The lecture hall bled crimson.
Lanterns of sealed flame hung from obsidian chains high above the tiered stone seats, their dim light swaying with the breath of the volcanic isle. Every flicker stretched shadows longer, warping silhouettes across the walls like silent horrors clawing to escape.
The twenty elite branded sat within that restless glow.
Hunger hummed beneath skin.
Dominions whispered beneath breath.
And through the cracked seams of the Academy's ancient stone, thin veils of volcanic mist seeped inward — dread-laced, alive, listening.
At the hall's center, Instructor Veilwatch raised one scarred hand.
Essence ignited.
A holo-projection erupted above the floor — vast, intricate, divine in terror. Rivers of crimson light spiraled through the air, branching like arteries across the void. They split into the Nine Realms… then splintered further into the Twenty-Two Lost Ascension Chains — each fragment orbiting like shattered constellations.
Her scarred eyes swept the cohort.
"Today," she said, voice low as a burial bell, "we abandon history."
The projection shifted.
"We study mechanics."
---
## The Forge of Consumption
A branded silhouette formed mid-air — hollow, waiting.
Crimson essence poured into it.
"Terror embodiment is raw," Veilwatch continued. "There are no safe formulas. No ritual protections. You consume essence harvested from realms, minds, horrors — and force the body and soul to embody it."
Green lines formed along the silhouette — smooth, flowing.
"Balance sustains ascent."
The projection fractured.
Red fissures split the body open — essence leaking like blood into the void.
"Imbalance invites the abyss."
The hall chilled.
"Consumption is the forge," she said. "Too much, too fast — dissolution. Too little — stagnation. Flaws amplify. Hunger turns inward."
Images flickered in brutal sequence:
— A flame Dominion devoured too much dread — core igniting, then collapsing into cinders at Realm Six.
— A shadow utility starved intake — body thinning, unraveling into nothing by Realm Four.
— A healer attempting solo embodiment — drowning beneath accumulated guilt until her own essence devoured her.
"Risks are absolute," Veilwatch finished.
Her voice dropped softer.
"The abyss does not forgive."
A pause.
"The Veil hungers closer with every failed ascension."
Silence followed — heavy, thinking, afraid.
---
## Flame Arrogance
Zuo Flameheart leaned forward first.
Heat shimmered faintly off his arms — pride manifest.
"My clan's Flame Chain proves otherwise," he said. "Pure consumption works. Aggression burns away weakness."
Several strength-type branded nodded instinctively, emboldened by legacy and spectacle.
Veilwatch's gaze cut to him like a blade.
"Pure consumption shatters the weaver."
The holo shifted — ancient records surfacing.
"History shows Flame wielders burn brightest… and extinguish fastest without balance."
Zuo's jaw tightened.
Flames flickered along his knuckles — brief, irritated.
Across the hall, Lin Mei scribbled frantic notes, healer glow pulsing anxiously. Wei Jun watched everything in silence — patterns already forming.
And Xia Ying…
Sat still.
Watching essence flows.
Watching fractures.
Internal:
*Raw…*
*No chains but balance.*
*Sovereignty consumes all without fracture.*
---
## Counterpoint
The lecture opened to questions.
A lore-binder raised a hand.
"How does one sense imbalance before dissolution?"
"Flaw amplification," Veilwatch answered. "Hungers clash visibly. Calibration must be constant."
Zuo spoke again, louder now — reclaiming ground.
"Flame Chains don't need weak mixtures. Pure aggression devours dread fastest — forging Realms without dilution."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the strength cohort.
Veilwatch turned.
Not to Zuo.
To Xia Ying.
Her scarred gaze lingered.
"Counterpoint?"
The hall stilled.
Xia Ying answered calmly — voice quiet, precise.
"Pure aggression accelerates overconsumption."
Eyes shifted.
"Flames burn bright," he continued, "but exhaust fuel. Shadows endure by balancing intake with restraint — sustaining the prison longer without inviting the abyss's gaze."
Silence fell — heavy, undeniable.
Nods followed.
"…Makes sense."
"Shadows stabilize…"
"Fuel burnout risk…"
Even some flame types hesitated.
Zuo's frustration flared visibly — heat rippling air near his fists.
"Tricks and words," he muttered. "Real embodiment burns through."
Internal, Xia Ying's thoughts whispered:
*Flames burn bright.*
*Shadows endure.*
Veilwatch spoke faint praise:
"Perceptive."
A pause.
"Balance is the forge's true fire."
Respect shifted subtly.
No spectacle.
No dominance display.
But depth… acknowledged.
Zuo noticed.
Resentment kindled hotter.
---
## Project: Chain Reconstruction
At lecture's end, Veilwatch unveiled the first group assignment.
A shattered fragment rotated above her palm.
