Chapter 8 The Price of a Spark
The silence in the Headmaster's office was heavier than any barrier Lyon had reinforced. Professor Mirelle stood with a rigid spine, her gaze fixed on Headmaster Orren, who sat behind a desk of polished star-wood. The air smelled of old parchment and ozone.
Lyon stood between them, the faint, ever-present hum of the Origin Seal the only sound in his mind. The System interface was suspiciously, pointedly quiet.
"Rewriting local reality to reinforce a geomantic shield," Orren stated, his voice not loud, but filling the room. He wasn't asking. "A feat not seen since the Archmage Wars. Performed by a first-year aspirant who has been here for a week."
"He responded to an existential threat," Mirelle countered, her tone defensive. "The Gateseepers—"
"Were repelled, yes. And in doing so, Lyon Kael painted a target on this academy the size of a continent." Orren's ancient eyes finally settled on Lyon. "What you did saved lives. It also declared to every power in this realm, and beyond, that a new Sovereign-grade asset is here, untrained and undefended."
Lyon met his gaze. "What would you have had me do? Let the barrier fall?"
"An interesting philosophical question," Orren said, a grim smile touching his lips. "But a moot one. The deed is done. The consequence is this: effective immediately, your status as a 'student' is secondary. You are now a strategic resource of the Aetherion Imperial Academy. Your training will be accelerated. Your freedoms, curtailed. Your life, from this moment on, belongs to the survival of this institution."
The words landed not as a punishment, but as a cold, hard fact. The academy wasn't expelling him; it was conscripting him.
[New Destiny Quest: 'The Sovereign's Burden']
Objective: Survive the Academy's political landscape and master your Dominion to the Adept stage within 3 months.
Reward: Unlock 'Empire' Interface Preview, 500 Aether Points.
Failure: System Sequestration by the Aetherion Council.
The System's message was a grim echo of the Headmaster's decree. The stakes were no longer just personal power; they were his very autonomy.
"Understood," Lyon said, his voice flat.
"Professor Dorne will be your direct overseer," Orren concluded, turning back to his papers, a clear dismissal. "Do not make me regret this."
The "accelerated training" began at dawn. It was not held in the public halls, but in a private, sealed chamber deep beneath the library spire. The air was thick with condensed mana.
Mirelle wasted no time. "Your power is a scalpel, Lyon. You used it as a hammer yesterday. You brute-forced a solution by imposing your will, but your control is still sloppy. You leaked enough Dominion energy during that event to power the western district for a week. That 'leak' is a beacon."
She gestured to a complex runic circle etched into the floor. "This is a Null-Sigil Array. It will contain your energy signature. Your task is to create a single, stable Void Bolt inside it without the array flaring. If it flares, it means you are wasting power. You will do this until you can do it in your sleep."
It was grueling, meticulous work. For hours, Lyon focused, compressing the destructive energy, shaping it with impossible precision. The array flared again and again, each flash a testament to his lack of fine control. It was a humbling contrast to his public victory.
During a brief rest, as he gulped down water, a new screen appeared.
[Daily Mission Available: 'Aether Efficiency']
Objective: Successfully cast a Tier-1 skill (Void Bolt, Aegis Echo, Null Seed) 50 times without exceeding 5% energy waste.
Reward: 10 Aether Points.
He almost laughed. The System was now aligning perfectly with Mirelle's training. He got back to work.
The political fallout was swift. At the evening meal in the grand refectory, the space around Lyon was empty. It wasn't out of fear of him, but fear of association with him. He was now a political hot potato.
It was Seraphina who broke the quarantine. She slid into the seat opposite him, her tray silent on the table. Her crimson eyes assessed him.
"The walls have ears, Origin-Bearer," she said softly, not looking at him. "House Valeheart has formally dissociated itself from Aria's 'unsanctioned contact' with you. My own family has sent a missive. They see you as either a key to untold power or a vortex that will drag every house into ruin." She finally met his gaze. "I am not easily dragged."
Before he could respond, Aria herself arrived, her posture rigid. She did not sit. "Caldris is making a move," she said, her voice low and urgent. "Ryn's father is on the council. They are pushing for your 'relocation' to a secure, off-site facility for 'the good of the realm.' It's a ploy to control you." Her eyes flickered with a complex emotion—duty warring with something else. "I have voiced my opposition."
In that moment, the trio was bound not by friendship, but by shared stakes. Seraphina, the heir to forbidden power. Aria, the paragon of a system that now sought to cage him. And Lyon, the catalyst.
That night, exhausted and alone in his new, more secure quarters, Lyon finally accessed the Shop. The interface was sparse.
Available Funds: 15 Aether Points.
Items:
· Mana-Conducting Alloy Fragment (10 AP): Slightly improves skill channeling speed.
· Basic Soul Stabilizer Tincture (20 AP): Reduces mental corruption from Dominion use.
· 'Gateseeper' Core Shard - Analyzed (50 AP): Unlocks research on extradimensional entities.
He purchased the alloy fragment, feeling a slight, immediate solidity in his palm when he next summoned a Void Bolt. The System was real, its benefits tangible.
As he drifted off, a final, softer screen emerged, different from the others. The text was less mechanical, almost... curious.
[System Soul: Lyra - Initializing...]
[Status: Dormant...]
[Query: What is... 'fear'?]
Lyon's eyes snapped open, all fatigue forgotten. He stared at the message until it faded.
The spark had been struck. The price was being paid. And now, the very tool that guided him was beginning to wake up.