After Bell finished eating, he looked at the government Awakened who had been silent, who then began to speak.
"Are you finished with your meal?"
"Yes. It's the first time I've eaten real food and not just synthetic paste," he replied.
"Life for people like you from the outskirts must be hard."
"It is." Bell shrugged without going into details.
"Well then, I'll begin. According to protocol, I am obliged to inform you of a few things. It's more like standard protocol. First of all, regarding your Nightmare..." The Awakened paused.
"You have the right to receive free psychological counseling. No matter what traumatic experience you've been through, there's no shame in receiving help. Your mind is just as important as your body; it's only fair to keep it healthy. Are you interested?"
"No." His answer was quite simple. Apart from the unbearable cold, his Nightmare hadn't left him with many mental aftereffects.
"As you wish. You can also talk to me. Was it difficult for you?"
"Yes, very difficult," Bell replied.
The Awakened nodded, his eyes acquiring a look of pity for the young man before him.
"Alright. I'm not going to dig much further," said the Awakened.
"So what happens now?"
"Basically, that's it. There are some additional hurdles to overcome, most related to your family, but I've read your file. Your only relative is in a coma, so it will just come down to how you face going into the Dream Realm."
Bell sighed, not really impressed that the government Awakened had read his file and knew about the only person in his family who was still alive, though unable to wake from a coma caused a years ago by an unknown illness.
"First of all, you are free to do whatever you want. No one is forcing you to make a specific decision. You can prepare on your own, or you can not do it at all. The decision is yours."
"However, I advise you not to go it alone. As a Sleeper, you have the right to enroll in the Awakened Academy. They will provide you with food, lodging, and a wide selection of preparatory classes. At this point in the year, you won't be able to learn much. But it's better than nothing," said the Awakened.
"Most importantly, you will meet most of the people who will enter the Dream Realm with you. Some of them could become your companions for life."
"And some of them might end up trying to end that life once we're inside the Spell," Bell read between the lines.
"So what do you say? Do you want me to take you to the academy?"
Bell looked at the Awakened and then nodded.
"Yes, I'll go to the academy. But first, can you take me somewhere?" he asked.
The Awakened simply nodded, having an idea of what was going through the white-haired boy's mind.
...
Bell sat in the passenger seat of the government Awakened's PTV, whose name he still didn't know. He had never ridden in one before, as there weren't many people who could drive a vehicle like this or have the necessary licenses.
The most popular and most used option was the train, which was always crowded.
The trip was silent, lasting several minutes until finally the PTV stopped in front of a large specialized hospital building.
"We're here," said the Awakened, turning off the car.
After getting out, Bell, still wearing the clean police tracksuit, entered. It was past six in the morning, so visits were allowed from five o'clock onward.
Upon entering the building, the Awakened sat in the waiting room with a bored look. Bell approached the receptionist, who sighed.
"Have you come to see him, Bell?"
"Yes," he replied, looking at the thirty-year-old brown-haired nurse.
"It's been three years since he fell into a coma. Are you really not going to—"
Bell didn't let the nurse finish those words.
"No. I'm not going to sign to have him disconnected," he said, beginning to walk toward the elevator.
The nurse shook her head, letting out a sigh.
Reaching the elevator and entering it, Bell pressed the tenth floor. After the doors closed, the elevator ascended for a dozen seconds until it stopped.
With a chime, the doors opened, revealing several people. Exiting the elevator, he walked past the others.
Walking down the clean hallway, he stopped at a certain room and opened it.
Entering, he looked around. Nothing had changed. The hospital room was simple: a 20-square-meter room with few reinforced windows that looked out over NQSC below.
Bell took a few steps until he stopped a meter from a figure lying on a hospital bed. The figure was that of a young man barely past twenty. His hair was white, his face calm and without a trace of worry.
Several machines were connected to his body, monitoring his vital signs.
That man was Frost, his older brother. He was also an Awakened who had been infected by the Spell at fifteen years old, a week after their parents died in the outskirts when Bell was only ten.
After he returned to the waking world, his older brother took care of them both, changing their lives surprisingly to the point where they had S-rank citizen status. His brother, being an SS-rank Active, even had his own true name: Knight of the Stars.
When he turned seventeen, he challenged his Second Nightmare, becoming one of the youngest Masters to achieve such a feat. However, he contracted a strange illness that extinguished his future, leaving him in a mysterious coma from which there has been no cure to this day.
From that moment on, Bell invested everything into ensuring his brother received the best possible care, using all the money to bring him to this place while he suffered in the outskirts.
But now that he was a Sleeper, he could truly investigate in his own way.
'I promise you, I will make you wake up, brother. That's a promise,' he thought, clenching his fist tightly.
Bell stood looking at his sleeping brother for a few minutes until he turned around and left the hospital room.
...
An hour later, Bell stood in front of a pair of enormous doors belonging to the Awakened Academy.
The Awakened who had brought him gave him one last piece of advice.
"Kid, listen. No one can survive in the Dream Realm alone. That's not an opinion; it's a fact. Try to get along with your peers, even if they don't treat you well. It could save your life."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Bell.
"Well, I've informed the academy. Someone will come to pick you up shortly. You have two weeks before the winter solstice, so give it your all, kid."
With that said, the government Awakened got into his PTV and drove away.
Looking at the open doors and the bridge, Bell crossed it, determined to survive in the dream world and make his brother regain consciousness. Those were his only two goals; everything else could wait.
Bell walked through the academy grounds until he reached the Sleepers' compound, a low red building located in the southern part of the academy, surrounded by entertainment fields and parks.
Once inside the building, he noticed it was spacious and well-lit. Bell was quickly led to a large hall where there were at least a hundred people, both young men and women, Sleepers who had survived their First Nightmare at the same time as him.
Most of them were nervous, tense, and excited.
Because the Spell affected people chaotically, making logistics a constant headache, some lucky ones had a year to prepare, others months, some weeks, and others only days.
Due to this, the induction ceremony was held every month at the beginning of the year, then every week as the winter solstice approached. Some waited days, but luckily for him, he only had to wait a few hours before induction.
Looking around, he noticed that everyone was well-dressed and well-fed. Some had suitcases, others backpacks with personal belongings. The most obvious thing was that everyone was good-looking.
Although he wasn't ugly, he wasn't as striking as the other, more handsome Sleepers. Added to his somewhat gaunt appearance from the years he had to survive in the outskirts, his appearance evoked a bit of pity.
Bell stopped looking around after satisfying his curiosity. His brother had taught him one thing: let others underestimate you; then they'll never know what you're truly capable of.
Bell looked for a seat in a corner, which he found easily. There weren't many people who took the corners, preferring to get the front and center areas.
After sitting down, he waited almost half an hour with boredom until finally the induction Master arrived.
He was a tall man, at least two meters high, with a muscular physique and a brown beard. His eyes were cold and serious, like those of a warrior polished in battle.
"I am the Awakened Roca. Sleepers, welcome to the academy." And so the induction began.