Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: The Digital Chorus

The somber mood from the morning's physical training lecture lingered , but as the bronze section dispersed after Mana Theory, a new kind of energy began to crackle—one born of anxiety seeking an outlet.

"Hey, check it out, guys," Leo said, his voice echo through the quiet hall as they walked across the hallway ho. He was fully immersed in its holographic display, fingers flicking through threads. "Not the schedule. The *forum*. It's exploding."

Oliver, Elara, and Ilana summoned their own interfaces. The usually lively forum was now a torrent of raw, unfiltered reaction.

The most prominent thread, pinned near the top, was titled: **ONE YEAR DEADLINE: Official Confirmation & Survival Strategies.**

Inside, the reactions were a storm:

*  *One year?! I am barely a D grade fire-kin! Is this real? Can they do that?*

*  *Replying to NervousNell: Yes. Read your admission contract, Clause 7b. It's a standard efficiency sieve. The Guild weeds out the unviable early to save resources.*

*  *If you're stressing, you're probably the chaff. My resonance is already deepening. Some of us are just built for this.*

*  *Historical data from the last five years suggests an average attrition rate of 27% for the Bronze section at the one-year review. Statistically, about sixteen of us won't be here next fall.*

*  *Can we talk about the physical teacher? "Mana Corruption"?! Was he trying to give us nightmares or just enjoying himself?*

*  *Actually, his point about the body as a conduit aligns perfectly with Kael's lecture today on mana transformation. The risk is mathematically valid if growth is uneven.*

Scrolling further, they found more speculative, heated threads.

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* *S-Grades are basically mana's favorites. The world hands them power on a platinum card.*

*  *Incorrect. Mana is neutral. S-Grade indicates an exceptionally efficient and potent resonance, not 'favor.' They work with the same substrate, just with a finer tool.*

* *Heard a rumor from a second-year. High-potential awakenings, especially S and high A, are on a watchlist. Their power growth is monitored more closely. The Guild fears their corruption incidents more because the resulting entities are… catastrophic. More surveillance, less freedom.*

*  *So the shiny cards are also tracking collars? Sounds like a conspiracy to keep the 'lesser' grades happy or feel good about it.*

*  *Or, it's precaution. A novice Fire-Kin sets a curtain on fire. A novice Purton (Plasma) S-Grade could vaporize a city block.*

Elara snorted. "So according to the forum, we're either doomed statistics, or part of a vast conspiracy. Charming."

Ilana's brow was furrowed. "The 27% statistic is likely accurate. It provides a clear benchmark. We must ensure we are not in that percentile."

Oliver read the debates about S-Grade surveillance with a strange feeling in his chest. If those at the top were watched for being potentially dangerous, and those at the bottom were watched for being potentially useless, where did that leave a Grey-Weaver, who was neither? Invisible, or in a category of one?

Leo chuckled, closing his interface. "See? Everyone's freaking out in their own way. The forum's just the collective panic gland. Makes you feel better, knowing even the arrogant Zephyrs are sweating."

As they approached the hall for General World Studies, they saw Professor Valia ahead of them, carrying her crystal slates—likely today's lesson materials. She walked with her usual brisk, cheerful energy.

"Professor!" Elara called out, ever the energetic.

Valia turned, her face breaking into a smile that seemed to genuinely cut through the ambient anxiety. "Ah, Elara! Survived the Grath Grimoire, I see? And decoded Kael's cosmic principles? Good, good."

They fell into step beside her. "The forum is… lively today, Professor," Leo said.

"Oh, I'm sure it is," she said with a knowing laugh. "The Deadline Discussion is a rite of passage. The panic, the posturing, the statistical one-upmanship. It's all part of the tempering process. Pay attention to the ones offering study tips, not the ones boasting or doomsaying." She gave them a sidelong glance as they reached the classroom door. "The pressure is real. But so is the path through it. Now, in you go! Today, we map out guild structure and it working. Less existential terror, more pragmatic plotting, I promise."

She swept into the room, her presence immediately drawing the chattering, forum- preoccupied students back to order.

Oliver took his seat, the digital chorus of fear, arrogance, and analysis still echoing in his mind. But Professor Valia's words anchored him. It was a rite of passage. Everyone was scared. The ones who focused on the next step, not the cliff's edge, were the ones who found the path.

As Valia began her lecture , Oliver's mind settled. The forum was noise. The deadline was real. But right now, the task was to learn, to understand the world he was trying to earn a place in. He opened his crystal slate, ready to map another kind of terrain.

End of Chapter