The early morning light filtered through the Academy's towering stained glass windows, casting long ribbons of colored mana across the marble floors. Max sat in the central reading hall, his fingers idly flipping through a thick tome titled Mythos of Elemental Binding, though he hadn't read a single word.
His mind was far from history. It was with the transmission Reina had intercepted the night before—one she had decrypted with the help of Leo's hidden frequency scrambler.
> "Subject 9 demonstrates unstable synchronization with non-authorized artifact. Possibility of concealment… recommendation: Extraction and containment pending approval from Board Overseer Aegis."
Max's fingers clenched the book's edge until the spine cracked. "Subject 9." That was how the Board saw him. Not a student. Not a survivor. A test case.
A liability.
Leo appeared at the corner of the table, dropping a small mana crystal with a faint blue hue. "Intercepted another message," he said casually, sliding into the chair across from Max. "This one confirms it. Aegis is already on the grounds. They're watching you."
Max didn't flinch. "Let them watch."
"You do realize the 'extraction' part probably means lobotomizing you or throwing you into some frozen lab, right?"
"I do."
"And that doesn't scare you?"
Max leaned forward, eyes cold. "It doesn't change anything. Let them come. We'll be ready."
Leo gave a slow nod, impressed despite himself. "You're evolving into a real tyrant, Max. I mean that in the best way."
Across the room, Reina appeared, her cloak pulled low over her face. She moved swiftly and sat without a word, dropping an envelope on the table. Inside was a report stamped with the Board's crimson seal.
> "Authorized Investigation – Overseer Aegis. Objective: Interrogate and Appraise Subject 9 (Maxwell Raine). Location: Academy East Wing."
A schedule was included. The meeting was set for tomorrow morning.
Max read it silently, folding it with calm precision.
"They're not wasting time," Reina muttered. "And from what I've heard, Aegis isn't just a bureaucrat. He was one of the first awakened—his mana signature is legendary. People say he hasn't aged in decades."
Leo leaned back, tossing a mana spark between his fingers. "How do you want to handle this?"
Max stood, voice quiet. "We give them what they want. A version of the truth. One they can accept."
"You're going to lie to a Board Overseer with the power to rip apart your memories?"
"I've done worse."
---
That evening, Max slipped out under the illusion of a training session. Hidden beneath the reinforced armory building, within a forgotten room he'd discovered by accident—though the system hinted it was no accident—he sat cross-legged in the dark. The necklace pulsed faintly in the air, and the runes etched around the chamber glowed in response to his presence.
He placed his palm on the floor.
[SYSTEM BOOTING ADVANCED INSTALLATION…]
[Warning: Partial Synchronization Detected.]
[Artifact Sync Level: 53% – Neural Surge Risk: Moderate]
The system didn't need his words to proceed. It understood his intent.
He was preparing for war.
Flashes of data filled his vision—symbols, fragmented blueprints of mana circuits, and a name… a name buried deep in the system's root:
"Eidolon Protocol"
"Eidolon?" Max whispered.
[Access Denied – Admin Override Required.]
Max leaned back, breathing heavily.
So the system still had secrets—layers even he couldn't unlock yet. But he'd grown stronger. Level 12 wasn't a joke anymore, and with every mission, every kill, every manipulation, he rose closer to the truth.
---
The next morning arrived too fast.
Max stood at the entrance of the Academy's East Wing, wearing his combat robe with the inner lining reinforced by elemental thread. Leo and Reina stood behind him, but Thorn was absent—as instructed. This was not a battle for instructors. It was a reckoning between weapons and those who tried to control them.
Aegis arrived punctually.
Tall, serene, and strangely ageless, the Overseer had golden eyes and hair that shimmered like misted steel. He wore ceremonial robes that hummed with divine mana. Five elite guards flanked him—none spoke.
Max bowed slightly. "Overseer Aegis."
"Maxwell Raine," Aegis replied calmly. "We've much to discuss."
They entered the chamber. The doors sealed behind them with a boom.
---
The interrogation began with mundane questions—about the last mission, about the construct, the artifact site, the anomaly readings. Max answered smoothly, calculated in every response, mixing truth with just enough plausible misdirection.
"I awakened… differently," he explained. "The artifact—I didn't find it. It found me."
Aegis raised an eyebrow. "And this artifact, what is its name?"
"I don't know."
That was the truth.
Aegis studied him. "And the system you utilize?"
Max tilted his head. "I thought all awakened had systems?"
"Not like yours."
Aegis reached forward. His hand hovered above Max's forehead.
[ALERT: Unauthorized Mental Probe Detected.]
[Defensive Protocol: Shadow Mask Engaged.]
A shimmer of mana washed over Max's skin, and Aegis paused.
"Curious," he murmured. "Your mind is… obscured. The protection is not of your doing."
"No," Max replied softly. "It's from the artifact."
There was a long pause.
Finally, Aegis stepped back. "You are dangerous, Maxwell Raine."
"So they tell me."
"Your fate is yet undecided."
---
Outside, as Aegis departed, Max stood in the fading light, eyes distant.
Reina stepped beside him. "Did it work?"
"He saw what I wanted him to see."
"And the rest?"
Max touched the necklace beneath his shirt.
"They'll see it when it's too late."