Kaleid never liked weapons classes.
They were loud. Predictable. Obsessed with form over function. No amount of perfect stance could beat a collapsing ridge, a poisoned wind, or misread intent.
But still, here he was—mandatory archery training, mid-morning under a glass-domed practice field.
---
Instructor Kaelith's Voice Boomed
"Archery is the test of focus, of timing, of inner rhythm! Magic can coat a blade—but an arrow demands your soul's steadiness!"
She swept her staff through the air, conjuring a luminous target rune.
"Split it with your mana! Make it yours!"
Students formed lines, most already snickering or stretching. Glowing arrows notched into runestring bows.
Kaleid took his place quietly at the end of the third row.
He didn't speak to anyone.
Not Jeyne. Not Serika. Not Rin, who shot him a subtle encouraging glance.
---
System Interface Active – Passive Mode
[Archery Class Challenge Detected]
> Task: Strike a tier-2 illusion glyph with magical arrow
Average Accuracy Rating: 41%
Suggested Action: Light spell infusion, kinetic focus
> Note: Your current affinity: UNKNOWN
Auto-calibration in progress…
---
He notched the training arrow. The mana threads around the grip resisted slightly—standard enchantment calibration. Designed to sync with elemental cores.
> But I don't have a core, Kaleid thought.
At least, not one the system recognized.
He inhaled.
Drew.
Aimed.
And then—something shifted.
---
The Moment Everything Changed
As Kaleid pulled the bowstring back fully, the world fell silent.
Time didn't stop.
But sound did.
Mana no longer felt like a current flowing around him.
It felt like a breath he exhaled.
The arrow shimmered.
The glyph ahead warped.
Kaleid's body moved on instinct, fingers flexing slightly.
> Let go.
He released.
The arrow didn't fly.
It vanished.
A heartbeat later, the target glyph exploded in a burst of prismatic flame—not elemental, not physical—just raw creation energy dancing in unstable forms.
The impact knocked back three students.
Gasps. Screams. Stumbling feet.
Even Kaelith, the veteran instructor, took a step forward with wide eyes.
---
Silence Again. Then…
[SYSTEM ALERT]
> UNIQUE EVENT: First Invocation of Original Technique – Class Unknown
Technique: Unnamed
Nature: Creation-Aspect
Recoil: Minimal
Result: Glyph Erasure
Memory Echo Residue Detected
---
And then a new bar appeared beneath Kaleid's standard status frame.
---
[NEW SYSTEM METRIC UNLOCKED]
Origin Influence: 0.5%
> A reflection of your true nature's emergence in the world
Higher Influence = Stronger passive effects, perception warping, unique spellcasting evolution
Note: Higher Influence may trigger attention from world-boundaries
---
Kaleid blinked.
> What the hell does "world-boundaries" mean?
But there was no time to think.
---
Instructor Kaelith Approaches
"What—what spell was that?" she asked, eyes narrowed. "Whose technique?"
Kaleid shook his head. "I don't know."
"You—don't—know," she repeated.
Students around them murmured.
"He deleted the target…"
"Was that… time magic?"
"No—no chant, no glyph… it just happened."
Jeyne, three rows back, stared at him with something like suspicion.
Serika… smirked.
---
Kaelith's voice dropped to a whisper only he could hear.
"That spell didn't belong to any school I've ever seen. Are you hiding your affinity?"
Kaleid didn't flinch.
"I'm still figuring it out."
That, at least, was true.
She exhaled sharply, then walked off.
---
After Class – Rin Finds Him Beneath the Old Oak
"I saw it," she said.
"I figured."
"That wasn't a spark. That was something waking up."
He looked up at her.
"…I didn't mean to."
"I know," she said gently. "That's why it's even scarier."
Pause.
"…Did it hurt?"
He paused.
"No."
She blinked.
"It felt… familiar."
---
System Note – Private Interface
[Memory Echo Residue Detected]
> Fragment Location: Archery Field, 2nd Layer
Vision Access Locked
Influence Threshold for Recall: 1.0%
---
So he had touched something older, deeper.
And now the system acknowledged it.
His soul wasn't asleep anymore.
It was rising.
And the world had seen the first spark.