Narrator:There is a moment in every year at Vantaria when the air changes—not because of war or weather, but wonder. A rare flicker of normalcy. A festival, born to celebrate peace between nations that no longer speak. The students call it the Pulse Carnival—a week where rivalry, romance, pride, and power all come out to play.
But this year… something darker hums beneath the laughter.
The campus of Vantaria had transformed. Lanterns of crystal blue and ember orange floated between towers, students darted between booths selling floating noodles, reactive scarves, and duel charms. Fireworks shaped like mythical beasts spiraled across the sky. Even Headmaster Arden was seen smiling—a cosmic event in itself.
Kael Virex stood in the middle of it all, arms crossed, a half-eaten shadow apple in his hand.
"I still don't get why we have to wear these ridiculous cloaks," he muttered.
"They're festival uniforms," Zayen replied, turning in a slow circle, letting the long white and gold cloak swirl behind him. "Besides, you look like an edgy librarian. It suits you."
Kael snorted. "Says the guy who added lightning pins to his boots."
"They glow when I dash. Aesthetic is half the battle."
The Carnival's highlight? The Open Pulse Exhibition Duel—where the academy's top ten Pulse users demonstrate their abilities in front of the entire school and potential recruiters.
Zayen, of course, had been nominated by force by his excited classmates.
"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the next contender…" the announcer's voice boomed across the floating arena stage, suspended by rotating runes.
"…ZAYEN THORNE, wielding the Burst Loop Pulse!"
The crowd erupted. Iris cheered from the food booth—her apron covered in energy jam and spicy kebab oil. She waved, accidentally flinging a skewer into the air.
Kael stood beside her, unimpressed. "Ten creds say he backflips and lands in a puddle."
"He's not that clumsy," Iris defended—just as Zayen tripped during his entrance roll and face-planted. The crowd still cheered.
But when Zayen turned toward his opponent, the energy shifted.
The boy across the arena wore a sleek, dark mask with a single glowing eye. His school robes were altered—jagged edges, and stitched with symbols not from Vantaria. His name flickered on the display:
SILAS VAER — Unaffiliated Transfer | Pulse Type: Unknown
"Never heard of him," Kael muttered, sketchpad twitching in his fingers. "But he's...off."
Zayen narrowed his eyes. "Let's make this quick then."
The duel began.
Zayen dashed forward, leaving afterimages—his Burst Loop kicking in, letting him repeat hyper-movements mid-strike. His fists blurred like thunder.
Silas moved only once—and Zayen stopped.
Mid-punch.
Frozen.
No—looped.
His move replayed. Again. And again. And again. Until—
"Break—!" Zayen shouted, twisting, finally forcing a stutter.
Kael's breath caught.
Silas's Pulse… it didn't just cancel Zayen's. It rewound it.
"This guy's manipulating rhythm," Kael whispered. "But not like Zayen. It's like he's… breaking the song itself."
Silas turned his head toward Kael mid-duel—his glowing eye focusing through him.
Kael's sketchbook fluttered open on its own. His pencil drew a circle—unbidden.
Scene break — Later that day
Kael sat alone under the glowing willow tree, sketchbook closed. Something was wrong. His drawing earlier had started pulsing. The ink bled—like it wanted out.
"I didn't even finish that rune…"
His thoughts were interrupted as Riven walked by, now in a red festival yukata, carrying a tray of mochi.
"Didn't know you liked fireworks," she said, smiling.
"I don't."
"Then why are you still here?"
Kael looked up at the sky. "Because the storm hasn't started yet."
She paused, then laughed. "Dramatic as always. Want a mochi?"
He accepted. Their fingers brushed.
No words. But the pause between breaths was louder than thunder.
Back at the food booths, Iris tossed another batch of exploding dumplings into the fryer. Zayen—wrapped in a bandage scarf—sat with a frown.
"Explain it to me again," she said.
"His Pulse didn't loop like mine. He looped me. He made me glitch. Like I wasn't real for a second."
"Are you sure it wasn't your ego glitching from all the applause?"
He smirked. "You're lucky you're cute."
She blushed, tossing a pepper at him.
It exploded.
Narrator (final lines):The Pulse Carnival ended with laughter, sparks, and dancing. But in the quiet, after the lanterns dimmed and students slept, Silas stood on the academy's rooftop—mask in hand.
His other eye—silver, cracked—glowed faintly.
"They're waking up," he whispered.
"And the fruit… has begun to ripen."