In Classroom 3, Professor Elena had started with the basics, calling out names from the digital board while the students remained in their seats.
"Before we move," she had said with a kind smile, her teal aura shimmering like a calm sea, "tell us your name and one thing you like. No AI assistance, just your own voices."
"Leo Drakmor! I like high-speed Mecha!" the spiky-haired boy shouted, nearly jumping out of his chair.
"Sora Ishigami. I... I like building new things," the girl with glasses whispered.
"Mina Valerius," Mina said, her voice like a soft bell. "I like the way the stars look when the atmospheric dome is clear."
"Kaelen Veyron. I like finding the constant in a variable equation."
Once the roll call was finished, Professor Elena clapped her hands. "Perfect. Now that the introductions are done, let's see what you're actually made of. Follow me to the Synchronization Chamber!"
The Ribbon Synchronization Chamber
The transition from the classroom to the specialized training wings was a choreographed movement of tiny footsteps and wide-eyed wonder.
The chamber was a massive, circular room where the floor felt like soft gym mats and the walls were covered in sleek, touch-sensitive glass.
Professor Elena stood in the center, her Level 110 Early-Strand Phase presence acting as a grounding wire for the room's chaotic energy.
"Circle up!" she called. "Now, when I call your name again, show us your Ribbon. Remember: no color is wrong. Your color is just your personal signature."
The Manifestation
Leo Drakmor: He stepped forward with a grin. He took a deep breath, and jagged, bright yellow sparks popped around his fists like tiny firecrackers. "Yellow means I'm high-energy!" he declared.
Sora Ishigami: She concentrated hard, and a thin, neon-green thread hummed into existence, vibrating so fast it made a faint whistling sound. "I like building things," she reminded the class.
Mina Valerius: The room went quiet. Mina didn't look like she was trying at all. She simply opened her palm, and a shimmering silver ribbon unspooled into the air. It flowed like liquid moonlight, mesmerizing the other children.
Kaelen Veyron: Kaelen stepped into the center. He didn't make a show of it; he just released his energy. A deep, solid crimson thread appeared. It was thick and didn't flicker at all, looking like a piece of red rebar anchored in mid-air.
"Red?" Leo whispered. "That's the slowest color on the chart."
"It's not about speed, Leo," Professor Elena corrected gently, checking her scanner. "Kaelen's thread is incredibly dense. It's stable—a foundation frequency."
Making Connections
Once everyone had shown their ribbons—including kids like Hana (pale blue), Ren (orange), and Toby (a flickering purple)—Professor Elena clapped again.
"Great job! You all have a wonderful spectrum. Now, follow me to the Main Auditorium. We're going to look at the map of the Milky Way and see where the different neighbouring Galaxies are heading!"
As the group started walking, Leo bumped Kaelen's shoulder. "Hey, Crimson. You're pretty quiet. You really like math that much?"
Kaelen looked at Leo's yellow sparks, which were still leaking energy inefficiently. "I just like when things fit together correctly."
Mina walked up on Kaelen's other side, her silver aura fading into a soft glow. "Don't mind Leo. He's just loud."
She looked at Kaelen with those wide, silver-grey eyes. "I liked your thread. It felt... sturdy. Like it wouldn't break even if a storm hit it."
"Thanks," Kaelen said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Your silver is very clean. It's a good frequency for a song."
Mina's eyes lit up. "You think so?"
"I'm sure of it."
The four of them—Kaelen, Mina, Leo, and Sora—walked into the giant auditorium together.
It was the first "unit" of the friends formed by Kaelen, formed not by an AI's compatibility algorithm, but by the simple, beautiful chaos of sitting next to each other.