When the summons arrived, it wasn't written on parchment.
It burned itself into Aria's mirror.
> "Report to the Obsidian Annex. Midnight. Come alone. Both of you."
There were no signatures. No crest. But the bond flared as the message pulsed, and Aria felt it deep in her bones:
> This wasn't an invitation.
It was a command.
---
The Obsidian Annex
At midnight, cloaked in silence, Aria and Kael passed the sleeping wings of the Academy and descended through an arched door neither had ever noticed before.
The Obsidian Annex was cold. Ancient. Lit only by floating spheres of violet flame. Along the walls, murals of soulbonds shimmered—some embracing, some… tearing each other apart.
At the center of the chamber stood a single figure:
Headmaster Corvan.
"Welcome to the Forgotten Class," he said. "The one all bonded pairs fear. The one we only activate when fate demands it."
Kael crossed his arms. "Why us?"
> "Because your bond is waking something older than prophecy."
Behind Corvan, another wall slid open—revealing dozens of scrolls sealed in crystal.
> "These," he continued, "are the classified records of past bonded pairs. Ones whose power consumed them. Ones whose bonds weren't love... but war."
Aria felt her heartbeat stutter. "Why are you showing us this?"
Corvan's gaze darkened.
> "Because you two are standing on the knife's edge. One path leads to ascension. The other... to annihilation."
---
Lesson One: The Memory Pit
Corvan motioned, and the ground shifted. A pool of black liquid shimmered open.
> "This is the Pit of Echoes. Step inside and face a memory that your bond has buried. It will not lie. It cannot be undone."
Aria stepped in first.
And was instantly pulled into darkness.
---
Aria's Vision
She stood in a field of dying stars. A voice called out—familiar and broken.
> "You said you'd never leave."
It was Kael.
But not the one she knew.
This Kael wore obsidian armor. His eyes glowed red. And behind him, the world burned.
"Aria," he whispered. "You ran when I needed you. And I became this."
She staggered back. "No—I wouldn't—"
> "Then prove it," the vision Kael hissed.
Aria screamed, light erupting from her chest, shattering the vision into stardust.
---
Kael's Turn
Inside the pit, Kael found himself standing over Aria's body.
Dead. Cold. Her wrist still glowing from the bond.
A voice whispered, "You couldn't protect her."
Another voice, darker:
> "Maybe you weren't meant to."
Kael roared, his shadows rising, fighting the vision—until it cracked and vanished.
---
They both emerged gasping.
Corvan nodded grimly.
> "You've seen what lies ahead if the bond breaks."
"Then we won't let it," Aria said, gripping Kael's hand.
But Corvan's next words chilled them:
> "It's not just about holding on. It's about what you'll sacrifice to keep it."
---
After Class
Back in the dorm courtyard, Aria sat alone, staring at her hand.
Kael approached, silent. Then sat beside her.
She didn't look at him. "Do you think it's true? That we're meant to fall apart?"
Kael took her hand gently.
"No," he said. "I think we're meant to break the cycle."
She looked up.
And this time, the kiss they shared was softer—still charged, but with something else.
> Hope.
Far beneath the Annex, where none of them could see, the last rune in the chain began to awaken.
---