Shadow Slave

At first glance, the interior of the Instructors Lounge seemed simple and cozy. Most of the furniture was made out of wood, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Bright sunlight streamed through the tall windows, which were open slightly to let in the chilly winter air.

However, his eyes widened slightly when Sunny realized that all the wood around him was natural, not synthetic.

'Extravagant! Wasteful!'

Noticing his expression, Master Jet smiled slightly.

"Let me guess, you have never seen that much real wood in one place?"

Sunny hesitated, then gave her a nod.

"Only in the Dream Realm…"

The young woman grinned, moved a chair back with her foot, and sat down at one of the tables.

"Where do you think all this came from?"

He looked around, seeing the Instructors Lounge of the Academy from a completely new perspective, then silently sat down, lost for words.

Master Jet summoned the menu, made a selection, then leaned back and tiredly rubbed her face.

"Believe it or not, the chair you're sitting on is made out of a dead titan."

Sunny stared at her, shocked. Suddenly, he had a strong impulse to jump out of the chair.

"...What?"

She chuckled and gestured around:

"All of this, actually. Back when Bastion was first established, it was surrounded by a vast — and very hungry — forest. The whole thing was one giant Nightmare Creature. Clan Valor spent decades at war with it, losing many knights. In the end, the forest was destroyed, leaving behind a lot of high-quality lumber. And here we are."

Sunny scratched the back of his head, then cautiously knocked on the wooden table. The thing seemed dead, but he decided to remain alert, just in case.

...It had once been a part of a titan, after all!

Soon, their food arrived. Sunny half-expected for it to be delivered by an actual Echo, but luckily, it was brought by a mundane automated server.

Taking his plates off the motorized tray, Sunny stared at the feast in front of him with wild eyes. There were fried potatoes, baked beans, juicy roasted meat, a salad made out of real vegetables, a bowl of fragrant soup, several pieces of oven bread, butter, jam, and even chocolate pudding for dessert.

It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

It was also his first time seeing some of these things in real life. Suddenly, the position of a research assistant once promised to him by Teacher Julius did not seem so unattractive.

"Uh… please excuse me…"

Master Jet waved at him and concentrated on her own food. Not wasting any time on manners, Sunny assaulted his breakfast with the same level of ferocity as when battling Nightmare Creatures.

…Some time later, with his belly on the verge to bursting open, he pushed away empty plates and leaned back with a satisfied smile on his face.

'Ah… this is life!'

Master Jet glanced at him with a dry smile.

"What did I tell you? This is where they hide the good stuff."

Sunny looked at the empty plates with regret and sighed.

"Yeah. Although after a year of eating almost nothing except for monster meat, I would have been satisfied even by synth paste."

Her smile dimmed at the mention of the most common food in the outskirts.

As two glasses of beautiful dark tea steamed in front of them, Master Jet sighed, then took out something from the inner pocket of her uniform. It was a small metal box with a sensor on its lid.

Placing the box on the table, she looked at Sunny and asked:

"You must be wondering why I visited you, right?"

Sunny tilted his head slightly, stared at the metal box for a few seconds, and then answered in a cautious tone:

"...Yes. To be honest, I am very curious."

She nodded, then smiled reassuringly.

"Don't be nervous. It's just a formality, and a very beneficial one, at that. Put your finger on the sensor."

He hesitated, then did as she had told. The sensor buzzed for half a minute, and then a small green light ignited on the metal box. With a quiet click, it unlocked.

Master Jet opened the box and took out several objects — a slick communicator made out of flexible glass, a memory chip with the government seal etched on its surface, and a small iron badge with two stars engraved into it.

Pushing them toward Sunny, she lingered for a moment, and then said in a light tone:

"Congratulations, Awakened Sunless. You are now officially a citizen. Of the seventh rank, no less."

Her words struck Sunny like a hammer. Silent, he stared at the three objects in front of him, his face not betraying even a hint of emotion.

A citizen…

Back in the outskirts, people lived and died dreaming of becoming one of the true citizens. That simple word hid so much meaning. Access to proper food, human rights, and better life. To all the things that none of them really had.

To having a future.

Very few of these people had ever gotten the chance to hear the word "citizen" in connection to their name. Being poor and lowly only led to becoming destitute and falling to the bottom. It rarely led to rising higher, let alone soaring to the peak.

And here he was, not only becoming a citizen, but even jumping over all the steps and arriving at the very pinnacle of the social hierarchy in one go. Not just a citizen and not even one of high rank, but of the highest.

'Seventh rank… there's literally nothing higher.'

Finally, his expression changed, becoming grim. Looking up at Master Jet, he asked in a somber tone:

"I get it that I would be made a citizen after Awakening. But… seventh rank? Isn't that a little too much?"

Master Jet laughed.

"Sunless… you don't really know what you did, do you?"

Sunny looked at her without humor, then said:

"I'm pretty sure that I do, but please, enlighten me."

She shook her head and sighed.

"Listen… of all the Sleepers that had returned from the Dream Realm in the last few years, there are only five whose files were marked as SS. And you are one of them."