Cassia woke up dazed, she had been knocked out while climbing the wall(with the help of Effie holding on to the rope leading her up) to the gateway in the crimson spire and carried to the gateway.
Her details were now more pronounced after becoming an awakened as her blue eyes now look sharper and deeper, her hair looked like a golden waterfall and her skin was even smoother and softer and she looked better overall.
"Nephis" Cassia said in a whisper as she started to get up and out of her sleeping pod, though it proved to be a struggle as she was blind
"God damn it fu-" As she fell on the floor she activated her awakened ability, she instantly became even more dazed as she was seeing in the future, "this will get some time getting used to."
Just then she "saw" a nurse come in and a few moments later a nurse came in.
"Ah awakened Cassie, welcome back from the dream realm," the nurse said warmly as she began talking.
"Sorry to interrupt." Cassie said and putting on her best fake smile continued, "Can you please take me to sleeper Nephis's room? She should also be awake by now and would like to see her," 'That is if she made it out... no no, there's no need to think that, she got out of there, she has to be, she had to win her fight against sunny she even told her his true name if it came down to it...sunny-.'
As she thought of his name she shuddered, she had given Nephis Sunny's true name in case she had lost her fight against him knowing he'd become a slave and be beyond mad against her for revealing such a secret.
But she did it anyway because she couldn't handle the thought of losing Nephis, of her being left behind, and knowing she could have done this to repay everything she did for her.
"Sleeper Nephis? Sure follow me," Cassie waited after seeing the future for the slight ruffle of clothes indicating she was holding out her hand and took it and started pulling her out.
"It's been a year and a half now since you've entered the dream realm we'll need to..." the nurse went on a rant for the rest of the way there explaining and telling her things and the interviews she'll have to do.
Cassie was half paying attention to everything she was saying as her memory and multitasking had improved after becoming awakened, so she was able to pay attention while thinking of what to tell Nephis.
Just then they stopped outside a door, "this is her room but please don't take long dear," the nurse then left after leaving Cassie alone as she entered the room.
"Nephis?" Cassie called out, suddenly having a bad premonition she made her way to the bed stumbling more than once as she then reached where the pod should be and felt its cool surface on her face.
"No, NO, NOO!" Cassie yelled as she realized Nephis was still asleep inside her pod making no indications of waking up soon, as she realized this she began to sob as her cries became louder and louder before stifling them as she slowly lowered herself onto the ground and lay there for what seemed like an eternity to her.
"I-I've failed her," she said in between sobs as her first friend that she had made since becoming blind was now gone and left behind because of her inability to do anything.
"I'm sorry N-Nephis, I-I Rea-ally am! I'm so-so sorry I've fa-a-failed you!" she cried out as the impact of her realization donned on her as she curled into a ball and rocked herself.
She then looked at where the noise was from the door opening as someone walked inside, "S-sunny?" Cassie asked shocked.
"No, I'm not sunny, though I am looking for where he is," the cold but strong feminine voice said.
"Then just who are you? I thought Sunny didn't have any friends or family?" Cassie said with confusion laced in her voice as she wondered who she was talking to.
"I'm master jet from the government though you can call me Jet if you wish, and Sunny was just someone I have high hopes for living through the dream realm as I was the one guarding him in the first nightmare and I thought I'd pay him a visit now that suddenly loads of sleepers are waking up."
Cassie took all this information in before saying, "Well I don't know where Sunny is but I'm sure he's probably woken up by now," 'after all if Nephis didn't escape then that means Sunny must have, soul conduct didn't need two people just one' she though as jet helped her up and grabbed her hand before leading her out of the room and into the hallway again.
"So what's your name blond girl?"
"Oh uh, my name is Cassia but you can call me Cassie."
"That's a nice name, so did you and Sunny get teleported to the same place in the dream realm? I told him to make sure to be nice and be friends with his classmates so I'm glad he took my advice seeing as you know him pretty well, so tell me how was he?"
'Friends, what type of friend decides to reveal your secret to save her other friend knowing they'll be abandoned, only a cruel and fake friend could do something treacherous as that Cassie criticized herself, she didn't want to choose as to who she'll leave behind but she did it anyways.
She was thinking of excuses to give to Sunny when they reached his room, she could tell him that she had no choice, that Nephis had done more for her than he did, and that Sunny couldn't know the pain and suffering she felt while deciding on which friend she'll sacrifice for the other.
But these were just excuses, she did have a choice and made it, Sunny had also saved them and did a lot of things for them too, and he has probably experienced enough pain for a lifetime while she had it relatively easy in terms of fighting and she had voluntarily chosen to save nephis, she had voluntarily told her his true name, and she had voluntarily decided that it would be better to be left behind than Nephis, that it would be better that he died instead of Nephis, even if it was the other way around Sunny would have to sound a way to save them both.
She felt sick and terrible from it but she knew she wanted to save Nephis more than Sunny even though in the end Nephis was the one left behind.
"I think this is his room, I mean it looks the least fancy out of all the rooms and Sunless isn't exactly rich," Jet said as she took a peek inside before opening the door wide, inside was a table, sink, medical equipment...and a sleeping pod with someone inside it.
"Well looks like Sunless is still asleep in the pod, so he's rather still held up by the spell or..."
"Still trapped inside the dream realm," Cassie finished the sentence before her, 'it doesn't make sense why is both Sunny and Nephis still in the dream realm, I was sure that Sunny would be awake because Nephis was still sleeping, what happened at the spire? How did the fight end did both of them die? No that wouldn't make sense their bodies are still here'.
As Cassie was complicated and trying to figure out what happened she heard Jet go up to Sunny, "You better be safe kid, don't you go dying on me I need another outskirt kid like you around...plus I still owe you a meal like I said," Jet stood there for a moment longer before turning back to look at Cassia before getting up.
"Let me take you to the ceremony where the other sleepers will be and your friends," Jet spoke as she grabbed her hand.
Cassie didn't speak during the walk towards the ceremony, secretly complicating what happened with her best friends at the spire, what would happen now, if her friends would ever return, how alone she was right now even with people around, how she betrayed sunny, and what would happen to Nephis if she had used his last name and turned him to her slave.
If anyone had paid attention to her, they would've noticed a lone tear drop from behind her blue half-mask.