The morning sun filtered gently through the windows of Max's dorm room, but it felt like a lie. The academy buzzed with its usual cadence—students marching off to their next class, instructors barking training orders across the yards, mana spells lighting the air with excitement. To the rest of the world, it was just another day in the elite academy of Valeforge.
But to Max, everything had changed.
He lay still in bed, staring at the cracked ceiling, his body aching from the wounds of the night before. They'd healed—most of them. But the fatigue? That lingered. It wasn't physical. It was something deeper. A pressure he could feel in his soul, like the very air around him had gained weight since claiming the Elemental Keystone Fragment.
He checked the system interface again, as he'd done every hour since returning.
> [LEVEL: 13]
[EXP: 2%]
[New Skill: Elemental Overdrive (Lv. 1)]
[Artifact Synchronization: 39%]
[Item Held: Elemental Keystone Fragment (Sealed)]
The number that truly mattered was the last one. The artifact around his neck now pulsed gently, more active than ever before. Something in the keystone had awakened part of it, and Max was both excited and terrified.
The keystone's seal was stable, but just barely. Even with multiple runes and a scroll-tier container, it leaked minuscule pulses of primal energy—ones he could feel coursing into his veins every time he got too close. The artifact responded to it. Craved it.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Max?" came Leo's voice. "You alive in there, or should I call the nurses?"
Max sat up, wincing slightly as a dull ache ran through his side. "I'm good," he called back. "Come in."
The door creaked open, and Leo stepped inside, tossing a bundle of bread and a thermos of mana tea onto the desk.
"You look like someone beat you with a fire staff and dragged you through a swamp."
"Not far off," Max muttered, reaching for the tea. "Thanks."
Leo leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "So? What the hell happened last night? You vanished for five hours, set off a class-three mana spike, and came back looking like you saw a god."
Max hesitated.
"I took a mission," he said eventually. "Off-record. Thorn's request."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "And you went alone?"
"There was no time to coordinate."
"Right." Leo shook his head. "You know, I admire your ability to keep getting into situations where death is a solid possibility. But if you drop dead, I don't have a backup Max. Think about that."
Max cracked a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm still here."
"Barely," Leo muttered.
They stood in silence for a moment before Leo said, more quietly, "You brought something back, didn't you?"
Max's fingers tensed around the thermos. "Yeah."
"I can feel it. It's faint. But... there's something off around you now. Like a breeze from a place that shouldn't exist."
Max gave a slow nod. "I don't know what it is yet. But it's old. Dangerous. And the artifact... it responded."
Leo pushed off the wall and stepped closer. "If this thing is starting to wake up, we need to be careful. No one can know."
"I've been careful."
"I mean no one. Not Thorn. Not the instructors. Especially not the Board."
Max looked away. "I know."
Leo nodded, then handed over a slip of paper. "You've got summons. Field Evaluation—today. Supposed to be a group outing. A team mission into the Fireback Ravines. You're paired with three others."
"Great," Max muttered. "More babysitting."
Leo smirked. "You're lucky I'm not on your team. I'd expose your secrets just to annoy you."
Max gave him a look. "You probably would."
---
An hour later, Max stood at the west gate of the academy grounds, suited in his lightweight training armor. The others were already waiting—three students he barely knew by name. A heavyset lightning user named Caren, a silent wind caster named Vix, and a loud, too-eager spearman named Tam.
They offered brief nods. Caren said nothing. Vix kept her eyes closed, probably meditating. Tam, of course, spoke.
"So! They stuck us with the top-scorer in class again. Guess the instructors want to see how the rest of us compare to Mr. Mysterious."
Max said nothing.
Instructor Welric stepped forward, clipboard in hand. "Team Seven. You will proceed into the Fireback Ravines. Your task is to locate and extract a rare Ember Bloom. Survive any hostiles. Maintain team integrity. Return before sundown."
Tam whistled. "Sounds fun."
"It isn't," Welric said flatly. "There are lava wyrms in the area. You will not fight them. If you see one, you run. Understood?"
Everyone nodded.
With a brief flash of teleportation light, they were off.
---
The Fireback Ravines lived up to their name—tall cliffs of black and red stone split by rivers of glowing magma. The heat was intense, even with mana dampeners active.
The team moved cautiously along the ridge, Caren using his lightning abilities to scan ahead, while Vix kept her senses tuned for air shifts.
Max mostly watched from the rear.
But something gnawed at him.
A feeling.
The same pulse he'd felt in Rotveil.
It wasn't exactly the same... but it was familiar.
"Stop," Max said.
Tam raised an eyebrow. "Why? We're just getting started."
Max's eyes scanned the cliffs below. There—barely visible—was a shimmer in the air.
A cloaking spell.
> [System Alert: Hostile mana signatures detected.]
[Recommended Action: Prepare for combat.]
"Trap," Max growled. "Get down!"
A moment later, the ridge exploded.
Figures burst out of the shadows—bandits. Not students. Not from the academy. Real threats.
Max launched forward without hesitation, unsheathing his dagger and activating Flash Step. He struck the first attacker in the ribs, spinning to parry a blow aimed at Vix.
"Defensive formation!" he shouted.
To their credit, the others didn't hesitate. Caren unleashed a blast of lightning, frying two ambushers. Vix raised a wind barrier. Tam, despite his earlier bluster, fought like someone who'd been through worse—his spear dancing with precision.
But there were too many.
Max activated Elemental Overdrive. His body surged with raw power—lightning, fire, and wind intertwining. He moved like a storm, carving through enemies, burning through stamina and mana alike.
He didn't notice the cliff edge crumbling beneath him until it was too late.
A bandit tackled him—both of them falling.
Down.
Down.
---
Max hit the ground hard.
He groaned, rolling over.
The bandit was already dead, impaled on jagged rock.
But Max's vision swam. His mana reserves were almost gone.
He staggered to his feet.
The ravine floor was dark. Silent. Echoing.
And there—on the stone wall—was a symbol.
The same as the one engraved on the keystone fragment.
His heart froze.
What was this place?
> [NEW LOCATION DISCOVERED: Forgotten Vault]
[Warning: Artifact Resonance Increasing. Synchronization at 49%]
[Optional Objective Available: Explore the Vault]
Max took a breath.
Whatever this was... it had been calling him for a long time.
He stepped into the shadows.
---