Gray opened his eyes to faint rays of morning light breaking through the blinds. The room was quiet, empty now, with only the rustle of leaves outside the window to keep him company. His body ached in dull pulses, but it wasn't pain that kept him awake the night before. It was curiosity. Obsession, even.
After returning to his room, he had practiced again and again, trying to channel Vyre like the instructors had shown. He sat cross-legged on the floor, breathing slowly, focusing inward.
It hurt. It hurt like hell. But he didnt give up.
And eventually something clicked.
A pulse of energy stirred in his chest, leaking down through the Vyre veins in his arms and into his palms. He had done it. Channeling, real channeling. A small ember of power curled in his hand, flickering red like a fading wound.
But it didn't stop there.
The moment he relaxed his focus, the ember didn't dissipate, it collapsed inward. Instead of dispersing, it vanished into his palm, like it had been pulled back in. That same draining sensation from before returned. Vyre, drawn inward, not outward.
It should have been impossible.
He tried again, and again it happened. It felt different from channeling. Colder. Hungrier. Like his spiritual body wasn't just guiding Vyre but devouring it. After some pondering, he gave it a name.Wither Vyre.
He had no intention of telling anyone. He knew that this "Wither Vyre" was something special. And he wanted to keep it a sclecret. So far only Adel knew. But the professor might very caught on.
He sighed before getting up.
Gray dressed up and made his way to the lunch hall. The usual chatter filled the space, but something was different today. The noise died as he entered, replaced by whispers and sideways glances. He scanned the room, uneasy.
Then he saw it.
Above the serving area, a large display screen glowed against the stone wall, a list scrolling down slowly. It showed rankings. Not from combat, but from potential, theoretical strength based on test scores, strain resonance, and instructor evaluation.
[CADET STRENGTH RANKINGS]
[1- AURELLE NOCTHALLOW]
[2-ADELL VEYRE]
[3- LIRA CAELL]
[4- KORR VANE]
[5-GRAY]
The mysterious boy in the back was in deep thought.
'Aurelle... fancy name.' Korr seemed to be pissed. He had ranked 4th and was clearly unhappy.
Gray looked above .Beneath his name was a brief summary. "Unable to channel Vyre during lesson. Above average strain resonance. Combat skills exceptional."
Renn was fifteenth and had an un-explainable gaze. The rest of the names were unrecognisable. Gray had been knocked out before he could view the other fights.
Gray grabbed a tray with stale bread and root stew, trying to ignore the stares. He sat down alone, picking at the meal with little appetite. He didn't understand why he was placed that high. He had lost.
Renn joined him a few minutes later. "Well. Look at you, Mr Fivth Place."
Gray whispered" Hey why did Lira rank higher?"
Renn thohght for a second before speaking.
"She had 71% Strain resonance, if that's not enough she has great combat skills and was able to channel Vyre easily. Furthermore from rumors I gathered she has a fire affinity! Which is apparently very good."
Renn leaned in, voice lower. " Dont be discouraged. You did something none of the instructors expected. A withwr strain beating a Lumen strained. And with lower talent. They love that kind of stuff."
'Talent? I'll tell you about tale-'
Before Gray could respond, the bell sounded. Lesson time.
The classroom had been rearranged. Instead of seats, there were soft mats and a wide, projected image on the wall. The instructor stood beside it, arms folded.
"Today," she said, "we study the things that crawl outside the walls."
A massive image flickered into view. A creature stood in a forest of twisted trees. Its limbs were far too long, its body thin and broken-looking, but it radiated a heavy, pulsing hunger. Some students stepped back.
"Monsters," she continued, "do not think as you do. They do not reason. They react. Some are corrupted beasts. Others, strain-born. And some… were once people."
Another image appeared. A humanoid figure wrapped in cracked chitin, eyes glowing red.
"The moment you hesitate to act is the moment they kill you. You will study their behavior. Their territories. Their influence."
Gray sat straighter as she continued.
"Territory effects are another factor. Nyxterra is split into territorys. Each territory has its own effect. A rule, a law that must be obeyed. These rules can bend reality. Some of you will walk into a corrupted zone one day and feel like the air itself is trying to crush your ribs."
"These rules can go from something such as no fighting to no lying, they vary and the higher rank the territory is. The stronger the effect will be. My advice? Don't resist the effect. Go around it."
The class stayed silent.
"You will each read about one creature. One territory effect. And one recorded encounter from the archives. Bring your notes tomorrow. Survive long enough, and this knowledge will keep you breathing."
With that, they were dismissed.
Gray and Renn made their way to the library. The building was colder than the rest of the campus, and shelves reached the ceiling, towering with age. Gray moved to the section marked 'First Encounters' while Renn drifted to the bestiary wall.
As Gray passed a dimly lit aisle, a book caught his eye. It was thick and bound in dark leather, nearly hidden behind newer volumes. No title on the spine. He pulled it free.
A worn symbol marked the cover. A closed eye surrounded by seven thin circles. The same design he had seen carved into the well the night before.
He blinked.
In the distance, just between two shelves, a figure stood. Robed. Still.
Gray turned sharply, heart pounding.
But the aisle was empty.
'Am I losing my mind?' He shook his head and looked down.
He looked back at the book. The symbol was still there, but the longer he stared, the more uncertain he felt. Maybe it was nothing. His mind playing tricks. He returned it to the shelf and walked back to Renn.
They left with arms full of books and settled near the stained-glass window in the corner.
One of the books detailed the three generations of exploration.
The First Generation had been the arrival. When the Nyxterra continent first rose from the ocean, like a scar across the sea. Seven heroes had claimed the first footholds, each one marked in history as one of the Seven Origins. They fought the primal horrors and built the earliest keeps, though few of their original strongholds remained today.
The Second Generation was conquest. Humanity spread, forging paths into the deeplands, discovering strain-infected regions, and building the first settlements. Most cities today stood on what was once Second Generation territory.
The Third Generation was theirs. Strain-bearing humans. Children born not with clean blood but with gifts, curses, and strange resonance.
Gray flipped the page.
A map showed the three major kingdoms of the current era.
The northern dominion of Vaelus.
The central realm of Caer Thorne.
And the southern territory of Delratha.
Renn closed his book and looked over. "Anything good?"
Gray shut the page with the cult symbol and nodded slowly. "History. Monsters. The usual."
He didn't mention the figure in the stacks.
He didn't mention the symbol.
He didn't mention the cold sensation in his core that still hadn't gone away.
They walked out of the library together. Behind them, hidden between the shelves, the book with the closed eye remained still, untouched, waiting.