Kael spent the first night in the facility lying on the stiff mattress of Dorm 27D.....that was the room assigned to him annd his other roommates staring at the ceiling. The room smelled faintly of metal and detergent, the kind of air he'd begin to hate. Sleep didn't come easily. The BioSync's quiet sound at the back of his mind was the only sound that felt familiar.
[Advisory: Elevated stress detected. Rest is recommended.]
"Yeah, sure," Kael muttered under his breath, rolling onto his side.
Across the room, his two new dorm mates were settling in. Jace, tall and wiry, tossed a combat knife between his hands with practiced ease. Elira, a sharp-eyed girl with raven hair, lounged on the bottom bunk, tapping through notes on a battered datapad.
"You talk to yourself often?" Elira asked without looking up.
Kael hesitated. "Sometimes. Helps me think.".....(thinks.....that was clearly a lie, don't tell them though Zayn)
Jace smirked. "We'll get used to it. Everyone here's got their quirks. Magic affinity or weapons of their choice… you got one?"
Kael nodded slowly. "I've got magic. Nothing really fancy."
Elira finally glanced at him. "Everyone says that. What's your affinity?"
Kael thought for a moment. He couldn't mention the BioSync. "It's… adaptive. If I touch someone who can use magic, I can replicate it. Doesn't take it away from them, though."
Jace stopped flipping his knife. "Wait a minute , copy magic? Permanently?"
Kael shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Yeah. But it burns through energy fast, so I don't use it much."
Elira raised an eyebrow. "That's rare. Could be a huge advantage if you know when to use it."
"Maybe," Kael said quietly. "I'm just hoping to get through the Evaluation tomorrow."
Jace grinned, tossing his knife into the air and catching it. "There are three stages—guns, tech, and magic. Fail any one and you're out before the day ends."
"They say half of the recruits won't make it," Elira added, locking her datapad. "You'll need more than luck."
Kael didn't sleep. When dawn came, he gave up trying and slipped out into the halls. The facility was already awake—recruits were jogging circuits, instructors were shouting drills, the sharp smell in the air, filling the air from magical discharges.
He explored and wandered about in silence. The training yard was a room of reinforced concrete, divided into grids that glowed with faint blue lines. Recruits hurled fire, ice, and lightning at combat drones, each strike had started leaving smoking scorch marks. Kael watched, noting their stances, timing, and precision.
[Skill Activated: Observe Lv.1]
Target: Recruit Daren Kess
Magic Affinity: Lightning
Combat Style: Offensive Burst
Weakness: Overloads under sustained use
The display blinked away. Observe was still sluggish, but reliable.
He moved on to the armory, its walls lined with pulse rifles, sidearms, and combat blades locked behind biometric scanners. Instructors patrolled the aisles, watching recruits select weapons for the Evaluation.
The Tech Bay shook with energy. Recruits piloted training drones and ran digital defense scenarios, sparks leaping from damaged consoles. Beyond that, the mess hall was packed with nervous chatter and clattering trays.
"Three stages," someone said.
"Guns, tech, magic. Fail one, you're gone."
By the time Kael returned to Dorm 27D, the layout was etched into his mind: training yards, armory, tech bays, mess hall, dorms, and a northern wing marked RESTRICTED.
[Status Update]
HP: 57%
Stamina: 65%
Sync Level: 48%
Skills: Observe Lv.1, Adaptive Sync Lv.1
Quest: Pass the Evaluation (Active)
EXP: 110/300
Jace looked up as Kael entered. "Scouting the place?"
Kael nodded. "Better to know where everything is."
Elira smirked. "You'll need it. Evaluation's tomorrow, and they won't hold back."
Kael sat on the edge of his bunk, his finger moved unconsciously. The BioSync pulsed under his skin, eager. Tomorrow would decide if he belonged here—or if he'd have to run again.
---
Kael couldn't sleep, not with the BioSync humming faintly in the back of his skull. Every time he shut his eyes, he could almost feel it pulling at him, urging him to push harder, sync deeper. He swung his legs off the bed and decided to take a walk.
The facility corridors were dim, filled with the quiet hum of generators and the distant clang of metal of someone still training. Curiosity got the better of him, and he followed the faint echoes to one of the practice bays.
A group of recruits were still up, sparring in pairs. Kael leaned against a wall, hands in his pockets, and watched. One girl moved like water, her palms carving arcs of shimmering blue that danced through the air. As she passed close by, Kael "accidentally" brushed her shoulder.
[Adaptive Sync Protocol Engaged]
Direct contact detected.
New Magic Signature Copied: Water Manipulation (Basic)
Remaining Slots: 2/3
Kael blinked, feeling a strange coolness in his veins. He clenched his fist, and for a moment, a droplet of water condensed in his palm before vanishing.
Next, a tall recruit practiced freezing combat drones midair. He paused to pick up a fallen training pad, and Kael reached out casually to hand it back, their fingers brushing.
[Adaptive Sync Protocol Engaged]
Direct contact detected.
New Magic Signature Copied: Cryokinesis (Basic)
Remaining Slots: 1/3
A sharp chill spread through Kael's arm. He flexed his fingers and watched frost briefly form before fading.
"Thanks," the recruit said, not noticing anything unusual.
"No problem," Kael replied, slipping his hands back into his pockets.
By the time he returned to his room, the facility had become quiet. Jace was lying on the top bunk, idly tossing a knife in the air, while Elira scrolled through her datapad on the bottom.
"You were gone a while," Jace said without looking at him.
"Just checking the place out," Kael said, shrugging. "Wanted to know the layout."
Elira looked up briefly. "And?"
"Training bays, armory, tech rooms. Nothing crazy." He climbed into his bunk.
Jace smirked. "Big day tomorrow. Hope you're ready. They don't pull their punches."
"I'll manage," Kael said, pulling the thin blanket over himself.
He waited until their breathing slowed before pulling up his BioSync.
[Status Update]
HP: 60%
Stamina: 70%
Sync Level: 48%
Copied Magic:
• [Water Manipulation (Basic)]
• [Cryokinesis (Basic)]
• [Empty Slot]
Skills: Observe Lv.1, Adaptive Sync Lv.1
Quest: Pass the Evaluation (Active)
EXP: 110/300
Three slots, Kael thought. I'll need one more before the test. And then… we'll see how far I can push this.
He dismissed the interface and stared at the ceiling until sleep finally got the better of him.....