Morning came dull and grey.
No sun peeked through the clouds, and the air felt heavier than usual. Like the weather knew something was off.
Darius stepped out of his room half expecting chaos — maybe cousins arguing, Revan showing off, someone throwing around ki just to make a point.
But it was quiet. Too damn quiet.
The courtyard, where everyone usually gathered after clan events, looked half-empty. A few elders stood in a tight group, talking low, glancing around like someone might be eavesdropping.
No cousins were sparring. No servants were gossiping. Just this… weird tension in the air.
Arjun finally showed up, walking like he hadn't slept.
"You heard?" he asked, without even saying hello.
"Heard what?" Darius asked.
"Two people are missing."
Darius frowned. "Who?"
"Neil and Iris."
Darius's back stiffened slightly. "From the trial?"
"Yeah, bro. They never came back. Bracelets didn't trigger either."
That shouldn't have been possible. Everyone was tagged during the trial — if someone got knocked out or even seriously injured, the bracelet would send an alert. Nothing had happened.
At least, not officially.
Elder Mira's voice rang out across the courtyard suddenly.
"All shortlisted participants — to the meeting hall. Now."
No long speech. Just orders.
Darius and Arjun walked in silence, joining the rest of the trial group. Eleven faces. Not thirteen. Everyone noticed.
The clan head, Elder Theron, stood at the front of the hall. Not one for drama, but even he looked like he wanted to punch a wall.
He looked at the group, then said, straight-faced, "We have a problem."
No sugar-coating.
"Two participants haven't returned from the sealed zone," he continued. "There was no bracelet trigger. No signal loss. The tracking formation was disrupted."
"Disrupted?" Revan spoke up, eyebrows raised. "How's that possible? You said that zone was fully stabilized."
"It was," Theron said. "Until yesterday."
Silence.
Then Kael muttered, "Beasts?"
"No," Mira cut in. "Something older. Something… beneath the forest."
Darius stayed quiet. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, but his mind was racing.
That orb.
The red pulse. The ground cracking. Iris standing in front of it.
Did she touch it? Did it drag her somewhere?
Theron's voice brought him back.
"The final list of candidates remains unchanged for now," he said. "Darius Acheron. Revan Acheron. Kael. Juno. Arjun."
Arjun blinked in surprise. He clearly hadn't expected to make it.
Revan grunted. "Two drop out and suddenly the rest of us make the cut? Bit convenient, no?"
"You want to argue about it?" Mira asked, one brow raised.
"No, ma'am," Revan said, tone flat.
Darius still didn't say a word.
His brain was stuck on Iris.
She hadn't screamed. Hadn't fought. She'd just stared at that thing… and then vanished.
He wanted to pretend it wasn't his problem, but the Boundless Nexus didn't let him forget.
[External Energy Source Detected – Residual Trace Logged]
[Mark Classification: "Primordial Echo"]
[Interference Level: Minor]
[Status: Monitoring…]
Primordial. That word didn't sound friendly. Definitely not something you'd hear in basic cultivation lessons.
And worse, if it left a "trace," then whatever it was had touched him too.
Later that evening, the five selected were summoned again. Not for a briefing, not for a lecture — just a private meeting with two unknown elders from the capital.
Both wore grey robes, no family crest. They looked formal, clean, and... off.
The taller one said, "You five will report to Astral Dawn Academy in ten days. Transport will be arranged. No outsiders need to know."
"Are you with the academy?" Kael asked, voice too casual.
The shorter one gave a small smile. "Something like that."
Darius didn't buy it. These two weren't from the academy. Probably some hidden contact or underground watchdog sent after the bracelet failure.
He glanced at Revan. The guy looked bored, like none of this meant anything.
Typical.
Then, the tall man turned to Darius directly.
"You encountered something during the trial, didn't you?"
It wasn't even a question. Just a calm statement.
Darius looked him straight in the eye. "Nothing out of the ordinary."
A long pause.
Then, slowly, the man nodded. "Good. Keep it that way."
That evening, Darius finally shut his door, bolted it, and sat in the dark.
He didn't open his system window.
Didn't meditate. Didn't train.
He just sat.
Because whatever was happening now — it wasn't about rankings or pride or bloodline anymore.
Something had cracked open in that forest.
And he wasn't sure if it was watching him…
…or waiting for him to come back.