Dawn broke cold and gray over Haewon, mist clinging to the lower cliff districts like a burial shroud.
Dan stood outside his family's cottage, a worn travel pack slung over his shoulder. His parents waited by the door, his mother's eyes red from crying, his father leaning heavily on his crutch.
"You have everything?" his mother asked for the third time, her voice trembling.
"Yes, Ma."
"The bread I packed, the extra clothes, the—"
"I have everything." Dan pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'll be fine."
His father stepped forward, placing a weathered hand on Dan's shoulder. "Remember what I taught you."
"A beast doesn't make the man," Dan recited quietly. "The man makes the beast."
Torin nodded, his grip tightening. "The Academy will try to break you. Don't let it."
Dan pulled away, blinking back tears. "I won't."
His spore cloud materialized beside him, gray and unassuming. The luminescent mushrooms in his hair glowed faintly—larger now after a week of training, but still embarrassing.
He dismissed them quickly, willing the spore to remain visible but the mushrooms to stay hidden.
With a final wave, Dan turned and began the long climb toward Haewon's upper city, where the Academy of the Skybound awaited.
***
The Academy stood at the cliff city's pinnacle, a massive complex of stone buildings and training grounds carved directly into the mountain itself. Towers stretched toward the sky, connected by bridges that seemed to defy gravity. Essence Cores powered everything—light, heat, the protective barriers that kept wild beasts at bay.
Dan joined the stream of new students flowing through the main gates, each accompanied by their bonded beasts.
He saw creatures of every type: Flame Foxes with tails that burned like torches, Crystal Hawks with wings that chimed like bells, Iron Wolves with fur like brushed steel. Most were Bronze-rank or higher. A few Elite Resonance students had Silver-rank companions that drew awed whispers.
And then there was Dan, with his gray spore cloud.
The stares began immediately.
"Is that... a spore?"
"Poor kid."
"What's he even doing here?"
Dan kept his head high, forcing himself to ignore the whispers. He'd known this would happen. Expected it.
But knowing didn't make it easier.
The crowd funneled into a massive courtyard where hundreds of students gathered, organized into groups based on Resonance Grade.
Elite Resonance (3.5–5.4): The largest group, filling the central area.
High Resonance (5.5–7.9): A smaller cluster to the right, their beasts noticeably more impressive.
Lord Resonance (8.0–10.0): Only a handful of students, standing apart with an air of natural authority.
And then, at the very back, separated by a wide gap:
Low Resonance (1.0–3.4): The forgotten ones.
Dan made his way to the Low Resonance group, trying to ignore the pitying looks from the Elite students he passed. There were perhaps thirty students total in his section—far fewer than the other groups.
Most had Common Plants or basic elemental beasts. Their Resonance Grades ranged from 2.5 to 3.4—respectable enough to avoid complete mockery.
Then there was Dan, with his 1.3.
He stood at the edge of the group, his spore cloud drifting beside him.
A girl nearby—maybe eleven years old, with a small **Ember Mouse** perched on her shoulder—glanced at his spore and quickly looked away, embarrassed for him.
Before Dan could dwell on it, a voice rang out across the courtyard.
"ATTENTION!"
The crowd fell silent instantly.
A woman stood on an elevated platform at the courtyard's center. She wore dark robes trimmed with silver, and her presence radiated authority. Behind her floated a magnificent creature—a **Moonwolf** the size of a horse, its fur gleaming with ethereal silver light.
Silver-rank, level 3. Possibly higher.
"I am Headmaster Yuna," the woman announced, her voice carrying effortlessly across the courtyard. "Welcome to the Academy of the Skybound. You are here because you have bonded with beasts and shown potential—whether great or small—to serve Haewon and the realm beyond."
She paused, her sharp eyes sweeping across the assembled students.
"Some of you possess High or Lord Resonance. You will be expected to lead, to excel, to set the standard for others." Her gaze shifted to the Elite group. "Some of you possess Elite Resonance. You are the backbone of our society—skilled, capable, essential."
Another pause.
"And some of you..." Her eyes landed on the Low Resonance section. "...possess grades that society considers unremarkable. You will face doubt. Mockery. The assumption that you do not belong here."
Dan's jaw tightened.
"But you are here," Headmaster Yuna continued, her voice hardening. "You have signed the contract. You will complete eight years of training. And in that time, you will prove—to yourselves and to others—what you are truly capable of."
She raised her hand, and six glowing circles appeared in the air around her, each depicting a different symbol.
"The Academy trains in six disciplines: Combat, Beast Evolution, Essence Cultivation, Strategy, Survival, and Specialized Applications. You will study all six. You will be tested in all six. And your performance will determine your rank within the Academy."
The symbols flared brighter.
"Your Resonance Grade determines your starting position. But it does not
determine your final destination. Work hard enough, and even a Low Resonance student can surpass an Elite."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd—skeptical from the Elite students, desperate hope from the Low Resonance group.
"However," Headmaster Yuna's voice turned cold, "failure is not tolerated. Students who cannot meet minimum standards will be reassigned to labor positions. Your beasts will remain bonded, but you will not continue training here."
The threat hung in the air like a blade.
"Your dormitories have been assigned based on Resonance Grade. You will find your assignments posted in the main hall. Classes begin tomorrow at dawn. Do not be late."
