Later that night, Remy stood at the edge of the island’s cliff, in the same spot as before. This time, he swayed from side to side, throwing a myriad of punching combinations—hooks, uppercuts, and lightning-fast jabs. Alongside measured breathing, he perfectly envisioned Sensei Hayato’s rapid-fire palm strikes and uncanny agility.

Gradually, the shadow boxing session intensified, and his imagination took over. Invisible thorned vines tore through his chest, digging deep into his flesh. Remy froze, mid-jab.

I’m dead.

Sensei Hayato was still whooping his ass beyond the grave. Remy understood now more than ever why it was important for him to see his master fight Instant back in Whisperwind—S-tier superheroes stood in a different stratosphere than the rest, and Endless dominated even beyond that.

He entered a fighting stance once more when a familiar figure appeared in his peripheral vision.

“What are you doing?” Aurelia asked.

“Training,” Remy answered. “Why are you here? It’s 3 AM. You should go to sleep.”

“No. Can I watch?”

“Nah, I’m finished,” Remy said. And punching the air while you watch is embarrassing

They stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds.

“What are you going to do now?” Aurelia asked.

“Honestly? Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yes. Nothing.”

Aurelia raised an eyebrow. “What does nothing look like?”

“Well, it typically involves staring at a single point in the sky and not moving a muscle.”

“Sounds fun.”

Remy chuckled as he sat on the edge of the cliff. “It is. There’s a lot of roaming thoughts and reminiscing and planning, but freezing like a statue is the fun part.”

Aurelia sat next to him, and they stared at the blue sky. Remy smiled slightly, surprised at how much he enjoyed the silent company. He had gotten used to the long nights alone, but another conscious human being next to him wasn’t bad at all.

Some time later, Remy mustered the courage to ask a question. “What are your nightmares about? If you don’t mind me asking.”

She winced as if she had been pinched. “Um.”

“Sorry,” Remy said quickly. “I know it’s personal.”

“No, it’s fine… How about you tell me something first and maybe I’ll answer.”

“What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know. Entertain me.”

“What am I, a jester?”

“I don’t know, are you?” Aurelia asked. “I don’t know you well.”

Remy threw a deadpan expression. “No, I’m not a jester. Alright, let me tell you some awesomeness. You can’t go wrong with awesome. Have you ever heard of Wide Awake?”

“No.”

“Well, well, well...” Remy rubbed his hands together. “Okay… Let me put you on game. Let me tell you about the best superhero in the world, hands down. She’s my sister, but I’m not biased, I swear.”

Eyes lit up with joy, Remy told Aurelia about the many experiences he had watching Wide Awake in action, first detailing her skill set before talking about the many powerful villains she had taken down. His face heated by the end of his little speech, unsure of how long he had been speaking.

“Sorry for the rambling. But you get the idea. Her dominance was undeniable.”

“You were her biggest fan, I assume?” Aurelia said in an amused tone.

“Not a chance. My dad claims that title. When I was just a kid, he dragged me along to watch her fight supervillains live. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so visibly proud of someone.” Remy shook his head, chuckling. “That silly old geezer worshipped her.”

“Do you want to be a superhero like her then?” Aurelia asked. “Become the new Wide Awake?”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Hell no. I can’t fill those shoes, and even if I could, it wouldn’t feel right. I have a better idea. I’m going to create something bigger.”

“Like what?”

“That’s a whole another story. I’ve entertained. It’s your turn.”

“In short, I keep reliving my parents and little brother being slaughtered.”

“Oh…” Remy said, his goofy smile wiped away. “That’s not good at all. Is that why you said you wished you could stay awake forever?”

Aurelia nodded. “It’s too much. The nightmare always ends the same way. I’m saved by Isolate but not before they hurt me. I can lucid dream but no matter how hard I run or how smart I hide, they always find me.”

Remy turned to her. “Then fight.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t run. Fight them, Aurelia. It’s a dream, right? Beat them up. Problem solved.”

“I can’t… they’re too strong.”

Remy shot up to his feet. “Are you kidding me? It’s a dream! Hit them with one of these.” He threw two quick jabs before performing a flying knee.

“I can’t do that,” Aurelia said.

“Yes, you can,” Remy replied. “Stand up. I’ll show you.”

“I’d rather stay awake forever.”

“No you don’t. Not really. You have to face your demons head-on or they will haunt you forever. Trust me on this. Please.”

“Alright then,” Aurelia said. “Teach me—” she squealed, stepping back, wide-eyed, her nose inches from Remy’s fist.

