There are hundreds of them.
All watching me.
Nobles in polished robes.
Commoners in ironweave armor.
Heirs of warlords, templars, and mage-priests seated in ranked stone arcs beneath floating banners.
And me?
I stand on a cracked stone platform in the middle of the Academy's Judgment Arena…
…wearing a plain black uniform two sizes too big.
"Applicant 047: Caius Val'Rendall," the examiner calls.
A hundred whispers start.
A hundred more smirks follow.
"Isn't that the failed son?"
"Didn't awaken a Vein, right?"
"His brothers are Flamebinders. What's he doing here?"
"I heard he begged the Headmaster just to watch…"
They're wrong.
I didn't beg.
Mother did.
Because she needed one last show before the execution.
The Academy's entrance trial is simple:
One test of Vein potential
One duel
One public evaluation
For Shardborn, it's a formality.
For someone like me?
It's a funeral in three acts.
I step forward.
The Veinstone pedestal pulses in front of me — humming with runes.
A priest holds up a crystal orb.
"Place your hand here," he says, "and the Vein will answer. If it chooses you, a mark will bloom."
I nod.
Place my hand.
Wait.
…Nothing.
The crowd murmurs.
"Of course."
"No bloom."
"Just like the rumors said."
Then—
A pulse.
Not light.
Not power.
Heat.
But it's not from the Veinstone.
It's from me.
Deep inside my chest — where the Codex lives.
Something burns.
Something hungry.
"Codex Triggered."
"Soul Trait: Hollow Feast — Activated."
The priest recoils.
The orb cracks.
"You — you have a Codex bond?"
"But no Shard—!"
I look at my palm.
A faint red rune now glows — etched like a scar.
Not a blessing.
A curse.
And it's mine.
"Applicant 047," the examiner says again, voice shaking.
"You… you may proceed to the duel."
I turn.
And that's when I see them.
LMy three fiancées.
Standing in the upper box, reserved for noble heirs.
All three watching me like I'm a stain on their lineage.
Eirene Val'Solan — the sunblade, arms crossed, gaze like fire
Selis Virein — the tactician, lips pursed, calculating
Valeria Nightmoor — the shadow, expression unreadable, but eyes sharp like knives
They don't wave.
They don't speak.
They just wait for me to fail.
"That's fine," I whisper.
"I remember each of you."
"And I won't let your story go the way it was written."
My opponent enters:
A third-year initiate.
Twice my size.
Vein of Veyrun — Fleshbound. His arms pulse with muscle threads and aura.
He grins.
"They're letting you duel? Thought nobles paid others to lose for them."
I smile calmly.
"You'll regret volunteering."
He charges.
I stand still.
I let him hit me — once.
Ribs crack.
Vision dims.
The crowd gasps.
And that's when it begins.
"Codex Recording — Soul Pattern Locked."
"Trait: Pain Compensation — Acquired."
"Memory Fracture Detected: 'I always fought to be seen.'"
My body twitches.
His strength floods my veins.
His sorrow fills my mind.
I move before I even think.
Crack.
Snap.
Spin.
His arm bends the wrong way.
He screams.
The crowd silences.
And I whisper:
"You fought to be seen."
"So did I."
The match ends in under a minute.
The examiner steps forward, pale.
"Evaluation: Passed… Provisional enrollment granted."
I don't wait.
I walk out of the arena in silence.
But not before glancing at the noble's box.
Eirene's eyes narrow.
Selis's fingers tighten.
Valeria's lips curl into the faintest smirk.
Let them watch.
Let them doubt.
Let them remember.
Because Caius Val'Rendall just rewrote his first chapter.