Sunday morning arrived softly, filtered through pale light and salt air that slipped in through the cracked window of Julian's dorm room.
He didn't notice it, his remedy mask in plain capacity to shield his eyes from the influence of that perverse light that took his sweet rest time in the first days.
Julian was still asleep, sprawled half on his side, half on his back, one arm flung over the edge of the bed as Watapon slept curled against his shoulder like a plush toy that breathed. Petit Dragon had wedged itself into the hollow between the headboard and the wall, tail twitching in lazy dreams. Mokey Mokey lay on the floor, face-down, unmoving in a way that was either perfect rest or complete existential surrender.
The room itself hummed faintly, saturated with presence. Not loud. Not active. Just… lived in.
The knock came suddenly. Sharp, precise. Repeated.
Julian groaned, face twisting into the pillow. Watapon squeaked in protest, startled awake. Petit Dragon jerked upright, bonked its head against the wall, and hissed indignantly at the universe.
The knock came again. Julian cracked one eye open.
"…It's Sunday." he muttered to no one in particular. "Whatever fire this is, let it burn."
Another knock. Firmer. That did it.
Julian pushed himself upright, hair a mess, eyes unfocused. Nightmare-Eyes stirred faintly beneath his skin, more amused than alarmed, before settling again. He shuffled to the door, spirits drifting after him like half-awake thoughts.
He opened it. Bastion Misawa stood in the hallway.
Julian blinked once. Then again, Bastion looked… wrecked. Not injured, not sick… just profoundly unrested.
His hair was slightly disheveled, clothes a bit wrinkly and not in their neat and planned arrangement. Dark circles sat beneath his eyes like parentheses that never closed. In his arms, clutched like a lifeline, was a thick notebook, already swollen with loose pages, diagrams, folded inserts, and hastily taped additions.
Bastion inhaled sharply when the door opened.
"Julian, hi…" he said, immediately. "I couldn't sleep."
Julian stared at him for a second longer, then sighed and leaned against the doorframe.
"Good morning to you too, mate." he said dryly. "And let me guess, you didn't sleep because you were thinking."
Bastion nodded once. Then, as if realizing nodding was insufficient, he started talking.
"I attempted several breathing exercises." he said, words coming fast now, barely paced. "I tried mental compartmentalization. Counting techniques. Even physical exhaustion through repetition drills. None of it worked. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind kept looping back to what we experienced yesterday."
He lifted the notebook slightly.
"I began outlining initial hypotheses around Ba resonance patterns, but every time I answered one question, three more emerged. For instance, if Ba manifests as a personal energetic extension of the soul, then its interaction with environmental spiritual density should follow a pattern of at least…"
"Bastion!" Julian interrupted, rubbing his face.
Bastion froze mid-sentence.
Julian squinted at him through half-lidded eyes. "I've been awake for approximately twelve seconds. I'm a mess."
"Oh." Bastion paused, like the novelty of the concept just registered. Then, earnestly added. "I can wait."
Julian snorted despite himself.
"Give me ten minutes. If you're still vibrating at this frequency after I brush my teeth, we'll talk." he said while indicating he was going to close the door.
Bastion straightened slightly. "Understood."
Julian shut the door gently, muffling the sound of Bastion flipping open the notebook anyway. Inside, the spirits watched him with varying degrees of judgment.
"Don't look at me like that, guys." Julian muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. "You'd do the same."
Watapon squeaked and burrowed deeper into his shirt in defense.
The morning routine was quick: cold water to the face, teeth brushed on autopilot, hair loosely tied back just enough to be presentable. Through it all, Julian could feel Bastion's presence on the other side of the door like a tightly wound coil.
When he finally stepped back out, Bastion locked up instantly.
"I have seventeen new questions…" he announced.
Julian glanced at the notebook. "I believe you. Let's grab something to eat."
They walked together toward the cafeteria, the early light stretching long shadows across the paths of the Yellow Dorm. The campus was quieter than usual, the Sunday calm settling over Duel Academy like a held breath.
Spirits trailed after Julian in a loose cloud. Some visible, some not. Bastion noticed, of course. His gaze flicked toward Watapon, then to the faint distortions in the air that marked others.
"Do they follow you everywhere?" he asked, curiosity edging out exhaustion.
Julian shrugged. "Most of the time. They wander when they want. But they… like mornings."
Watapon chirped in agreement.
The cafeteria was mostly empty. A few early risers, a couple of other Ra's half-asleep over cereal. Julian and Bastion grabbed trays and sat at a table near the window, sunlight cutting across it in clean lines.
For a blessed thirty seconds, Bastion ate in silence.
Then he inhaled, and the machine-gun started.
"So…" he began, already flipping the notebook open, "yesterday, when Jaden initiated that trance-like state…"
"Bastion, dude." Julian said, taking a bite of toast. "Before you ask anything else, I need to remind you of something very clearly."
Bastion looked up.
"I started learning this a week ago." Julian pointed like a obvious fact. "It's not like I have a doctorate in it."
Bastion blinked.
"…A week. Yeah, you mentioned something like that." he repeated.
"I did."
There was a pause.
Then Bastion frowned, adjusted his vest and looked back down at the notebook as if expecting it to contradict reality.
"But you explained multiple layers of application… You demonstrated conceptual understanding far beyond that of someone so new. You identified failure points in real time, for God's sake." Bastion was dumbfounded, like the previous intel was said, but never properly registered as it went against all of the rest of the data collected.
