Dawn broke behind Sanctum-9's barrier like a fractured prism.
The false sky flickered faintly as energy from the Spirit Network shifted direction—veins of light rippling inward, toward the Academy's core.
For most, it was just a glitch.
But to those who could feel the Network, it sounded like breathing.
Stark arrived at Briefing Chamber Nine, deep in the Inner Wing.
A dozen students waited there—each one an elite, chosen from the top ranks.
Some leaned against the walls; others adjusted their weapons or muttered to their spirits.
At the front stood Instructor Vale, cloak trimmed in white sigils, her gaze sharp as ever.
"Good," she said when Stark entered. "You're on time. Everyone, listen carefully."
She gestured to a projection in the air—a map of Sanctum-9's underground layers, flickering with zones of red.
"These are spirit anomalies detected within the last forty-eight hours," she said. "Each reading matches what occurred during the Eastern Sector breach."
The map pulsed; faint tremors echoed through the floor.
"Something beneath the city is waking up," Vale continued. "The Council wants containment, not investigation. But I intend to know why."
Her gaze swept across the group.
"That's where you come in. Effective immediately, you're part of the Containment Division—a specialized team for direct-response operations."
Whispers rose through the room.
Even among Inner Academy elites, a direct summon from Vale meant risk.
Vale silenced them with a glance. "You'll operate in three squads. Squad Alpha—Aiden Crest, Lead. Squad Beta—Lira Vane. Squad Gamma—Stark."
Aiden's smirk was almost immediate. "Of course."
Stark said nothing, but he caught the faint amusement in Lira's eyes from across the room.
Vale continued. "Your objectives are simple. Contain what you can. Destroy what you must. Report anything that resembles a Calamity Echo."
Her gaze lingered on Stark—just long enough for him to feel the weight of it.
[Mission Accepted: The Containment Division]
Objective: Investigate active anomaly sites under Sanctum-9.
Reward: Spirit Rank Promotion / Data Access Level 3.
Warning: Unstable Resonance Fields Detected.
Hours later, they assembled at the transport bay.
The elevator shuddered as it descended, lights flickering across steel walls. The deeper they went, the colder the air became—thin, electric, filled with static hum.
Lira stood beside him, adjusting her gauntlet while her spirit wolf paced at her feet. "Vale's not telling us everything."
"She never does," Stark replied.
Aiden stood opposite, spear resting across his shoulder, eyes half-closed in focus. "The anomalies come from the same layer where your little adventure happened, Stark. Care to explain that coincidence?"
"It's not a coincidence," Stark said. "It's the same pulse from the Reactor's core. I felt it last night."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Felt it?"
Stark didn't answer. The elevator jolted to a stop.
The doors opened to reveal a corridor drowned in red light.
Spirit containment seals glowed along the walls, cracked and flickering.
The air smelled faintly of burnt crystal.
[System Notice]
Location: Sub-Level 5 — Containment Zone Delta
Threat Level: Critical
Entity Activity: Detected
The squad spread out.
Aiden took point, moving with precise, confident steps. His spear's tip shimmered with faint golden light, reacting to the ambient spirit pressure.
Behind him, Stark's mark began to throb. Faint whispers crawled under his skin.
"Closer… come closer…"
He clenched his fist. "Something's calling."
Lira glanced at him. "You feel it too?"
Before he could reply, the walls groaned. A wave of static swept the corridor, scattering runes in every direction.
From the shadows ahead, a figure emerged—no, formed—out of fractured light.
[Detected Entity: Spirit Residue Cluster]
Classification: Echo-Type Aberration
Level: 30+
Behavior: Assimilation
The thing pulsed with red veins, an outline of multiple bodies fused into one. Spirit fragments screamed within it, voices merging in endless loop.
"Containment Protocol!" Aiden shouted. "Beta and Gamma—flank!"
The team moved fast.
Lira's wolf lunged, leaving trails of blue fire. Stark fired suppressive shots, each one sealing fragments before they could re-form.
Aiden struck from the front, spear slicing arcs of golden energy through the creature's outer shell.
But every wound they made healed instantly.
The Cluster's form split, multiplying into smaller echoes that hissed and lunged.
[Warning: Replication Detected]
[Corruption Aura Expanding]
"Back!" Lira shouted. "It's feeding on our attacks!"
"Then we'll burn it faster than it can feed," Aiden growled.
He slammed his spear into the floor, activating a surge.
[Skill: Spear Domain — Dawn Field]
Effect: Spirit Burn over 15m radius
SE Cost: 45
Golden light erupted, incinerating dozens of fragments. But more emerged—shadows shaped like people, whispering through static.
The mark on Stark's wrist pulsed harder.
"Command them…"
His chest tightened. For a second, the noise drowned everything else. The Calamity's echo wasn't whispering to him—it was whispering through him.
He raised the Soulgun and fired instinctively.
[Skill: Soul Seal – Overbind]
[Linked Energy Source: Mark Resonance]
[Effect: Forced Spirit Assimilation]
A burst of silver-black light tore through the corridor, swallowing the echoes whole.
When it cleared, the walls were lined with crystal frost.
Every fragment was frozen mid-scream—sealed in spectral ice.
Aiden lowered his weapon slowly. "…What did you just do?"
Stark stared at the trail of frozen light across the floor. His hands trembled.
"I don't know," he said. And it was true.
Vale's voice crackled through the comm.
"Report."
Aiden replied first. "Target neutralized. Temporary containment achieved."
"Good," Vale said. "Get topside. We'll analyze the remains."
Before the transmission cut, her tone softened slightly. "And Stark—whatever you used, don't use it again."
The line went dead.
They reached the surface hours later.
The team dispersed in silence, but Lira lingered as the others left.
"You're changing," she said quietly. "Every time that mark glows, it takes something from you."
He gave a tired smile. "Maybe that's the price."
She shook her head. "No, Stark. That's the warning."
Then she turned and walked away.
That night, Stark sat in his quarters, staring at the bandage around his arm. The glow beneath it wouldn't stop—slow, steady, alive.
He finally unwrapped it.
The chains were no longer silver.
They were black, lined with faint crimson light that pulsed in time with the city's energy veins outside.
[System Notice]
Mark Evolution Stage 3: Corruption Synchrony
Effect: Passive Aura — Drains ambient Spirit Energy nearby
Warning: Field detectable within 30 meters. Concealment recommended.
The Ash Phantom appeared, voice colder than ever. "It's begun. The mark has stopped waiting."
"What happens next?" Stark asked.
"It spreads."
Far below Sanctum-9, deep within the broken archives, the sealed crystal from the Watcher's chamber pulsed once more.
Data streamed through the Network, carrying a message no one could read.
"Containment compromised."
"Subject: Stark — synchronization 83%."
"Initiate Protocol Dominion."