"Mark… Mark… you have to wake up. We are going to be late for school."
I awoke to Nate shaking me, attempting to wake me up.
My whole body ached. My face throbbed like I repeatedly smashed my head, which I guess I did. I tasted blood.
I sat up, and pain wracked through my entire body. I peered over at Nate, a look of worry on his face.
"Come on." He said. "We're going to be late for school."
We stumbled into class a few minutes later. The teacher—Mr. Renlow—was in the middle of giving a lesson when we stumbled into the class. Glancing at our misshapen bodies, he frowned. "What happened to you guys?" he asked.
I opened my mouth to answer.
But Mr. Renlow raised his hand. "Never mind, just take your seats."
We turned to walk over to our seats when Mr. Renlow spoke again.
"Oh—and next time, try not to get into trouble, or I will report your repeated tardiness to the school."
We made our way to our seats and sat down.
Mr. Renlow continued on with his lesson. "So, what can anyone tell me about the Great Calamity?"
Instantly, everyone raised their hand in the air, except for me. Mr. Fenlow looked over at me. "Mark, since you came in late today, why don't you tell the entire class about the Great Calamity."
Groaning internally, I repeated what I could recall from our textbooks. "Fifteen years ago, the Great Calamity—an unprecedented catastrophe—nearly annihilated humanity. A Calamity-class monster, alongside a colossal horde, devastated cities and decimated millions of families. Despite the combined might of humans and spirits, the monstrous onslaught proved overwhelming. Yet, from humanity's darkest hour, heroes emerged. Their origins were unknown; they relentlessly exterminated monsters wherever they appeared. Among them, Finn Silver—the world's strongest human—rose above all others, wielding unprecedented power. He led the heroes in a climactic battle, slaying the Calamity-class monster and saving humanity, though at the cost of his own life. This struggle, however, spurred humanity's growth, leading to unprecedented advancements in strength and power."
Mr. Renlow looked over at me, "Great job Mark, at least I know that you at least read the textbook."
The whole class burst out laughing. My cheeks burned red from the embarrassment that I felt. Hey! At least I answered the question, I thought as the cries of laughter echoed across the class.
"Okay class, settle down. I know that you guys aren't this energized because of my lesson today." said Mr. Renlow.
"That's right sir. We know that the spirit bonding ritual is today." replied one of my classmates.
Everyone's eyes opened up wide, filled with excitement, including my own.
That's right! I thought, today is my first step in achieving power and purpose.
Mr. Renlow glanced at all of us. "Before we go, I have to explain how the ritual will work."
"Ah, no need to do that Mr. Renlow, we all know what's going to happen, let's just go." replied one of my classmates, Jack.
Mr. Renlow gazed over at him, eyebrows raised. "Oh, so you know everything already! Then tell me, what will you experience when taking the test?"
"Ahhh, so…uhm…yeah the ritual…yeah, uuhhh…we go to the bonding site…and you guys cast a special magic spell that temporarily takes us to the astral plane, if we are compatible, we can try to bond with a spirit, but if we're not, then we are thrown out of the spirit realm." replied Jack.
Mr. Renlow stared at him. "That was a textbook answer, but you missed something."
Jack looked over at him, a look of confusion spread across his face. "What did I miss, teacher?"
Mr. Renlow smiled thinly, but there was no warmth in it. He took a step closer to the front of the room, his fingers laced behind his back. "You missed the most important part, Jack," he said, voice low and deliberate. "You missed the warning."
The room fell silent.
Mr. Renlow's gaze swept across the class like a cold wind. "The spirit realm does not welcome everyone. It is not simply a test of compatibility. It is a test of will, of identity. If your spirit fractures—if you waver, if you doubt yourself even once—the realm will reject you. And if it does…"
He paused. No one breathed.
"…you may not come back whole."
A few students shifted nervously. The excitement from earlier now felt more like unease. Even Jack sank slightly in his seat, eyes down.
Mr. Renlow clapped his hands once, and smiled. "But! Let's not dwell on fear, that situation rarely happens. Most of you will do just fine—as long as you don't underestimate the seriousness of this trial. Remember, this is the beginning of your bond with the spiritual force that may guide you for the rest of your life."
"And now, with that warning out of the way, we can now head over to the bonding site." exclaimed Mr. Renlow.
Chairs scraped back. Excitement and tension swirled through the group like a storm as we filed out, the echo of footsteps bouncing off the old stone walls of the academy. We walked in silence, deeper into the heart of the school. I walked near the front, heart pounding. My mind swirled with thoughts—what kind of spirit would choose me? Would I get a spirit summon like a spirit wolf, or maybe even a dragon? I heard of someone that bonded a spirit dragon, and how they rose to unprecedented power and status in the world.
Or maybe I won't have any compatibility at all. Stop it. I can't think like that. I know that there is a spirit out there just waiting for me to bond with it; I know it.
The end of the hallway opened into a wide chamber lit with flickering runes carved into the walls and ceiling. At the center of the room stood a pedestal of polished black granite, and resting atop it was the Spiritstone.
