The lecture hall of Grimstone Mech Academy did not look like a classroom — it looked like a half-built starship had exploded inside a cathedral. There were open platforms, hovering tool drones, bright white light-panes instead of walls, and an enormous holo-display shaped like a rotating Apex Core Engine.
Kai Zore sat near the middle, a thin smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He had expected theory, maybe a few charts — but not this. Around him, dozens of other students whispered, awestruck.
Selena Nguyen leaned over, tapping her stylus nervously. "Are we sure this is a classroom and not a reactor core?"
Valerie grinned, resting her chin in her hands. "If this thing explodes, at least we'll die educated."
Before anyone could answer, a sharp clap of metal echoed across the hall.
A man in a silver overcoat stepped out from behind a translucent board of equations. His coat shimmered like a shifting current, every fold alive with faint energy. His hair was a chaotic sweep of white — part brilliance, part static accident — and his expression radiated an equal mix of humor and exhaustion.
"Good morning, Grimstone's new recruits!" he announced. "I am Professor Aldus Grin, head of Practical Cultech Engineering I. You may call me Professor, Sir, or if you manage to impress me, Aldus the Magnificent. Any questions?"
A hand shot up immediately.
"Yes, you in the back," Aldus said, pointing dramatically.
"Are we actually allowed to call you that, or will you mark us down for sarcasm?" asked Oliver, straight-faced.
Aldus grinned wide. "Excellent! The first sign of a true engineer — questioning authority." He scribbled something on his tablet. "Participation point for the sarcastic one."
The class chuckled. The tension broke instantly.
Lesson 1: The Soul of Cultech
"Now!" Aldus declared, gesturing to the massive holo-display. "What is Cultech? A glorified suit of armor? A pile of shiny metal that hums when you punch it? Wrong!"
He waved his hand, and the hologram unfolded — a glowing human silhouette surrounded by pulsing energy veins, connected to a mechanical exosuit through golden threads.
"Cultech," Aldus said, "is the marriage of Biological Flow and Synthetic Logic. It is the art of teaching machines to feel, and humans to amplify their will through structure. It is cultivation through design."
The class fell silent.
"This academy," Aldus continued, "was built to question the Council's idea that only the elite can channel high-tier Bio Energy. Here, we teach that power is pattern — and patterns can be learned, built, and refined."
He tapped the holo once more, and a diagram of energy harmonics appeared.
"Bio Energy, the lifeblood of all cultivation, can be externalized — projected, harnessed, directed. But raw power burns uncontrolled. We use Cultech to shape it — to make chaos work for us. And that brings us to today's first topic."
He turned dramatically. "Fluidic Bio-Muscle Sheets."
Fluidic Bio-Muscle Sheets (FMS)
Panels slid open from the floor, revealing folded sheets of dark, flexible fabric laced with glowing veins.
"These," Aldus said, "are the foundation of every Apex Suit built in the last fifty years. Unlike traditional servo systems, these use fluidic channels that contract and expand in response to Bio Energy impulses. They mimic organic muscle — only stronger, faster, and far more expressive."
Valerie whistled. "They look like someone skinned a lightning bolt."
Aldus grinned. "An accurate description, young designer!"
He picked up one of the sheets and draped it across a mannequin arm. "Observe."
A flick of his wrist sent a ripple of energy through the material. The sheet tightened instantly, flexing the mannequin's fingers with eerie precision.
"Unlike conventional mechanics, FMS responds to emotional intent — frustration increases contraction rate, focus increases accuracy. In simpler terms, if you're angry, it hits harder. If you're calm, it becomes surgical."
A hand went up — Selena's.
"Professor," she said carefully, "wouldn't that make it unstable for someone with… say… erratic emotional flow?"
"Ah!" Aldus pointed at her. "The anxiety queen speaks truth! Yes, instability is a challenge. That's why all first-generation suits used compensators. But at Grimstone, we do things differently."
He projected Kai's Divergent Flow diagram — a swirl of asymmetrical energy patterns.
