The lecture hall thrummed with quiet energy—an undercurrent of arrogance, ambition, and the constant tension of unsaid hierarchies.
Dozens of young aspirants filled the circular amphitheater, its stone walls carved with the three Branches of Power—Elemental, Aspectual, Primal—etched in old silver. The lights above pulsed faintly with mana, and the air smelled faintly of metal and ozone.
Kael slipped into a seat near the top, unseen and unimportant. Just the way he preferred it.
For now.
"Today's subject," the instructor intoned from below, "is Path deviation, rare phenomena, and post-Storm mutations."
Professor Elreth was a relic from the old age, draped in flowing blue robes, his eyes pulsing with glyphs that scanned the class periodically. Rumor had it he once served directly under a High Duke before the Storm fractured the social order.
Kael only half-listened to the opening lecture. He had more important things to observe.
Across the room sat Cassiel Vaeron, the third son of the Duke of Ailreth. Blond, sharp-jawed, and possessed of a deep Path affinity for solar-based elementalism, Cassiel practically radiated confidence. The System had labeled him [Radiant Ascendant], a rare title only granted to those with both powerful lineage and exceptional synchrony.
He wasn't alone. Flanking him were two other nobles: Veyra Dorne, a cold-eyed prodigy from a Countess bloodline who had unlocked a high-tier Aspectual Path revolving around manipulation of fear and desire—and Thorn Revek, a brute with earth-bound strength, quiet and watchful. Their group dominated the front rows, the "truebloods" in every way that mattered.
But they weren't the only ones worth watching.
Seated near the middle was Lyra Telm, a "commoner" by birth, but already something of a legend among their year. She'd awakened with a unique Path known as [Echoflare], a hybrid between elemental resonance and time perception—one that allowed her to mirror attacks and distort short moments in battle.
That she came from a merchant family with no noble ties was scandalous.
That she stood toe-to-toe with the Dukes' children? Unforgivable.
Kael admired her for it. Not because she defied expectations, but because she did so without apology.
He'd spoken to her twice. Both times, she'd regarded him with vague interest, like one might study a strange stone found on a forest trail.
The rest of the hall was filled with those who orbited power without possessing it—minor nobles, gifted bastards, sponsored elites. And Kael, born to the Ashwin legacy but declared Pathless.
For now.
"…following the Storm, the System recalibrated its classifications," Elreth continued, activating a projection behind him. "Path mutations became more common. Even rogue classifications—Aberrant, Nullborne, Mirrorborn. These are the anomalies."
Kael's head tilted slightly.
Mirrorborn?
A term he'd only seen once before. Buried in an archived incident report, redacted beyond readability. The phrase had scratched at the back of his mind since.
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"Mirrorborn refers," Elreth said, "to those who exist in tension between realities. Most fail to stabilize their Paths and suffer collapse. Those who survive either awaken unstable illusion-based abilities or find their perception permanently fractured. The System finds them… difficult to classify."
Whispers broke out across the room.
"Didn't a Mirrorborn destroy part of Hollowgate last year?"
"I thought they were all insane."
"My uncle says the Watchers kill them in secret."
Kael's fingers tapped softly on the wooden desk.
The term didn't alarm him—it clarified something. For years, he'd felt slightly... off. Like there was a film over the world, and sometimes, in the corners of his vision, the film would tear.
Was it perception, or was it reality?
Professor Elreth paused. "Few Mirrorborn survive long. Those who do are never the same. But I digress."
Kael's gaze drifted toward the noble students again. Cassiel whispered something to Veyra, who smirked and looked Kael's way.
Of course.
He'd caught their attention.
The Ashwin name wasn't easily ignored, even when its heir appeared... defective.
When class ended, Kael lingered. The hall emptied slowly, a tide of voices and footfalls. Lyra passed by him without a word, but this time her gaze lingered a second longer. Assessing.
Then Cassiel approached.
"Pathless Ashwin," he said, voice smooth.
"Still attending lectures for Paths you'll never walk?"
Kael looked up, unsmiling. "Still projecting overcompensation for a second-tier solar alignment?"
Cassiel's smile flickered.
Veyra laughed softly. "He's got a spine, I'll give him that."
"I don't need a Path," Kael said, standing, "to know you'll plateau long before the real game begins."
Cassiel's eyes narrowed, golden irises glowing faintly. "You think you're better than me?"
"I think you're used to being the center of a room that only half the world lives in."
For a moment, Kael wondered if the noble would strike him. Instead, Cassiel turned and walked away without another word.
Kael exhaled.
Not many lines left to cross before someone made things personal.
That night, in his room, Kael stood in front of a mirror, staring.
The edges of his reflection twitched unnaturally, like an image buffering out of sync. He didn't blink. Neither did the figure in the mirror.
Then it smiled.
He didn't.
Kael stepped back.
And the System whispered.
[Unclassified Mental Event Detected.]
[Cognitive Boundary Breach – Synchrony Fluctuation Present.]
[Pending Awakening…]
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the mirror was still.
Silent. Normal.
But Kael knew better.
He was no longer just Pathless.