Kaitri stumbled.
He fell backwards with his left shoulder hitting the cold bathroom wall. His breathing was sharp, shallow, dragging through his chest like glass. The rush of the battle was still in his veins, his body trembling from an adrenaline that wasn't even his own. It was as if every strike, every motion, every scream from that fight had been carved into his soul.
He pressed a hand against his forehead, trying to steady himself. The memories weren't fading.
He hadn't seen the leaders of the Annex family before, not even once. But after what he'd just witnessed… no, after feeling it… he could imagine. The sheer pressure, the mastery, the terrifying grace of it all. That had to be what a true leader of the Annex family would fight like.
Still… he couldn't be sure.
Most people had never seen an Annex leader fight, only stories. And stories had a habit of shrinking the truth.
"That guy…" Kaitri muttered to himself, his voice low. "He's strong. Probably a Fated Rank."
The Fated. Resonants so powerful they were spoken of like legends. There weren't many of them left. Some ruled over continents while others governed entire worlds. Together, they formed something called The Concord. Kaitri knew the name, but nothing else.
He closed his eyes, letting his head rest against the wall.
"Wait, who cares about the freaking Concord," he murmured. "I was just in the body of a powerful Resonant."
Even saying it out loud felt ridiculous. The voice had yanked him into that memory and somehow thrown him into someone else's body. Someone terrifying.
The man's name still echoed in his head.
Archedes.
"I want to be that strong one day," he whispered. "To dominate the battlefield like that…"
He caught himself, feeling a bit arrogant just thinking about it. "Well, I did not think it was going to be easy, but still…"
He paused, frowning. Was he even a Resonant? Or maybe… a Pure-Souled humanoid?
The questions kept circling his mind. He didn't know if it would happen again... When it will happen again. He knew it couldn't have been random. Someone or something… had done it on purpose.
How much time had passed?
He sighed and stood, shaking off the fog. "Later," he muttered. "I'll think about it later."
When he opened the bathroom door, the room was quiet. No strange symbols were glowing, no sign of entry and no after-scent of dispersed Resonance. He could only hear his dorm, the faint hum of the city outside, and the dim lights of the academy towers in the distance.
He scanned the room, just in case. Nothing.
Then…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Kaitri froze.
The sound echoed through his small room, but no voice followed. His heart skipped a beat. For a second, he wondered if this was still part of the illusion.
"No, this is totally real."
He grabbed his suitcase, flipping it open with shaky hands. Inside, a silver dagger gleamed, its blade was etched with faintly glowing runes. It was the only weapon his aunt had ever given him, and she had personally imbued the runes on it.
Her voice echoed in his head, very warm but teasing. "Make sure to earn a better weapon in the academy. And maybe find a girlfriend while you're at it."
Kaitri rolled his eyes. "That woman," he muttered.
Another knock came.
He moved to the door and cracked it open just enough to see.
Standing outside was Varik with his usual playful grin plastered across his face. A metallic wristband dangled from his fingers.
"I picked up your system," Varik said.
Kaitri blinked. "My what?"
"Your system," Varik repeated, stepping closer. "You didn't show up at the dorm hall. We were supposed to get them an hour ago."
Kaitri frowned. "Wait… isn't that for Resonants?"
"Uh… Yes?" Varik said, shrugging, "but we're pre-Res. It's natural to have one. The academy gives them out to monitor our growth. Health, base stats, that kind of thing. Plus, it works as a holophone so you can access the ResNet with it. It's better to be familiar with it before Resonance trials."
Kaitri hesitated, his eyes narrowing. "And uh… how did you know where my dorm room was?"
"Oh, that," Varik said casually. "I checked the registers on the academy's ResNet. It's the school version, so it has all the dorm info. Err… I didn't want to invade or anything. I just thought you might've missed the announcement, or something. So, I picked yours up since everyone else already picked theirs."
Kai deduced that the announcement must have happened while he was in… the dream? …the memory?
He handed it over, his expression softening. "You okay? You look pale."
Kaitri forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… tired."
He took the band, feeling the cool weight of it in his hand.
"Well, try checking the ResNet later," Varik said, stepping back. "There's info about class schedules, instructors, even lecture videos if you are into that kind of stuff. Might help you get ready."
"Thanks," Kaitri said quietly. "And, uh… sorry I can't invite you in. I'm just… exhausted."
Varik nodded with a knowing grin. "Long day, huh? No worries. See you tomorrow."
When the door shut, the silence that followed felt heavy.
Kaitri sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wristband. The silver gleam reflected the low lights, runes shifting faintly on its surface like it was alive.