"Some flows," Aldus said, "are not meant to be tamed — they are meant to be channeled efficiently. Fluidic Muscles adapt; they don't resist. Remember this principle."
He clapped once. "Now, group activity! Each team gets one sheet. I want you to sync your collective energy and make the mannequin perform a coordinated motion. Let's see who makes the cleanest gesture!"
Teamwork Exercise
Kai's team gathered around their mannequin. Selena focused her energy, Oliver aligned frequency nodes, and Valerie sketched quick mental images for synchronization. Kai, calm but curious, let his Divergent Flow settle into rhythm.
"Okay," Valerie said, "on three — lift the arm, flex the fingers."
"One… two…"
The mannequin suddenly saluted sharply, startling half the class.
Selena jumped. "That wasn't three!"
Kai blinked. "It… anticipated us."
Aldus appeared beside them, grinning. "Excellent! You achieved pre-synchronization — your collective intent was so aligned that the sheet predicted your action. Rare among first years!"
Across the room, a neighboring group's mannequin spun in circles and punched itself in the chest.
"Good!" Aldus called. "Excellent chaos! That's the learning process!"
Laughter erupted around the hall.
Phase-Shift Energy Mesh
"Now, before we destroy more mannequins," Aldus said, "we move to our second topic — Phase-Shift Energy Mesh."
From a side compartment, he withdrew a metal panel that shimmered like liquid glass.
"This is a prototype armor plate that changes phase state under pressure. Bio Energy stimulates lattice oscillation, shifting from flexible to rigid in microseconds."
He tossed the panel to Oliver. "Punch it."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Sir, that looks expensive."
"Punch it," Aldus insisted.
Oliver shrugged and struck the plate. It bent slightly — soft as cloth.
"Now," Aldus said, infusing the plate with a quick energy pulse — the surface stiffened instantly. "Punch it again."
Oliver hit it. CLANG. His knuckles recoiled with a sting.
"Ahh!" Oliver hissed.
"Marvelous, isn't it?" Aldus said, utterly unbothered. "Soft until threatened, hard when struck. Perfect metaphor for emotional resilience. Write that down!"
The room filled with scribbles and laughter.
Valerie leaned toward Kai. "So if we use that mesh over an FMS sheet…"
Kai nodded slowly. "It would move freely until impact — then lock in place. Maximum flexibility and defense."
Aldus overheard, eyes lighting up. "Now that is Apex thinking! Combine adaptability with protection. You four might just survive my course after all."
Selena muttered, "I'd settle for surviving your assignments."
The Cultech Creed
As the lecture drew to a close, Aldus stepped back and faced the class with surprising solemnity.
"Students," he said quietly, "you come from every corner of this planet — high, low, privileged, forgotten. Cultech does not care who your parents are. It only asks: Can you create harmony out of chaos?"
The room fell silent.
"Remember: The Apex Suit is not just a machine. It's a reflection of you — your logic, your rage, your compassion. What you build will reveal what you truly are."
Then, just as the gravity of his words settled in, Aldus clapped his hands and yelled, "Homework! Build a finger actuator that can do a thumbs-up without breaking its own wrist. Due tomorrow!"
Groans echoed through the hall.
Valerie muttered, "He's serious."
Kai grinned. "He's magnificent."
Selena sighed. "He's insane."
Oliver adjusted his glasses. "He's our professor."
The four of them looked around at the bustling classroom — at laughing students, arguing teams, and a room alive with invention.
For the first time since joining Grimstone, Kai felt it — the pulse of a future worth fighting for.
And as the bell rang, Aldus shouted cheerfully, "Next class, we tackle Resonant Bio-Harmonic Veins! Bring your harmonizers, your curiosity, and if possible, your sanity!"
The door slid open. Students filed out, laughing, buzzing, alive.
Kai lingered, eyes still on the glowing board.
In the reflection, the hologram of the Apex Core shimmered like a heartbeat.
Tomorrow, they'd begin shaping it.