He was already awake before his alarm went off. He had a rough time sleeping after the festivities. The lights, the lively music, and the massive gatherings of people made the experience all the more difficult.

With a reluctant sigh, he swung his legs over the side of his bed, feeling the cool wooden floor against his feet. The faint glow of the sun rose filtered through his small window, illuminating floating dust particles in the air. The early morning light only reminded him of the day's responsibilities.

His gaze drifted to the bedside table, where the small vial of prescribed medicine sat. Every day he took the prescribed amount, except for yesterday. He realized it when he came back after the festival. Surely, just one day without it wouldn't cause any issues, right? He tried to convince himself, but he would be lying if he wasn't an anxious about it.

The unease settled deeper, so much so that even the comfort from the books he had been reading wasn't working its usual magic. Maybe it was because he'd already surveyed the majority of what they had to offer. The vast Dream Realm held so many mysteries and undiscovered territories, and it frustrated him to only be scratching the surface of what could be explored. But he would endure the reading anyway.

Yesterday had been an important day for the continent, but today was vital. With today being the first day of August, Zerin was acutely aware that he only had five months left to hone his skills before he would be sent to the Dream Realm.

All sleepers needed to be keenly aware of upcoming winter solstice, a time when that irresistible urge to sleep would overcome them. Sleepers were fated to go to the Dream realm, leaving their physical bodies behind.

The primary objective during this unavoidable journey was to find and pass through a Gateway--- a portal that return them to their physical bodies in the waking world. If they succeeded, they would emerge transformed, becoming Awakened—a new rank that proved their will to survive.

Abruptly, the sound of knocking jolted him from his thoughts.

Knock, Knock.

Zerin shouted, his voice hoarse, "I'm up!"

He took a moment to clear his throat as he pounded his chest, spitting the residue into the sink and washing it down with a splash of warm water.

Zerin ran a hand through his hair, making a poor attempt to tame the wild strands that had developed during the night. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror—awake, but with dark circles under his eyes. The last time he remembered looking like this was when it all started, and now it was nearing the end.

He stepped out of his room, and was greeted by the sight of Dex, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Dex had always been punctual when it came to training; it was as if the prospect of sharpening his skills was the only thing that motivated him to rise in the morning. Zerin admired the dedication, even though it fueled his own frustrations.

Zerin raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to race ahead to be the first one to fight Cael."

Dex shook his head, a slight smirk rising. "No, I'm not really interested in fighting him anymore."

Zerin shut his door, lifting a hand to cover his yawn. "What? You actually gave up? I figured you would have continued to be stubborn."

Dex pushed off the wall and shrugged. "Yeah, well, last night we learned that Cael wasn't even that strong of a Master after all."

"That means nothing." Zerin shook his head. "Didn't you hear Hadrian yesterday? He laid it out plainly, Masters are strong in their own right."

Dex sighed with frustration, his arms dropping to his sides. "Yeah, but what the hell does that old man know?"

Zerin looked at him with incredibility, "What? You mean the man that survived the biggest disaster of the Western continent and got his own clan because of his resourcefulness?"

Dex scoffed as he walked ahead to the dojo. "Yeah, yeah... Were you there?"

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"You could literally say that for anything!"

"Blah Blah Blah..." Dex waved his hand dismissively.

They finally arrived at the dojo, and with that Dex pushed open the heavy doors.

They expected to find Cael waiting, with his trademark smirk and usual shenanigans. But instead, they were met with a darkened room filled with silence. With shared confusion, they flicked the lights on, but still no Cael. After a moment of hesitation, they decided to warm up instead, hoping for his eventual arrival.

Dex let out a long sigh, stretching his limbs. "Where the hell is he?"

"Probably slacking off or something..."

Dex bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, loosening his muscles. "Isn't it his thing to never be late or something?"

"How about we just start without him?"

Dex shook his head. "Do you not remember the last time we tried something without his permission in this dojo he calls his palace? We got our asses kicked! It's like he has a radar or a camera in here..."

Zerin lifted his sword, glancing at Dex and then scanning the dojo for any hidden cameras. "Are you scared? I thought you said he was weak."

Dex froze momentarily, then turned back to Zerin. "Shut up!"

Dex scooped his wooden sword off the ground, "I am not taking all the blame this time, you are going to share in the punishment."

