Shadow Slave — Chapter 17

TRY TO GET ALONG WITH YOUR PEERS.

EVEN IF THEY DON'T TREAT YOU WELL.

IT MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE.

YOU'VE DONE WELL TO SURVIVE UNTIL NOW.

MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE IN THE FUTURE, TOO.

SOMEONE'S ALREADY WAITING HERE.

DID SHE JUST CONQUER HER FIRST NIGHTMARE, TOO?

SHE'S WEARING THE SAME POLICE-ISSUED CLOTHES...

NO FAMILY TO SEE HER OFF, NO PERSONAL BELONGINGS. JUST LIKE ME.

THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT HER.

A CERTAIN VIBE...

AS IF SHE'S DETACHED FROM THE WORLD AROUND HER AND EXISTING ENTIRELY ON HER OWN.

SHE SEEMS SO CALM AND CONFIDENT, AND YET...

I SENSE A LONELINESS DIFFERENT FROM MY OWN.

I CAN'T HELP FEELING CURIOUS, BUT...

I'D BETTER NOT START A CONVERSATION.

I MIGHT PUT MYSELF IN A BAD SITUATION DUE TO THAT DAMN FLAW.

I WONDER WHAT HER FLAW IS...

EPISODE 17

SLEEPER ORIENTATION

ENTRANCE

WOAH.

THERE'S A LOT MORE PEOPLE THAN I EXPECTED.

EVERYONE IS WELL-DRESSED AND CARRYING LUGGAGE.

THEY ALL SEEM PREPARED FOR THIS.

I GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE. THEY'RE PROBABLY COMING FROM HOME, SENT OFF BY THEIR FAMILIES.

THEY'RE ALL SHARING STORIES ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH IN THEIR NIGHTMARES...

JET TOLD ME TO MAKE FRIENDS, BUT I'VE BARELY HAD ANY PRACTICE WITH CONTROLLING MY FLAW.

AND WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS THEY MIGHT ASK ME.

THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!

IF THE INDUCTION CEREMONY DOESN'T START SOON, I'M DOOMED!

ALRIGHT. I JUST NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS AS A CONTINUATION OF MY TRIAL.

I'VE FACED HEROES, VILLAINS, MONSTERS, AND EVEN GODS.

AM I REALLY AFRAID OF CHATTING WITH A BUNCH OF TEENAGERS?

NO! LET'S SOCIALIZE!

...LOOK AT ALL THESE YOUNG PEOPLE.

HOW MANY DO YOU THINK WILL RETURN FROM THE DREAM REALM?

HOW MANY WILL PERISH?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OUR OWN CHANCES OF SURVIVAL ARE?

I DON'T KNOW, BUT...

I'M PRETTY SURE THAT A POMPOUS FOOL LIKE YOU WILL DIE FIRST!

...I EVEN RECEIVED AN ARMOR-TYPE MEMORY IN MY NIGHTMARE. IT'S AN ENCHANTED ROBE.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?

ACTUALLY, I WOULD PREFER TO SEE YOU WITHOUT A ROBE...

...THEN THOSE LOWLIFES BEGAN TO ROB THE BODIES.

IT WAS DISGUSTING!

THEY EVEN TOOK THEIR SHOES!

WHAT KIND OF DEGENERATE WOULD TAKE A DEAD MAN'S SHOES?

I ONCE KILLED A MAN AND TOOK HIS BOOTS.

THEY WERE NICE BOOTS.

...WHAT?

YOU KILLED SOMEONE JUST FOR A PAIR OF BOOTS? WHAT KIND OF PSYCHOPATH...

OF COURSE NOT! THERE WERE OTHER REASONS... I ALSO TOOK HIS CLOAK.

Get lost, you crazy bastard!

DAMN. TEENAGERS ARE TERRIFYING!

MY HONEST CONVERSATIONS QUICKLY TURNED ME INTO AN OUTCAST.

