17 Chapter XVII: The Oracle's Decision

William had left her in a hidden alcove while he hunted down some nightmare creatures. She wished that she could help him, she really did. However, her condition left her practically useless.

If she was in William's shoes, she would've chosen a better companion to journey across the Dream Realm with. However, among all those promising Sleepers, he had chosen to get closer to her: the blind girl.

At first, she thought he was after her body. She had secretly read many awakened fictional stories when she was younger about how the weak and vulnerable girl gets taken advantage of by the male awakened at the academy to sake their lust.

Yet, he never did that. Spell, he never touched her inappropriately even by accident. Now, she was not a narcissist, but she was one of the most beautiful girls at her school even before becoming an awakened so it was safe to say that she could easily turn heads if she wanted to and she was fairly certain that he didn't swing for the other team from their conversations. Thus, her appearance was not the problem.

Rather than trying to butter her up to get under her clothes, William opted to encourage and reassure her when they first met. Even on the days they had spent preparing for entering the Dream Realm, he was busy training, and they only met during meal times. They would have some friendly small talk, and he would ask if she needed his help with anything before going back to training.

William didn't make any friends other than her in the academy since she heard rumors about him going about, mostly about how he is on most female awakened's black list for doing something especially heinous on his first day.

The blond girl didn't know what they meant since William had spent his first day with her, and she didn't remember him doing anything, especially bad. Thus, she chalked it up to girl gossip, and some people badmouthing her friend.

The sound multiple monsters moving near the alcove brought Cassie out of her thoughts immediately. She held her breath in fear that they would somehow hear it.

Her fears were alleviated when she heard William's voice. She heard the rock at the alcove's entrace being moved and William calling out her name.

After that, the whole conversation about trust happened between her and William, which led to the present.

Cassie lay on her side using the robe the white-haired boy gave her as a blanket as she went to sleep.

Cassie saw a beautiful golden bird with two glassy eyes perching silently in a gilded cage lying on the armrest of a massive golden throne. Spiked, golden chains bound the bird's legs and wings and stretched into the darkness of the throne.

She didn't dare look at the one sitting on the throne since she somehow instinctively knew that she wouldn't maintain her sanity if she caught a glimpse of the creature.

So, she only looked at the caged bird for what seemed to be an eternity. Sometimes, the chaines would get rattled, and the cage's door would be opened. The bird either dances around in the air or sings to entertain its captor.

The scene filled her with a sense of nausea and helplessness. It was as if it was not even alive; a marionette only to be moved by its owner's wishes.

After doing as it was ordered, the chains would often be pulled viciously, causing the bird to be dragged and slammed into the gilded cage. Yet, even after the abuse, the blind golden bird would obediently return to its perch and await its master's new orders.

Cassie was filled with dread since she was not stupid. She knew all too well what the bird signified.

The scene is repeated several times, each time the bird would receive more and more injured from the rough treatment it endured.

Then, something changed; a being of pure light with two radaint wings approached the bird's gilded cage. It raised its head to look at the one sitting on the throne before going to the cage and trying to open the lock.

However, every time the being would reach towards the cage, a dark spear would fall onto it, causing it to move away to protect itself. After a while, a spear managed to graze her and contaminated its splendid white light with a blot of darkness. Upon seeing it, the light being immediately spread its wings and left in fear.

To Cassie, it looked like the angel-like creature tried to free the bird out of whimsy but left when it became too problematic for her. To be honest, Cassie couldn't blame it. After all, one's well-being came before a stranger's.

Her wait restarted, and things returned to their usual flow until another visitor came. This time, it was an amalgamation of darkness; no, not darkness, but rather shadows. The shadowy being seemed to look at the cage ponderously before reaching towards it with its tendrils. The spears of darkness came down onto the shadow, but the viscous nature of its being allowed it to remain unharmed as the spear merely passed through it.

Cassie's breath hitched in anticipation as the shadowy being succeeded at opening the lock of the cage. It appeared somehow proud at its achievement, and it held a haughty air about it.

However, that was fated to be short-lived.

As the shadowy tendrils reached the bird's gilded chains, it let out a splendid golden light that eviscerated the entire tendril of the shadowy being. It retreated in pain and fear, and without even looking back, it merged into the floor and left. As soon as it left, the lock of the cage shut with an audible Clang! and the whole air rumbled with mocking laughter.

Again, the flow of things returned to the usual. Cassie had already given up on the bird ever being able to get free. Just when she was about to completely lose hope, another visitor came.

The visitor looked like a person, but it was hard to tell due to the dark tattered clothes covering its entire body and head.

As it moved, its feet made a Click! Clack! sounds against the floor. Soon enough, it reached the gilded cage after ascending up the throne.

The being looked at the golden bird for a while through his shadowy hood before it stretched a hand towards it.

Cassie gasped upon seeing the hand. It didn't have a shred of skin, muscle, or meat on it. It was a skeletal hand.

As the bony fingers gripped onto the lock of the cage, a spear made of abyssal darkness came crashing down onto it.

Cassie had expected the being to move away from the spear or dodge it somehow, as did the previous two visitors, but it did neither.

She watched in horror as the spear pierced right through the being's body; yet, it didn't even flinch and continued to open the lock.

After opening the lock, its hands moved towards the golden chains.

Cassie tried to warn it about the chains' ability; alas, she was but an observer in this dark comedy.

As it did before, blinding golden light erupted from the chains withering away at the skeletal fingers at a visible pace. However, the being wasn't pertubed in the slightest and only gripped the chain harder, causing it to shatter.

As soon as the chain shattered, several more spears pierced the creature's body as a consequence for its folly.