Julian chewed, swallowed, then shrugged.
"Most of what I know comes from Jaden." the blonde pointed out.
Bastion's head snapped up. "Jaden, really?"
"Mostly Jaden." Julian clarified once again.
"But his explanations are…" Bastion searched for the word. "Highly non-linear."
"That's a polite way of putting it. I would say a freakin' mess."
Julian took a sip of juice. "Jaden understands this stuff the way birds understand air currents. He doesn't always know how to explain why something works. It just… does."
Bastion considered that. "Then how did you extract structured knowledge from him?"
Julian smiled faintly. "He did learn in something assembling a proper structure from Koyo when he was a kid. At least in the closest regard a pro like him would use to teach a kid. And he's trying to help, it's just that most of what he knows was registered by instinct on how to use it, not in the logical sequential steps and justifications. Beyond that, is just trial, error, and a lot of translation."
He gestured vaguely at his own head. "I'm good at breaking messy things into steps, especially when Jaden's thoughts and memories of his lessons give an imprint so strong that Nightmare-Eyes is able to read them and be a translator. Doesn't mean I know more, just that I'm good at structuring the next question, make practical tests and organize the little I've got."
Bastion frowned again. "But even so..."
"Dude…" Julian interrupted gently. "Even with Nightmare-Eyes helping and not being a kid spirit like the others, what I know is a drop." He tapped the table once. "What Jaden knows is a cup."
Another tap.
"And what exists out there?" He gestured vaguely, somewhere beyond the walls of the academy, beyond the island. "An unrestricted ocean."
Bastion leaned back slightly, absorbing that.
Julian continued. "I told you guys yesterday, most advanced techniques are gone. Lost, forgotten. The Ancient Egyptians had methods for active spiritual manipulation that don't exist anymore. Human rituals, direct applications… Most practical applications that survived did so because of Ka."
Bastion's eyes lit up. "Because Ka are expressions of the soul's nature and have inherent abilities like Jinzo's electromagnetism or your Nightmare-Eyes's absorption. Yeah, you told us that."
"Pretty much. They don't forget what they are. A dragon will always breathe lightning or fire, just for the sheer fact that it is a dragon. Knowing something have nothing to do with it. The other applications are in essence a basic manipulation form of the energy and its inherent capabilities."
"And the rest?" Bastion pressed.
"The rest people pieced together from scraps. From expedition notes. From what Pegasus's and another dozen teams around the world dug up. And from what still leaks through duels and spirits."
He glanced down at Watapon and caressed the little fluffball's head, who was happily dunking itself into Julian's cereal bowl.
"And from accidents, of course. Unfortunately." Julian added.
Bastion closed the notebook slowly.
"So everything we're learning now is reconstruction." Bastion said in a low tone.
"Yes."
"Approximation."
"Yes."
"And we don't even know if it is the proper way they elaborated for the learning process."
Julian met his gaze. "Remember the egyptians had a lot of scary stuff as well. In some regards that might be for the best."
Bastion was quiet after that, chewing mechanically. The tension in his shoulders eased, just a fraction.
"…That explains why my mind wouldn't stop." he admitted. "There were too many open variables."
Julian snorted. "Welcome to the club. My tip? Focus on one thing at a time, otherwise you'll be overwhelmed.."
They finished breakfast in companionable quiet. Outside, the sun climbed higher. The academy began to stir.
Julian stood, tray in hand. "Come on. If you don't ask Jaden at least five of those questions today, you might explode."
Bastion allowed himself a tired smile. "I was hoping you'd say that."
As they stepped back into the morning air, the spirits gathered again, drawn by motion and intention. Julian felt them align, felt Nightmare-Eyes stir with quiet approval.
Sunday had begun, and it promised to be anything but restful.
They left the Yellow Dorm together, the campus still half-asleep around them. The paths were quiet, washed in early sunlight, the ocean breeze threading between buildings and carrying the distant cry of gulls. It was the kind of morning Duel Academy rarely allowed itself during the week: unhurried, suspended, as if time itself had agreed to slow down out of courtesy.
Bastion kept pace at Julian's side, his notebook tucked under one arm now instead of clutched like a shield. He still glanced down at it from time to time, fingers itching to write, but he resisted, for once letting observation take precedence over documentation. Julian noticed. He said nothing, but gave a silent approval.
As they moved farther from the main walkways, the air changed subtly. Less noise. Fewer footsteps. More space between thoughts. The spirits followed Julian more openly now, drifting ahead and behind like curious scouts, their presence growing clearer the closer they came to the secluded clearing Jaden favored. By the time the tall grass and wind-worn cliffs came into view, the world felt thinner somehow. Quieter, more receptive.
And there, waiting in that calm pocket carved out between sea and stone, were the others. At least some of them.
Mindy and Jasmine were seated near the edge of the clearing, legs folded in the grass, leaning toward one another in easy conversation. Jasmine was speaking softly, hands moving as she explained something, while Mindy listened with chin propped in her palm, expression alert and curious rather than distracted.
A few steps away from them, Alexis stood alone.
She was upright, eyes closed, posture straight but not rigid. Her breathing was slow, measured. Not forced or strained.
Julian slowed without realizing it. Her aura was different.
