The day of the sect test arrived like a storm that had been building for a long time.
Lanine woke before the suns. His heart was pounding against his ribs. The air felt different. Charged. Expectant. Like the whole world was holding its breath and waiting to see what would happen.
Rika was already awake. Sitting in her corner. Knees drawn up to her chest. Staring at nothing.
"You did not sleep," Lanine said.
"Could not."
"Me neither."
They sat in silence for a moment. Seven days had passed since they had met. Seven days since their worlds ended. Seven days of running and hiding and learning and surviving. Seven days of becoming something that was not quite friends and not quite family but was definitely something.
Yesterday the Trade and Chat functions were unlocked. Lanine had spent an hour staring at the new screens. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of voices. Billions of people from his universe are all talking at once. He had not dared to message anyone. What would he even say?
Hello, I am from a destroyed planet. Please do not eat me.
Rika had laughed when he told her. It was the first laugh he had heard from her in days.
But the Spirit System—the voice that whispered in his dreams, the presence he sometimes felt at the edge of his mind—was still silent. Still waiting.
Today would change everything. Lanine could feel it.
---
The training ground had been completely transformed.
Where there used to be packed dirt and wooden dummies, now there was a raised platform made of polished stone. It stood in the center of the ground. Dominating everything. Surrounding it were rows of wooden seats. Every seat was full. Every villager who could walk was here. Parents holding children. Elders leaning on canes. Even the walking bushes had gathered at the edges. Like they understood how important this was.
At the center of the platform on a small table covered in red silk sat the Constitution Stone.
It was bigger than the one Varn had used before. About the size of a human head. Perfectly clear. Something moved inside it. Smoke or maybe something else. Swirling slowly. Around its base, smaller crystals were arranged in a pattern. A detection array. To prevent cheating and false readings.
Examiner Varn stood behind the table. His shifting robes caught the light of three suns. Red to orange to purple. Flanking him were two disciples in formal sect clothes. Deep red robes with golden flames on the collars and cuffs. Their faces showed nothing. Revealed nothing.
Between them and the crowd, a line of village guards stood at attention. Goro was among them. His scarred face was grim.
This was not a celebration.
This was a judgment.
---
The Chief rose from her seat in the front row. Her voice carried across the silent crowd.
"People of Axo Stone. For generations, we have lived in these mountains. We have mined the stone. Tilled the soil. Raised our children. For generations, we have sent those children to stand where they stand today."
She pointed to the thirty-seven young candidates. Lined up at the edge of the platform. Ages from eight to fifteen. Some trembled openly. Others stood stiff. Faces pale. A few looked eager.
"Some of you will be chosen. Some will not. This is not a judgment of your worth as people. It is the way of cultivation. The heavens give talent as they will. We can only work with what we are given."
She paused. Let the words sink in.
"Know this. Whether you are chosen or not, you are still children of Axo Stone. You still have a place here. You still have worth."
She sat down.
Examiner Varn stepped forward.
---
Varn was different today. The casual amusement was gone. Replaced by something cold and official. When he spoke his voice carried weight.
"The Molten Core Sect has tested candidates in this region for five hundred years. In that time we have seen thousands of children stand where you stand now. Some became elders. Some died in training. Most were forgotten."
He let that hang in the air.
"The Constitution Stone does not lie. It does not care about your hopes or your dreams or your parents' sacrifices. It shows what is there. Those with enough talent will be offered admission. Those without will return to their villages and find other paths."
Lanine's stomach churned. Beside him, Rika had gone very still.
"The test is simple. You will approach the stone one by one. You will place your right hand on its surface. You will hold it there until the stone gives its judgment. Do not remove your hand early. Do not try to influence the result. The detection array will know."
He gestured. The two disciples stepped forward with a scroll.
"Results are recorded forever. There is no appeal. There is no second chance. When your name is called, you will come forward."
The first name was called.
A boy of nine walked toward the platform like he was walking to his death.
---
The boy's name was Temin.
Lanine learned this because the crowd whispered it as he passed. Son of the baker. Good kid. Hard worker. Everyone hoped he would succeed.
Temin climbed the steps on shaky legs. Approached the stone. Looked back once at his parents. His mother was already crying. Then he put his hand on the crystal.
For a moment nothing.
Then the stone flickered. A faint orange glow. Barely visible. Like a candle about to die. The smoke inside swirled slowly. Without energy.
One of the disciples checked the detection array. Announced in a voice with no feeling:
"Tier Zero. No cultivation potential. Next."
Temin's face crumpled. His hand stayed on the stone for one extra heartbeat. Like he could force it to change. Then he stumbled back. Off the platform. Past the guards. Into his mother's waiting arms.
