The Second Test was held in a quiet, circular chamber. Each aspirant stood alone on a runed platform while a beam of light scanned them from above — the Soul-Reader.
It assessed the depth of one's connection to their internal system, their energy purity, and their potential for growth. For most, it was a formality. For Echo, it was a minefield.
He watched as a dragon-kin ahead of him glowed brightly — "System Affinity: High. Bloodline Purity: Superior." Applause.
A tech-augmented human sparked with energy — "Cyber-System Integration: Stable. Threat Projection: Medium."
Then, Echo's turn.
He stepped onto the platform. The light enveloped him. It was invasive, cold, searching. His Error-Sight flared in defense, showing him the scan's algorithmic pathways. He saw where it probed for "foreign energy signatures," "dimensional anomalies," and "corruption taint."
His Charm stat wasn't enough here. But his bond with Leyla and Mira… that was a part of him now. He focused on it, wrapping his own energy in the "normalized" frequencies of their awakened bloodlines — moon-energy and spatial resonance. He layered his anomaly-spark beneath, masking it as "latent human variant potential."
The scan delved deeper. He felt it brush against the edges of his core.
Suddenly, Mira, from across the room, tensed. She felt his distress through their bond. Without thinking, she pushed back—not with energy, but with a spatial distortion that subtly warped the scan beam around Echo, like light bending around a hidden object.
The Soul-Reader stuttered.
"Scanning… interference detected. Recalibrating."
It scanned again, quicker this time.
"Subject: Echo. Species: Human variant. System Affinity: Moderate. Bloodline: None detected. Energy Signature: Aligned with bonded allies—Moonstalker and World-Walker resonance noted. Classification: Standard recruit. No further action required."
The light shut off.
Echo stepped down, his heart pounding. He caught Mira's eye. She gave a slight, knowing nod. She had shielded him without fully understanding how.
The Trialmaster announced the results. Their team had scored squarely in the middle of the pack — worthy of entry into the Academy, but not notable enough for special oversight.
As they were ushered toward the barracks for assignment, Echo's wrist-band pinged with a new, private message:
"You hide well. But hiding will not win the war. Report to Scholar Varia in the Restricted Archives after nightfall. Come alone. Tell no one."
The message was unsigned.
Echo deleted it, his mind racing.
They were in.
They had a place to train, to grow, to earn power.
But even here, in the heart of Order's stronghold, secrets were watching.
And his had just been noticed.