He could activate it. He could start exploring what it meant to be a Resonant.
But his mind was slipping into fatigue. His body was fine, but his spirit… his mind… it felt like he'd been fighting for days. And technically, he had.
"I'll deal with it tomorrow," he muttered, lying back.
The moment he closed his eyes, the sleep hit him like a wave.
But it wasn't peaceful.
He woke hours later, drenched in sweat, his body burning like he'd been running through fire. His chest rose and fell rapidly with his eyes wide open in the dark.
"Another nightmare…" he breathed.
He rubbed his face. The scenes from that fight, Archedes, the monsters, the roar of power. He kept replaying it over and over. No matter how much he tried to shake it off, it clung to him.
'First, it was the nightmare of that night. Now this has replaced it. What the heck?'
He needed an out.
A late-night snack, maybe?
The academy's 24/7 cafeteria was quiet when he got there. It was sleek and metallic, the only sound that could be heard were the Anchors humming like generators. The machines served food automatically here. Somehow, perfect portions, steaming hot. His father used to say it was one of the greatest innovations since sliced bread.
Kaitri picked a tray of rice and roasted meat, sitting near the glass wall overlooking both the academy and the city.
"This is better than Aunt Shelly's food," he joked under his breath.
But then he frowned. He remembered her. Her sharp tone, her folded arms, the times were pretending not to care when she clearly did. It was amusing to watch but he did not like getting on her bad side.
He remembered the first week he stayed with her. She had cooked for them. His sister Lira ate it, but Kaitri couldn't. He thought it tasted awful. He'd lie, saying he wanted to eat in his room, then secretly fed it to the dog behind the house.
Back then, when his parents were still alive, they were always busy taking care of Annex business, so they had given him a personal credit card. He used it to order food that appeared directly in his room, thanks to a home transfer charm.
He still had that card when he moved to his Aunt's and boy, was he glad he did.
Aunt Shelly never found out.
At least, not until the dog died a month later.
He could still remember the scene. Lira crying, Aunt Shelly trying to stay calm, and then the confession that hit like a knife. That naïve, treacherous girl. His lips curled up as he thought about her.
"I saw Kaitri feed him my food," Lira had said with tears rolling down her face.
Aunt Shelly's face went blank. She didn't expect such a straightforward declaration. Kids really don't think about the things they say because what Lira was implying was that her cooking is bad enough to kill the dog. For a long moment, she didn't speak. Then she'd smiled, strained and trembling.
"My food didn't kill him," she said softly.
"Really?" Lira had asked.
Aunt Shelly paused and grinned nervously. "I don't… think so."
After that, things changed.
She became strict to Kai. Always watching. Always restricting. And when Kaitri started showing interest in becoming a Resonant, she banned him from anything related to it.
She said it was too dangerous. That she wouldn't lose another family to this messed up world.
But in the end… she had changed her mind. What had changed her mind in the end?
Kaitri stared down at his food, the reflection of the cafeteria lights glimmering off his spoon.
"Thank you, Aunt Shelly," he whispered. "Sorry for all the trouble. I promise I'll pay you back someday."
He leaned back on the chair, closing his eyes.
"Sure, I'm doing this for revenge," he said quietly, "but also to protect what I love. You and Lira. I won't lose anyone else. Ever again."
A soft smile crossed his lips.
Just then, he heard footsteps coming from the narrow corridor that led into the cafeteria from the female dormitory. A familiar person came into view.
'Isn't that Aris Veylan?'
He had to admit that she looked really good in her purple night onesie and the way the lights reflected in her eyes were hypnotizing. It didn't even matter that her hair looked messy even though it was tied up in a bun.
She stared at him in surprise.
"Oh sorry, I did not expect anyone to be here at this hour," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"Uh, no problem. I was just about to leave... Grabbing a late-night meal as well?"
She blinked and quickly shook her head. "I'm in charge of the first years so I just wanted to make sure everyone is in bed."
He somehow doubted that answer but why would he care?
"Oh... Well, I missed dinner, so I thought I'd grab a quick bite. Big day tomorrow."
She nodded and smiled with her eyes. Her big doe eyes...
It was his turn to blink and shake his head. She noticed his flustered expression and looked away embarrassed.
They waved each other goodnight awkwardly and he left the cafeteria.
"Real smooth buddy," he muttered to himself as he walked through the dark hallway of the dormitory.
By the time he returned to his dorm, the city lights had dimmed. The moon hovered outside the glass window, pale and silent.
He laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
And for the first time that night, the sleep came easily.
Tomorrow is a new day and he couldn't wait.