She held him. Whispered things Lanine could not hear.
The next name was called.
---
The test continued.
Each child walked up. Each child touched the stone. Each child received their judgment.
Tier Zero. Tier Zero. Tier Zero.
A girl named Mira got Tier One Low. Her father actually wept with joy. Tier One Low was barely enough. She would be on probation. Required to prove herself in the first year. But it was something. It was a chance.
Tier Zero. Tier Zero. Tier One Low again.
A boy named Joren got Tier One Mid. The crowd actually applauded. Varn nodded. Made a note on his scroll. Joren walked back to his parents with his head high. They embraced him as he had already conquered the world.
Tier Zero. Tier Zero. Tier One Low.
The twelve-year-old girl had shown promise during training. Her name was Kira. She stepped up to the stone. Calm. Focused. Placed her hand on the crystal.
The stone blazed orange-gold. Steady and strong.
"Tier Two Low," the disciple announced. For the first time, there was surprise in his voice.
The crowd erupted. Tier Two in Axo Stone? Unheard of in generations. Kira's mother collapsed sobbing. Her father lifted her onto his shoulders like a champion.
Varn wrote something longer on his scroll. Tier Two was worth a full scholarship. Priority training. Direct entry into the core discipline program.
Even Lanine felt happy for her.
But in the back of his mind, a cold thought whispered.
Thirty-six children tested. Only four with any potential at all. And Rika still has not gone.
---
THE RESULTS SO FAR
Tier Zero: Twenty-eight children.
Tier One Low: Four children.
Tier One Mid: Two children.
Tier One High: One child.
Tier Two Low: One child. Kira.
Total tested: Thirty-six children.
One candidate remained.
---
The thirty-sixth child stepped down.
One candidate left.
Varn looked at his scroll. Then at the crowd. His voice when he spoke carried something strange. Curiosity. Or maybe anticipation.
"Rika of Veridia. Step forward."
The crowd stirred. Whispers spread like fire. Veridia? Where is Veridia? Not from here. Outsider. The one who came with the boy.
Rika's hand found Lanine's. Squeezed so hard his fingers went numb.
"I am scared," she whispered.
"You are the bravest person I know." He squeezed back. "Go show them."
She let go. Walked forward. Every eye in the village followed.
The platform steps seemed endless. The stone seemed to watch her approach. Its clear surface reflecting nothing but the sky. The disciples stared. Varn stared. Even though Kira was still celebrating with her family turned to watch.
Rika reached the stone.
She looked at it for a long moment. Then she looked back. Not at the crowd. At Lanine. Just for a second.
Then she placed her hand on the crystal.
Nothing.
She pressed harder.
Nothing.
The stone remained completely dark. No flicker. No glow. No swirl of smoke. Just clear crystal. Empty as glass. Reflecting nothing.
Seconds passed. Ten. Twenty. Thirty.
The disciples checked the detection array. Frowned. Checked again.
"Array shows no reading," one said. Confusion in his voice. "It is like she is not there."
Varn's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward. Studied the stone. Studied Rika. Studied the array. For a long terrible moment, he said nothing.
Then: "Step aside."
Rika's hand fell from the stone. Her face was as white as paper. She walked off the platform without looking at anyone. Without looking at anything. Disappeared into the crowd.
The whispers exploded.
"Broken."
"Never seen that before."
"Stone shows nothing?"
"Must be cursed."
"Outsider. Should have known."
Lanine started toward her. Goro's hand caught his arm.
"Let her breathe," the guard said quietly. "She needs a moment."
"She needs me—"
"She needs to not have an audience while she falls apart. Give her that."
Lanine wanted to argue. Goro's grip was firm. Rika was already gone.
He would find her later. He had to.
But first—
"Lanine of Unknown Origin," Varn called. "Step forward."
---
The walk to the platform felt like walking through water.
Lanine was aware of the crowd watching. Of the children who had failed staring with hollow eyes. Of Kira's family still celebrating at the edge. His hands were still faintly glowing. Of the whispers that followed him.
The boy. The outsider. The one who absorbed energy too fast.
He reached the stone.
Varn studied him with those ancient ember eyes. "We already know your result from yesterday. But protocol requires public confirmation." His voice dropped. Just for Lanine. "Try not to blind anyone."
Lanine placed his hand on the stone.
For one heartbeat nothing.
Then light.
The stone blazed white hot. So bright people cried out and shielded their eyes. Colors exploded across its surface. Orange. Red. Purple. Gold. Cycling faster and faster until they blurred into pure incandescence. The smoke within spun like a whirlpool. Lanine felt something pull from deep inside him. Something he had not known was there.
The detection array screamed.
Both disciples stumbled back. Shock on their usually blank faces.
