The air over Aerphine City returned to normal after the small crack in the sky disappeared, but its effects did not simply fade away. The farther Aelion walked, the more clearly he felt it—like invisible eyes watching, tracking every step he took.
Veyra stayed close beside him, occasionally rubbing her arm as if trying to sense whether there were any changes in the energy within Aelion's body.
"I'm sure the Harmonia Institute would be willing to—"
"Not now," Aelion cut in quickly. "I… I'm not ready to be under people's supervision."
Veyra didn't argue. She simply lowered her head, fiddling with the edge of her hoodie.
Across the street, a massive advertising screen displayed the morning news. The anchor's voice rang out clearly:
"—at this time, the traffic panel disruptions are still under investigation. It has been confirmed that there was no sabotage from any—"
Suddenly, the image shifted, replaced by a subtle resonance pattern—the same one Aelion had seen in his dreams and during the mass glitch.
"That pattern again…" Veyra murmured. "As if the city is trying to speak in a language we don't understand yet."
Aelion closed his eyes, and for a moment he felt a faint whisper at the edge of his hearing. Not words—more like vibrations carrying emotion. Curiosity. A calling.
And fear.
He opened his eyes, breathing hard.
"We need to get out of the central district," he said. "Crowded streets like this only make it worse—"
Before he could finish, someone bumped into him from the side.
Aelion nearly lost his balance.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't—"
A young man stood there, panting. His messy blond hair framed a face marked by dark circles under his eyes, and in his hand he held a small device shaped like a metal rod with four fine needles at its tip.
Aelion looked at him suspiciously. "Who are you?"
The young man froze for a moment, staring at Aelion in disbelief. Then he spoke very quickly.
"Don't panic. I'm not an attacker. I—I've been looking for you."
Veyra stepped between them instinctively, shielding Aelion. "Who are you? Why are you looking for him?"
The young man swallowed, then rolled up his sleeve.
On his left wrist was a faint glowing pattern, a small spiral that rotated like liquid ink. It wasn't a tattoo. It wasn't paint. It was a minor mark.
"My name is Seren Fale," he finally said. "I'm a minor… but not a stable one. I can sense other people's energy at close range. And since last night, your energy—" he pointed at Aelion with a trembling finger, "—your energy has been pulling me like a magnet. I nearly passed out because of it."
Aelion fell silent.
Veyra frowned. "A minor with resonance sensitivity… but you look unstable. Why approach Aelion without warning?"
Seren shook his head quickly.
"There was no time. His energy is rising. If I hadn't come here, I think… I think I would've lost consciousness at home."
Aelion swallowed, his heart pounding.
"What do you mean my energy 'pulled' you?" he asked cautiously.
Seren lifted the device in his hand. "This isn't a digital tool. It's an analog scanner made specifically for minors with resonance deviation. When it gets close to an unstable energy source… the needles move on their own."
He raised the device toward Aelion.
The tiny needles at the tip began to tremble.
Slowly.
Then harder.
Click—click—click—CRACK!
The needles snapped.
Seren yelped and pulled the device back.
"Damn it! They broke?! Are you kidding me?!"
Veyra jumped back, nearly dropping her bag. "That's impossible. Analog scanners don't break that easily!"
Seren stared at Aelion, his face pale. "The energy inside you is far stronger than any Tier 1 minor I've ever seen. Even mid-class minors couldn't break this thing."
The world spun briefly for Aelion. He looked down at his hands, hoping to see something different. But his skin looked normal—except for the faint pulse of energy he could feel beneath it.
"When did you start feeling it?" Seren asked, his voice shaking.
"About… two days ago," Aelion replied softly. "Ever since the crack appeared."
Seren rubbed his face. "Oh God… then it's true. The source is you…"
"The source of what?" Aelion asked sharply.
Seren glanced around to make sure no one else was listening, then leaned in and whispered:
"The city's resonance patterns. The underground waves. The psycho-digital vibrations. They're all radiating from a single point. From wherever you are."
Aelion felt his body tense. Veyra grabbed his arm.
"Seren," Veyra said, "if that's true, then why approach him? Isn't that dangerous for you?"
Seren gave a bitter smile. "Of course it is. But minors like me… we can't resist the pull. We live by the world's emotional resonance. And his energy—" he pointed at Aelion, "—naturally calls minors like me."
"As if…" Seren stared blankly at the sky, "…that energy is looking for allies. Or a shield."
Aelion closed his eyes briefly. The words shook him to the core.
Veyra immediately grabbed Seren's shoulder. "Don't talk nonsense! Aelion's energy isn't a living thing!"
Seren met her gaze sharply. "You're wrong. Axiom energy isn't just energy. It's resonance. It's response."
Aelion let out a heavy breath. "You said you almost passed out because of my energy?"
Seren nodded weakly. "I'm a detection-class minor. We're extremely sensitive to wave changes. Massive energy can throw us completely off balance."
Something twisted painfully in Aelion's chest—a sharp sense of guilt.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to—"
Seren immediately raised a hand.
"I'm not blaming you. That energy isn't your choice. But you need to know something…"
He looked Aelion straight in the eyes.
"Your energy is starting to form a Tier 1 pattern, but it's not stable yet. If it isn't controlled properly, your energy could become…"
He hesitated, searching for words that wouldn't make Aelion panic.
"…it could become the focal point of the next rift."
The world seemed to freeze.
Veyra tightened her grip on Aelion's arm. "No… that's impossible. Aelion doesn't create rifts—the rifts are just environmental responses!"
"Yes," Seren replied, "but environmental responses happen because the source is too strong for the world to balance itself."
Aelion looked at both minors, his heart crushed by a mix of fear and disbelief.
"Why me?" he asked quietly.
Seren took a long breath. "I don't know. But whatever reason the world chose you… you're no longer an ordinary minor."
Suddenly, Aelion felt a powerful pulse inside his body.
A subtle vibration, like a second heartbeat living beneath his skin.
Veyra panicked immediately. "Aelion—!"
A small light appeared between Aelion's fingers.
Seren stepped back half a step.
Then the light faded, as if it only wanted to warn them.
Aelion clenched his hand tightly.
"Enough. I need time."
Seren bowed his head respectfully.
"I won't force you. But if your energy keeps calling other minors… many of us will come to you, whether you want it or not."
Then he added more quietly:
"And not all minors will come with good intentions."
With that, Seren walked away, leaving Aelion and Veyra standing in the middle of the street, still filled with subtle glitches.
Aelion stared at his hands.
There was no light.
But he knew—beneath the surface, something was awakening.
And it was becoming harder and harder to ignore.