It wasn't large—maybe the size of a human head—and it was smooth and smoky blue, as if made of mist trapped in crystal. But it pulsed with a soft inner light, as if it were breathing. There was something… alive about it.
Mr. Renlow stepped beside it. "This," he said, gesturing to the stone, "is the core through which the spirit realm speaks to us. When you touch it, it will draw you into the astral plane—if you are compatible. If not… the stone will reject you. You'll feel it. And you will know."
He looked at each of us, his expression turning serious again. "But even if the stone accepts you, do not assume you are safe. The realm tests you the moment you arrive. Lose focus, let fear overtake you, and it will cast you out. Or worse."
A silence settled over us like a weight.
"Oh, and one more thing, the spirit chooses its bonded, so don't go getting any ideas, a spirit can test you however it wants." said Mr. Renlow, he unrolled a scroll. "First student—Jack Tenvor."
Jack swallowed hard and stepped forward, trying to keep his usual swagger. He placed a single hand on the stone.
Nothing happened for a heartbeat.
Then the stone flashed.
Jack's body stiffened. His eyes went wide, and in an instant, his form vanished—drawn inward like smoke into the stone.
We waited. Seconds passed. Then—fwump—Jack reappeared, staggering backward and gasping for breath.
A ripple passed through the chamber.
Jack dropped to one knee, one hand still pressed to the stone. The glow spreading from beneath his palm wasn't wild or violent—it was steady. Deep emerald light filled the carved veins of the pedestal, bright and controlled.
A breeze stirred.
Dust lifted from the ground and circled him in a slow, deliberate spiral. The leaves of the courtyard tree rustled though the rest of us felt nothing.
Then a shape formed behind him.
A tall figure of translucent green light, its body woven from wind and curling vines. Its lower half dissolved into a twisting column of air, never quite touching the earth. Petals drifted lazily around its shoulders.
The spirit's bright, forest-colored eyes opened.
A hush fell over the class.
Mr. Renlow inhaled sharply. "A Verdant Tempest…"
Murmurs broke out immediately.
Mr. Renlow nodded. "You were accepted. But that is only the beginning of your journey."
Jack returned to the group with visible glee, everyone surrounded him, praising him and his spirit.
The ritual continued, names were called one after another. Some vanished like Jack, and reappeared with their spirits, however, none were as eye-catching as Jack's. Others placed their hands on the stone and nothing happened—no light, no flash, only silence. Rejection.
Then—
"Nate Poger!"
I looked over at my friend, his face had paled.
"Well, why are you standing like someone died, get up there, I know that you will do great." I said, slapping him on the back and pushing towards the stand.
He walked up to the stand, clenched his jaw, and placed his hand on the Spiritstone.
For a breathless moment, nothing happened.
Then the stone flared—brilliant blue light pulsing from its core—and Nate vanished in a swirl of ghostlight, pulled into the astral plane.
We all waited, silent.
Ten seconds passed.
Twenty.
A full minute.
My stomach twisted. Some students had come back almost instantly. What was taking so long?
Then, with a sharp crack of air, Nate reappeared. He dropped to one knee, gasping, his hand still glowing faintly from where he'd touched the stone.
I sprinted to him, crashing him into a big hug. "You did it Nate!"
"Yeah, I did," replied Nate, letting loose a breath of relief.
"Okay now, I know that you guys are excited, but how about you guys return to your spot so that we can continue the tests," said Mr. Renlow.
"Sorry teacher, we will return right now," I replied. While making our way back to our spots.
A few more names were called, but nothing too eventful happened, until—
"Mark Lydo!"
My heart stopped.
Nate peered over at me. "You got this Mark."
"Yeah!" I replied instinctively. Nate looked at me with worry, but I didn't notice.
Everything faded into the background. I stepped forward, the cold stone floor echoing beneath my boots. My pulse thundered in my ears as I approached the Spiritstone. It pulsed, blue clouds swirled in the stone like a cyclone.
I placed my hand on it.
And the world disappeared into darkness.
A burst of energy surged through my chest, dragging me inward. The stone disappeared. The chamber vanished. My body was gone.
I was falling.
Falling through a void lit by drifting stars and impossible colors. The air here was thick with swirling grey smoke, echoes of voices I didn't recognize, names I'd never heard whispered in languages I somehow understood. Gravity was meaningless. Direction was a suggestion. All I could do was float... and feel.
Then everything shifted.
I was standing now—feet resting on an endless sea of sand. The air, and everything around was devoid of colour, like life was sucked out of this place. Above me, stars swirled with an unnatural brightness, like eyes peering down on the world, staring at me. In the distance, I saw movement—a figure, slowly walking towards me.
It wasn't human.
But it had the shape of one: tall, draped in layers of what looked like shadow and smoke, its face obscured by a hood. But I could feel its presence like heat, its presence rolled off it like a weight on my soul. Its voice didn't come from its mouth, but from inside my head, calm and ancient.
"You don't belong here." said the being, its voice was cold and raspy.
I felt a suction force before the landscape and the being disappeared from my sight. And I was swallowed by the misty darkness.