The night sky over Aureus Helix shimmered in bands of violet and gold — fragments of auric energy that never truly slept. Beneath its light, the academy was quiet. Too quiet.
Inside one of the upper spires, Celia Veridia sat alone in her private quarters, the crystalline glass of her window stretching wide to reveal the floating city below. Her room was elegant yet cold — geometric light panels pulsing faintly along the walls, books aligned with impossible precision, a faint hum of gravitons anchoring her bed just a few inches above the polished floor.
Bzzzt— The quiet static of suspended energy whispered through the air as she unpinned her academy crest. It dissolved into shimmering dust.
Her gaze lingered on the horizon.
The world below seemed peaceful — but in her mind, echoes of the council's decision still reverberated.
> "The Trial of Resonance will proceed at dawn."
"The Null will participate."
The words had burned through the silence like fire.
She exhaled softly, brushing a lock of silver-blonde hair behind her ear. "Vadel Xyne... You're either the most reckless person I've ever met—" pause "—or the most dangerous."
(SFX: soft hum — the AI wards reactivating around the room)
Her eyes flicked toward the holographic panel beside her desk. Lines of encrypted data scrolled across, cascading in blue. She traced them absently, her thoughts drifting between curiosity and caution.
He was different. The Null who should have had nothing — yet had looked the elite in the eye without flinching.
Most students boasted their Traits like crowns.
But Vadel... he hid his strength like a blade under silk.
"Why does he interest me?" she murmured under her breath. "He's supposed to be insignificant."
( DING—)
The hologram pulsed once.
Her heart froze.
A message.
> Priority: Sovereign Seal.
Origin: Unknown Node.
Her pulse quickened. There was only one being who could use that encryption key.
Her grandfather.
The screen flickered — not an image, only his voice, deep and controlled.
"Celia. Do not interfere with the Trial. Observe the Null. Report his resonance output. The outcome will determine whether he lives or dies."
( —crackle—transmission fades—)
She stared at the dark screen long after it dimmed. Her reflection looked back — calm, composed... but her fingers trembled slightly.
"I understand, Grandfather."
Her voice was steady. But her eyes... wavered.
Outside, the auric storm deepened, shadows rippling through the spire's light.
Somewhere across the academy, Vadel Xyne stood beneath the same sky — unaware that tomorrow's trial would bind their fates tighter than either of them could imagine.
The morning arrived in a haze of light and motion. Distant bells echoed through the academy's aerial towers as the resonance fields shimmered awake, drawing gold arcs through the steel-blue sky. Students flooded toward the trial arena, their chatter weaving through the hum of the rising platforms.
Vadel walked among them, silent. His coat's high collar hid half his face, and his eyes reflected the faint data streams flickering from EON's interface in the corner of his vision. Each student around him vibrated with energy—Traits flaring unconsciously as they tested their control before the challenge began.
> [EON: You're unusually quiet, partner. Nervous? Or calculating how to not kill anyone by accident again?]
Vadel's expression didn't change. "I don't do nerves."
> [EON: Mm, right. Just existential detachment, then. Classic Null thing.]
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Focus. What's the analysis?"
> [EON: Resonance Field is Tier-3 adaptive. Meant to test compatibility between gene signatures and mental fortitude. You don't have a registered Trait, so statistically, you'll fail. But statistically, you shouldn't exist either, so—]
"So I'll improvise."
He stepped through the archway into the arena. The world opened into a vast circular space — hovering platforms arranged like petals, glowing lines tracing the air between them. The central ring pulsed faintly, waiting for its first combatant. The audience tiers shimmered above, filled with spectators, mentors, and silent observers from the upper academies.
And at the very top, behind the silver veil of a private balcony, Celia Veridia watched.
Her eyes met his across the distance — calm, sharp, and unreadable. For an instant, he thought he saw hesitation there. Then the light shifted, and her expression was gone.
The announcer's voice rang through the air.
"Participant: Vadel Xyne. Tier: Null. Challenge Type: Resonance Calibration."
Murmurs rippled through the arena. A Null wasn't supposed to be here.
He ignored them. His boots clicked against the metallic surface as he approached the center. Beneath him, the energy veins pulsed faster, synchronizing with his heartbeat.
> [EON: Ready? I can intercept the synchronization field—copy its structure for future use. But it'll cause feedback. Painful one.]
"Do it."
> [EON: Copying protocol initiated. And… syncing in 3—2——]
A sound like lightning cracking underwater tore through his mind. Every nerve in his body screamed. The field's energy slammed into him, trying to read a genetic signature that didn't exist.
Then something shifted.
The air bent inward. Data streams bent around his core like threads of light. Where there should have been rejection, there was fusion. His Null essence—the absence of any defined Trait—absorbed the resonance frequency, bending it to his will.
The crowd gasped as the calibration dome flared white.
> [EON: …Vadel. You didn't just pass. You broke the field.]
The system's voice, calm but shaken, echoed across the arena.
"Resonance output: 142%. Calibration… incomplete. Participant—unstable synchronization detected."
He exhaled slowly, lowering his hand as the light receded. His body trembled, but his gaze stayed steady. "Tell them… to adjust their data."
Above, Celia's eyes widened—just slightly—as the reading scrolled past her screen.
And behind her, in the shadows of the observation deck, the Silent Emperor watched without a word.
The next phase of the game had begun.