The moon hung low above Shrek Academy, casting a pale sheen over its ancient walls.
Most students slept.
Most instructors meditated or studied.
But Kiyanotoka Ash walked the silent halls of the library, hidden among the shelves of forbidden lore—searching.
He had one name now.
Iron Pulse Doctrine.
And he needed answers.
---
📜 Shadows in the Archives
The Spirit Archives were supposed to store knowledge on beasts, taming techniques, and spiritual bond theory.
But tucked away behind illusion wards and misfiled scrolls were the remnants of older, forgotten things.
> [ SYSTEM – You are now accessing Restricted Archive: Body Thread Lore ]
Decryption in progress…
He found it.
A scroll burned at the edges, sealed with ancient iron wax.
> "Doctrine Manifest: Pulse Without Beasts"
The words were faded, but one line stood out:
> "When the leash is cut, and flame is held within, the soul becomes its own master."
Kiyanotoka traced it with his finger.
> This was never just an alternate path. It was rebellion.
---
📨 The Letter
He returned to his dorm late, only to find a black envelope slid under his door.
No seal. No sender.
Inside: a single slip of thick paper.
> "You walk without chains. We have watched.
If you seek the true path—
Come alone, no beast, no ring.
At dusk, Tower of Ash, West Ridge.
— I.P."
He crushed the note slowly in his palm.
> Iron Pulse Doctrine isn't dead.
> And they know what I am.
---
🌄 The Journey Alone
The next evening, Kiyanotoka slipped out from the academy grounds under a cloaking veil—beasts sealed, energy suppressed, system on silent mode.
The West Ridge was nearly forgotten by students. Overgrown. Cracked. A ruin from the old wars, now a haunted relic.
The Tower of Ash stood tall—broken and scorched.
When he stepped through the shattered archway, a figure greeted him.
A woman—black cloak, silver hair, and eyes like flickering embers.
"You hid it well," she said. "But not from us."
He didn't speak.
"We are the Pulsekeepers. Descendants of those who refused the beast contract. Keepers of the flame that burns inside."
Behind her, seven others emerged from the shadows. Each bore the same glow beneath their skin—faint, pulsing—like Kiyanotoka's core.
> "We offer you truth," she said. "Not recruitment. Not servitude. But access. To the rest of what was taken from your kind."
> "We know what your academy fears."
---
🔥 Forbidden Lore
They took him deep beneath the tower—to a chamber lit with flame runes, not spirit lanterns.
In the center floated a sphere—black stone, cracked, humming with energy.
> "This is a Pulse Relic," she said. "From the old Flame War. It stores echoes of cultivators who once ascended the Fifth Meridian."
> "The last to walk without beasts."
Kiyanotoka stared.
He felt it. The energy. Familiar and wild.
She spoke again:
> "Your body is only at Level 2. But your path is faster than most. The Pulse has accepted you. Do you want to see what lies beyond?"
He nodded slowly.
> System. Observe but don't interfere.
---
🧠 Visions of Power
As he placed his hand on the relic, the world vanished.
And flame consumed his vision.
He stood on a battlefield—not of the present, but of a memory.
Humans with no beasts fought against monstrous spirit-beast armies. Their skin glowed. Their bodies burned with power. Their strikes shattered mountains.
One man at the front stood alone.
His body bore ten flame marks. His voice rang like thunder.
> "We are not leashed! We are fire unbound!"
Then—darkness. Screams. Silence.
The vision ended.
---
🔥 Aftermath
Kiyanotoka collapsed to one knee, sweating.
The Pulsekeepers didn't offer help.
They simply watched.
The woman finally spoke.
> "That man was the last Pulse King. He died without bending."
> "The world erased him. But now the Pulse stirs again."
> "Some of us want balance. Others want vengeance."
She leaned close.
> "Which are you?"
Kiyanotoka rose slowly, fire flickering faintly under his skin.
> "I don't know yet," he said honestly. "But I'm not here to burn the world."
> "Only to make sure no one can ever chain me again."
She smiled.
> "Then return when your body reaches the Third Stage. And we'll show you the true Meridian Gate."
---
🌌 Secrets and Questions
That night, back at the academy, Kiyanotoka stood on the rooftop again.
His beasts rested peacefully in their sealed dimensions.
But his core burned brighter.
> [ SYSTEM – Hidden Progress: Body Cultivation 2 ➝ 3 Pending… (99%) ]
New trait ready: Meridian Anchor – Unlocked at Level 3
Note: Choose alignment path at next level: Flame / Stone / Wind / Hybrid
He clenched his fist.
So many paths.
So many watching eyes.
> I can't walk both forever.
> But I won't choose yet. Not until I know what they're all hiding.
Far below, in the city's underground arena, Kale Drayven punched through another steel dummy.
And far above, Fuyue stared from the tower balcony, her eyes tracking Kiyanotoka silently.
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📘 End of Chapter 18
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