Still bright. Still intense. But no longer jagged at the edges like it had been the day before. The urgency was there, yes… but it had been gathered inward, folded into something tighter, more deliberate. Less like a storm tearing at its own boundaries, more like a current running deep beneath the surface.
Some degree of control. For the first time, clearly so.
Bastion glanced sideways at Julian. "She's improved."
Julian nodded. "Noticeably. Hope she didn't pulled an all-nighter like you. At least you stopped at theory."
They approached at a normal pace, not trying to be quiet. Julian made a point of greeting Mindy and Jasmine first, giving Alexis space rather than looming into her awareness.
"Morning, miladies." he said.
Mindy looked up and grinned. "You're alive."
"Barely." Julian replied. "Bastion tried to corner me in my own room and interrogate me before breakfast."
Bastion's grip on his book tightened, as an uncomfortable answer came from him. "I would call it an enthusiastic academic inquiry."
Mindy snorted. "That's what you call it when people don't answer fast enough?"
Julian waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever the label, it involved knocking on my door at an hour that should be illegal on a Sunday."
Jasmine smiled. "You didn't seem that upset."
"That's because I'm planning ahead…" Julian said, deadpan. "Next week I'll be in the Obelisk dorms. No one around to disturb my precious sleeping hours."
Bastion tilted his head. "You say that now, but statistically speaking…"
"I will barricade the door." Julian cut in. "Spiritually, physically, emotionally if needed. Talk to the guards to specifically not let you in."
Mindy laughed. "So the true benefit of becoming Obelisk isn't prestige or resources."
"It's uninterrupted sleep, exactly." Julian confirmed solemnly.
Even Alexis, still in her meditative stance, let out the faintest huff of amusement. Just enough for Julian to notice.
Jasmine smiled. "Anyways, I figured you'd be here early."
Julian gestured vaguely toward Bastion. "As I said, I was dragged."
"I ask myself if he has that puppy dog excited energy for everything." Jasmine said..
As they talked, Julian noticed it. A slight shift in Alexis's breathing, a small sign of tightening and release in her shoulders. There was the faintest hint of color at Alexis's cheeks, subtle but unmistakable. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but she was aware of them. Of him.
He remembered the way the previous evening had ended. The warmth. The closeness that hadn't crossed a line, but had lingered long enough to redraw its edges. Whatever existed between them now was… nothing, but so much at the same time. Something simply undefined, and awkward to present it.
Careful in the way two people were when they both felt something shift and didn't yet know what shape it would take, with him sure that this wasn't the right time.
He suspected she was in the same place he was… Aware, composed, and quietly uncertain of how to step forward without stepping wrong. So he didn't rush her. Didn't call her out. He let the moment breathe, the way he wished he'd been able to do with his own thoughts that morning.
Only when her breathing changed, grounding again, did he look away, giving her space to choose when to rejoin them.
A few minutes later, Alexis exhaled slowly and opened her eyes. She didn't rush the transition, didn't snap out of it the way she had the day before. She grounded herself first, then stepped toward the group.
"Good morning." she said with a faint smile, voice even.
"Morning." Julian replied, meeting her gaze briefly before looking away again, deliberately casual. "You were well focused there."
She shrugged lightly. "I woke up early. Thought I'd try… listening first."
That alone would have been unthinkable yesterday.
Mindy arched a brow. "Look at you, all disciplined."
Alexis smirked. "Don't get used to it."
She glanced around the clearing, then back at Julian. "So. What's the plan today?"
Julian opened his mouth… then closed it again.
"…We're waiting for Jaden and Syrus." he said.
Alexis stared at him.
"…That's it?" she asked, a note of restrained impatience slipping through despite her control.
Julian smiled. Not smug, not teasing. Just quietly amused.
"Actually…" he said. "I thought we'd warm up."
"With what?" Bastion asked immediately, interest piqued.
Julian glanced toward the tall grass, then toward the twisted tree, then finally at the faint distortions flickering at the edge of perception. The spirits of the Well already gathering, curious, restless.
"How do you all feel about hide and seek?" he asked.
There was a beat.
Mindy blinked. "You're kidding."
"I am not."
Jasmine tilted her head. "Hide and seek… with the spirits?"
Julian nodded. "They'll hide. You'll seek."
Alexis folded her arms. "You're serious."
"Completely."
Bastion frowned slightly. "This is a training exercise?"
"Yes."
Mindy squinted at him. "You're doing that thing again."
Julian raised a brow. "What thing?"
"The 'this is absolutely ridiculous and somehow extremely important' thing."
He laughed quietly. "Fair."
He gestured to the clearing. "Sensing is the foundation of everything else. Yesterday, Jaden dropped you all into the deep end with a flare powerful enough to knock you into your own heads."
"Understatement." Bastion muttered.
"Today…" Julian continued. "We'll do it gently. No pressure. No overload. Just instinct."
Alexis looked thoughtful now, irritation fading. "You want us to feel for them."
"Exactly."
He crouched slightly and tapped the ground. "The Well spirits are small. Light. They don't project aggressively, but still can leave noticeable signs. Fun, excitement, joy. Everything leaves an imprint. If you can learn to notice them without forcing it, and without straining, you're building the habit the right way."
"And the fact that it's a game?" Jasmine asked.
Julian smiled faintly. "Isn't a downside. Training for you, fun for everybody."
