Shadow Slave: A visionary's guide

Cassie frowned. She didn't remember any smoothies being sold at the academy—if they were, she would have heard about it by now.

Cassie assumed this was a crude prank meant to mock her blindness and humiliate her.

"I don't remember the academy selling smoothies…" cassie said, her displeasure clearly evident in her tone, it was also indirectly saying "are you trying to pull a prank on me?".

"The voice of the boy who approached remained unchanged as he said without much thought, 'Of course not, I brought it with me.'".

This made her think that he had brought it from outside, but in reality, he had simply envisioned the smoothie as he walked toward Cassie.

"O-oh, I-I'm sorry!" cassie immediately apologized out of fear and embarrassment, she had completely forgotten to consider that the boy might have brought it outside and not necessarily from the academies food court.

She closed her eyes, preparing herself and expecting the worst.. Surprisingly, she felt the boy wave his hand dismissively, as if to brush aside her worries.

"Ah.. dont worry about it."

While Cassie could no longer see, she gained something in return.

In addition to heightened senses, she acquired the ability to see the attributes of other awakened individuals and receive revelations about both the past and the future.

Her heightened senses told her that the boy beside her was considerably taller than she was, based on the tone and position of his voice. She turned her head toward him, and as her gaze fell in his direction, a bunch of runes appeared in the black expanse.

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Attributes: [spectator], [Secrets Suppliant], [Sailor], [Bard], [Reader]

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She was shocked, not only to the fact that he has 5 attributes, while most people had 2 maybe 3 for the exceptional awakened sleepers but having having 5, she had never seen such a thing.

But what surprised her most was the fact of how ordinary the attributes were.

Cassie's thoughts seemed stuck.

While five attributes were rare, these were nothing like the rare traits she had expected. Spectator, Secrets Suppliant, Sailor, Bard, and Reader—each seemed so... mundane. Having that many attributes would automatically make one assume that the individual is extraordinary , yet none felt particularly remarkable.

Staring at the runes, Cassie thought, ''Spectator, Secrets Suppliant, Sailor, Bard, and Reader—Is he just a random bard watching everything from the sidelines, pursuing secret knowledge, and expressing it in songs and poetry?'

that wouldnt seem totally out of reason, the spell has always been known to be vague but also poetic sometimes, still with attributes like this its likely that he isnt that strong or it might be that his attributes have less to do with his real strength.

Noticing her staring for a while, the blonde boy with golden eyes asked in the same cheerful but thoughtful tone, "Uhh, is there something you want to ask me?".

"I—I'm sorry!" she blurted out, flustered. "Come on, Cassie, get it together!" she berated herself.

Just as she apologized, she heard the boy beside her chuckle. It was like a soft melody, soothing her heart and mind. For a brief moment, the pessimistic voice in her head—the constant reminder of her impending death next month—faded away.

The boy gave a polite cough and, with an embarrassed tone in his voice, said, "Right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ivan, and it's nice to meet you."

Cassie smiled, her good mood evident in her voice. "My name is Cassie, it's nice to meet you too." Her prior pessimism had faded, and for the first time since she became blind, she was speaking to someone who wouldn't berate or speak ill of her.

Ivan continued, "Now that we know each other a bit, I'll get straight to the point. Would you like to team up with me, if we meet in the Dream Realm?"

Cassie found it hard to believe what she was hearing. This person wanted to team up with her? A dead weight like herself? She didn't answer for a moment, her mind racing.

"Why?" Cassie asked, genuinely curious why he would consider teaming up with a blind person who was clearly going to hold him back.

This time, Ivan fell silent for a moment.

Then he said, "I have an attribute called Spectator and another called Secrets Suppliant. These let me observe from a distance and uncover hidden truths. Earlier, I noticed you—specifically, your blindness, which was easy to guess as your flaw. It's a serious flaw, but knowing about the Nightmare Spell, I figured it must have granted you something powerful in return. Furthermore, when you were staring at me a bit longer than usual, I assumed you were using your abilities on me. That's why I approached you—I was hoping we could team up. But also because…"

Ivan paused for a second, as if feeling shy about admitting something. Then he said, "It's also because I haven't been able to team up with anyone… but more than that, I believe you're someone I can trust."

