The academy bell rang at dawn, sharp and loud like someone had slapped metal against the sky. Most students jumped out of bed half-asleep, scrambling to wear uniforms and act like they hadn't just drooled all night.
Darius was already awake. He didn't sleep much now. Dreams weren't safe anymore.
Room 23 was the usual mess — Arjun still snoring, one leg hanging off the bunk. Juno tying her boots like she was going to war. Riven had already vanished before sunrise.
Figures.
They reached the Stone Echo Court, which wasn't a court at all but a giant open-air platform built around a hollowed stone crater. It had old carvings all around, with ki threads embedded in the floor — like someone had tattooed the ground.
Instructor Velan stood waiting.
Tall, lean, slightly hunched forward like a man who'd spent most of his life teaching people who didn't listen. He wore the basic academy robe but had a jagged scar running from his left eyebrow to his jaw. Didn't look decorative.
"Sit down," he said. "No introductions, no shouting. If you're here to wave clan names around, go home."
A few people chuckled. He didn't.
"We start with Foundational Control. If your ki leaks while walking, what's the point of having a root at all?"
A few students looked confused already.
Velan sighed. "Exactly. Too many of you rely on raw power. That's why half of you will stall before B-rank."
Darius sat near the edge, not too close, not too far. Watching.
The other students tried hard to appear focused, but it was clear who was here to learn and who was here to flex.
"Begin sensing drills," Velan snapped. "You. The loud one. Arjun, is it?"
Arjun blinked. "Sir?"
"Your ki is louder than your mouth. Restrain it before someone uses it as a locator beacon."
Darius bit his lip to avoid laughing.
Velan moved through the crowd, correcting posture, smacking people on the back if they got lazy. He wasn't abusive — just done with nonsense.
Darius tried to regulate his ki flow as subtly as he could.
The Boundless Nexus flicked softly in the background.
[Instructor Signature Logged – Ki Pattern Inverted]
[Note: Internal Flow Abnormally Suppressed]
Huh.
Darius kept his face neutral, but the system's observation stuck in his mind. Suppressed flow? What kind of person in an academy suppresses their own ki that tightly?
Someone who's hiding something, probably.
Halfway through the session, the drill was interrupted.
A group of five walked in late. Not running. Not apologising. Just casually stepping in like they owned the place.
And maybe they did.
Leading them was a girl with silver hair tied up in a lazy bun, a robe that clearly cost more than most families earned in a year, and the kind of confidence that said, "If you even look at me wrong, I'll have you transferred to the kitchen."
Talia Veyne.
Whispers spread immediately. Inner Circle. Direct bloodline of a ruling council member. Rank: A+. Root: Celestial Tier. Probably modified.
Next to her stood Karsen Luin, known for being too quiet and too perfect. Eyes half-lidded, expression bored, like all this was beneath him.
Velan didn't say a word.
Neither did anyone else.
Darius noticed the shift in air the moment they arrived. Some students straightened their backs. Some just quietly tried to move away.
Talia smirked, scanning the crowd. Her eyes stopped briefly on Arjun, who wasn't smart enough to shut his mouth.
"Bit early for latecomers, isn't it?" Arjun muttered.
She tilted her head. "Bit brave for someone barely carrying a B-rank root."
That shut him up.
Juno stepped forward slightly, but Darius placed a hand on her arm.
Not worth it. Not yet.
While others returned to sensing exercises, Darius watched Talia carefully.
Not because she was flashy, but because her ki responded unnaturally fast to emotions. When Arjun had spoken, her aura spiked and returned to calm in under a second.
The Nexus noted it too:
[Subject: Talia Veyne]
[Ki Response Time: 0.83s]
[Stabilization Rate: Advanced – Artificial Flow Detected]
That wasn't natural. Her control was either trained under brutal methods, or something else — some external booster.
Nearby, Riven leaned against a wall, arms crossed, watching the elite group like he was taking mental notes.
He didn't look impressed. Or intimidated.
Darius met his eyes once.
Just a nod. No friendliness, just mutual awareness: We're not like them. And they're not like us.
After the session ended, Juno walked beside Darius, quiet.
"They think they own this place," she muttered.
"They probably do," he replied. "Let them. For now."
She glanced at him. "You saw it too, didn't you? Her control. It wasn't normal."
Darius didn't answer. She already knew.
That night, while heading back to the dorms, Juno pulled him aside.
"Did you hear? Someone said there's a special training group. Invitation-only. Quiet batch that gets picked up during the first week. No rules, no classes, just… off-record stuff."
Darius's brow furrowed. "They watching us already?"
She shrugged. "Probably. You've got that 'weird' face. Wouldn't be surprised if someone tags you soon."
Darius didn't laugh.
The Nexus pinged quietly.
[Observation Level: Increased – Unknown Source]
[Recommendation: Passive Mode Maintained]