The halls of Elaris Academy were quiet—too quiet.
Midnight had fallen, and most students were asleep or engaged in faction politics behind closed doors. But Alexander Grey stood awake, leaning against the edge of his dorm window, staring into the endless night.
His eyes flickered with the reflection of his system screen.
> [Pending System Update Complete]
[New Event Unlocked: Origin Trial – Rift of the Forgotten Core]
[Warning: Death Within This Trial Will Be Permanent]
[Recommended: Proceed Only If Prepared]
He didn't hesitate. He didn't need to.
"Show me the access point," he whispered.
A transparent map shimmered across his vision, highlighting a place beneath the academy—far beneath—the catacombs long sealed off and erased from the official school records.
> [Coordinates Locked – Sector F3: Sealed Sub-Layer]
[Entry Token Detected: System Key – Obsidian Signature Validated]
[Authorization Level: System-Bound – Unique Access Only]
Alexander exhaled slowly, his heart pounding—not in fear, but in anticipation. This wasn't another school ranking trial or a clash of egos. This was something for him, and him alone. Something deeper
---
The underground corridors of Elaris were twisted in silence and dust, hidden beneath old rune-sealed gates that glimmered faintly as he approached.
Most students didn't even know they existed.
Alexander reached the ancient archway and placed his hand against the stone surface. It was cold to the touch, but his System pulsed with power.
> [System Key Activated]
[Welcome, Alexander Grey. Access Granted.]
The wall shuddered and split open like breathing stone. He stepped inside, swallowed by darkness.
---
The air was thick, otherworldly.
He emerged into a realm disconnected from space and time—black mist spiraling like smoke, stars hanging frozen in a silent void above a cracked obsidian floor. It was beautiful and haunting. And it was waiting.
> [Trial Initiated: Echo Rift – Origin Protocol]
[Trial Type: Mental | Physical | Emotional]
[Objectives: Survive | Overcome | Accept]
[Reward Tier: System-Signature Growth Bonus + Stat Surge + Unique Ability]
Alexander stepped forward, and the realm changed.
The first thing he saw…
…was himself.
A mirror.
Or something like it.
A version of him as he once was—sickly, pale, trembling. A boy broken by years of ridicule, isolation, and neglect.
"You're weak," the reflection said. "Still pretending you aren't?"
Alexander clenched his fists. "Not anymore."
> [Phase One: Confrontation of Self]
[Engage: Fragment – Broken Will]
The mirror shattered, and a distorted version of himself lunged forward—wild, desperate, filled with all the pain he'd buried. The shadow fought not with strength but with fear, clinging to hopelessness, trying to drag him back.
Alexander fought with clarity.
Shadow Dance. Geomancy. Corrosive Strike.
He didn't overpower it—he accepted it. Embraced the pain.
"You're not all of me," he whispered, even as the shadow tried to choke him.
"You were part of me. But I've grown."
> [Phase Complete: +2 Willpower | +1 Agility]
The shadow faded, and the realm shifted again.
---
Phase two: The Trial of Memory.
He was back at his old school—the laughter echoing, the names they called him sharper than any blade.
Charles. Ryder. Devin. Even Crystal, with her silence that cut deeper than mockery.
It played like a haunting film. And this time, Alexander couldn't look away.
He was forced to feel it. All of it.
> [Emotional Strain Detected – Do You Wish to Exit?]
"No," he growled. "I'm not running from it anymore."
Tears welled, but he didn't wipe them away. He faced the memories—let them wash over him—and then let them go.
> [Emotional Phase Complete: +2 Willpower | +1 Strength]
---
The final trial was different.
A glowing pedestal formed, and on it rested a stone orb humming with pure system energy.
> [Core Interface Ready – Bind Unique Ability?]
[System-Bound Skill Unlocked Upon Completion]
Note: Selection Will Shape Your Path Forward
Alexander approached, heartbeat loud in his ears.
> [Confirm – Inherit Ability: Phantom Thread]
(Allows manipulation of unseen energy threads to bind, track, and silence targets. Grows with Willpower. Evolves over time.)
> [Confirmed.]
The orb pulsed.
Pain lanced through his body. Every nerve lit with fire.
And then—clarity.
Power. But more than that… awareness.
He could feel his base, like a thread stitched through the world. The hidden systems. The locked doors of the academy. Even faint tugs on his surroundings.
> [New Ability Acquired: Phantom Thread (D-Rank – Evolving)]
[Stat Surge Granted: +3 Strength | +3 Agility | +5 Willpower]
[Unique Experience Multiplier Activated – Active for 7 Days]
He stood still as the realm crumbled around him.
A voice—not the System's—whispered at the edge of his hearing.
"You are not like the others. And they will fear what they cannot see coming."
---
Alexander emerged from the catacombs at dawn, unseen, unnoticed.
But something had changed.
Not just his stats.
Not just his power.
Him.
And Elaris Academy had no idea what storm was quietly forming in its depths