The being remained unfazed by the continuous assault and continued to break the chains one by one. With each chain broken, Cassie witnessed the bird regaining more and more life in its features while the being got more and more damaged in retaliation.

As more and more spears etched their marks onto its body, the tattered clothes fell one by one, slowly revealing the being's true appearance.

Firstly, its right leg was entirely skeletal while its left leg had pristine pale skin covering it. Second, opposite to its legs, the left arm was made of bones that were attached to a body shoulder, while the right side had meat and skin covering it. Its entire left ribcage was visible and showed a single beating heart under the bony cage. Its face was both handsome and horrendous in equal measure as its mouth was half normal while the other half was rigid bone. Only one of its eye sockets housed an eyeball while the other only housed a bright dark red star that gave a malevolent light.

If anyone saw its true appearance, only two words would escape their mouth: grotesque abomination. Unlike what first was believed, the being was not entirely made of bones, but rather, it was a mish mash of both bone and living tissue.

Yet, to Cassie, nothing of that mattered as she watched with an anguished expression as the visitor continued breaking the chains; with each spear stabbed into it a wierd feeling of intense pain and sadness washed over her being.

Finally, the visitor broke the final chain, but in return, its skeletal hand turned to dust, never to be seen again.

Even facing that fact, the being stretched out its pale hand to the golden bird.

The golden bird, now free from its chains, looked at the hand curiously while tilting its head. It then looked at the grotesque abomination, which tried to give the bird what it thought was a reassuring smile; yet, its sole eye betrayed the unimaginable pain it was in.

Seemingly convinced of something, the bird jumped onto the horrendous being's hand without any complaint.

The visitor didn't even look at the creature on the throne and simply left with the bird, its skeletal foot making a Click! Clack! sound on the ground.

Just like that, the whole scene was swallowed by the darkness.

Cassie then heard the sounds of the crashing waves of the Dark Sea, which indicated to her that she had woken up and that it was still night.

The blond sleeper laid in her sleeping position for a while as tears streamed down her cheeks. Then, she rose up and sat while hugging her knees to her chest. She always sat like this while in deep thought.

The oracle knew what she had was a some sort of revelation given to her by her ability; otherwise, it didn't make much sense.

Cassie didn't know who the being of light or the shadow creature was, but she knew who the final visitor was.

She faced the direction where the soft sound of William's breathing came from as he slept.

His traits emerged before his eyes, and she focused on one of them in particular: [Living Undead].

According to her revelation, as long as she stays with William, the chains of fate binding her will break, but in return, he may suffer because of it.

Was she willing to make him suffer only for her to be free? Even after he was so good to her, was she going to take advantage of William's goodwill for her own selfish gains?

No, she didn't want that.

On one hand, Cassie didn't want her only friend to suffer for her benefit. Yet, on the other hand, she really didn't want to end up a slave to the machinations of fate, and being abandoned by her only friend made her heart hurt immensly.

The young Sleeper spent the whole night with those notions swirling in her mind in a mental whirlpool.

After a few hours, the sun rose over the lands, and the Dark Sea retreated in fear of its light, indicating the start of a new day.

She heard the sound of rustling come from William's direction, which shook her out of her thoughts.

"William? Are you awake?" she asked uncertainly.

"I am now," he grunted as he replied in an annoyed tone. A chill ran down Cassie's spine at the sound of his voice. 'Is he angry at me? Is it because of yesterday's conversation?' These thoughts whirled in her mind.

"S-Sorry," she apologized in hopes of alleviating his mood.

"Nah, don't be," she was brushed off by William's nonechalant tone, like he didn't care what she thought and said. She didn't like this. She didn't want their friendship to become like this just because he feared that he couldn't trust her.

"We better start moving while we still have daylight to burn."

Cassie knew that she needed to say something now, any more delay, and she feared that she would lose something valuable to her.

"Wait," she said in a hurry, "about what you said yesterday I-" however, he interrupted her dismissively as he replied in what seemed to her to be a tired voice. 'He is getting tired of me,' she thought in panic.

"Cass, I told you to take your time and -"

She didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to be abandoned again, "...Trust me?"

"What?" she had his attention. It's now or never.

"I want you to trust me," she knew she appeared desperate, but she didn't care. He was important to her, and she didn't want to lose him. Let them call her clingy all they wanted. When they are blind and in a realm of deadly monsters, then they can cast judgment on her.

William said something to her, but she didn't know what as she poured out her heart.

"Cass -" she heard him call out her name with an uncertain tone.

"Please...." she pleaded as she felt tears and snot come down her face. She knew she made for an ugly appearance despite being awakened, but she didn't give a shit at this point. She was desperate.

'I don't want to be abandoned again,' were her unsaid.

In the midst of her crying, Cassie felt herself being embraced, and Willaim's voice trickled in her ear, "I will place my trust in you if you can do the same, deal?"

Her heart wrenched at the affection he was showing her. She didn't deserve it, "How....*hick*....How can you be....*Hick*....this...." she said in between crying hiccups. 

'How can you be this kind to me when I am going to use you for my own gains,' was what she couldn't say to him in fear of being thrown away by him.

"It's okay, Cass. It's okay. Let it all out of your system."

His soothing words only served to add fuel to the fire of her guilt as she continued to cry in his embrace.

'Please forgive me,' she said over and over in her heart.

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A.N: Sorry, there is no plot progression in this chapter. I know some may complain, but I saw it appropriate to do an alternative POV for this chapter to shed light on some details.

I hope I managed to catch 1% of the complicated female psyche in my shoddy writing.

I always thought Cassie had abandonment issues in the Forgotten Shore arc due to her flaw and all, that's why she was so devoted to Nephis.

Anyways, whether it is true or not, it is canon now in this fic.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day.