As if on cue, Watapon bounced into view, squeaking excitedly. Petit Dragon zipped a circle around Julian's head before darting toward the tall grass. Mokey Mokey flopped into existence for half a second, then vanished again with suspicious enthusiasm.
"They like the idea." Mindy observed.
Bastion tapped his notebook against his palm. "This trains active perception. Background awareness and pattern recognition as well."
Julian nodded. "And emotional texture. Several spirits feel differently from people, but in their own unique and fantastic ways. You'll start picking up on that."
Alexis exhaled, some of the tension draining from her shoulders. "Fine. If that will help…"
Julian lifted a hand just as the spirits began to scatter, the motion calm but unmistakably deliberate.
"Hold on." he said. "Let's go over the rules."
The spirits hesitated mid-flight. Petit Dragon hovering in place, Watapon bobbing uncertainly, several others flickering in and out of view like children caught halfway through bolting for cover.
Julian crouched slightly so he was closer to their level, resting his forearms on his knees. His voice softened, but his intent sharpened.
"The limit is the field, from the Slifer dorm up until the main road at the east. Hide as best as you can. They will not just sit still and wait for something to brush against their senses." he said, looking back at the students. "I want you to look. Move. Search. Follow your instincts, even if you're wrong."
Bastion frowned faintly. "Actively? Isn't that just regular hide and seek then? Without any spiritual regard?"
"Actively, yes. Intent matters. When you decide to search… really decide, your Ba responds to that stimulus. It aligns. Even mistakes help, because they refine contrast." Julian glanced toward the spirits again, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And it makes things more fun for them."
As if on cue, a ripple of excitement ran through the little cluster. A few spirits darted forward, then back, as if testing whether the game had truly changed.
Mindy crossed her arms thoughtfully. "You're saying they'll react more if we actually go looking?"
"They're emotional beings, like all of us." Julian said. "Curiosity, excitement, relief… Those things bleed into their presence. If you walk right past a hiding spot, that reaction leaves a trace. It's easier to feel than something static."
Jasmine nodded slowly. "So the more engaged they are, the clearer the signal."
"Exactly."
Alexis tilted her head. "That still sounds like it favors the spirits to turn that into a game."
Julian's smile widened just a fraction. "Oh, it absolutely does."
He straightened and clapped his hands once, the sound sharp enough to gather attention.
"Which brings me to the incentive." That did it. Watapon squeaked loudly. Petit Dragon zipped closer, wings beating faster. Even Mokey Mokey popped into existence again, eyes wide and unblinking.
Julian pretended not to notice the sudden expectant silence from the non-human side of the group.
"We'll do several rounds." he continued. "Different starting positions. Different seekers. Each one will have five minutes to look for you. At the end, we'll see which of you hid best overall." The spirits leaned in. "The winner? Gets a prize."
The clearing practically vibrated.
"And what kind of prize are we talking about?" Mindy asked.
Julian glanced down at Watapon, then at Petit Dragon, then at the faint cluster of others hovering just at the edge of visibility.
"You get to choose one thing." The spirits froze. Julian ticked options off on his fingers. "You can pick a game for us to play later. You can lead one of the group's activities tomorrow while we're at class. Or…" he paused, watching Bastion's eyes flicker with interest. "You can request a small adjustment to one of the six decks. Nothing unbalanced. But something that makes you more important."
That last part landed. The reaction was immediate and chaotic. Watapon squealed and bounced so hard it briefly phased through Julian's shoulder. Petit Dragon let out a high-pitched trill and shot straight up before spiraling back down. Several of the other spirits erupted into excited motion, racing in circles, colliding, laughing in a dozen nonverbal ways at once.
Bastion stared. "…You just motivated them competitively."
Julian shrugged. "They're kids."
Alexis shook her head, but there was clear amusement in her eyes now. "You planned this."
"I always do." Julian said mildly. "It will be better for you guys if they actually want to win."
The spirits were already scattering again, this time with purpose. Diving into tall grass, slipping behind rocks, squeezing into the shadows cast by the twisted tree, some even climbing higher where the wind off the sea distorted perception.
"One seeker at a time." Julian pointed. "Five minutes each. You find as many of them as you can. We'll rotate seekers after every round."
Bastion adjusted his wrinkled clothes. "And the rest of us?"
"You observe." Julian replied. "You would already have seen where the little ones ran. That gives you a reference point to notice their reactions. Use it, and hone your instincts."
He glanced around the circle, making sure they were following.
"Pay attention to how the seeker moves. Where they hesitate. Where they feel something and where they don't. And more importantly…" his gaze flicked briefly toward the tall grass, where a few barely-contained giggles were leaking into the air. "Pay attention to the spirits' reactions. Excitement. Relief. Panic when someone gets close. That emotional shift is part of the signal."
Alexis nodded slowly. Jasmine mirrored the motion. Bastion was already scribbling.
"And if it's too hard at first, we'll switch to pairs. But I want to see what your instincts do on their own."
He looked at Mindy. "You're up first."
Mindy blinked. "Me?"
Julian smiled. "You're curious, you don't overthink, and you actually do not care about being wrong. Perfect combination."
She straightened, rolling her shoulders. "Wow. That's either a compliment or a warning."
"Both." Julian smiled. "Always both."
Mindy opened her mouth to protest, then hesitated.
"…Okay," she said finally. "Fine. I'll try not to embarrass myself."