"You will reconstruct a minor Ascension Chain link."
Instructions manifested in crimson script:
— Research restricted tomes
— Harvest a shared dread vial in a warded zone
— Present synergy embodiment risks and benefits
Groups were assigned by compatibility.
Xia Ying's eyes didn't need to check.
He already knew.
Zuo Flameheart.
Lin Mei.
Wei Jun.
Again.
Opportunity… abundant.
---
## False Leadership
Zuo claimed command instantly.
"My research directs," he declared. "Flame insight leads. Lessers support."
Xia Ying inclined his head without resistance.
Internal:
*Lead the chain.*
*I'll pull the links.*
---
## Library Sabotage
The restricted wing breathed in whispers.
Warded tomes lined black iron shelves — each sealed in chain script that murmured on touch.
Zuo worked aggressively, flipping texts with heat-laced impatience.
"I'll handle aggression embodiment," he said. "You three fill gaps."
As notes compiled…
Xia Ying released a pulse.
Subtle.
Tailored.
Aura brushed Zuo's mind like a passing doubt.
A single seeded echo:
*Pure burn risks shatter…?*
Zuo faltered mid-sentence.
His flame flickered unevenly.
He reread a passage… misquoted it.
Delayed.
Hesitated.
The group noticed.
"Zuo… you're off," Wei Jun said.
Lin Mei tilted her head. "This fragment mentions balance thresholds…"
Xia Ying stepped in smoothly.
"Here," he said softly, pointing. "Shadow sustain points stabilize intake."
Correction delivered.
Credit… quietly taken.
Research momentum shifted toward him.
Zuo's irritation deepened — unfocused, gnawing.
---
## Harvest: Doubt
Zuo's spike of uncertainty radiated warm dread.
Xia Ying inhaled lightly.
A measured sip.
Flaw… sated.
---
## Courtyard Collapse
Break hour.
Volcanic mist coiled low across the courtyard stones.
A strength-type lackey — loyal to Zuo — cornered Xia Ying near a shadowed pillar.
"Shadow cheat," he sneered. "Think tricks hide weakness?"
Another flanked him.
Xia Ying remained calm.
"Words prove nothing."
They stepped closer.
So he let them see.
Aura unfolded — precise, surgical.
Feedback illusions ignited.
Each bully faced personalized terror:
— Strength dissolving into an endless abyss.
— Muscles failing.
— Powerlessness consuming identity.
They staggered.
Eyes wide.
Collapsed to their knees.
"Can't hold…!"
"Too weak… dissolving…"
Sobs broke through clenched teeth.
Nearby cohorts gasped.
"Flaw spike!"
"Get medics!"
Panic rippled.
Xia Ying knelt beside them — expression calm, concerned.
"Breathe," he murmured. "Academy pressure breaks many."
No suspicion traced.
Only sympathy.
---
## Harvest: Fear
The terror released was rich.
Dense.
Nourishing.
His Aura drank deep.
Flaw… quieted further.
---
## Watching Eyes
From the courtyard edge…
Veilwatch observed.
She had seen the collapse.
Seen Xia Ying's composure.
Seen the pattern.
Later, she summoned him privately.
A narrow corridor beside the forbidden library.
Her gaze lingered.
"Incidents rise around you," she said.
A pause.
"Flaw spikes. Collapses."
Silence stretched.
"Coincidence?"
Her Perception Dominion brushed his veil again — searching for distortion, manipulation, depth.
Xia Ying answered evenly:
"Pressure forges breaks. I offer aid where I can."
She studied him longer.
Not convinced.
Not accusing.
Yet.
"Suspicion invites deeper probes," she warned softly.
"Tread carefully."
Internal, his thoughts coiled:
*She notices patterns.*
*Good.*
*Suspicion ripens richer than trust.*
She turned to leave.
But her final glance lingered a fraction too long.
---
## Closing Reflection
Night fell over the Academy spires.
From a tower balcony, Xia Ying overlooked the volcanic mists swirling below like a living abyss.
Lecture truths replayed in memory.
Consumption.
Balance.
Chains.
Forging.
Internal reflection deepened:
*They study balance to survive chains.*
*I study imbalance to break them.*
His Aura condensed briefly in his palm — dread swirling into a small orb, whispering cold into the night.
Tested.
Refined.
Harvest potential growing.
Below, project preparations began.
Zuo's voice echoed faintly — boasting, assigning, posturing leadership.
Xia Ying smiled faintly in the dark.
Internal:
*This project forges chains…*
*And chains bind beautifully.*
*When sabotaged.*
Morning assembly loomed.
Group reconstruction would begin.
Zuo had already assigned "lesser roles" to Xia Ying — a glare of challenge lingering between them.
The forge was heating.
And within its flames…
Shadows sharpened knives unseen.