Chapter 16: The Birth of a Shadow
The sky above Zenith Academy remained a constant swirl of artificial twilight, a blend of soft starlight and blue-tinted mana currents drifting across like northern lights. Beneath that unearthly sky, Samuel Gray stood at the edge of the mana field arena. His body ached from his earlier training sessions, his breath controlled and shallow, every muscle tensed in anticipation of what was next.
Ever since the attack and Aralyn's warning, Samuel knew his days of invisibility were over. The mask had begun to crack, and while many still underestimated him, whispers had started circulating. Rumors. Speculations. Fear.
But what kept him alert now wasn't gossip. It was the notification that appeared before him just as he reached the edge of the training zone:
[UNBOUND SYSTEM INTERFACE - NEW TRIALS AVAILABLE]
Category: Advancement Tier | Objective: Strengthen Host Compatibility
Status: Incomplete (0/3)
Note: Failure results in temporal regression of unlocked potential. Proceed with caution.
He accepted without hesitation.
The world shifted again.
This time, the trial didn't take him to some dreamlike simulation or harsh illusion. Instead, he found himself submerged within a frozen lake of glass-like mana, suspended between time. He could see multiple versions of himself reflecting across the crystalline structure each one flickering between what he was and what he could become.
Trial 1: Break the Weight of the Mind.
Chains of his past, visions of loneliness, neglect, the monotony of a life forgotten by the world all of them manifested around him. They tried to drown him again in a sea of powerlessness, but Samuel gritted his teeth and rose from within. With a scream that shattered glass and echoes of trauma, he broke the chains.
Trial 2: Embrace the Unseen Flame.
His system surged with energy, feeding mana into his soul. A searing, red flame appeared on his chest, a mark known only to the Forgotten Systems energy beyond conventional magic. It burned, not with pain, but with liberation. He felt memories, skills, and instincts flood him not borrowed, but his.
Trial 3: Reject the False Self.
A mirror appeared, showing him an alternate path what he might've been had he accepted offers, trusted others, become complacent. "Join a faction," the mirror mocked. "Seek allies. Give in."
Samuel stepped forward, cracked the mirror with a punch, and let it collapse around him. He wouldn't be molded by the academy. He would bend the rules instead.
When the trial ended, he opened his eyes, now marked faintly with glowing circuit-like patterns along his left temple subtle enough to hide, yet unmistakably divine for those who could perceive beyond the veil. His power had jumped to a new tier.
Back in the real world, Samuel stretched his hand. A wave of invisible force bent the air before him.
Yet peace would not follow strength.
The very next day, he received four separate offers of faction allegiance.
The Dawn Spear Circle offered prestige and resources.
The Obsidian Vault promised protection and secrets.
The House of Cards enticed him with political power.
And the Golden Bell Order dangled legacy and influence.
Each offer came with a gift, a threat, or both.
Samuel rejected them all politely, strategically, but firmly.
He knew accepting would mean servitude.
Soon after, the academy buzzed with tension. Students speculated that he was trying to remain neutral. Some said he was arrogant. Others feared what kind of backing he must have to reject so many powers at once.
But only a few realized the truth: he was planning something of his own.
Deep beneath the academy, in one of the abandoned training corridors once sealed off due to "structural instability," Samuel stood with arms folded, examining a space cloaked with mana interference. Hidden from the faculty's eyes, buried beneath layers of stone and enchantment this would become the birthplace of something new.
He opened his interface again.
[Would you like to name your faction?]
He smiled. Not out of arrogance, but quiet resolve.
[Faction Registered: "The Unseen Oath"]
Unlike the others, his would have no open recruitment, no public initiations, no grand banners. It would be formed in shadows, guided by trust, knowledge, and the pursuit of something greater than survival, freedom.
Aralyn watched from the rooftops that evening, her golden eyes narrowing. She had followed him again, though unsure why. Something about him... didn't match anything she knew. He was no ordinary student. No ordinary anomaly. He walked with the aura of someone chosen, yet bound by something even he didn't understand.
And far above, hidden from mortal eyes, the council of masked figures met once again in a chamber where code shimmered and threads of fate were plucked like strings on a divine harp.
"The system adapts," one murmured.
"He's advancing too fast," said another.
"Good," said the one with the mirrored mask. "Let the boy climb. The higher he goes, the greater the fall or the greater the revolution."
And so, in the shadows of Zenith Academy, with factions watching and secrets blooming, Samuel Gray prepared to shake the very foundation of the world he had been thrown into.
Not as a pawn.
But as a king in the making.