"TIER THREE HIGH GRADE!" one shouted over the noise. "CONFIRMED! MULTIPLIER FIFTEEN TIMES!"
The crowd erupted.
Varn was on his feet. His composure was shattered. "In a village? In the middle of nowhere?" He grabbed Lanine's wrist. Checking something. Meridians. Energy flow. Something. His hands were shaking. "Boy, do you understand what this means? Tier Three High has not been seen in this region in fifty years! You are not just candidate material. You are core disciple material. The Sect Master herself will want to meet you!"
Parents pushed their children forward. Like being close to him might transfer some of his talent. Kira stared at him with something like awe. Even Goro looked stunned.
Lanine stared at his hands. Still glowing. Still special.
But all he could think about was Rika.
---
The celebration continued around him. But Lanine slipped away as soon as he could.
He found Rika at the village edge. The exact spot where they had watched the sun set so many times.
She did not turn when he approached.
"I am happy for you," she said. Her voice was flat. Empty. "Really. You deserve it."
"Rika—"
"The stone showed nothing. Nothing Lanine. Those kids with Tier Zero at least got a flicker. I got darkness." She laughed. The sound was brittle. Like it might shatter. "I am less than nothing in this world."
"You are not—"
"The rock. The stitch-hound. Luck. That is all I am." She finally turned to face him. Her eyes were dry. No tears left. "Go to the sect. Become powerful. Forget about me."
"I am not forgetting you."
"You should."
"Rika—"
"Just—" Her voice cracked. "Just go. Please."
He stood frozen. His intuition screamed at him to stay. To fight. To not let her push him away.
But her face was a wall he could not break.
"I am not giving up on you," he said quietly. "Ever."
He walked back to the village.
Behind him, Rika hugged her knees tighter and stared at the horizon where three suns were beginning to set.
---
The celebration lasted well into the night.
Torches were lit. Food was brought out. Someone played music on a stringed instrument. The villagers danced and drank and laughed. Celebrating Kira's success. Celebrating Lanine's miracle. Celebrating the hope that Axo Stone might finally become a town.
Lanine sat apart from it all. Watching. Waiting.
Rika never came back.
Goro found him near the Destiny Platform hours after midnight.
"She is at the mine," the guard said quietly. "The miners are looking out for her. She is safe."
"She should not be alone."
"She needs to be alone. Trust me." Goro sat beside him. "I have seen this before. Kids who test as nothing. It is a wound that does not heal quickly."
"She is nothing."
"I know that. You know that. She does not know that yet." Goro looked at the Platform. Its purple-gold light pulsing gently. "Give her time. She will come back."
Lanine nodded. Said nothing.
Goro left.
The stars spun slowly overhead.
---
Lanine was still awake when the air changed.
It was subtle at first. A pressure shift. Like before a thunderstorm. The kind of change that makes your ears pop and your skin prickle.
Then it got stronger.
He stumbled to his feet. Grabbed the shed wall for support. The pressure built and built until it felt like the whole world was holding its breath. The Destiny Platform flared. Its light suddenly flares. The walking bushes at the village edge actually ran.
Above the mountain. Above the mine where Rika had gone. The stars were bending.
Not moving. Bending. Curving inward like light around something invisible. And at the center of that curve something was descending.
Not fast. Not slow. Just arriving. Like it had always been there and was only now choosing to be seen.
Lanine ran.
---
The mine entrance was still there when he reached it. Thank every god that might exist.
But in front of it standing as she had grown from the earth itself was a woman.
She was tall. Not impossibly tall. Tall enough to seem so. Robes of deep blue. The color of the deepest ocean. Embroidered with silver thread that caught the starlight. Hair the color of moonlight. Floating slightly, as if she were underwater. Even though the air was still.
And her eyes—
Her eyes were fixed on something in front of her.
Rika.
Standing frozen at the mine entrance. Staring at the woman like she had seen a ghost made real.
"Rika!" Lanine shouted. Running toward her.
The woman turned.
Her gaze fell on him. Lanine felt for the first time in his life what it meant to be truly seen. Not looked at. Seen. Every secret. Every fear. Every hope. Laid bare in an instant.
"You are the one," she said softly. Her voice was music and thunder and the crash of waves. "The one who has been with her."
Lanine grabbed Rika's arm. Pulled her behind him. It was ridiculous. He had no power. No cultivation. Nothing. He did it anyway.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want?"
The woman's eyes never left Rika.
"I have been searching," she whispered. "For so long. Through so many places. I thought I had lost you forever."
Rika's voice when it came was barely a breath.
"Mother?"
The woman smiled. It was the saddest happiest most complicated smile Lanine had ever seen.
"Yes, little one. I am here."