Shadow Slave: Divergence of Hereos

Chapter 31: Solstice 

(Timeskip of 2 weeks and 6 days, to a sunday, the day of the solstice)

(Klaus)

As I woke up this morning and waited for Sunless at the dining hall, I couldn't help but sense the solemn atmosphere.

"You usually wake up this early?" Roland asked me while yawning. The duo had spent some time away from me recently due to my new vested interest in Sunless but they never really said anything about it.

I just had meals with Sunny and trained with him after dinner when he was about to sleep. Other than that Darian and Roland were usually around me.

"Well…it used to be to tease Sunless but then I had slowly gotten used to it." I told them honestly.

The duo quickly realised weeks ago that Sunny would answer any question they asked him in a comedical manner, so they understood why I liked to tease him.

"Damnation, there's more now." Was the first thing Sunny said as he walked into the dinning hall.

For the first time though, I didn't do a massive announcement when I had met Sunny.

I walked up to him in a sincere tone and told him, "Happy birthday, Sunless."

He was a bit taken aback by this, then he looked at me suspiciously, "I don't recall ever telling you my birthday."

"You didn't." I told him honestly. He stared at me for a second, but knowing he wouldn't get any response from me, decided to drop the topic completely.

"Thanks." Sunny told me as he went to get his morning coffee and add sugar and milk to it this time.

I truly felt sad for Sunless, and I was happy to say I could tell he considered me as a friend.

After all, he never had anyone properly by his side during his birthdays, and as far as I could remember about the novel now, he never truly had a good birthday before.

When the sun was close to setting, Instructor Rock gathered them in the foyer of the Sleeper Centre and led them outside.

In the snowy parks that surrounded the white building, other Awakened were leading their own batches of Sleepers to the same destination. It was the Academy's medical centre.

The centre looked more like a shrine than a hospital. Its interior contained both highly advanced technology as well as some of the best Healers among the Awakened. 

For the duration of their first journey into the Dream Realm, the bodies of Sleepers would be kept safe in specially designed pods and sustained by the magical powers of those Healers if anything unfortunate were to happen on the other side of the Spell.

Of course, whether or not they would wake up in the end wholly depended on the Sleepers themselves.

Instructor Rock then showed everyone who had died inside of the dream realm, and their hollow bodies and gave his warning to the young sleepers.

Before he entered his room, I turned around and nodded at Nephis, who nodded back at me. I didn't know if Nephis consider me as a friend or a proper rival, but right now that doesn't matter.

I had already said my goodbyes to Darian and Roland before entering the room.

I didn't really talk to Cassie too often, but it seems like after joining the Tarot club she has become much more confident in herself.

"Don't die, idiot." I told Sunless, who didn't really seem too nervous about the Solstice.

"I'll try not to…Don't die, Klaus. It would be a shame." Sunny said as he left, not wanting me to tease him anymore.

I smirked a little, since that was probably the nicest Sunny could get with his snarky personality.

"Well then." I murmured out loud staring at my pod.

"Maybe it is time to pray to a mysterious existence."

…

(Harvey)

Harvey leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he thought. 

His case against the Emberwing Clan wasn't personal, it was another stepping stone to make a name for himself. 

If he could bring down a powerful clan like the Emberwings, everyone would notice.

But right now, he didn't have enough to win. The documents spread out on his desk wouldn't cut it for tomorrow's deposition. 

He needed solid proof that the Emberwings knew about their Awakened member's mental state before he lost control at the mall. Without that, his case was weak.

The real problem was Awakened Elara, the clan's lawyer. 

She wasn't just smart—she had powers of her own, and that made her dangerous. She was looking for any chance to turn the case around and make Harvey look bad in court. 

If she succeeded, his chance to get evidence from the Emberwing Clan would vanish.

Harvey flipped through the papers again, searching for a clue, anything he could use to get past the judge's roadblock. 

His private investigator had picked up rumours that the Emberwings knew their Awakened member was unstable, but rumours weren't enough to convince a judge. 

He needed real evidence, but to get that, he needed a subpoena. And to get a subpoena, he needed more evidence. It was a frustrating cycle.

Winning wasn't about the truth—it was about knowing who to push and when. He started considering his options and then paused. 

What if he shifted his target? Maybe he didn't need to go after Master Emz just yet.

After all, don't play the odds, play the man.

Harvey's eyes narrowed as an idea formed. 

What if he deposed Elara herself? Usually, lawyers couldn't be deposed—they were protected by attorney-client privilege. 

But this wasn't a normal case. The rules were different when it came to the Awakened. Elara might not be just a lawyer here—if anyone knew about the mental state of the Emberwing Awakened who lost control, it would be her.

If he could convince the judge that Elara was more than just opposing counsel—that she was directly involved in managing the Awakened condition—then the privilege might not hold up. 

It was a long shot, but it had teeth. Harvey didn't need a full admission, just enough doubt to make the judge reconsider.

If the judge allowed it, deposing Elara could crack the case wide open. 

Not only would she be forced to answer his questions, but the pressure might also rattle her and the Emberwing Clan enough to make a mistake. 

After all, winning was never just about right and wrong, guilty or not.

It was about presenting the current facts that are known in a favourable way to settle and get a better outcome for his client.

...

Authors note:

Unfortunately this isn't a continuation of the fanfic. I simply had a couple of spare chapters I wanted to upload.

I am currently trying a new project, which is basically my own novel but I will be uploading it as a fanfic since honestly I write mainly for interaction with people.

I write to share ideas and run through scenarios with people, so I hope you will try my new project out.

It is called "Eternal Heir."

Do not subscribe to patreon for this fanfic anymore thanks.