Throughout the conversation, Cassie remained silent, processing what Ivan had said and confirming her suspicions about his attributes. But what truly surprised her was that he had noticed she was using her abilities on him!.

Cassie, unsure of what to say, hesitated before asking another question. "But I can't fight. I'll just drag you down… I'll be dead weight, holding you back." As she spoke, her pessimistic thoughts flared up again.

Suddenly, a hand appeared out of nowhere, patting her head and disheveling her neatly combed hair.

Ivan's comforting voice filled her ears. "Now, now, there's no need to feel bad. I might not be combat-oriented, but I do have the ability to keep us safe from most trouble. And you might not believe it, but I'm probably the most powerful person here," he said, puffing out his chest and blowing steam out of his nose in a cartoonish manner.

"And even if a Fallen Nightmare creature attacks us, I can one-shot it straight to the Abyss."

Listening to Ivan, Cassie fought the urge to laugh but couldn't hold it in. A small "pff" escaped her, and Ivan gasped in mock horror.

He adopted a dramatic tone, exaggerating his voice as if delivering a great tragedy. "No way... you too?" He then deepened his voice, continuing in a philosophical tone, as though mourning the state of humanity.

"It seems I am no longer taken seriously. Ah, if only I were Diogenes..." He even added a fake tear, letting it trail down his cheek.

That was the final straw. Cassie burst into a fit of giggles, unable to contain herself. Her laughter was contagious, and Ivan joined in, laughing just as freely.

At that moment, they both seemed like teenagers, sharing a lighthearted moment and enjoying their time together.

After the fit of laughter, Cassie wiped the tears from her eyes and held her stomach, still grinning. She felt happier—no, beyond happy.

Ever since she became blind, she'd believed that she was destined to die next month in a pathetic, depressing way.

But now, she had found someone who was not only willing to be her friend but also her teammate, someone who would help her survive in the Dream Realm.

"I'll be in your care," she said to Ivan, her voice filled with newfound hope.

Ivan smiled. "Of course. We'll make it through together."

Turning to her, he added, "Why don't we share our abilities and come up with a plan so we can coordinate better? I'll start: I have five attributes—Spectator, Secrets Suppliant, Sailor, Bard, and Reader. My aspect ability lets me create objects I'm familiar with or make food out of essece, and I can also create a holy ground with a 20-meter radius that buffs allies and provides minor healing."

Cassie was shocked after hearing Ivan explain his abilities, though not in the same way as before.

He wasn't joking when he said he might be one of the best here. The ability to create objects, make food from essence, and provide buffs with minor healing powers weren't combat-focused, but they were undoubtedly some of the best-suited for surviving in the Dream Realm. As she looked at Ivan in a new light, her hope began to rise.

She nodded and began to explain her own aspect ability. "My Aspect Ability allows me to see people's Attributes. I have to be close to an awakened or a Nightmare Creature to learn about their Attributes. I also receive... visions." Her voice lowered as she continued, "They can be of the past or the future, but... I can't control them. They come randomly."

Ivan nodded thoughtfully. "I see, I see," he said, then in a cheeky tone, he added, "So, you were looking at runes in the beginning?" He said this with a playful intent, hoping to break her out of her negative thoughts.

"And here I thought my handsomeness had bypassed your flaw, allowing you to bask in the light of my beauty." Sigh He gave an exaggerated dramatic pause, as if reveling in his own charm.

Cassie's eyes, devoid of light snapped wide open as she turned to Ivan, her expression of disbelief. She stared at him as if he'd just spoken in a foreign language. "That isn't funny," she retorted, though her face and ears had already turned a shade of red.

Ivan immediately noticed and apologized, his voice softening. "Ha ha.. Sorry, sorry i was just trying to liven the mood ", Cassie puffed her cheeks out in indignation.

Just as Cassie was about to respond, a commotion erupted nearby, drawing their attention.