The classroom was vast, circular, and lined with holo-panels that shimmered faintly under the Riftlight spilling through the tall windows. The faint pulse of energy from the Rift above bled through the ceiling, casting jagged silver and violet patterns across the polished floor.
Ren stood in the center, royal blue eyes fixed on the holo-dummies arranged in a semi-circle around him. His fingers twitched, pulse thrumming faintly beneath his skin, threads of energy coiling like water around rocks. He could feel the other students watching—some curious, some skeptical, some outright impressed.
"Focus on intent, not just motion," Lucien's voice came from across the room, calm, precise. Shadows curled lightly around him, coiling like a silent extension of his presence. His very light brown eyes were steady on Ren, flicking occasionally to the holo-dummies, measuring his control.
Ren inhaled, letting the pulse thread outward. The energy shimmered faintly in the air, coiling like living smoke. He flicked his wrist, and a ripple of blue energy struck the first holo-dummy, toppling it with precise force.
Kael, sitting against the back panel with arms crossed, smirked. "Not bad for someone who wasn't supposed to be able to manifest anything." His dark green eyes flicked toward Lucien, then Ren. "Lucky, maybe?"
Selene leaned slightly forward from the other side of the room, amber eyes sharp. "Or talented," she murmured, voice low but carrying clearly across the space. She tilted her head, studying Ren's technique. "Or maybe… guided?"
Lucien's shadows pulsed faintly around him, responding to Ren's energy, subtle but protective. His gaze met Ren's across the room for a heartbeat—a silent acknowledgment, a tether. "Don't let them distract you," he murmured softly, though no one else could hear.
Ren swallowed and nodded, letting the pulse thread through the remaining holo-dummies. He felt the threads tighten, then expand, responding to his subtle adjustments. The last dummy toppled with a soft clang, the energy dissipating in faint violet sparks.
"Better," Lucien said, stepping closer. Shadows curled around his boots, responding to Ren's pulse in subtle, delicate mimicry. "But you overextended on the final strike. Control the expansion, not just the impact."
Ren exhaled, flexing his fingers. "Control… got it," he murmured, trying to keep his voice steady while his chest warmed. The private tether between him and Lucien thrummed faintly, a pulse threading under the classroom lights.
From across the room, another student, Jorin, leaned forward. "Seriously. Did you see that? He—he can actually manipulate energy like that?" His hazel eyes were wide, almost disbelieving. "I didn't think someone with… nothing could pull this off."
Ren felt a faint prickle of pride but didn't let it show. Instead, he let a teasing edge slip in, voice low: "If you wanted to see me in action, you could've asked."
Lucien's lips twitched, faint shadows responding to the subtle teasing, curling around Ren like a shield. "Not bad," he murmured quietly, audible only to Ren. "Keep the confidence in check. But… good."
Selene's gaze flicked between them, a frown forming. She leaned forward, whispering to Kael. "They're… close. Too close."
Kael smirked, though there was a flicker of unease in his expression. "Watch him," he muttered. "He's not like the others. And Lucien… he doesn't usually—"
Ren caught the subtle tension but didn't let it show. Instead, he focused, channeling the pulse through his hands, letting it thread subtly around the edges of the room, brushing against shadows and air currents alike. Lucien's presence was a constant tether, subtle guidance, protective but unobtrusive.
"Good," Lucien murmured again. His light brown eyes lingered on Ren's movements, calm but intense. "Now… defensive applications. Mirror the energy outward, sense incoming motion, anticipate."
Ren inhaled, threading the pulse around him, feeling each subtle shift in the air. A holo-dummy lunged as if it were alive, and Ren instinctively pulsed outward, the energy curling around it, absorbing the strike, dissipating it with precision.
"Excellent," Lucien said softly, stepping closer. Shadows twisted lightly around Ren's boots. "You're learning to trust the pulse… and yourself."
The other students whispered among themselves, some impressed, some irritated. Selene's amber eyes narrowed slightly, Kael's dark green gaze lingering on Lucien with barely hidden tension.
Ren exhaled, chest tight, but the warmth under his skin was steady, tethered to Lucien's calm presence. He couldn't let them see the pulse of awareness, the thread of something more, but Lucien's eyes—light brown, steady, and just slightly soft—kept him grounded, focused.
For a fleeting moment, as the classroom lights flickered in harmony with the Riftlight outside, it felt like only the two of them existed. Shadows, pulse, energy, and a tether that no one else could understand.