“Focus. Look at my hands. I’m going to throw a right hook. I want you to lean back like this…” Remy performed the action. “Got it?”

“Okay. Are you going to count down?”

“No.”

Aurelia yelped while leaning back, narrowly evading Remy’s missile of a punch. “You almost hit me!”

“Yes, but you dodged. Like we planned.”

“But what if I didn’t dodge in time?”

Remy gave her a funny look. “Is that a trick question? Your enemies won’t count down for you, okay? In your dream, you’re going to avoid all of their attacks and hurt them. Do you understand?”

Aurelia nodded.

“If you can lucid dream, there’s no reason why you can’t win. You can’t let them hurt you. Don’t let them lay a finger on you.” Remy turned away suddenly, fists clenched, blinking rapidly. The idea of her getting assaulted in her dream, even if it was imaginary, stirred a deep bubbling anger within him, a visceral response to the thought of her suffering.

“Are you okay?”

“Let’s get started. I’ll teach you a few combinations to build your confidence…”

***

Uncharacteristically, even surprising himself, Remy spent almost two days preparing Aurelia for her nightmares. The final challenge for acquiring the Dark Energy still loomed in the back of his mind, but for the first time in his adventure, he had no solid answers. It was impossible to teach her how to defend and fight effectively within the limited timeframe, but that wasn’t the main goal. Remy wanted her to feel strong and capable and for her reflexes to gear more towards fight than flight. He taught her the fundamentals of Wide Awake’s fighting style.

Their progress was decent. Even while sluggish, Aurelia had managed to perfect a few kicks, though their training came to an abrupt halt when Remy realised her sleep deprivation was affecting her cognitive abilities. Denying her requests for more training, he led her back to the village and to her house.

“I’m not ready,” Aurelia said, rubbing her clearly exhausted eyes.

“Don’t be silly,” Remy replied. He stood outside her door, rotating one of his wrists. “You’re more than prepared. Trust me.” He turned to leave when she grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait. Don’t go. Can you watch?”

“Watch you… sleep?”

“Yes.”

Remy wasn’t sure how to reply to the unusual request at first, but then he shrugged. “Okay. Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she said, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers. “I don’t want to do this alone.”

Remy nodded, his face heated. She led him to her bedroom, and almost immediately she dozed off. Remy sat on a chair and leaned back, eyes mostly closed but just open enough to see Aurelia. Even though he couldn’t sleep, he could at least pretend. In a weird, illogical way, it felt like he was assisting directly.

Roughly ninety minutes into her sleep, Aurelia gripped her sheets and her face scrunched up. Remy darted out of his seat and kneeled down beside her bed.

“Don’t run,” Remy whispered. “Fight.”

Aurelia’s face relaxed, and Remy triumphantly shook a fist, leaning closer. Never before had he been so invested in watching a fight that he couldn’t even see. He watched patiently for a few more hours until he noticed a single tear escaping from one of her eyes. She sat upright and found Remy quickly.

“What happened?” Remy asked.

“I fought them off but—” Aurelia paused, tears welling. “But I couldn’t save them. My parents. My little brother. They’re still…”

Remy rushed to hug her, and she sobbed on his shoulder, gripping him tight. “I miss them so much,” Aurelia wept. “It hurts! It hurts so much.”

Remy’s face tightened as memories of Wide Awake’s demise flooded his mind. It had been four years since Amelia had died, and he knew the devastating loss would stick with him for the rest of his life. He couldn’t find the reassuring words for her, only a warm embrace.

Aurelia let him go, and the two stared into each other’s eyes. She leaned in and kissed him softly. It felt wonderful, like being struck by lightning. Remy reached out and took her hand, and they sat on the edge of the bed, holding hands, revelling in the sensation of touching one another.

“I can reverse superpowers temporarily,” Aurelia said some time later. “It’s possible for you to sleep.”

“I doubt it,” Remy said. “No drugs work, no matter the concentration. Not even the Sleep Inducement ability works.”

Aurelia squeezed his hand. “Like I trusted you, trust me, okay?”

Remy nodded. “Alright. I’m ready. I just close my eyes, right?”

Aurelia laughed.

“What?”

“You have to lie down too. It’s an ideal resting position.”

“Pfft. Right. I knew that.” They both laughed this time.

Remy lay on his side and closed his eyes, still sceptical. Aurelia copied, facing him. Her warm hand cupped his cheek, and the same drowsiness he had experienced at the peak of Shadowspire returned.

For the first time, he fell asleep.