Morning sunlight filtered through the clouds, scattering pale colors across the academy courtyard. The day felt calm on the surface, but Rin sensed the quiet pulse inside him steady, green, and growing. It had reached ten percent last night, yet even now it stirred faintly like something breathing.
He tightened his grip on the Verdant Fragment hidden inside his sleeve. It was better not to keep it out in the open. Someone might sense it, or worse, someone might recognize it.
For now, he needed answers.Real answers not guesses, not overheard rumors.Clues.
But clues never came quickly.He would have to find them one piece at a time.
Library Duty
Rin arrived at the academy library just before noon. The building rose tall and silent, its stone walls carved with shifting runes that glowed faintly when touched by sunlight. Students walked in and out carrying scrolls and data-slab readers.
Rin stepped through the entrance quietly.The air inside smelled of ink, old wood, and faint flux.
A woman with bronze glasses looked up from the front desk. Her name was Instructor Selin, the library caretaker. She recognized Rin immediately.
"Oh, you again. Here to volunteer?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
He nodded. "Yes, Instructor."
Selin gave a short sigh but didn't stop him. "Fine. Shelving work today. And keep the old records section clean. Dust triggers the alarm runes."
Rin nodded again and slipped inside.
Working in the library wasn't a punishment not for him.It was a chance.
A place full of history, forgotten manuals, old cultivation texts…and maybe something connected to the Verdant Order.
He started sorting scrolls as instructed. Quietly, slowly.This gave him time to observe.
Students whispered between shelves. Pages flipped. Flux lamps hummed softly. Everything looked normal too normal. Almost controlled.
The system's voice whispered in his mind:
[Flux Text Detected.][Permission Level: Low. Passive Analysis Only.]
Rin whispered inside his thoughts:Can you read the manuals?
[Affirmative. Limited Scanning Possible.][Data Quality: Fragmented.]
That was enough.Piece by piece, the system could collect fragments of outdated information lost techniques, forgotten styles, old legends.Maybe one would lead toward the Verdant Order.
The Old Records Section
Rin carried a stack of scrolls deeper into the library. The hallways narrowed. Lamps grew dimmer. Dust covered the shelves like thin frost.
Few students came here.This place felt… different.
Old runes glowed weakly on the floor, flickering like tired fireflies.
Rin set the scrolls down and began dusting shelves. After a few minutes, something caught his eye a crack in the wall behind one of the shelves. It was thin, almost invisible, but the faint green shimmer inside the crack made him freeze.
Green?
He leaned closer. The shimmer pulsed once, quiet but alive.
Then the system reacted.
[Unknown Signature Detected.][Similarity: 1.4% to Verdant Fragment.]
Only 1.4%.But even that tiny match meant something.
There are more traces, Rin thought. Even here.
He reached out, but the moment his finger brushed the crack, the shimmer vanished like smoke.
ThenA low hum rose from the ceiling.Runes lit up around him in sharp red patterns.
[Warning: Library Restriction Field Activated.]
Rin stepped back quickly.
"What was that?" he whispered.
He hadn't touched any forbidden item. He barely brushed the wall.
The hum faded after several seconds. The runes dimmed.Everything returned to normal.
But Rin knew the academy did not activate restrictions for nothing.
Something was hidden behind that wall.
And whatever it was, the Engine system guarded it closely.
Questions With No Answers
Rin continued working, but his thoughts remained tangled.
What was that green shimmer?A fragment like the one he found in the forest?A trace left by something older?
After finishing his shift, Rin approached Instructor Selin casually.
"Instructor," he said softly, "what exactly is kept in the Old Records section?"
She pushed her glasses up. "Mostly outdated cultivation manuals. Things that were replaced by newer versions." Then her tone sharpened. "Why?"
"Just curious," Rin replied quickly.
"Curiosity is fine," she said, "as long as you don't wander where you're not allowed. Some records are sealed for safety."
Rin nodded. "Of course."
But the word sealed echoed in his mind.
Why would simple old manuals need sealing?What exactly is the academy hiding?
Hints in the Manuals
He returned to the shelves and picked up a battered book with frayed edges. It looked ordinary, but the system pinged as soon as he opened it.
[Analyzing…][Content: Cultivation Manual — "Roots of the Verdant Path."][Status: Incomplete. Missing Key Chapters.][Connection to Verdant Order: Possible 8%.]
Rin's breath hitched.
Another lead… but incomplete.
He turned the pages slowly.The text described early cultivation methods involving plant energy, earth flow, and natural rhythm similar to what he felt during the forest encounter.
But halfway through, the book changed. Pages were ripped out cleanly, entire sections missing.
Someone removed them deliberately.
He whispered in his mind:Can you restore it?
[Attempting Reconstruction.][Data Loss: Severe.][Restoration: 4% Complete.]
Not enough.But something was better than nothing.
Rin put the manual back and kept searching.
Hidden Systems
For the next hour, Rin explored one row after another. The system scanned silently, collecting fragments from various manuals small techniques, old myths, forgotten names.
Most weren't useful.
But slowly… patterns began to appear.
Mentions of an ancient group tied to nature and green energy.
References to a "Cycle of Verdure" that predated modern cultivation.
Notes about a conflict between this group and something called The Engine Directive.
The more he read, the clearer one thing became:
The Engine system didn't just guide the world.It controlled it.
And anything that didn't fit its rules…was erased.
Rin felt a chill run through his arms.
The academy taught that the Engine kept balance, protected civilization, and maintained order.
But these old texts suggested another truth a truth buried under layers of edits and sealed sections.
He closed a book gently.His hand trembled again.
"Why would the Engine hide this?" he whispered.
The system replied lightly:
[Query: Unresolvable.][Insufficient Data.]
Rin sighed.
He wasn't expecting an answer.Not yet.
Forbidden Doors
As he moved deeper into the section, he noticed a long hallway with no lamps and a thick metal door at the end. Runes glowed faint blue on its surface, pulsing like a slow heartbeat.
A plaque beside the door read:
ARCHIVE SEVEN — RESTRICTED
Rin stepped closer.His pulse increased.
The door had no handle.No lock.Only runes.Engine runes.
The system whispered:
[Warning: High-Level Barrier Detected.][Unauthorized Access Will Trigger Alarms.]
And yet… something inside the door responded to him.A faint green flicker.Barely visible.
The Verdant Fragment in his sleeve warmed.
Rin froze.He wasn't imagining it.The shard was reacting.
Which meantSomething behind that door shared the same energy.
Maybe more fragments.Maybe old records.Maybe something older than the academy itself.
But he couldn't open it.Not now.Not with this level of strength.Not with the system still limited.
He stepped back slowly and turned away.
This was a clue but only the first.
There would be more.And he needed to gather them carefully, quietly.
Night Study
By the time Rin returned to his dorm room, the sky had turned dark. The quiet hum of night lanterns filled the hallways.
He sat on his bed, took out the Verdant Fragment, and placed it on his palm.
It pulsed once soft and warm.
The system flickered awake.
[New Data Integrated.][Matching Fragments: 3.2%.][Progress Toward Verdant Order Reconstruction: Minimal.]
Rin smiled faintly.
"Good," he whispered. "Slow is fine."
He wasn't expecting any miracles.He didn't want to rush.Each clue would lead to another, and another, until everything formed a clear picture.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
The academy, the Engine, the sealed records, the green figures, the fragmentseverything was connected.
But only in thin threads.
And Rin would follow those threads, no matter how long it took.
Tonight was just the beginning.
Tomorrow, he would return to the library.Search deeper.Read more.Find more cracks in the truth.
And slowly… slowly…he would uncover whatever the Verdant Order once was.