Julian nodded and lifted a hand. "You know the drill. Everyone else, watch and learn."
She closed her eyes. For a heartbeat, the clearing held still, then it burst into motion.
Julian felt it immediately: a rush of giddy intent as the spirits scattered again, abandoning their earlier positions in a flurry of last-second decisions. Some bolted for cover they already knew. Others doubled back, delighted by the confusion. A few lingered just long enough to make themselves almost noticeable before darting away.
Grass whispered. Pebbles shifted. The air itself seemed to ripple with contained laughter.
Julian glanced at the others. "Take note of where they go. Or where you think they'll go."
Mindy opened her eyes again when instructed, blinking as if the world had subtly changed without her being able to point at why.
"Okay…" she muttered. "No pressure."
Julian stepped aside, clearing the field in front of her.
"Five minutes." he said, showing his DuelPad screen with a countdown timer alert set to the proper period. "Whenever you're ready."
Mindy hesitated, just a second, then took her first step forward into the clearing as the low 'beep' sound in the Pad registered the beginning of the chase.
Mindy opened her mouth, then closed it again.
"…I don't even know how to start." she admitted.
Julian tilted his head. "It's hide and seek."
She blinked.
"You look for them, that's how the game works." he added, dry as ever.
Mindy snorted. "Wow. Inspirational."
Still, she took a breath and stepped forward.
Bastion watched Mindy disappear between the tall grass, brow furrowed. "Julian…" he asked quietly, "How do you even tell if what she's doing is right or wrong at this stage? Is your sensing really that refined already?"
Julian didn't look away from the field. "Besides the obvious metric of results?"
Alexis shot him a look. "Be serious."
He sighed, then tilted his head slightly back. "I am, but alright. Turn around."
They did, and both Bastion and Alexis stiffened. Nightmare-Eyes was there. As always, not looming or advancing. Just present.
The 4 meter (13ft) towering illusory form sat half-coiled in the shade of the leaning tree, its single main eye glowing idly, expression unreadable. Somehow, despite its size and wrongness, it had blended so perfectly into the clearing that neither of them could say how long it had been there.
Alexis swallowed. "That thing was…"
"Always there." Julian finished calmly. "You just didn't notice. He's scarily good at that. Illusion's, you know."
Nightmare-Eyes' gaze shifted, briefly touching each of them before returning to the field where Mindy searched.
"He's feeding me impressions." Julian continued. "Not words, just emotional gradients. Curiosity spikes, frustration. Little flickers of excitement when someone passes close. It lets me tell how you guys are searching, not just whether they succeed."
Bastion absorbed that, then frowned. "So… you don't actually have sensing mastered to that level on your own."
Julian snorted. "Once again, I've got a week of practice to your one day. If I could do this solo already, I'd have more raw talent for spirituality than the King of Games has for Duel Monsters."
He glanced sideways, smirking faintly.
"Jaden's the anomaly. Not me, I just have help."
From somewhere behind them, Nightmare-Eyes let out a low, amused hum (as if not entirely agreeing with his declaration), felt more than heard, while, out in the clearing, Mindy began her journey of searching for a clue. At first, it was exactly what it looked like: a normal game.
She walked through the clearing, eyes scanning the obvious places. Behind the twisted tree. Near the rocks by the slope. Along the edge of the tall grass. She crouched, peeked, even lifted a flat stone with exaggerated care.
Nothing.
Somewhere deeper in the field, Julian felt it: a ripple of barely-contained excitement. Not loud. Not aggressive. Just the buzzing joy of being almost found and not quite.
Mindy straightened, frowning. "Okay, they're good."
Jasmine smiled sympathetically. "They've had a lot of practice hiding."
"That's not comforting."
Mindy moved again, this time circling wider, boots brushing through grass. She passed close to a cluster of stones near the slope.
Julian felt it clearly.
A quick spike of emotion: glee, tension, the thrill of risk.
Someone was very close.
Mindy, however, didn't react. She walked right past it, brow furrowed, gaze focused ahead.
A soft, breathless huff of relief rippled through the air behind her.
Bastion stiffened slightly. "Did you feel that?"
Alexis nodded, uncertain. "Something… shifted."
Mindy stopped a few steps later.
"…That was weird." she said slowly. "I don't know why, but it felt like I missed something."
Julian smiled to himself.
She turned, retracing her steps without quite knowing why. She crouched again, eyes narrowing, fingers brushing the grass. Still nothing obvious.
Behind the stone, Dark Plant pulled its leaves in tight, trembling with barely-suppressed laughter.
Mindy sighed. "Okay, I'm officially bad at this."
"Two minutes." Julian said, glancing at his watch.
She straightened, rolling her shoulders. "Fine. New approach."
She closed her eyes.
Not to meditate, just to think. When she opened them again, she didn't scan for shapes. She wandered instead, slower now, less deliberate. She stopped when something felt odd, even if she couldn't say why.
She veered left suddenly. Julian felt another reaction, this one sharper. Surprise. A flash of panic.
Fiend's Hand jerked back into the shadows of the tree trunk, fingers curling instinctively.
Mindy frowned. "That's…" She crouched, peering into the shade. Nothing.
She stood again, frustrated. "Ugh. It's like… getting a thought halfway through and then losing it."
"That's normal." Julian said, not raising his voice. "Keep going."
Mindy exhaled and moved on.
