The van ride was silent except for the low hum of the engine and the occasional crackle of the driver's comm. Kai sat on the bench seat opposite Aria, a temp bandage slapped over his shoulder by one of the Crown grunts. It itched. Everything itched—the drying blood, the borrowed stamina still buzzing in his veins like bad coffee, the way Aria stared out the tinted window like she could freeze the city solid if she glared hard enough.
North Spire rose ahead of them, all glass and silver edges stabbing into the night sky. Dockside kids like Kai only saw it in ads: *Join Astral Crown—Secure Tomorrow.* Up close it looked less like a promise and more like a threat.
The van slipped through underground gates, down a ramp, into sterile white corridors that smelled like ozone and money. Two escorts in Crown leathers marched them out. No cuffs—didn't need them when one wrong move could apparently cook both their insides.
They ended up in a circular room with a curved holo-wall and a long table. A woman waited there, mid-forties, hair pulled back so tight it looked painful. Her badge read EXECUTIVE ANALYST VERA SHEN. She didn't offer seats.
"Names confirmed," she said, flicking through a tablet. "Kai Veylan, F-rank Blade origin, awakened approximately ninety minutes ago. Aria Kline, S-rank Arc origin, Astral Crown asset." The word *asset* landed heavy. "Anomalous pair-bond detected. Soulmate Sync System. Unprecedented in public record."
Aria's voice cut like a blade. "Then unmake it."
Shen didn't blink. "We tried remote queries. The System rejects override commands. Severance attempts on similar theoretical bonds—in simulation—result in total Sync Collapse. Both parties flatline within minutes."
Kai felt the room tilt. "So we're stuck. Great customer service."
Shen ignored him. "Protocol dictates anomalies fall under the overseeing guild's jurisdiction. Since Miss Kline is Crown property—"
"I'm not property," Aria snapped.
"—contractual asset," Shen corrected smoothly, "the pair defaults to Astral Crown stewardship. You'll both be registered as a probationary duo. Housing, training, gate assignments—all coordinated."
Kai laughed once, short and sharp. "I didn't sign anything."
"You don't have to. The Registry already flagged the bond. Refusal means quarantine until Collapse resolves the issue naturally." Shen's eyes flicked to Aria. "For both of you."
Aria's knuckles went white on the table edge. Lightning flickered between her fingers, bright enough to cast shadows. The escorts shifted, hands near weapons.
Shen raised a brow. "Violence here would be… unproductive."
Kai watched Aria wrestle it down. He'd seen that look on his mom when debt collectors showed up—rage swallowed for the sake of survival. It hurt to watch on someone who was supposed to be untouchable.
They ran scans next. Separate booths, frosted glass. The tech asked Kai to stand still while blue grids crawled over him. He lasted maybe thirty seconds alone before the Sync Strain hit.
It started as a pinch behind his sternum, then bloomed into cold fire. Veins lit up under his skin like someone had poured ice water through them. He staggered, slammed a palm against the glass. Couldn't breathe.
Across the room, through the divider, he heard a sharp inhale—Aria doubling over.
The booths unlocked automatically. She was already moving toward him when the doors slid open, face pale but composed. The moment she got within arm's reach the pain dialed back to a dull throb.
A tech stared at his monitor. "Distance tolerance under three meters and dropping. That's… aggressive."
Shen reappeared, expression unreadable. "Stability test required. We'll use Training Domain Three. Low-threat sim. Observe sync behavior under controlled conditions."
Aria's voice was flat. "I work solo."
"Not anymore."
They herded them down another corridor to a gate chamber—smaller than public ones, sleek Crown tech humming around a contained violet oval. Kai's stomach dropped. Another dive already? His shoulder still leaked.
Aria stepped up first, not looking at him. "Stay close. Don't slow me down."
The gate swallowed them.
This Domain was different—rolling green hills under a too-perfect sky, air smelling like cut grass. Weak goblin-looking things scattered when they arrived. Easy clears. Aria vaporized packs with casual bolts; Kai slashed a few for the XP chime. Sync Efficiency ticked up to 18%. Nothing dramatic.
Then the sky flickered.
The Core Law panel appeared unprompted in both their visions.
[Domain Core Law: Resonance Forbidden — Skill fusion attempts will trigger backlash.]
A massive ogre-thing rose from the far hill, easily B-rank muscle on an F-rank sim. Wrong. Way wrong.
It charged.
Aria threw a storm lance. Pure lightning, textbook. The ogre shrugged it off, skin crackling, growing larger—absorbing the energy.
Kai swung Basic Slash. Silver edge bit deep, but the wound sealed almost instantly.
The ogre backhanded him. He flew, ribs screaming, landed hard.
Aria blurred in, lightning coiling for a bigger cast. The ogre turned, fist raised to crush her.
Kai didn't think. He lunged, grabbed her wrist—contact.
Something snapped into place.
Her gathered storm surged down his arm, wrapped his broken branch like living current. The wood became a jagged blade of pure white electricity.
He slashed upward on instinct.
The cut didn't just hit the ogre—it *erased* half its torso in a explosion of light and ash. The monster dissolved before it could scream.
The Domain shattered around them. They spilled back into the chamber, gasping.
Techs stared at readouts in silence.
Shen's tablet chimed softly. She turned it so they could see.
New golden text scrolled across both their system overlays, calm and cold.
[Accidental Fusion Registered.
Sync Efficiency spike detected.
Experiment 07: Phase One parameters met.
Secondary monitoring protocol engaged.]
Shen met Aria's eyes. "Welcome to the program, Miss Kline."
Somewhere deeper in the Spire, an alarm began to wail—low, urgent.
And in the corner of Kai's vision, buried under the new warning, smaller text flickered once and vanished:
[Pair viability: High.
Pruning phase pending.]
(To be continued...)