The morning sun slanted through the tall glass windows of the Rune Theory hall, painting gold lines across desks that looked like they hadn't been replaced in decades.
First years filled the lower rows while the second years sat higher up behind a transparent barrier, pretending not to eavesdrop while clearly listening with their sharp Resonant ears.
Someone in the back whispered, "Do they actually let the second years use free glyphs in there? It's not fair that they are already Resonants, and we just do lame theoretical stuff."
"Yeah," another answered. "And they think we can't see through glass or something."
The second years on the upper tier muttered something about "training wheels." One of them even mimed drawing a baby circle in the air and giggled. The transparent barrier might have been there to keep people apart, but it wasn't a sound barrier.
Kaitri looked at the barrier and deduced it was designed for this exact purpose.
'The more we see them do cool stuff, the harder we want to become them.'
The Academy was harsh on students. By the end of the school year, he deduced that countless students will be sent home or killed during battle. The academy was that unforgiving. They did not shelter weaklings and only rewarded hard work and potential.
It was evident because the number of Resonants in the world today was low. Couldn't they have found a better way?
'I guess they don't want the good heroic spirits dying without fulfilling its potential.'
Well, he wasn't sure but that was his best guess. He made a mental note to ask Jenny later.
The hum of discussion was louder than the human teacher's voice until she snapped a pink rune covered stick against the board. Sparks crawled through the sigils she drew.
"Focus, hard work," she said, her elven ears perked up. "That is what separates a practitioner from a mundane. You need stability, not just talent. Although, it takes talent to understand runes."
Kaitri watched, half-interested, half-tired. Rune class was boring because it was basically pointless if the practitioner wasn't an Otherworlder. Sure, a Resonant can perform runic crafts but it takes so much time to learn theoretically.
But for people who have the affinity to Resonance before becoming a Bounded, Rune craft was easy to understand. It just worked that way. Only a special kind of human called the Gifted – people who are born with a little Resonance affinity, could start learning it at a young age.
Jenny sat two rows ahead, hand raised before anyone else processed the question.
"Anchors are what keep Soul Energy from bleeding, right?" she asked.
The professor gave her a pleased nod. "Exactly, Miss Eldrane. There are two ways to write runes. One is to use the sinew from a Kindle-ash Falconet. A feather, in this case. The other way is the popular way used with Soul energy from your fingers. This way is only for people who can control Resonance".
She went on to explain that a sinew was one of the three Momentos a creature had. It had an extension of the creature's abilities and can be extracted for various uses in the world.
During the lecture, a student randomly asked what the difference was between Spirit Energy and Soul Energy and the Professor explained that the Soul Energy was just the energy found in every sentient being.
You cannot live without a soul.
The energy is what controls the mind and the will of everything an entity does.
Spirit Energy is Resonance but from an ancient alien heroic spirit that grants the Pure-souled the abilities that it had when it was alive. These spirits might be millions of years old and exist in infinite worlds, so they are boundless and searching for a soul to resonate with, to exist again.
"No human has been able to achieve full Resonance yet but as you know; the more you resonate with your heroic spirit, the more your rank goes higher."
Kaitri found this interesting and asked, "How many ranks are there to get to complete Resonance?"
The Professor replied, "No one knows yet. The naming system comes from the Concord after understanding what a new rank entail, but you'll learn all about that in the future."
When class ended, Jenny spun on her heel, smug. "She practically winked at me," she said to Varik.
Varik groaned. "That's because you don't let anyone else talk."
Kaitri just stretched. "You two can argue about who's smarter later. I heard we actually get to fight next period."
That realization woke everyone up.
***
The dojo sat behind the east yard, wide enough to hold an entire company. The air inside smelled of dust and steel polish. Rows of wooden racks displayed practice weapons like swords, spears, even weighted staves with each etched faintly with the school's warding lines.
The school had not held back when it came to their students because raising the next generation of Resonants was a huge responsibility.
Kaitri leaned against the shadow of a pillar because it made him look like he belonged. It was a good posture though. The red belt hanging on his traditional white dogi displayed the crest of the house of Annex – a double-helix of silver and black over a blue starburst.
'Aunt talked about me keeping my head down but failed to mention the fact that the houses were significant in the academy,' he thought that as he frowned at a couple of students staring at him. He decided to wear the belt upside down.
The teacher, Professor Obi, appeared without anyone noticing. Obi moved like someone for whom silence had been practiced and perfected and is very popular for her ability to blend with the shadows.
Her head was bare, the skin smooth like the perfect river stone. Her robe was white but not clean the way a new cloth is clean. It had the kind of history that folds into itself and looked kind of like an armour. When she said "Sit," the word landed with crushing pressure.
"A Diaphanous," Varik said, approaching Kaitri.
Kaitri knew the teachers were Resonants, of course but they had wards that kept the usual Soul Energy pressure from hurting pre-Res. Only an absolute monster would still have a soul pressure at this time and Kaitri knew that Professor Obi was one such monster.
She spoke in a subdued tone.
"As you must have seen in your schedules, I am Professor Obi, your combat teacher. While you're in this class, there will be no papers or theoretical jargon. All I need from you is a hardened grip, heart, and technique…" she paused and waved her hand in a series of calculated motions with her Soul Energy.
A harlequin radiant fog compressed to form ancient runes that spun together and dispersed in smoke a second later, revealing a long LiuyeDao that glowed with green hue.
The students marvelled at the sight and murmured.
"A Soul Weapon!"
