Morning mist slid across the academy rooftops as the bells rang one soft note after another. The sound rolled through the courtyard like a gentle wave, stirring the still air. Disciples hurried to lessons and drills, their footsteps echoing against stone.
Rin walked among them quietly, head down, both hands pressed into the pockets of his robe. His eyes still held the faint shimmer from the Verdant Fragment he had touched the day before, as if something inside him had not fully settled.
He wasn't thinking about training.He wasn't thinking about classes.
He was thinking about the dream.
A blurry room.Liquid-filled glass.Someone floating inside.Someone with his face.
But the dream slipped away every time he tried to focus on it, like mist curling through fingers.
System, Rin thought slowly, dream… why I see?
A soft pulse echoed in his mind.
〔System: Unclear. Fragmented memory detected. Possible link to Echo State. Further analysis requires environmental data.〕
He didn't understand most of it, but the warning tone in the system's message was enough. Something was changing. Something deep.
For now, though
He needed answers.
Not power. Not strength. Not new skills.
Answers.
And the only place in the academy where ancient truths might still hide was the Great Library.
The Great Library
The library was an enormous tower, taller than any building on campus except the central Engine Spire. Each floor held thousands of manuscripts, scrolls, and crystal-records floating in suspended frames. Students rarely came here unless forced by assignments.
Rin came alone.
He pushed open the old wooden door. A soft chime sounded, and a warm light lit the nearest shelves.
An old librarian at the counter looked up from her tea. She squinted at Rin.
"You again?"
Rin nodded slowly. "Read… more."
"Hmph. Most children want adventures and battles." She sighed. "Fine. But keep your voice down. And no touching sealed shelves."
Rin nodded again and walked inside.
The deeper he went, the quieter the world seemed to become. Dust glittered in the beams of light cutting through the high windows. Shelves rose around him like walls of forgotten time.
The system whispered in his mind.
〔System: Energy signatures detected. Unknown data nodes hidden in this room. Recommend investigation.〕
Rin paused."Data… nodes?"
The system gave a soft hum.
〔System: The Engine's influence extends into the library's archive network. Some books contain encrypted records. I can analyze if touched.〕
That word Engine made Rin look over his shoulder.
Why would the Engine be connected to a library?
He remembered the VR pod in the academy and how the Engine controlled even small communication tools. It was everywhere. Too everywhere.
He walked to the oldest-looking shelf.
It smelled of dust and iron.The books here were heavier, bound in cracked leather or faded cloth. Titles had long worn off.
Rin reached out and touched the first one.
A Book That Should Not Exist
The moment his fingers grazed the cover, the system flickered.
〔System: Warning. This archive predates the academy's foundation. Scanning…〕
Rin blinked."Predate…? How old?"
The system's tone sharpened.
〔System: Estimated age… over 1,000 years. This book should not exist here.〕
Rin opened it slowly.
The pages were yellow and fragile, but the ink was dark and sharp. Strange diagrams of circles and lines filled the first pages. Many were scribbled out. Others were torn.
He read the title etched faintly on the inside page:
"The Structure of the Three Layers."
His breath caught.
Three layers?But the academy only ever talked about the Surface.
Rin turned the page.
Layer One Surface Realm. Layer Two Substratum. Layer Three Core Depth.
Nothing more. The descriptions were ripped out.
But the words alone made Rin's heart tighten. Layer Three… Core Depth… why did those words feel familiar?Why did they make him think of the dream?
As he touched the corner of the page, the system pulsed again.
〔System: Fragmented blueprint detected. This text describes an early version of the Engine Network.〕
Rin froze.
Engine Network?A thousand years old?
The academy taught that the Engine was created by sages only three hundred years ago.Was that a lie?
He looked around the empty hall. No footsteps, no whisper of other students. Only silence.
He turned another page.
Most of it was burnt. All that remained were a few words:
"Core not stable…""…multiple spheres…""…containment…""…host body…"
Rin's heart thumped painfully.
Host body.
Why did he feel like he had heard that phrase before?Why did it sound like the dream?
He reached to touch the next torn strip, but suddenly
THUMP.
A loud sound echoed from the far end of the library.
Rin snapped the book shut and hid it behind his back. Footsteps. Slow. Measured.
The old librarian appeared between two shelves, glaring.
"You're in the wrong section, boy."
Rin lowered his head."Sorry… I read… only see."
"These shelves are restricted." Her tone darkened. "Not for students."
Rin bowed and stepped away, returning the book quietly.The librarian watched him until he moved to a younger shelf.
When she left, the system whispered:
〔System: That librarian's badge contains an Engine key. She is not ordinary personnel.〕
Rin squeezed his fingers nervously."Why… she here?"
〔System: Unknown. But she monitors access to ancient data. She may be connected to higher clearance. Recommend caution.〕
Rin nodded weakly.
He wasn't strong.He couldn't fight.He couldn't even talk fluently yet.
But he could learn.
And the library was full of secrets.
Hidden Manuals
Rin spent hours searching through the stacks. Most books were normal basic cultivation, history, beast ecology.
But every now and then, a book would flicker with faint static.
Each time he touched one, the system scanned it.
〔System: Manual incomplete. Missing 60%. Attempting reconstruction.〕
〔System: This technique mentions Flux circulation independent of Root Seal. Useful for your condition.〕
〔System: Warning. This record contradicts academy teachings.〕
Page after page, the world he knew started to feel thinner.
The Root Seal wasn't always the only method of cultivation.There were diagrams of energy threads that didn't match modern techniques.There were mentions of "Weave arts," "Pulse paths," and something called the Echo Body.
And buried in one torn manual:
"…those without Root Seal can still cultivate if they learn to resonate with the world's pulse…"
Rin stared at the words for a long time.
"No… Root… but can," he whispered.
The system pulsed warmly, as if confirming his hope.
〔System: Correct. Many pre-Engine cultivators were seal-less. Their methods are rare but real.〕
Rin felt his chest loosen.
For the first time in weeks, he didn't feel broken.
A Forbidden Map
The sun had begun to set.Light turned amber across the stained-glass windows.
Rin found one last book, thin and bound in dark cloth.Its title was faint:
"Substratum Zones — Preliminary Map."
When he opened it, the system reacted violently.
〔System: High-risk content! Origin: Forbidden Archives. Danger level: RED.〕
Rin hesitated."Red… danger?"
〔System: Yes. This map shows the locations of ancient Engine facilities. Viewing it may attract attention.〕
But Rin couldn't stop himself.
He turned the page.
A map of the continent unfolded. Lines cut across forests, lakes, mountains and then deeper lines formed spirals beneath them. He recognized one symbol immediately:
The academy.
And beneath it, drawn in thin ink
A deep spiral labeled: "Zone-5 Substratum Hatch."
Rin's blood ran cold.
A hatch.Under the academy.Leading to a forbidden zone.
He swallowed hard."System… what… is hatch?"
The system went silent for a long moment.
Then
〔System: Entry point. To the world beneath the world.〕
Rin's hands shook. He closed the book quickly and returned it to the shelf.
A world beneath the world. A thousand-year-old Engine blueprint. A dream of someone floating in a glass chamber.
Piece by piece, the world he knew began to crack.
He walked out of the library slowly, the sunset warm on his face but his heart colder than ice.
The mist had returned.It drifted around the courtyard like quiet spirits.
As Rin stepped into the dim light, the system whispered one last message:
〔System: Observation: You are being watched.〕
Rin's breath halted.
Who?The librarian?A teacher?Someone else?
But the system didn't speak again.
Only the mist answered, curling softly around Rin's feet as he walked through the fading light carrying a secret he was no longer sure he wanted to know.