The morning sun spilled over Min Academy, painting the marble courtyards in pale gold. A soft wind rustled through the silver-leafed trees, carrying the scent of fresh parchment and faint ozone from the thread conduits embedded in the walls. Clouds drifted lazily across the sky, hinting at a coming storm, though the academy remained calm under its usual grandeur.
Students clustered in the courtyard, their uniforms immaculate, threads faintly glimmering on their arms and necks. Excitement and tension buzzed through the air like static energy.
Above the courtyard, the announcer's voice rang clear, carrying effortlessly through the air:
"Attention, first-year Thread Weavers. Today begins your three-part evaluation: Written Thread Exam, Practical Resonance Test, and Field Simulation. Each component contributes to your weekly Thread Points. Report to your designated halls. The Written Exam will commence first."
A collective murmur rippled through the students as they adjusted their robes and smoothed their hair. Whispers spread like wildfire:
"Did you see Kaito yesterday?" one girl murmured, eyes wide. "He… he just walked past Daren Myrr, and—"
"He destroyed his Lifeline Thread without even weaving his own," another boy whispered, disbelief etched on his face.
"How can someone just… do that? He's only Rank 1!"
"I don't get it. Rank 1 like us… and yet—he moves like he's centuries ahead."
Kaito walked at the edge of the crowd, crimson eyes half-lidded, observing them silently. They saw only the surface—the skill, the composure—but none could sense the hidden storm beneath, the centuries of experience and the Karma Thread quietly calculating every move.
---
The exam hall was vast, illuminated by suspended crystal globes that pulsed faintly with synchronized thread energy. Desks were arranged in neat rows, and at each one floated a small crystal sphere—a personal thread scanner. Every student's Vital Thread shimmered faintly, tethered to the sphere like an invisible leash.
Instructor Havel entered, his silver-threaded cloak catching the light. He raised a hand, and the room fell silent.
"Welcome, first-years," he said, voice calm but firm. "Your Written Thread Exam will test your ability to analyze, interpret, and manipulate thread logic. You have three questions. Begin when ready."
---
Question 1: A Lifeline Thread exhibits sporadic resonance spikes under normal circumstances. Identify three underlying causes and describe the least disruptive countermeasure.
Most students hesitated, scribbling furiously, some copying from neighbors. Kaito's crimson eyes flicked briefly across the page. Phase misalignment. Emotional resonance overload. Subtle ambient interference. His fingers twined lightly with his Karma Thread, sensing the threads' tiny oscillations as if they whispered their flaws. Calmly, he wrote: dampen the peaks, stabilize the baseline, observe without disturbance.
Instructor Havel glanced down at the first few scrolls. Most were passable, but then he reached Kaito's. His eyes narrowed. The precision, logic, and insight were… unnatural for his age.
"Curious," Havel muttered, pen pausing midair.
---
Question 2: A wild Lifeline Thread entwines unexpectedly with a peer's Vital Thread. How should you respond, and what observations are critical for long-term control?
Some students panicked, unsure how to approach threads beyond their understanding. Kaito leaned back slightly, observing the ebb of ambient energy. Monitor passively. Avoid direct interference. Record phase shifts and amplitude variations. Maintain equilibrium. He wrote succinctly, letting his Karma Thread silently guide his judgment.
Havel's eyes flicked again, sensing the subtle elegance in the responses. No Rank 1 should answer like this…
---
Question 3: A hidden thread signature, dark and faint, appears in a corridor. It does not match known classifications. How should it be cataloged, and what preparatory actions should be taken if discovered during patrol?
Most students hesitated, thinking only of Virtue threads and memorized patterns. Kaito's red eyes glimmered faintly. Unknown threads are not dangerous—they are opportunities. Observe first. Integrate second. Maintain balance. Catalog with minimal interference.
He finished the scroll, rolled it carefully, and placed it on the collection desk. Others shuffled nervously, glancing at him with a mix of awe and unease.
---
Instructor Havel walked past the rows, reading the scrolls. He froze when he reached Kaito's. The calm analysis, the awareness of every subtle oscillation—impossible for a Rank 1. A faint bead of sweat formed on his temple.
"Just Rank 1… yet…"
Other instructors whispered among themselves, noticing the anomaly. A quiet tension filled the hall.
---
The written exam ended, and students filed out for the Practical Resonance Test. Crystal pillars awaited, pulsing with quiet energy. Each student had to harmonize, redirect, and subtly manipulate ambient threads.
Kaito moved with effortless composure. His Karma Thread glimmered faintly beneath his skin, invisible to others but guiding each movement with uncanny precision. Where others struggled or overcorrected, his manipulations were exact, efficient, and silent. The pillars responded almost reluctantly, aware of the power beneath the calm exterior.
Around him, whispers grew:
"Rank 1… can't be this good."
"How is he doing it so perfectly?"
---
Finally, the Field Simulation began. Students navigated a labyrinth laced with obstacles and wild Lifeline Threads. The exercise tested awareness, decision-making, and thread manipulation under pressure.
Kaito's crimson eyes scanned the maze. Each twist, each fluctuation of thread resonance, was noted and categorized in milliseconds. He moved calmly, preemptively avoiding hazards, subtly nudging wild threads aside without drawing attention. Observers only saw unnaturally smooth movements, eerily precise.
Other students stumbled, some panicked when threads surged unexpectedly. Kaito glided past, a silent storm among fragile currents, threads bending almost naturally around him.
---
When the simulation ended, students exited the field, exhausted and whispering. The instructors gathered data from all three activities. Havel's brow furrowed.
This Rank 1… this child… is unlike any first-year observed. He tapped his tablet, checking synchronization readings, thread stability metrics, and subtle resonance patterns. Everything indicated excellence beyond standard expectations.
But the academy would not announce scores until the next day.
---
The sun set over Min Academy, casting long shadows. Students returned to their dorms, exhausted and whispering about performances, difficult questions, and the unfair advantage of some. Kaito walked silently, crimson eyes reflecting the last rays of light.
"They see the surface…" he thought, fingers brushing the faint pulse of his Karma Thread. "…but the depth, the inevitability… they will understand soon enough."
Banners fluttered in the evening breeze. Each student carried Thread Points invisibly tracked—a ledger of merit, skill, and compliance within the academy. Some thought only of currency or privilege; Kaito understood the threads themselves were the true measure.
Tomorrow, he mused, the overall evaluation will be revealed. Let them wonder who sits at the top. Let them chase points and rankings. In the end… their threads lead only to him.
Beneath his skin, the Karma Thread pulsed faintly—a quiet, hidden metronome of inevitability, as eternal and unyielding as fate itself.