The morning after the Synchronization Trial, Eternal Spirit Academy felt different.
The air inside the training towers hummed faintly, as if the Spirit Network itself hadn't stopped running since the test ended.
Students talked about their ranks, their spirits, their next lessons.
But beneath the noise, there was tension.
Too many devices in the academy had glitched overnight. Too many Spirit Crystals had flickered, as if they were afraid.
And in the middle of it all—Stark walked through the halls quietly, his arm wrapped in bandages to hide the black lines creeping under his skin.
[System Notice]
Status Update:
Synchronization Rate: 72%
Residual Mark Detected: [Unknown Energy Type]
Classification: Calamity Echo
Containment: Stable — 73%
He kept his hand tucked in his pocket, ignoring the faint pulse that came from the mark every few seconds.
It wasn't painful—but it whispered. Not in words, but in a strange pulse of emotion, like pressure against his heartbeat.
The Ash Phantom stirred inside him.
"The mark grows restless. It calls to the deeper network."
"I know," Stark murmured. "But if I draw attention, we'll both end up in a lab."
"Perhaps," the spirit replied, "or perhaps that is what the Network wants."
He didn't answer. Some truths were too heavy to think about before breakfast.
The Academy cafeteria buzzed with life.
Lines of recruits in silver and brown uniforms moved between stations, plates filled with synthetic food powered by Spirit Cores. The air smelled faintly of metal and herbs.
As Stark found a corner seat, a shadow fell across his table.
A familiar voice followed.
"So the quiet one eats like the rest of us."
He looked up.
Aiden Crest stood there, the silver spear-user, his academy coat neat as if he'd ironed it between breaths. His expression carried the same faint smirk he'd worn yesterday.
"You're early," Stark said, unimpressed.
"I like to meet my competition before they start believing their own hype."
Aiden sat without asking, resting his spear beside the table. "You nearly stole the top rank. You're lower level, weaker on paper, but somehow your synchronization beats ninety percent of the students. That's not normal."
"I just train harder."
Aiden laughed softly. "You and I both know that's a lie."
The conversation drew glances from nearby tables.
Students whispered—Aiden Crest, the top Gold Rank, talking to the under-leveled Soul Caster.
"Relax," Aiden said, raising his hands. "I'm not here to pick a fight. I just want to know what you're hiding."
Stark met his gaze evenly. "You talk too much for someone who hasn't won yet."
Aiden's smile sharpened. "Fair enough. Let's see which one of us still talks after the next test."
He rose and walked away, cloak swaying, leaving quiet tension behind.
The Ash Phantom's voice came softly. "He's testing you."
"I know. And I'll pass."
Classes started that afternoon.
The first lecture was held in the Hall of Veins, a massive amphitheater lined with pulsing rune-lines that mirrored the flow of the Spirit Network above the world.
Instructor Vale—the silver-eyed woman from the trial—stood before the class.
"Many of you think your awakening was chance," she began. "It wasn't. The Spirit Network doesn't choose at random. It searches for compatible frequencies—souls strong enough to host fragments of its original code."
She raised a hand, and light gathered above her palm—small holographic models of runes spinning in delicate chains.
"These are called Soul Codes. Every profession has one. Warriors, Mages, Hunters, Casters… even Summoners."
She paused just slightly on that last word.
Several students glanced toward Stark, who stared at his notebook as if the words weren't meant for him.
Vale's eyes lingered on him for a heartbeat too long before she turned back to the class.
"The next era of humanity," she continued, "will be decided by who can decode these fragments and evolve their spirits fastest. Remember: the Spirit Network rewards growth, not safety."
Her gaze swept across the room. "Class dismissed."
As the students filed out, a faint flicker rippled through the runes lining the wall.
Blue light turned black for a single instant—barely noticeable, but Stark felt it.
The whisper inside his chest stirred again.
"Evolve…"
He stopped breathing for a moment.
That voice wasn't the Wraith.
It was the same deep tone from inside the Synchronization Realm—the Calamity's Echo.
The Ash Phantom appeared, faint and uneasy. "You must not answer. The mark listens for your response."
"I'm trying," Stark whispered under his breath.
But the mark pulsed once, slow and deliberate.
Every rune in the hallway dimmed, then reignited.
A few students turned, confused.
"Did the lights just—?"
"Probably another surge. The Network's glitching again."
Only Instructor Vale seemed to realize what it meant. She looked straight at Stark, her expression unreadable.
Later that night, Stark sat in the dorm courtyard beneath the academy's artificial sky dome.
The stars projected above flickered faintly—the system feeding them had never been perfect.
He rolled up his sleeve.
The black marks along his wrist now glowed faintly silver, pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
The Ash Phantom floated beside him, nearly invisible.
"It's growing faster. If it reaches your core, the Academy will sense it."
"Then we need to learn what it is," Stark said.
He opened his Status Window, calling up the hidden sub-screen that appeared only when he used the Soulgun as focus.
[Hidden Interface – Calamity Branch]
Mark Name: Echo of the Calamity
Status: Dormant
Stability: 71%
Effect: +10% Spirit Energy regeneration; unknown passive awakening
Warning:
Expansion Detected — Monitoring Required
"Dormant," Stark read quietly. "So it's asleep."
"Then pray it never dreams," the spirit murmured.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
He turned to see Lira Vane, the other registered Spirit Summoner. Her hair glowed faintly under the dome light, and a small, pale wolf-spirit padded at her side.
"You hide it well," she said softly.
Stark tensed. "Hide what?"
"Your real class," she said. "The instructors can't see it—but another summoner can."
The wolf growled softly, eyes flickering blue.
Lira held up a hand to calm it.
"Don't worry. I won't tell them," she continued. "You're not the only one walking on glass here."
He studied her carefully. "Then why warn me?"
"Because whatever you touched during synchronization… it's still echoing. I can feel it through the Network." Her eyes darkened. "It's not human."
The mark under Stark's bandage pulsed once, answering her words like a heartbeat.
He covered it quickly. "Then let's both pretend we didn't notice."
Lira smiled faintly. "Deal. But if it starts whispering to you again—don't listen. The last summoner who did… became a spirit himself."
She turned and walked away, her wolf vanishing into mist behind her.
The courtyard fell quiet again.
Stark sat there until the lights dimmed to night mode, watching the faint ripples of the barrier dome overhead.
The mark pulsed one last time before settling into silence.
For now.
[System Notice]
Mission Chain: Echo of the Calamity – Initiated.
Objective: Investigate the Calamity's origin without alerting the Academy.
Optional: Observe Lira Vane (Spirit Summoner).
Reward: Hidden Class Evolution Path: Spectral Dominion (Locked).
Far above the academy, the Network's runes flickered again.
Somewhere deep in its unseen code, a signal repeated endlessly:
"The Summoner has awakened."
"Prepare the Legion."