Realization

Tyrel's eyelids opened, and he yawned. The Diabolical Cerebral Jewel glowed in his left hand. He stretched his limbs before freezing.

The smell of rotting meat and vegetables filled the room. His eyes widened as he looked to his sides frantically.

'Flip! How long have I been In that state!'

Tyrel looked at his communicator, and his pupils contracted. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

'It's been three weeks and twelve hours... Let's see if I can remember everything from the session.'

Tyrel looked into his memories and realized he remembered everything from that time period. A shiver went down his spine.

'This Memory is amazing. Suppose I ask for all the books in Awakened Julius's class. I could learn everything in two weeks. I must have read those books at least a dozen times over...'

Tyrel smiled before frowning.

'This Memory can't be known by anyone else. I'm holding two hot potato Memories. If anyone else knows of them, I'd be hounded.'

Tyrel sighed, furrowed his brows, and closed his eyes.

'I should use this memory to learn the topics on archery. Now that I have this, I should use it to its fullest potential. Perhaps I can even learn the basics of other weapons just in case I enter close combat.'

Tyrel got out of bed and got ready for the day. Thirty minutes later, he finished. His eyes dilated as he thought.

'I need to tell Awakened Julius this memory is helping me. I hope he doesn't tell the government or the clans. I don't want to be known. I want to be seen as an average sleeper who could hold his own.'

Tyrel left his room, and as he meandered through the corridors, he saw many more people walking through them. Some had their own groups, and they talked to each other.

Tyrel sighed and ignored them.

'This academy has many sleepers now. Everyone will be leaving for the dream realm in eleven months. I wonder where I'll go. I came here much earlier than most sleepers. Perhaps I won't go to the Forgotten Shore?'

Tyrel placed his hands in his pockets as he arrived at the Cafeteria. He smiled and entered its double doors. He grabbed a tray, utensils, and plates, too.

'Heh. It seems sleepers from all over the world go here. I wonder if there were other academies in the past.'

Tyrel walked to a line for breakfast and waited. As he did, he saw many more students here, too. All of them were taller than him. Some were even six feet five inches.

'I don't mind my short height.'

Tyrel's turn to get food arrived. He grabbed some sushi, vegetables, and a cheeseburger. He also got a carton of orange juice before sitting down at an empty table. He ate his food with relish and smiled.

'I wonder what Sunny is doing right now.'

Tyrel finished eating his food and put away his utensils, plates, and tray before leaving. He checked his communicator and looked for directions to the wilderness survival classroom.

Tyrel quickly found it and returned to the classroom. He opened the door, and he saw Awakened Julius reading a book despondently. Tyrel steeled himself and spoke. "Hello, Teacher Julius. I learned everything from those books. I'm sorry it took so long."

Awakened Julius's head lifted, and he smiled.

"I'm glad you did, and I'm grateful the Memory didn't kill you. I have a deal for you."

Tyrel's eyes narrowed as he smiled.

"What kind of deal?"

Awakened Julius chuckled.

"I'll test you on the contents of the books. If you get a hundred percent, you can use the memory to learn all the books in this classroom."

Tyrel's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?"

Awakened Julius nodded and added.

"Of course. I want you to survive the Dream Realm. I hope you are careful using that memory. If you are on a battlefield, it could spell your doom."

Tyrel sighed.

"I know that. I'm not going to use it much in the Dream Realm. I still value my life, Teacher Julius."

Awakened Julius smiled.

"Wonderful! Let's test your knowledge!"

For about two hours, Tyrel was tested, and he got a hundred percent.

Awakened Julius's eyes widened.

"Go ahead and take all the books. Just remember to bring them back in a month."

Tyrel nodded.

"I will."

For the rest of the day, Tyrel brought books from Awakened Julius's classroom into his bedroom. As the sun set, he finished. He stared at the massive pile of books.

'I'm finally done. Now I need to grab more plates of food and return to my room.'

Tyrel went to the Cafeteria and talked to a lunch lady.

"May I get a box full of sushi and vegetables?"

The lunch lady's eyes narrowed.

"Do you have a storage memory? Is that why?"

Tyrel thought for a moment about lying but decided against it.

