The Academy of Resonance was never silent.
Even at midnight, the walls hummed faintly — the sound of data streams, security drones, and the vast network pulsing through every hall.
Xander had learned to ignore it.
Until the network started whispering his name.
Morning Briefing
Instructor Valen's voice thundered through the briefing chamber.
"Two weeks until the Inter-Academy Evaluation. Every point you earn counts toward your Hero ranking. Fail, and you lose dorm access."
Holo-screens flashed the upcoming schedule — combat trials, weapon evaluations, simulation exams.
But Xander barely listened.
Across the room, Lucen Ardryn stood surrounded by admirers. His flame-and-sound resonance flickered subtly, forming waves of shimmering heat around him.
Ardryn was Rank #2 — and he looked every bit the golden boy of Eryndra's Hero order.
Lucen's sharp eyes met Xander's for a second, and the corner of his mouth curled.
"Valois," he called. "Try not to break anything today. Heard you've got a problem with control."
A few cadets laughed. Mira muttered under her breath, "What a walking ego."
Xander kept his voice calm. "Don't worry, Ardryn. I'll try not to short-circuit your hair gel."
The laughter turned against Lucen this time — and his smirk faded just slightly.
After Class — The Investigation
Mira and Xander slipped into the data wing, a place cadets weren't supposed to enter without clearance.
Rows of glass terminals glowed dim blue. Lines of code streamed down the walls.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mira whispered.
"No," Xander replied, "but I need to know why the system's tracking me."
They hooked into an unregistered terminal. Mira typed rapidly. "If we route through the academy's backup archive, we might—"
The screen flickered.
Lines of encrypted text rearranged themselves into a phrase:
PROJECT ASCENDANT — ACTIVE FILE
ACCESS DENIED // OVERRIDE DETECTED
Mira's fingers froze. "Override detected? By who—"
Then the file opened on its own.
A string of documents flashed for a moment — medical readings, resonance scans, and one labeled Subject 1179 — Dual Elemental Instability.
Xander's name.
Before they could read more, every terminal in the room powered down. The overhead lights dimmed to red.
Security breach detected.
Mira swore softly. "We need to go—now."
They slipped out a side corridor just as armed guards entered the data wing.
The Duel
That afternoon, Valen's announcement echoed through the training hall:
"Cadet Xander Valois. Cadet Lucen Ardryn.
Authorized duel — disciplinary evaluation."
Mira's jaw dropped. "What? You didn't—"
"I didn't request it," Xander said quietly. "He did."
The arena filled with students eager for bloodsport. Duel matches were rare, and when they happened, they were broadcast live to the ranking network.
Lucen approached, sword gleaming with molten light.
"Let's see what the Council's little experiment can do," he said under his breath.
Xander gripped his surgebreaker, feeling the faint buzz of water and lightning beneath his skin.
The countdown began.
3… 2… 1… BEGIN.
Lucen moved first — blinding speed. His blade sang with sonic heat, slamming into Xander's guard and sending sparks across the floor.
Xander countered with a sweeping arc of water, extinguishing the flames, but Lucen's next strike split the current apart with a burst of sound resonance.
Every movement drew applause from the stands.
"Too slow, Valois!" Lucen taunted.
"Maybe," Xander said, "but you're too loud."
He pivoted, electricity bursting through his sword's edge — the surgebreaker lighting up like a living thunderbolt.
The shockwave sent Lucen sliding back, smoke curling off his armor.
The crowd roared.
But Xander felt something wrong.
His pulse jumped erratically. The resonance inside him twisted, overlapping without his control.
Mira's voice from the sidelines: "Xander! Stop! You're merging again!"
Lightning and water fused, spiraling out — steam and pressure cracking the arena floor.
Lucen's smirk vanished. "What the—"
A single strike erupted — uncontrolled, primal — slicing through the air and halting inches from Lucen's chest.
Silence. Then a boom that threw both of them backward.
Aftermath
When the dust settled, Lucen's sword was shattered.
Xander's blade was glowing red-hot, trembling in his hand.
Valen stormed into the arena. "Valois! You're suspended until further notice!"
Mira rushed to him. "He didn't mean—"
Valen cut her off. "Control is not optional in this academy. The Council will decide his fate."
As med-techs helped Lucen up, Xander caught his glare — not hatred, but curiosity.
Lucen muttered, "What are you, really?"
Later — Night
In the empty infirmary, Xander sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the crackling light in his palm.
His datapad blinked again — static forming a single message:
"Ascendant Protocol initialized."
"Do not resist."
He stared, heart pounding.
The message shifted one last time:
"You're getting closer, Xander Valois."
The lights went out. Only the faint hum of the network remained.