The academy bell rang three times.
That meant Foundations Hall.
Astren followed the stream of students into the largest lecture chamber in the Ascension Academy. Unlike the training arenas, this place felt heavy with history. The walls were engraved with symbols—some familiar, some unsettling—and above them all stretched a vast circular ceiling carved with twelve massive constellations.
Each constellation was different.
Each one radiated a faint, distinct pressure.
Astren felt it immediately.
The Echoes stirred.
Students instinctively grouped themselves as they took seats—not by friendship, but by Path.
Astren noticed it without meaning to.
To his left sat a cluster of broad-shouldered students, skin faintly hardened, veins glowing dull bronze.
Iron Path.
To his right, students whose breaths seemed warm, eyes sharp, fingers twitching as if holding invisible flames.
Flame Path.
Near the front, calm figures sat unnaturally still, the air around them flowing gently like water.
Flow Path.
Further back, quieter students with distant eyes, attention drifting yet alert.
Mind Path.
Astren sat alone.
Unclaimed by any constellation above.
The instructor arrived without ceremony.
Instructor Varos stood at the center platform, staff planted lightly against the stone.
"You sit beneath twelve stars," he said, voice calm and heavy. "Today, you will learn what they represent."
With a gesture, the ceiling ignited.
One constellation at a time.
---
The Twelve Paths
Iron Path
A student stood as the symbol glowed. His skin darkened slightly, muscles tightening.
"Iron Path reinforces the body and matter," Varos said. "Endurance. Defense. Weight."
Flame Path
A girl rose next. Heat shimmered around her hands.
"Flame Path converts will into destructive force."
Flow Path
A boy stepped forward, movements smooth, controlled.
"Flow governs motion, momentum, and redirection."
Mind Path
A quiet student lifted their head. Astren felt a subtle pressure behind his eyes.
"Mind Path sharpens perception, memory, and influence."
Five more constellations lit in sequence:
Storm Path — speed, electricity, sudden violence
Shadow Path — concealment, silence, displacement
Light Path — clarity, reinforcement, exposure
Beast Path — instinct, transformation, physical dominance
Sound Path — vibration, resonance, disruption
Void Path — absence, negation, consumption
Each Path had students.
Each had presence.
Then the eleventh constellation glowed faintly.
Time seemed to slow.
"Time Path," Varos said carefully. "Restricted. Rare. Dangerous."
No one stood.
Finally, the twelfth constellation remained dark.
Varos did not gesture to it.
Astren felt the Echoes lean toward it.
"That," Varos said, "is not for discussion."
---
"Having a Path," Varos continued, "means nothing without mastery."
A new symbol formed in the air: a circle, then another within it.
"Power develops through Circles," he said. "These apply to all Paths."
He raised one finger.
"First Circle — Awareness. You can sense your Path."
Second finger.
"Second Circle — Control. You can direct it."
Third.
"Third Circle — Manifestation. Power takes form."
Fourth.
"Fourth Circle — Dominance. Your Path reshapes conflict."
Murmurs filled the hall.
Varos's eyes sharpened.
"There are higher Circles," he said. "But you are not permitted to learn them yet."
Astren noticed something strange.
When Varos spoke of Circles, the Echoes showed breaks—people who advanced too far, too fast, and vanished.
A student raised a hand. "Instructor, what determines how fast someone advances?"
Varos answered immediately. "Compatibility. Discipline. And restraint."
His gaze flicked—just briefly—to Astren.
"Power is not measured by how much you wield," Varos added. "But by how much the world allows you to keep."
---
As the lecture ended, students gathered in excited clusters, comparing Paths, Circles, futures.
Astren remained seated.
Above him, eleven constellations dimmed.
The twelfth stayed dark.
Instructor Varos approached him.
"You felt something," Varos said quietly.
Astren hesitated. "I feel… leftovers."
Varos's expression didn't change.
"That is not a Path," he said.
"I know."
Varos studied him for a long moment.
"Be careful, Astren Veyra,"
he said. "The academy is built for those the stars accept."
Astren looked up at the ceiling.
"I just want to survive," he said.
The Echoes whispered softly.
So did the others.
A/N: Sneaky author here, this is a bonus chapter reflecting on the various power systems.