Near the edge of the clearing, something pinged inside her chest. Not a feeling exactly. More like a suggestion. She hesitated.
"I… feel like someone's behind me." she muttered.
Behind her, Haniwa froze completely, expression unchanged, aura screaming do not look.
Mindy turned too late.
"Hey!" she protested as nothing happened. "See? This is ridiculous."
Alexis tilted her head. "You turned faster that time."
Mindy blinked. "I did?"
Julian nodded. "You're reacting before you understand why."
The five minutes ticked down.
In the end, Mindy managed to find exactly one spirit: Mokey Mokey, who had been lying openly near the rocks the entire time and only revealed itself after Mindy nearly tripped over it.
She laughed, scooping it up. "Okay. You don't count."
Mokey Mokey flopped happily.
Julian heard the alarm at his DuelPad sound.
"Time."
Mindy dropped onto the grass, breathless and grinning despite herself. "That was… way harder than it should've been."
Bastion adjusted his glasses. "You were closer more often than you realized."
"Yeah?" she asked skeptically.
Julian nodded. "You just don't know how to recognize the signal yet."
He glanced toward the clearing, where faint giggles and excited emotional ripples still lingered, spirits buzzing with the thrill of a game well played.
"But you will." he added. "All of you will."
Julian glanced at his DuelPad and tapped the side control. A soft chime confirmed the countdown alarm had reset.
"Alright," he said, raising his voice just enough to carry. "Next round, we're switching it up."
Mindy, still catching her breath and looking faintly embarrassed but excited, turned back toward the group. "Already?"
"You did fine." Julian said easily. "Which is why we're escalating."
He looked between Alexis and Jasmine.
"Duos this time."
Jasmine blinked. "Oh. Us?"
Alexis straightened a fraction. "Makes sense. We can cover more ground."
"And more importantly…" Julian added, "You cover each other's blind spots. The little ones are clever rogues. They like slipping away the moment someone commits too hard in one direction, or when your instinct responds a second too late."
As if on cue, a ripple of motion passed through the clearing. Several of the smaller Well spirits: Petit Angel, Happy Lover and even the jittery little Baby Dragon that rarely stayed still… They zipped and scuttled into new hiding places, thrilled by the change in rules.
Watapon bounced once in the air, clearly offended at not being chosen first, before vanishing behind a rock with exaggerated stealth.
Julian gestured for the two girls to step forward. "Same rules. Five minutes." He held up the DuelPad so they could see the countdown interface glowing softly. "You're allowed to talk. Coordinate. But don't overthink it."
Jasmine nodded thoughtfully. Alexis rolled her shoulders once, grounding herself.
They closed their eyes.
"Let's go guys, hide." Julian said. The clearing exploded into motion.
Spirits scattered in all directions once again. Some darting for height, others slipping low into grass, roots, crevices. A pair of them deliberately crossed paths, trying to confuse the watchers. Julian felt the emotional surge ripple outward: excitement, anticipation, mischief.
He waited until the energy settled, then nodded. "Go."
Alexis and Jasmine opened their eyes and moved immediately.
Not running. Not charging. Just… walking.
"Let's split slightly." Jasmine said, voice calm. "Not too far."
Alexis nodded and veered left, eyes scanning the rocks near the cliff wall. Jasmine drifted right, closer to the tree line. At first, like with their friend before them, it looked almost disappointingly mundane.
They checked obvious places. Behind stones. Under overhangs. Near the base of the leaning tree. The group watching could tell they were still relying mostly on sight.
They missed three spirits in the first thirty seconds. Julian felt the spirits' reactions ripple back through Nightmare-Eyes: delight, teasing triumph, a few sharp flickers of almost caught as Alexis passed close to a hiding spot without realizing it.
"Near miss." Julian murmured quietly.
Bastion leaned in. "Which one?"
"Alexis." Julian replied. "She walked right past two of them."
Alexis slowed. She hadn't heard his voice, but something in her posture changed. Her steps shortened. Her breathing steadied.
Jasmine glanced back at her. "You felt that too?"
Alexis frowned, then nodded slowly. "I… don't know how to explain it. Like I skipped over something important."
"That's the signal." Julian said, louder now. "Don't chase it. It might come as a sixth sense, an instinct or just an annoying feeling that you missed something. Just acknowledge it and act accordingly."
Alexis turned back, retracing her steps. This time, when she passed the same rock, she stopped.
Her head tilted. Behind the stone, a tiny cluster of spirits froze, one of them vibrating with barely contained laughter.
"There." Alexis said softly.
She crouched, lifted the stone just enough. Three squeaks of protest.
Jasmine smiled despite herself. "Nice."
The spirits zipped upward, circling Alexis's head in mock outrage before darting off to a designated "found" spot near Julian.
The timer ticked down. Jasmine, emboldened, changed tactics. Instead of searching places, she started watching spaces. The way grass bent. The way the air felt heavier near the tree roots.
She stopped suddenly, hand lifting. "Alexis. Don't move."
Alexis froze.
Jasmine took two careful steps, then reached out, hesitating for a heartbeat before committing.
Her fingers brushed something warm and startled. A small, round spirit yelped and shot straight up, bumping into Petit Dragon mid-flight.
Jasmine laughed, startled and delighted. "I felt it. Just for a second."
Julian smiled faintly. They weren't good yet, but they were listening. Halfway through the round, footsteps echoed up the trail.