And Ren realized, quietly, that he didn't want anyone else to see this. Not yet.
The classroom still hummed faintly with Riftlight as Ren adjusted his stance, royal blue eyes scanning the holo-dummies before him. The students were divided into groups, practicing defensive and offensive pulses, shadow manipulations, and kinetic projections. Each strike sent ripples through the polished floor, faint echoes that resonated against the glass walls of the training hall.
Lucien moved silently among the students, shadows trailing at his heels like living silk. His very light brown eyes flicked from Ren to the others, attentive, precise. Every subtle twitch of Ren's pulse, every adjustment of his stance, was noted and quietly corrected—never harsh, but firm, guiding without overshadowing.
A group of kinetic flingers, led by Kael, launched their training dummies into the air. The students dodged, deflected, and countered with varying degrees of skill. Selene's amber eyes followed Ren like a hawk, watching his every move. She leaned against a holo-panel, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "He's learning faster than I thought."
Ren's pulse threaded outward, brushing against the rippling shadows of Lucien. The connection was subtle, intimate, tethering him without exposing the bond to the rest of the class. He sent a flicker of energy at the next holo-dummy; it spun in mid-air, then toppled to the floor in a shower of sparks.
Lucien's gaze softened faintly, almost imperceptibly, a flicker of vulnerability flashing through his normally composed expression. "Good," he murmured quietly. "You're trusting your instincts… not just the pulse."
Ren exhaled softly. He felt heat coil low in his chest, a strange mixture of pride and something more, something he didn't want anyone else to notice. He cast a glance at Lucien, catching the faintest shift of the shadows around his boots, protective, intimate.
"Now defensive chaining," Lucien instructed, stepping slightly closer. "Sense incoming pulses. Mirror them. Learn the rhythm. Anticipate, don't just react."
Ren obeyed, threading energy outward in a flowing arc, feeling each holo-dummy's programmed strike before it came. Sparks flared faintly where his pulse met the simulated attacks. A few students murmured under their breaths, impressed. Selene's eyes narrowed, Kael's jaw tightened, and Jorin let out an audible whistle.
"Not bad for someone who… didn't even exist in the manifest ranks before now," Jorin muttered, muttering almost to himself.
Ren smirked faintly, voice teasing but quiet. "I do my best when I'm… watched."
Lucien's light brown eyes flicked toward him, subtle warmth threading through the gaze. Shadows curled gently at Ren's feet, acknowledging the small tease. "Good," Lucien murmured. "Keep it steady."
Shower Break
When the session finally ended, sweat slicking their foreheads, muscles trembling from exertion, the students filed toward the changing quarters. Ren followed Lucien silently, shadows hugging lightly at the corners, a quiet tether between them. The other students chatted, laughing, some groaning over bruises or misfired pulses.
Ren found a moment near the showers to pull Lucien aside, voice low, teasing as ever. "You lead these classes like you enjoy seeing me flounder," he murmured.
Lucien's lips twitched faintly. "I do not… intentionally," he said softly, voice quieter now, shadows wrapping lightly around their feet. "But you… handle it well. You're improving."
Ren's pulse quickened. "Flattery again? Or is this… private feedback?"
Lucien's very light brown eyes softened, almost vulnerable in the bright, steamy light of the shower hallway. "Private," he admitted, stepping just a little closer. "Only for you."
Returning to Classwork
Once cleaned and changed, the students returned to the classroom for academic training—actual schoolwork, calculations, theoretical lessons on Rift mechanics, symbiote physiology, and pulse theory. It was a different kind of discipline, but no less demanding.
Lucien seated himself near Ren, shadows curling lightly at their edges. His light brown eyes flicked to Ren's notes, then back to his face. "Concentrate on the vector analysis," he murmured softly. "It's the same principle you use when channeling a pulse. Direction, force, intention."
Ren scribbled, half-listening, half-focused on the warmth of Lucien's proximity. "I think I've got it," he said, teasing quietly. "But your shadow commentary is distracting."
Lucien's lips curved faintly. "Good," he murmured. "Then I'll continue."
The classroom buzzed around them, students muttering, scribbling, practicing theoretical exercises, but for Ren and Lucien, the world narrowed. Pulse, shadows, guidance, and that rare, fragile connection threading through it all.
Even amid academic rigor, the tether remained—the unspoken awareness, the quiet intimacy, the tension that neither dared fully name yet.