I ACQUIRED A REPUTATION OF AN OBNOXIOUS, FOUL-MOUTHED PERVERT.

BEING OSTRACIZED STUNG A LITTLE, BUT IT ACTUALLY WORKED OUT IN MY FAVOR.

BECAUSE, IN THE PROCESS, I DISCOVERED SOMETHING VITAL.

I LEARNED HOW TO CONTROL MY FLAW... TO A DEGREE.

ONCE ASKED A QUESTION, I COULDN'T KEEP QUIET, AND I ALSO COUDLN'T LIE.

HOWEVER, WITH A BIT OF PRACTICE, I COULD INFLUENCE THE EXACT WAY THE TRUTH EVENTUALLY CAME OUT.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF MASTER JET WERE TO CATCH ME STARING AGAIN, INSTEAD OF EMBARRASSING MYSELF I WOULD JUST HAVE TO ENDURE A BIT OF PAIN AND SIMPLY SAY, "I'M STARING AT YOU."

THIS IS GOOD. THIS IS GREAT. THIS IS SOMETHING I CAN WORK WITH!

AFTER ALL, I DON'T HAVE TO LIE TO DECEIVE A PERSON. SOMETIMES, TRUTH IS THE BEST MATERIAL FOR CREATING DECEIT.

TIME TO PUT THAT THEORY INTO PRACTICE.

MY MAIN GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE EVER FINDS OUT MY TRUE NAME.

TO ACHIEVE THAT, I HAVE TO CREATE AN IMPRESSION THAT I'M THE MOST PATHETIC, WEAK PERSON IN THIS WHOLE BUILDING.

SOMEONE WHO IS UNLIKELY TO SURVIVE, LET ALONE EARN A TRUE NAME.

ASCENDED? YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN ASCENDED ASPECT?

WHAT... WHAT WAS YOUR APPRAISAL?!

OH. IT WAS 'EXCELLENT'.

THIS SHOULD DO. TIME FOR MY FIRST PERFORMANCE...

ASCENDED, EXCELLENT? THAT'S IT?

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

THIS GUY SEEMS FRIENDLY ENOUGH, BUT THAT COLD, CALCULATED LOOK IN HIS EYES...

I'VE SEEN IT BEFORE. MOSTLY AMONG THE VETERANS OF STREET GANGS IN THE OUTSKIRTS.

THEY CALLED IT "MURDER MATH" - THERE WAS ALWAYS A PART OF THEIR MINDS CALCULATING THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY OF KILLING THE PERSON IN FRONT OF THEM, JUST IN CASE SUCH NEED AROSE.

UGH. WHY DID I HAVE TO ANTAGONIZE SOMEONE LIKE THAT, OF ALL PEOPLE?

UH... FRIEND, YOU MUST NOT KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE SPELL.

CASTER'S RESULTS ARE TRULY REMARKABLE.

HE IS A LEGACY, AFTER ALL.

ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL A PRANK ON ME? YOU CALL THAT REMARKABLE?!

MY APPRAISAL WAS... UH... GLORIOUS!

AND, UHM... OH, MY ASPECT IS OF THE DIVINE RANK!

MIND YOU, I'M NOT SOME LOFTY LEGACY. PFFT! I'M FROM THE OUTSKIRTS.

I'VE NEVER EVEN RECEIVED COMBAT TRAINING.

DESPITE THAT, I KILLED AN... AN AWAKENED... TYRANT? AN AWAKENED TYRANT, YEAH!

AND DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW I KILLED IT?

...I JUST COUGHED. AND HE WAS TORN APART!

YEAH-YEAH, SURE!

THIS GUY IS HILARIOUS!

STOP LYING, FOOL!

SEE? IT'S WORKING. I ONLY TOLD THE TRUTH, BUT WHAT THEY HEARD WERE OUTRAGEOUS LIES.

NOW, THEIR OPINION OF ME COULDN'T BE ANY LOWER, BUT... SHOULD I PUSH IT A BIT FURTHER?