead gods.
Morgan looked unamused and walked away. As if there was nothing present in front of her, especially a stupid white-haired bastard.
Wren chuckled at her ignorance.
"I am leaving for the Waking World today." His words made the cold-blooded princess stop in her tracks, as she turned around with a slight surprised expression.
Her vermillion eyes looked for any hint of a lie in his eyes, but there was none. The two of them stood opposite each other, as the rays of sunlight cast their shadows.
"Don't die." She spoke before walking inside the White Feather clan's residence.
Wren closed his eyes, savouring the warmth of this place one last time. He didn't know when he would be able to return.
"I guess it's time." He turned around while walking towards the master, who was waiting for him to take him back to the dream realm.
***
Upon arriving at his residence in the Waking World, he entered his room. This was the first time he had seen this room, yet it felt familiar, as it matched his taste perfectly.
"They really ensured everything for my stay. I am quite satisfied with it." He muttered while lying on his bed.
He will spend a few days here, so he has to make full use of this. So, he... chose to sleep.
And as time flew by, his sleep grew deeper and deeper, until...
He fell to the crutches of—
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial...]