"I heard Soul weapons can cut through buildings in one strike."
"No way."
Obi raised her hand, demanding silence. Then she walked towards the ring at the centre – talking as she took slow, calculated steps.
"If you did not know, this is a Soul weapon. Part of the benefits of becoming Diaphanous rank. It is something you should strive to achieve in your lifetime. Life is short. Many of you will die Terran, some even live their lives Bounded and others, Diaphanous, one or two of you might even become Fated but to do that, you must overcome a series of torturous battles and learn from your weapon each time."
"Pick a weapon," Obi said. Her voice was a small, accurate thing. "These blades have ward lines that will stop a fatal strike. They will not help you in anyway though. You only learn under pain."
Students lined up at the racks. The practice blades were simple, honest metal with faint etchings along the fuller. Obi tapped one with her thumb and the air around it fizzed.
Obi's eyes flicked across the crowd. "We start with basics. Just your hands and timing. If you can't stand straight, don't even dream about standing tall. I will be picking some students for extra combat lessons as well so don't disappoint."
Kaitri took a short sword from the rack. Its balance felt honest. There was no trick weight, no song of Soul Energy, just pure metal. At least, he'll be fighting with his own body. His lips curled up slightly.
Around him, he could hear gossip blooming about a kid in the crowd.
"See that guy? Stefan Keele… He's an Annex kid."
"Yeah, heard he's trained since he could walk."
"They say Annex breeds soldiers, not scholars or Rune crafters."
"Then why's he here anyway?"
"To prove it, obviously."
Kaitri smirked faintly. People in this school worshiped stories almost as much as they worshipped strength.
Obi clapped once, the sound like thunder in a barrel. "First pair: Aris Veylan and Stefan Keele. Step forward."
Heads turned.
A boy with brown hair and steady grey eyes stepped forward. He had broad shoulders, his uniform too crisp to be new, the kind of posture that came from years of training. A faint scar traced his jaw and even standing still, he looked confident.
Aris Veylan moved through the line in white training gear tied with a dark belt. Her hair was bound tight, her face calm enough to be mistaken for boredom. Stefan followed, taller, confident but not cruel. He gave a respectful bow.
"House Annex," Stefan said politely, then added, "I'll try to hold back. I know House Chromareign loves its theatrics."
Aris just nodded. No flourish. No speech. She folded her fingers around her blade and looked at the edge as if she was looking at a fork ready to help consume her meal.
They clashed. Stefan's style was clean aggression. He used the kind of training that moved heavy, precise, and hungry for a mistake. He wanted to pressure, to find a crack to exploit.
Aris answered with weightless logic. She stepped in and out of his arc the way a shadow steps in and out of sunlight. When Stefan pushed, she shifted her torso and let his blade cut air. When he withdrew, she used that retreat to place a point of balance under her foot and launch a reply.
It was all small motions strung into a sonnet. Each strike she made left her opponent with few options.
Kaitri watched her chest more than her hands. People missed that but he'd noticed. Her hands are loud, but her torso gives away the secret.
Aris breathed in a way that kept rhythm with her hips. She used that rhythm to curve the end of her blade to a place Stefan did not expect. He smirked and thought, 'Easy to say from the sidelines though.'
Stefan tried to change cadence. He feinted twice, then thinned his line to a jab at the ribs. Aris slid… not exactly sideways. Something like folding. Her body curved around the blade and for the briefest second, it looked like the floor would accommodate her.
But then, the point of the warded blade nicked his shoulder hard enough. Blue light shone and the crowd cheered.
"Point, Aris," Obi said from the centre.
Stefan did not look defeated. He set his jaw and came again. This time he pushed, and the dojo felt it. He got through the first layer of her defence and landed a solid hit to the side. Aris took it without much of a reaction and did something that made even the second years above lean in anticipation.
She used his commitment. As his weight moved forward, she dipped and rotated in one practiced sweep. Her hand found his elbow, then shoulder, and with a small, precise twist she unbalanced him.
He hit the mat with a dull thud.
People applauded.
Stefan got up, wiped dirt from his cheek, and smiled at Aris. That smile had the honest heat of someone who respected an answer to his question, and he definitely had a newfound respect for her.
"See that?" Kaitri murmured.
Jenny frowned. "See what?"
"She turns on her left too much. Over time, it'll hurt."
Varik snorted. "You're analysing her legs now? Well, I can't argue that she has great legs."
Kaitri blinked and looked at Varik dejectedly but didn't answer. He'd already stored the information he wanted.
Jenny on the other hand punched Varik in the ribs.
"Hey!" he cried.
Stefan and Aris faced each other and bowed at the same time.
He raised his head and said, "You're good."
"I know my theatrics well," she joked, and he laughed.
Obi stepped between them, voice cutting through the crowd again. "Remember: your sword is a teacher. Listen, and it'll tell you what you're lacking."
The students nodded, murmuring agreement.
After a series of sparring, Obi's eyes scanned her roster, lips curving slightly. "Next," she called. "Kaitri Anam… and Davil Grey."
Varik groaned. "Oh no, he's doomed."
Kaitri rolled his shoulders. "Maybe," he said. "Or maybe class is about to get entertaining."
That confidence he had born from a philosophy his father had lived by which states: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
He hated that.
'If my parents were destined to die that day, does that make it okay?'
He paused and looked up with a confident smile.
"No, It will get entertaining."
Jenny smirked. "Try not to die. The wards only block lethal force."
He grinned back. "So, you're saying there's a chance."