"No, I don't. I'm doing some self-study, and I'm not leaving my room for a long time."

The lunch lady sighed.

"Wait here. I'll head to the back and grab them. I hope you can refrigerate them, or they'll go bad in a day or two."

Tyrel shook his head.

"I don't have one."

The lunch lady didn't hear him, and Tyrel sighed.

'I guess she doesn't need to know about me having no way to preserve the food.'

Tyrel waited for a few minutes before the lunch lady came back. She came out from behind the counter and gave Tyrel two cardboard boxes.

"Here it is."

Tyrel smiled.

"Thank you."

The lunch lady waved her hand and went back behind the counter.

Tyrel turned around and started walking out. Other sleepers in the cafeteria gossiped about him.

One sleeper with short red hair and blue eyes stared at Tyrel. He smirked.

"That guy must be a hopeless foodie. Perhaps he's addicted to eating food. Maybe that's his flaw! Ha!"

Another sleeper smiled. She shook her head.

"Maybe he's building a shrine to some deity from the food. Or maybe he's just naturally gluttonous."

Tyrel shook his head and ignored the other sleepers.

'It's pointless to care about what they're saying.'

Tyrel's eyes widened.

'Maybe I can give people the impression that I'm a gluttonous archer. One who's great with a bow. Heh. Maybe if I do that, I can hide my best abilities yet not get physically bullied because of weakness.'

Tyrel returned to his room with the boxes of food in hand. Once inside, he closed and locked the door. He placed the boxes down beside his bed, and he summoned the Cephalopod Quiver and the Diabolical Cerebral Jewel.

He ordered his Cephalopod Quiver to feed him a lot of food in the morning, noon, and evening.

He turned to the Diabolical Cerebral Jewel and spoke.

"I wish to read all these books and memorize their contents. I wish for the ability to eat every morning and evening. I wish to do what I must do in the day and when nature calls."

Tyrel's emotions vanished along with his hearing, smell, and taste senses. His touch was suppressed, and his sight focused solely on the book. His thoughts dispersed except for the obsessive desire to read.

Tyrel got up and started to read. He did what he needed to do for hygiene and when nature called. For another three weeks, he read everything before his body forced him to sleep.

***

Tyrel's eyes opened up, and he remembered everything he had done.

'This Memory is so useful for me. It seems sleepers can go without sleep for three weeks instead of eleven days for normal people. I wonder how long I can go without sleep as I am Awakened.'

Tyrel smiled and got up from bed. He dismissed the Cephalopod Quiver and Diabolical Cerebral Jewel. He grabbed the boxes and threw them into a giant trash bag. He left his room and pulled up his communicator.

He typed to the garbage number.

{Come grab some garbage. I have quite a bit.}

About ten minutes later, a staff member came to his room and took the garbage away.

Tyrel smiled.

'At least that's taken care of. Now to do what I need to next.'

Tyrel spent the day returning the books to Awakened Julius's class. He spent the day after being tested, and he got a perfect score.

Awakened Julius's eyes widened.

"I'm afraid I have nothing else I can teach you, Tyrel. I enjoyed you being my student despite seldom seeing you. Good luck in the Dream Realm."

Tyrel smiled.

"Thank you. I'll do my best."

Tyrel left Awakened Julius's class and thought.

'My first objective is completed four months in advance. Now, I should get basic books on using any weapon. I never know what memory I'll get from the Nightmare Spell. Or if the situation will require basic fighting knowledge.'

Tyrel was about to look for directions to the sword class on his communicator before stopping.

'I'll probably find basic weapon combat styles in the Academy library. I can save time just by going there. The only class I'll actually attend is Archery.'

Tyrel looked for the directions to the library and walked there. Inside, he searched for basic weapon fighting skills and picked up a small book for each except Archery. He walked to the librarian and smiled.

"I would like to check out these books."

The librarian nodded and scanned each book before smiling.

"Go ahead. Just bring them back in a month."

Tyrel nodded and brought them to his dorm. He used the Diabolical Cerebral Jewel to study them, and another three weeks passed. His Cephalopod Quiver fed him when required, keeping his flaw at bay. He passed out.