Chapter 8: The Rare Protocol
The mirror chamber was a wreckage of fractured crystal and cold power residue. The Anima officials, who had stood frozen during Reiyo's violent rejection of the black substance, now moved with frantic, calculated speed. They surrounded the young man, who was lying unconscious amidst the shards, his breathing shallow,
Silas knelt beside him, his purple eyes wide with a mix of shock and profound recognition. "It wasn't a failure captain he murmured, looking up at the lead official. "It was the protocol."
The Captain, a gaunt man with hair the color of polished Black, nodded, his. face grim. "The rejection protocol, yes. We have not seen this since you Silas. Clean the chamber. Secure the subject. This changes everything."
Reiyo was stabilized and moved to a minimalist recovery chamber. Silas stood guard, delivering the crucial exposition while Kenji, shaken but unharmed, huddled in the corner, clutching the small bag of supplies.
"Silas pacing the small room. "It was meant to be controlled, passed down. But the power is inherently chaotic, and for many, it causes rejection. That's what your Trial of Scrutiny was designed for you to pass."
"He failed!" Kenji choked out and laughed,
"Precisely," Silas confirmed. "He failed to accept the Scars' power as his own. And that failure triggered the intervention of the Syqnix Tree."
Silas gestured toward the recovering Reiyo. "The Syqnix Tree is the counter-force to the Scars form of chaos. It is the life-force of a different dimension created by our God we worship Anima. It holds fifty distinct powers, each designed to find a single user who was rejected by the ancient items Like the chaos powers from the cursed scars. Reiyo was rejected by the Scars, and in his moment of great chaos, the Tree claimed him."
The Captain entered the room, carrying a tablet etched with glowing symbols. "Twenty-three of those powers disappeared long ago, lost to the Decay or dormant in souls we could not find. Now, the Tree has assigned one of the remaining powers to him. He is the first recipient in years after you Silas"
"So, what is it?" Kenji asked, trembling. "What is his power?"
"We don't know," the Captain admitted. "The light is the Syqnix Light—the sign of a successful bind. His true power—his single, specific ability—is still dormant, waiting for a catalyst to awaken. Until then, he is highly unstable and highly visible. That blast of Syqnix energy was massive; the Aetherium will know a major shift has occurred."
Kenji's Turn
The Captain turned his piercing gaze away from Reiyo and focused entirely on Kenji, who flinched, instinctively bracing for a trial or a blow.
"The power of the Syqnix only permits one user," he stated, his voice devoid of judgment. "You are bound to Reiyo by history, but you are a man of the Iron District, without the Scars or the Syqnix."
"Then let me go," Kenji whispered, rising to his feet. "I can't help him. I'll just be dead weight."
"No," the Captain said, a thin smile touching his lips. "You are an anchor. You are not normal. So you will not be one of the precious commodity here. The Anima organization—we do not risk our resources. You will be tested differently."
He held up a small, smooth, dark orb that pulsed with a faint, steady heat. "Reiyo is too volatile to train immediately. While he stabilizes and we determine his specific Syqnix Power, you will undergo a differntly trial but you will have to survive this trial as it is very dangerous."
"Survival," Kenji repeated, swallowing hard.
"Exactly," the Captain concluded. "You will learn a different power to the Syqnix Source—which is, effectively, the key to winning the war. We do not risk the uninitiated. Your trial is not one of Scrutiny, but one of life and death. You will become the Sentinel with your power."
Kenji looked from the terrifyingly glowing Reiyo to the resolute face of the Anima group captain. Kenji life had just been traded away , and the price was for him to awakening his powes.