"Huh?" Zerin laughed, "I always followed the rules, you got in trouble on your own."

"Zip it... Let's just fight already. You wanted to spar, so let's spar," Dex said, taking a determined stance.

They both sprang into motion. The dojo echoed with the sound of clashing wooden blades. The absence of Cael did something unexpected, it seemed to ignite an unnatural competitive spirit, pushing them to train more fiercely than usual.

After a few spars they found themselves lost in the rhythm. The two of them managed to actually spend more time than usual—roughly five hours of training instead of their standard three.

However, their training day went as expected. Zerin lost every time to Dex, who swore he wasn't using his aspect ability, but Zerin didn't trust him for a second without Cael's watchful eye.

Now they were outside the dojo, sitting on the well kempt bench just outside of the heavy doors. In their hands they held their refreshments---Zerin with an energy drink that fizzed when he opened it and Dex with the standard water.

"Hey, Dex?"

Dex took a hefty gulp of his water. "Yes?"

"Do you think we will make it out of the Dream Realm?"

Dex's brows furrowed and spoke after he swallowed the water. "Yeah, easily..."

Zerin's brows shot up. "Easily? Why the hell do you think it will be that easy?"

"From what I've heard, we're lucky, right? So, we just walk straight to the Gateway, and we are free."

Zerin palmed his face so hard it hurt. Was Dex an idiot, or was he just messing with him? It had to be one or the other. He couldn't believe how stupid those words were.

For him the upcoming Winter solstice felt like incoming storm while for Dex it appeared like a reckless gamble that he was willing to take.

'We are screwed.' Zerin thought, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach.

The Dream Realm was not a place to be underestimated, that much he knew very well.

***

Cael never showed up; even half a day later, there was no real news of him or Jerika. The disappearance of both of them without a word from either or any of the staff felt so strange. It was odd as they would usually receive updates regularly.

Knock, knock, knock.

Zerin stood up to answer the door, but she invited herself in before he could even reach the handle.

"Sorry for intruding…"

It was Jerika. She looked less organized than usual, with a few strands of hair falling out of her messy bun. She sighed, raising a hand to her head.

"You alright?"

She smiled wearily. "Just drowning a bit."

Zerin felt that was bound to happen; she nearly took zero days off, and on the rare occasions, she did, she spent them with Zerin. She would often take him to places to eat and explore, which he was very thankful for. But he felt guilty most of the time, as if he was sapping too much of her time away from her own life.

"Take a break," he urged.

She giggled as she leaned against the fridge. "That's not how contracts work here. I don't exactly have much of a choice; there aren't many people like me with my skills."

She lazily tilted her head resting it on the fridge. "But in a few years, it might be different if we continue to do well and those who are still in the Dream Realm return."

The solstice happened every year. That meant the continent was losing a portion of its citizens annually. Though it wasn't a massive proportion each year to really damage the city, over the years it really began to build up, and there were thousands of people missing each year around the world just from the solstice alone.

"Have you heard anything about Cael? He didn't show up for training." Zerin asked.

She nodded. "I did—that's why I was missing as well. Those fireworks yesterday drew out a band of nightmare creatures from the radiation wall, so the clans sent their Masters to ensure that nothing in civilization would be damaged: agriculture, citizens, all that fun stuff..."

"How long will that take?"

She sighed with a shrug. "Who knows? The continent is big. It could take months to half a year, as they have to survey the area for periods of time to make sure nothing is coming out."

He didn't have months to spare; the solstice was just five months away, so losing even a month or two could be a problem, halting their current progress.

"Who is going to train us?"

"No one. You two are well off for Sleepers. No Sleeper except for the clans gets training like you two—especially by a Master."

That was very true. She was completely right; not everyone in this world had that luxury. Some people only had half a year, a couple of months, or even just a few days to prepare. Zerin and Dex on the other hand had a little over a half a year under a Master who taught them how to fight, and even the basics of the Dream Realm. Let alone Zerin's own research outside of all that, he was extremely well off.

She looked at him, her head resting against the fridge, her gaze softening. "Just don't die. Got it?"

"Got it…"

"I am going to tell Dex the same thing, and then I'm going to get as much sleep as I can."

With a weak smile rising on her lips, she turned away and left the room.

Zerin collapsed on his bed, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. He honestly wasn't entirely sure if he was fully ready.