The infirmary was quiet, the bustle of the previous commotion replaced by a tense stillness. Outside, the halls of the academy were alive with murmurs, whispers that spread faster than wildfire. Students gathered in small clusters, each trying to piece together what had happened to Arthur Frederick.
"Did anyone see what happened?" one student asked, voice low. "He was… he was glowing… then just collapsed."
"I felt it too," another replied, eyes wide. "That energy… it was like nothing I've ever experienced. Like the world itself… rejected him."
Kael Draven leaned against a wall, arms crossed, brow furrowed. He had trained alongside Arthur, sparred with him countless times, but even he hadn't expected this.
"Do you think it's serious?" a younger student whispered. "Could he… be dead?"
Kael shook his head slowly, though his eyes betrayed his concern. "No… Arthur's strong. This… this is something else. Something beyond normal cultivation."
In the corner, Selene Lysandra tilted her head, observing quietly. Her duel with Kael had ended hours ago, yet she had felt the tremors of energy when Arthur fell. "I've never sensed anything like it," she murmured. "It wasn't just failure. It… felt like judgment."
A group of students speculated wildly:
"Mana overload?"
"Some forbidden technique?"
"Did he anger the spirits?"
Even instructors whispered among themselves, careful not to reveal too much. Rumors twisted like vines, some claiming Arthur had broken through to an unknown realm, others convinced he had been struck down by something ancient and merciless.
"I don't think any of us can even imagine what he's facing," one student said, voice trembling slightly. "Whatever it is… it's… huge."
Kael's eyes flicked toward the infirmary doors, a mix of worry and determination flashing in them. Whatever it is, Arthur will come back from it. He always does… but at what cost?
Meanwhile, the physical instructor, Kaelen Ryn, guided Arthur's unconscious body carefully through the halls and into the infirmary. Once he ensured Arthur was stable under the healers' watchful eyes, Kaelen made his way to the Headmaster's office, his expression grim.
Inside, the Headmaster sat with calm authority, the faint aura of an Ascendant-tier cultivator radiating from him. "Kaelen," he said quietly, "what happened to Frederick? He's never failed like this before."
Kaelen hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Sir… it's unlike anything I've ever felt. Something… higher than the Divine Realm intervened. I can't explain it, but it felt like the very balance of cultivation reacted to him. His core… it's sealed."
The Headmaster's brow furrowed slightly, though he gave only a measured, composed response. "Keep him under observation. Alert me immediately if there's any change. Do not interfere with forces beyond your comprehension."
Once Kaelen left, the office was quiet. The Headmaster leaned back, eyes narrowing as he sensed the lingering aftershocks of the event. His Ascendant-tier senses could only perceive fragments, glimpses of the disturbance—but they were enough to fill him with unease.
Arthur… what did you do? he thought inwardly, his voice echoing in his own mind. Even from here, I can feel it—a power beyond the Divine Realm has intervened… and it has marked you. Whatever transpired, it will change everything.
Arthur's body lay in the infirmary, drenched in sweat, chest heaving, muscles trembling violently. The shadows of the fallen pressed against him, dragging his consciousness into a world of pain and regret. Memories of Rex flashed vividly—the fear, the desperation, the helpless cries that Arthur had failed to answer.
His fists clenched as his vision blurred, a searing reminder of the Soulborne chains wrapped around his mana core. Every attempt to summon cultivation was blocked. Every movement was restrained. Pain, judgment, and guilt merged into one unrelenting force.
Then the SYSTEM's mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
SYSTEM NOTICE: SOULBORNE CLASS
Target: Arthur Frederick, The Misfit
Status: Mana Core Sealed
Restriction: Cultivation & Mana Usage Disabled
Primary Task: Dissolve the resentment of Rex, former best friend, to unlock your mana core.
Title Conditions: Growth reduced, experience cost doubled, mana pool halved.
Compensation: +1 Strength and +1 Speed per level gained.
Trial Enforcement Active: Soulborne punitive feedback in effect.
Arthur's eyes snapped open, gasping, trembling from exhaustion. He tried to summon even a fraction of his cultivation—but it was impossible. The first task could not begin because Rex had already been reincarnated.
SYSTEM SUB-TASK ASSIGNED: Locate Rex in Alora within 7 days.
Penalty for Failure: Full regression to mortal status. All cultivation lost; body and core weakened.
Arthur's heart pounded. Seven days. Alora. Find Rex—or lose everything he had worked for. The chains of Soulborne pulsed sharply, a constant reminder that he was powerless and judged by forces beyond comprehension.
"Seven days… I will find him," he muttered, voice hoarse, almost to himself. "No matter what it takes."
The SYSTEM pulsed once more, like a heartbeat:
Sub-Task Timer Initiated: 7 days remaining.
Even lying in the infirmary, weak and shaken, Arthur Frederick, The Misfit, understood one brutal truth: the Soulborne trial had only begun, and failure would cost him everything.