The academy wasn't the only place hit.
In the days following the breach, news spread like wildfire across the globe. Other institutions, bases, and even fortified territories had reported strange anomalies—spatial distortions, unknown creatures, systems glitching in unpredictable ways. The world was trembling, and the factions that had once loomed silently in the background began to stir.
The Dominion Houses in the North erected arcane walls reinforced by ancient relics. The Ascendant Pact, known for their merciless enforcers, issued full combat readiness orders. Even the Obsidian Spire Consortium, usually reclusive and uninterested in global affairs, deployed elites to their border cities.
But here at Elaris, the echoes of that initial raid still lingered.
Alexander sat cross-legged in his private training chamber, the silence pierced only by the hum of his system. His roommates were scattered—each undergoing intense training and duties in various divisions. Today, it was just him and Zeke, the quietest among his companions.
Zeke hadn't said much since the breach. But now, seated opposite Alexander in the dimly-lit chamber, he spoke softly, almost hesitantly.
"You're hiding something," he said.
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "Everyone is."
"Yeah. But most people don't survive direct contact with something like that and come out without a scratch."
Alexander didn't answer. He didn't need to. Zeke didn't press further. Instead, he reached for a pulse crystal and activated a light-field simulation.
"I figured you'd be training alone," Zeke said. "Thought I'd keep you company."
The simulation sparked to life—a holographic projection of the Khy'Rhak, flickering with faint static. Alexander watched its movement carefully, analyzing each shift in stance, the smoothness of its body language, the way it thought before striking.
Then he summoned his System.
[Status Screen – Hidden Layer Accessed]
> Name: Alexander Grey
Race: Human (Awakened Variant)
Tier: Ascendant Initiate
Level: 397
HP: 12,340 / 12,340
MP: 9,210 / 9,210
Strength: 810
Agility: 745
Willpower: 805
Intelligence: 890
Perception: 670
Dexterity: 720
Constitution: 740
Charisma: 720
Luck: ???
EXP: 812,400
Visible Traits:
Adaptive Learning (Passive)
Minor Energy Manipulation
Tactical Memory Sync
Hidden Traits:
Hollow Skill Matrix [Encrypted]
Void-Touched Affinity [Dormant]
System Core Integration (Advanced)
Core Abilities:
Energy Manipulation (A)
Crystal Cache (S) – Basic storage ability
Acidic Adaptation (SSS) – Ability to adapt and utilize acidic properties
Acidic Venom (S): Corrosive attack that weakens defenses
Corrosive Strike (S): Powerful acid-infused strike
Toxic Spray (A): Wide-area acid attack
Caustic Blast (B): Devastating acid explosion
Inspection – Analyze entities, energy flows, and weaknesses
Vector Step – High-speed repositioning technique
Assassination Arts: Shadow Fang – Critical damage multiplier from stealth
Toughness – Passive damage resistance and endurance boost
Arc Blade (Unawakened Variant) – Blade conjuration enhanced by kinetic force
Null Pulse – Disrupts basic energy techniques within a short radius
Temporal Glimpse – Predictive movement window (cooldown active)
Hollow Skills:
Phantom Core – Masks energy signature from all detection types
Echo Kill – Silent kill technique; increases damage based on precision
Void Memory Sync – Absorbs fragments of enemy fighting patterns
Black Veil – Passive stealth enhancement in dim or chaotic environments
Passives:
Hive Sense (B) – Detect and interpret hive-based communications
Fire Resistance (C) – Reduces fire damage taken
Pack Tactics (C) – Increases coordination and effectiveness when leading allies
Resonance Mode – (Can be activated under high stress; consumes EXP)
System Notes: Visibility concealment: Active
Hollow Skills: Hidden
[Note: Certain abilities and system attributes are obscured from external scans.]
Alexander exhaled slowly. He wasn't just above average anymore—he was stepping into territory most humans would never reach. Even among elites, his stats would cause alarm if discovered. And still… it wasn't enough.
He thought of the way the Khy'Rhak moved. The precise strikes. The unsettling calm. Power wasn't all that would win the coming war—understanding would.
His system flickered faintly, and a whisper pulsed in his mind—not a prompt, but a memory.
"Strength without purpose is just another kind of tyranny."
He had said that once, in a collapsing bunker, surrounded by corpses and broken systems.
Now the words echoed, challenging him.
He clenched his fists.
"I need more than brute strength," he muttered.
Zeke looked at him. "You think they're coming back soon?"
"No," Alexander replied. "They sent scouts. Next time, it won't be a test. It'll be a purge."
Zeke frowned. "Then we train. Every day until we can take on ten of them and not break a sweat."
Alexander smiled faintly. For a boy who rarely talked, Zeke had a good sense of timing.
Then Zeke went quiet again, unusually thoughtful. His eyes didn't meet Alexander's when he spoke next.
"I used to think silence made me safe," he murmured. "But now... I think it just makes me invisible."
Alexander paused. That wasn't just idle reflection.
"You're not invisible," he said quietly. "You're just waiting for the right moment to be seen."
Their eyes met, and something passed between them—mutual recognition, not of strength, but of survival. Of pain unspoken.
They didn't push further. Not yet. But trust was beginning to form.
---
Later that evening, the entire group reunited. Milo was complaining about some new shock-resistant armor that nearly fried his hair, while Jace retold how he nearly "accidentally" disabled a ranking instructor during sparring. They laughed, and for a moment, the academy didn't feel like a war machine.
Something shifted between them that week. Milo and Jace, once always bickering, now moved in sync during formations. Zeke, while still quiet, began volunteering input during strategy discussions. They didn't just survive the breach—they grew from it.
And then Calen arrived, slipping into the gathering like a shadow.
"You sure you're supposed to be here?" Milo asked, raising a brow.
Calen gave a faint smirk. "My parents don't even know I'm here. Thank the stars they haven't found out yet."
Surprised silence followed.
"I wasn't supposed to enlist. Not here, not with the low-tier crowd. I was meant to inherit land, a name, expectations. But I ran. I wasn't the favorite. Probably not even third choice. So maybe they just don't care."
Zeke's voice came quiet but steady. "You matter to us."
Calen looked away, jaw tight.
Alexander nodded. "Sometimes the ones they overlook become the most dangerous."
---
They began to open up more. Jace shared stories of his three older brothers, all lost to rift incursions. Milo talked about a home that never felt like one. Zeke mentioned the massacre he'd seen—the one that left him voiceless for a year.
Even Alexander shared glimpses—not of his system, not yet, but enough to show that he had bled, been broken, endured.
One night, sitting beneath the stars, they made a vow—not just to survive, but to rise.
And then came the next shift.
A mission scroll arrived. A low-tier training expedition to the Ashveil Barrens—a known hostile zone bordering ruined rift lands. The academy positioned it as an opportunity for 'development and evaluation.' Most cadets whispered the truth: it was a death sentence.
Other low-tier students raged. Some cried. One even tried to flee.
"They're sending us out there like bait," one spat. "They don't care if we make it back."
And maybe that was true. The academy had always seen the weak as dead weight.
But Alexander and his group—Jace, Milo, Zeke, and Calen—they didn't complain. They read the scrolls, packed their gear, and prepared.
"They're trying to get rid of us," Jace said. "But we'll show them who we are."
They trained harder in the days leading up to the mission, not out of desperation, but conviction. Between exercises, they began to talk—not just about battle formations or monster weaknesses—but about who they were. Their pasts. Their dreams.
And with each word, a bond stronger than steel began to form.