With that, she turned and walked away, her Moonwolf padding silently beside her.
The crowd erupted into nervous chatter.
***
Dan found his dormitory assignment quickly: Lower District Barracks, Room 47.
Of course the Low Resonance students got the worst accommodations.
The barracks were located at the Academy's edge, farthest from the training grounds and closest to the service areas. The building was old stone, functional but lacking the polished elegance of the Elite dormitories Dan had passed on the way.
Room 47 was small—two narrow beds, a shared desk, a single window overlooking the cliff's edge. His roommate had already arrived: a thin boy with nervous eyes and a Common Plant bonded to his wrist. Vines with small leaves grew from his forearm, marking him as an Iron-rank summoner.
"I'm Tae," the boy said quietly, barely meeting Dan's eyes. "Resonance 2.8."
"Dan. 1.3."
Tae's eyes widened slightly, but to his credit, he didn't laugh. "That's... rough."
"Yeah."
An awkward silence fell between them.
Dan set his pack on the empty bed and looked out the window. From here, he could see the training grounds far below—massive arenas where students would soon be fighting, testing their beasts against each other.
His spore cloud drifted to the windowsill, pulsing faintly.
"What's your plan?" Tae asked suddenly.
Dan turned. "Plan?"
"For surviving here. Everyone in Low Resonance has one." Tae gestured to his plant. "Mine is to stay quiet, avoid attention, pass the minimum requirements, and get assigned to agricultural work after graduation. Safe. Stable."
"That's not a bad plan," Dan said carefully.
"But it's not yours."
Dan looked at his spore cloud. "No. It's not."
"Then what is?"
Dan thought of his father's words. Of Riu's unexpected gift. Of Kael's flames and the way his spore had protected him despite being weak.
"I'm going to prove everyone wrong," Dan said quietly.
Tae stared at him for a long moment, then laughed—not mockingly, but with genuine surprise. "With a spore? A 1.3 Resonance? You're insane."
"Probably."
"They'll destroy you in Combat class. You know that, right?"
"I know."
"And in Evolution class, you won't have anything to contribute since your beast can't evolve."
"I know that too."
Tae shook his head, but there was something like respect in his eyes. "Well, at least you'll make the rest of us look better by comparison."
Dan smiled despite himself. "Glad I can help."
***
That night, Dan lay in bed, unable to sleep.
Through the thin walls, he could hear other Low Resonance students talking—some nervous, some resigned, some already planning how to coast through eight years with minimal effort.
Dan called forth his spore cloud, letting it hover above him in the darkness.
"Tomorrow starts the real test," he whispered. "Combat class first, according to the schedule."
The spore pulsed.
Dan thought of Riu's cultivation manual, now hidden in his pack. He'd memorized the basic techniques, but applying them in actual combat would be different.
His spore couldn't fight directly. It had no claws, no fangs, no elemental attacks.
But it could survive. It could absorb. It could grow.
"We're going to get destroyed tomorrow," Dan said quietly. "You know that, right?"
The spore pulsed again, almost defiantly.
"But we're going to get back up. Every time."
Another pulse.
Dan closed his eyes, his mind drifting back to the Platform of Ascension, to the moment his pathetic 1.3 Resonance Grade had been revealed.
He remembered the laughter. The pity. The assumption that he would fail.
But you're still here, Riu's voice echoed in his memory. That means something.
Dan opened his eyes, staring at his spore cloud.
"Alright, little spore. Let's see what we're really made of."
The mushrooms materialized in his hair, glowing softly in the darkness—tiny, stubborn beacons of life.
Tae rolled over in his bed, muttering, "Could you turn off your mushrooms? I'm trying to sleep."
"Sorry." Dan dismissed them quickly, embarrassed.
But as he finally drifted off to sleep, a small smile touched his lips.
Tomorrow, the Academy would try to break him.
But Dan had survived worse.
He'd survived a 0.01% probability. He'd survived Kael's flames. He'd survived a week of training with the weakest beast in history.
He could survive this too.
***
Far across the Academy, in the High Resonance dormitories where luxury matched status, Riu stood on her private balcony.
Her Celestial Wyvern had grown again—now the size of a small dragon, its starlight scales gleaming in the moonlight, golden lightning crackling softly along its spine.
She looked out over the Academy grounds, her golden eyes finding the distant Lower District Barracks where the Low Resonance students slept.
"Do you think he'll survive?" she asked her wyvern.
The creature rumbled thoughtfully.
"The first Combat class will be brutal. They'll pair him against someone with at least a 3.0 Resonance. His spore can't fight."
Another rumble.
"But he didn't break at the Platform. Didn't cry. Didn't rage." Riu's lips curved slightly. "He's stubborn. Reckless, maybe. But stubborn."
Her wyvern lowered its massive head, and she rested her hand on its scales.
"I gave him the manual because I was curious. I wanted to see if he'd actually use it, or if he'd give up like everyone expected."
The wyvern's eyes gleamed with intelligence.
"Tomorrow we'll find out which he chose."
Lightning crackled across the wyvern's body, illuminating the night.
Somewhere in the Lower District Barracks, a faint gray glow pulsed in the darkness.
And in the depths of his soul space, Dan dreamed of stone stairs ascending toward a palace with countless doors, each one hiding something waiting to be discovered.
The Academy had begun.
And nothing would ever be the same.
---
To be continued...