"I'm telling you, Syrus, he was just frozen when I attacked, like he could not believed it…"
Jaden burst into the clearing mid-complaint and immediately froze. "…Is this hide and seek?"
Syrus stumbled in behind him, blinking. "Why are there floating… oh."
Julian didn't look back. "You're late."
Jaden grinned, completely unrepentant. "We got lost."
"In the five minutes walk from your dorm?"
"We did not!" Syrus protested. "You just insisted in taking a second plate and got a stomach ache!"
Alexis and Jasmine had both paused, attention tugged toward the newcomers. Julian didn't raise his voice. He didn't even flare. "Keep looking."
The words weren't sharp, but the intent behind them was unmistakable. Alexis inhaled, then exhaled slowly, turning back to the field. Jasmine mirrored her a heartbeat later.
Jaden's grin widened. "Oh. This is training training."
"Fundamentals, yeah." Julian replied. "Disguised as a game so the spirits don't get bored."
Jaden watched Alexis snag another hiding spirit, eyes lighting up. "That's actually genius. Can I play?"
Julian snorted. "You'd find all of them in under a minute."
"Thirty seconds." Jaden corrected cheerfully.
Syrus stared at the clearing. "You're kidding."
They weren't. "Which is why you're going to duo with Bastion, not Jaden.."
Syrus deflated. "Aw…"
The timer chimed. Alexis and Jasmine both stopped, breathing a little harder now, faces flushed from the exercise. They'd found more than Mindy had. Not most, but more.
"Well done." Julian said, tapping the DuelPad to silence the alarm. "Notice any difference from the first minute?"
Alexis nodded slowly. "It stopped feeling like only guessing."
Jasmine added. "We still had to search blindly, but, out of nothing, we got some type of response."
"Good…" Julian said. "That's what we're building."
He turned toward the newcomers. "Next round: Bastion and Syrus."
Syrus paled. "Together?"
"Together." Julian confirmed. "Two rounds each. Then we switch activities."
Bastion placed his notebook carefully on a flat rock nearby, eyes already tracking the terrain. "And this repeats?"
"Every session." Julian said. "For the first hour, until you don't have to think about it anymore."
Jaden whistled. "Man. You're serious."
Julian allowed himself a thin smile. "About fundamentals? Always."
He reset the timer.
Mindy crossed her arms, a small frown settling in as Julian finished explaining the structure.
"Twice?" she asked. "Every day?"
"For the foreseeable future, yes." Julian nodded. "First hour. Same foundation, different teams. Until we can all do it alone in a reasonable time and scale."
Her mouth twisted. "So… that means I'm stuck doing it alone again today."
Julian tilted his head. "No."
She blinked. "But you said duos rotate. Today I was…"
"The first seeker, before I changed it up to the partner system." he finished calmly. "You won't be alone."
She hesitated. "…Then who's my partner?"
Julian didn't answer immediately. He just tapped the edge of his DuelPad, as if checking something that wasn't really there, then looked back at her.
"Me."
They all got surprised for a second. Mindy stared. "You?"
"Yes." He shrugged lightly. "Don't forget, I'm still learning too. I might have an advantage in living with them twenty-four seven, but that doesn't mean I should rely on my partner every time I need to find something."
His gaze flicked briefly, instinctively, to where Nightmare-Eyes lingered behind him, silent and unreadable as always, before returning to her.
"If I can't do this without leaning on him, then I'm cutting corners. And as I said, I'm all about solid fundamentals." Julian continued.
Mindy studied him for a second, then exhaled.
"…Okay," she said, a little less bitter now. "But if I embarrass myself…"
"You won't." Julian replied easily. "There's no shame in failing something you're new at. And even if you did, I would be right there next to you doing the same."
A beat.
"…That didn't help." she pouted.
Julian smiled anyway.
"But it's true."
The DuelPad chimed softly. Julian lowered his arm. "Alright. Bastion. Syrus. You're up."
Syrus stiffened immediately. Bastion, on the other hand, straightened as if called to present a thesis.
The spirits scattered again, this time with far less hesitation. They had learned the rules now. Dark Mimic LV1 darted low and fast, slipping into the shadow of a rock. Skull Servant collapsed theatrically near the tall grass, bones clattering before reassembling and crawling into cover. Happy Lover zipped upward, circling once in the breeze before tucking itself behind the crooked trunk of the leaning tree. Haniwa simply… stood somewhere inconvenient, face blank, daring someone to notice its rocky body, easy to dismiss when walking through the area.
Julian watched them go with the faintest smile.
"Five minutes, guys." he said. "Timer's running."
Syrus swallowed. "Okay. Okay, uh…"
Bastion was already closing his eyes. Julian sighed, quietly.
Bastion's brow furrowed as his mind kicked into motion at full speed. "If we assume emotional resonance increases with proximity, then statistically speaking the spirits would benefit from positioning themselves…"
"Bastion…" Julian interrupted, tone even. "Eyes open."
Bastion blinked. "…I beg your pardon?"
"This isn't a thought experiment." Julian said. "It's hide and seek."
Syrus let out a weak laugh. "Thank you."
Bastion opened his eyes reluctantly, scanning the clearing as if it had personally offended him by refusing to become a diagram.
They moved. At first, it looked exactly like two students searching for dropped keys.
