The caravan finally rolled to a stop just before sunset. And right in front of them, looming like something out of a movie, stood the entrance to Astral Dawn Academy.
Massive stone gates, shaped with floating glyphs spinning slowly above. Towering walls on either side. A wide road ahead lined with cultivators flying back and forth like they were taking the metro.
Arjun stuck his head out of the window and whistled. "This place is serious."
Juno didn't even flinch. "They say the outer walls are made from ki-infused ore mined from collapsed pocket realms."
Darius blinked. That sounded like exaggerated academy gossip. Still, the walls did give off a strange hum — low, constant, like breathing.
Revan, of course, looked unimpressed. "Expected more."
Nobody asked for his opinion.
They climbed down one by one. Elder Mira had already handed them off earlier to a pair of academy staff. Two men in uniform — one young, one old, both carrying black wooden rods with glowing tips.
"Form a line," the older one said, sharp and direct. "Name, clan, region. Step forward when called."
They weren't even inside the gate yet, and already the formalities started.
When Darius stepped up and said, "Darius Acheron," the older man gave him a second look, but didn't say anything. Just nodded.
He moved on.
Just past the main gate, they stopped in front of a glowing arch made of energy runes. Looked like a scanner.
"This is a compatibility verification gate," the younger official explained. "Just a quick pass-through to check if you carry any unstable external energy traces. Nothing serious."
That… raised a few eyebrows.
"This wasn't mentioned in clan briefing," Kael muttered from behind.
The official smiled like he didn't hear that. "Just standard after the last batch. You'll be fine."
First went Revan — smooth, nothing happened.
Then Arjun. Gate stayed still.
Then Juno. Same.
Darius walked in next.
As soon as he stepped in, the gate shimmered slightly — not loud, not flashy, but noticeable if someone was watching closely.
The official's smile twitched.
The older man leaned closer to the gate, tapped something on his rod, then stepped back like nothing happened.
Darius didn't stop walking, didn't say a word.
But inside, the Boundless Nexus flickered softly.
[Unfamiliar detection field identified]
[Mark interference level: Contained]
[Risk: Passive]
So they were checking for Echo marks. Or maybe for anything else… not ordinary.
He made a mental note: Watch that old guy.
After the scan, they were herded like sheep into a large courtyard that opened into five tall towers.
An instructor in white stepped forward. Broad-shouldered, grey hair, voice like he'd trained a hundred stubborn kids before breakfast.
"Welcome to Astral Dawn Academy," he said. "Most of you think getting here means you've made it. You haven't. This is where your real fight starts — not with others, but with yourselves."
Before he could go full motivational speech mode, a pulse of ki shimmered across the far edge of the courtyard.
Only a few people noticed. Darius was one of them.
A subtle echo. Low frequency. Familiar.
[Boundless Nexus Ping: Echo Residue Detected – Origin Point: Academy Sector 7]
[Active Traces: Weak, Unstable]
[Monitoring initiated…]
He didn't react. But he knew that feeling.
Same as the one back in the forest. Same as that red-eyed woman near Kharvila.
Whatever the academy staff were pretending not to see… it was already inside.
Later that evening, they were taken to the living quarters. Four-person rooms, long corridors, nothing fancy.
Darius was dumped into Room 23 with Arjun, Juno, and one guy he didn't recognize.
The guy walked in late — thin frame, pale skin, eyes half-shut like he hadn't slept properly in a week. Scar running down the right side of his neck.
He nodded once. Said nothing. Went straight to the bed and started meditating like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Arjun looked at Darius and mouthed, "Pakka psycho."
Darius didn't laugh.
That scar — it wasn't natural. It pulsed faintly with ki. Like something burned into him and stayed alive.
That night, when everyone else had either knocked out or was pretending to meditate, Darius slipped out.
He didn't go far. Just to the lower walkway behind their dorm tower, where the ki was thinner and fewer students wandered.
And that's when he saw it.
A sealed side path.
Old stones, faded signboard, and carved onto the centre slab — the exact same symbol from the woman's robe. A half-circle, split by three vertical lines.
The Boundless Nexus pulsed once.
[Trace Mark – Confirmed Match]
[Echo Source: Nearby]
[Action: Passive Monitoring or Manual Entry]
Darius stared at the path.
He could turn around. Go back. Sleep.
Or—
He could take a look. Just one.
He wasn't sure if he wanted answers…
…but whatever had started in that forest wasn't done with him yet.