Bastion walked in careful lines, stopping every few steps to reassess angles, terrain, probable hiding vectors. Syrus followed half a pace behind, shoulders tight, glancing everywhere and nowhere at once.
They passed Dark Plant. The timid spirit shrank back, leaves folding inward in nervous excitement. Neither noticed.
They walked past Happy Lover. The little winged fairy vibrated so hard with barely contained laughter that Julian could feel it like a tickle at the edge of his awareness.
Syrus stopped suddenly.
"I… I don't feel anything," he whispered. Panic crept into his voice. "I think I'm doing this wrong."
"You are." Julian said calmly. "But not for the reason you think."
Syrus looked back at him helplessly. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
Julian didn't answer immediately. He watched Bastion pause again, mentally recalibrating, building a structure so elaborate it collapsed under its own weight before it could be useful. Then Julian spoke, but at the other yellow student instead of Syrus.
"Move your ass." he said. "Stop trying to solve it."
Bastion turned. "But without an adequate plan, it will take longer. I need working hypothesis…"
"You don't need a hypothesis to notice when something feels off. When someone you love is in danger, will you stop and conjecture vectors and plans or do something about it?" Julian cut in. "Believe it, you do that every day."
Bastion hesitated. "…I do?"
"Yes." Julian said. "You just don't trust it. Put your brain in the backburner for a second."
Syrus stood frozen where he was, hands clenched at his sides, the echo of his small success already fading into something brittle.
"I can't tell the difference… Between imagination and… and something real. I'm just not cut out for this…" he muttered, barely louder than the wind. "You guys are all ahead and I'm… I'm just me."
The words landed heavier than he probably intended. Julian didn't answer right away.
He watched Syrus for a second longer than was comfortable, not with disappointment, not with pity. With the kind of attention that meant he wasn't going to let this slide.
Then he finally spoke.
"Sy… You're my friend. That won't change. Ever." Syrus looked up, startled. "But I need you to hear this clearly."
The tone shifted. It was not overtly harsh, but unmistakably firm.
"In schoolwork. In dueling. And now with Ba training, it's always the same pattern." Julian took a step closer, not crowding him, just closing the distance enough that Syrus couldn't retreat into himself. "You lose in your head long before the match ever starts. You hesitate, and then you sabotage yourself."
Mindy inhaled sharply, instinctively ready to protest, but she stopped. This wasn't an attack. It was an intervention.
Jasmine's expression turned serious, lips pressed together. Bastion looked at the situation in disbelief for a second, eyes narrowing not in disagreement, but recognition.
Julian continued.
"Every single time you actually try, you improve. A lot. I've seen it. Jaden's seen it. Everyone here has." Jaden didn't joke. Didn't grin. He just nodded once, silently backing him up.
"And then..." Julian went on. "Half an hour later, you've already convinced yourself it was a fluke. That it doesn't count. And you sink right back into the same hole."
Syrus's mouth opened, closed.
"So I have to ask…" Julian said, voice lower now, not accusatory but unyielding. "If you've already seen what happens when you give yourself a real chance… Why do you still doubt yourself this much?"
The question hung there, unanswered. Alexis felt it hit somewhere deep. She didn't speak, but her gaze softened. She knew what it was like to feel like failure wasn't an option, and how crushing that pressure could become.
Syrus swallowed.
"It's not that easy." he said finally, voice tight. "It's not like I can just… stop being like this."
"I know," Julian answered immediately, nodding. No hesitation. No dismissal. "I'm not asking you to flip a switch. I'm not asking you to become a different person overnight."
Some of the tension drained from Syrus's shoulders, just a fraction.
"What I am asking of you…" Julian continued. "Is that you stop assuming you've already lost before we even start. That in the first roadblock in your path you simply assume that you are unworthy to even try."
He gestured lightly toward the clearing, toward the spirits still hiding, watching, listening.
"For today, that's your entire goal. Not to be confident. Not to be perfect. Just this: don't quit on yourself before we test your actual limits."
Syrus frowned, confused. "That's it?"
"That's it." Julian concluded. "Let your Ba show you what it can do before you decide it's useless. Before you decide you are."
He held Syrus's gaze, steady and unflinching.
"Deal?"
There was a long pause. Then Syrus nodded. Small. Hesitant.
"…Deal."
Jaden finally stepped in, rubbing the back of his head with a large grin, softer than usual.
"Yeah." he said. "You don't have to turn into a different person overnight, Sy. Just… give yourself permission to be better than yesterday."
Syrus let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"…You guys are really bad at pep talks." he muttered.
Julian snorted. "Good. This wasn't one."
That earned a weak laugh, but it was real.
Mindy relaxed at last, stepping closer to Syrus's side, bumping her shoulder lightly against his. "You heard them. No quitting early."
Bastion nodded once. "From a data standpoint," he added dryly, "your sample size of 'times Syrus actually tried' is statistically insufficient to justify your conclusion."
Syrus blinked. "…Thanks?"
Jasmine smiled faintly. "He means you're not hopeless."
Julian glanced between them, then back to Syrus.
"You don't need us holding your hand forever." he said more quietly. "And you won't always have Jaden or me nearby when that doubt kicks in. So you need to learn how to push past it yourself. Even if it's just one step at a time."
Syrus straightened a little.
"…Okay."
Julian nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then let's keep going. I'll give you three more minutes to continue the exercise."