Dawn broke over the volcanic island in streaks of crimson and ash-gray.
Below, the Dread Arena still bore the scars of the finals.
Blackened spires jutted from fused earth like broken teeth.
Glassed stone reflected the morning light in warped, heat-scarred mirrors.
Residual ward barriers hummed at half-power, allowing thin dread leaks to drift through the air like restless spirits denied burial.
The battlefield remembered.
And so did Xia Ying.
---
He sat cross-legged atop the dormitory rooftop, alone above the waking Academy.
Night's harvest still refined within his core—slow, luxuriant, intoxicating.
Zuo's shattered terror lingered strongest.
He replayed the moment with quiet indulgence:
The instant full Dread Projection seized control…
The inversion of sovereign flame…
The heir's arrogance collapsing inward like a dying star…
And those final eyes—
Hatred crystallized into permanence.
*Flames rage and reveal their hollowness,* Xia Ying reflected.
*Shadows claim without spectacle.*
*The grudge is forged now. Let it burn him from within… it will only feed future feasts.*
---
## Devotion at Dawn
Soft footsteps approached.
Lin Mei emerged onto the rooftop, healer aura glowing gently against the pale sky.
She carried two small essence vials—fresh from infirmary stores.
"You didn't rest," she said, voice quiet but fierce. "After yesterday… you were untouchable. I would have burned every drop of my essence to keep you that way."
Xia Ying accepted the vials with a faint nod.
"Your support was flawless, as always. The core held because of it."
She sat beside him—close enough for shoulders to brush.
"They fear you now. Even the neutrals keep distance." Her gaze softened, unwavering. "But I see the truth. You protect us. You guide us. Whatever comes next—New Haven, the clans… even the Veil itself—I stand with you."
A subtle thread of refined essence slipped from Xia Ying's palm into hers.
It soothed lingering strain from the cohort final.
Her eyes brightened instantly—devotion deepening, stabilizing into something absolute.
Lin Mei would rationalize any darkness… if it came from his light.
---
## Intelligence & Fallout
Wei Jun arrived soon after, silent as ever.
He leaned against the rooftop railing, gaze scanning the horizon out of habit rather than necessity.
"Intel's moving fast," he reported. "Zuo was relocated to Flameheart guest quarters. Clan attendants everywhere. He destroyed three training dummies before sedatives stabilized him."
A faint crash echoed distantly—as if on cue.
Flames flared briefly from the guest wing.
Zuo's muffled roar carried on the wind—raw, venomous.
Xia Ying harvested the drifting spike of rage and humiliation.
Bitter.
Potent.
Delicious.
Wei Jun continued:
"Headmaster requested your presence. Private audience after the ceremony. Envoys are divided—some angry, others curious. Your dominance unsettled them."
Xia Ying's lips curved faintly.
"Scrutiny is inevitable."
---
## Ceremony of Chains
The grand amphitheater had been transformed overnight.
Banners of the **22 Lost Chains** hung from volcanic glass walls—fractured sovereigns etched across their surfaces, hollow eyes seeming to watch the proceedings.
Ceremonial incense burned thick in the air, mingling with the island's ever-present dread.
Elite cohort survivors filled the seats.
Instructors lined upper tiers.
Clan envoys occupied private boxes near the obsidian dais.
Notably—
The Flameheart box sat occupied…
But Zuo himself was absent.
---
Headmaster Eldren stood at the dais center, gray robes stirring in the heated wind.
Instructor Vale remained to his left—perception Dominion spread wide, making space itself feel subtly observed.
The Headmaster spoke:
"Yesterday's tournament tested more than power. It tested embodiment… control… and the courage to face the abyss without becoming it."
He recounted the highlights:
Zuo's explosive early dominance.
The trio's flawless synergy.
And finally—
Xia Ying's psychological supremacy.
"His victories were not merely won… they were inevitable. A master of reversal. A harvester of unseen dread."
Murmurs rippled outward.
Lin Mei sat straighter—pride radiant.
Wei Jun's gaze flicked once toward the Flameheart box.
Still empty.
---
## The Prize Revealed
Two assistants stepped forward carrying a sealed obsidian case.
When opened—
The hall dimmed instinctively.
Inside rested the prize:
A fist-sized **Terror Essence Crystal**.
Black-violet motes swirled within its depths like imprisoned galaxies.
Veins of pale, sovereign light pulsed through it—
Fragments of the **Despair Sovereign Chain**.
"Xia Ying," the Headmaster intoned, "for your dominance in the solo psychological bracket and contribution to cohort victory… the Academy awards you this crystal. May it stabilize your ascent."
Xia Ying ascended the dais.
The moment the crystal touched his palm—
Resonance surged.
Deep.
Ancient.
His concealed Dominion stirred in recognition—like a sovereign acknowledging a lost fragment.
He masked the reaction perfectly.
Bowing.
"Thank you, Headmaster. I will honor the Academy's teachings."
Applause followed—
Polite from most.
Fervent from his growing circle.
Muted from Flameheart envoys.
---
## Favor & Chains
After the public ceremony, Xia Ying was escorted into a warded study behind the dais.
Ancient Chain tomes lined the walls.
Perception mirrors shimmered faintly.
Vale remained outside—
Yet his awareness pressed faintly through the door.
Headmaster Eldren studied Xia Ying in silence before speaking.
"Your potential is… unbounded. Few command psychological embodiment so early."
He stepped closer.
"The Academy would benefit from your continued proximity after graduation. Resources. Guidance. Restricted archives. If you seek alignment—doors will open."
The offer was layered.
Opportunity…
And ownership.
His gaze flicked briefly to the crystal.
"Depth concealed serves you well—for now. But the Veil notices those who command rather than borrow. Tread carefully."
Xia Ying inclined his head respectfully.
"I seek only strength enough to defend against the rifts. Any guidance would be invaluable."
A concession was granted:
Extended restricted library access.
A sealed recommendation letter for Bureau dealings.
Dismissed.
As Xia Ying exited, his thoughts cooled.
*He offers chains wrapped in favor.*
*I will take the resources… and leave the chains behind.*
---
## Flameheart Grudge
Within the Flameheart guest quarters—
Zuo paced like a caged inferno.
His uniform hung scorched and torn.
Flames sputtered erratically around his fists.
Three shattered training dummies smoked nearby.
Attendants hovered nervously.
"Young master, please rest—"
"Silence!"
Fire exploded outward.
"That shadow cheated! He planted something in my mind—I felt it growing! He turned my own fire against me!"
He slammed a fist into the wall—cracking stone.
But the real agony remained internal:
Clan disappointment.
Academy laughter.
Nightmare sovereign judgment.
"I will destroy him," Zuo hissed. "Not here. Not now. But on the mainland… the Flameheart name will see him exposed. Or broken."
A senior envoy nodded slowly.
"We will support… measured retaliation."
The grudge rooted itself deeper.
Cold.
Patient.
Enduring.
---
Across the island—
Xia Ying harvested the hatred's echo one final time.
A delicious afterthread.
---
## Tower of Alignment
Later that afternoon, the trio gathered within a secluded observation tower overlooking storm-torn seas.
The crystal rested on a stone plinth between them.
Lin Mei traced its surface reverently.
"It's beautiful… but heavy. Like it wants to be used."
Wei Jun analyzed it clinically.
"Zuo's humiliation destabilizes clan politics. Use this before we return to New Haven. Mainland tensions are rising."
Xia Ying lifted the crystal.
Resonance sang instantly.
He began preliminary refinement—masked as surface absorption.
Threads of sovereign despair essence flowed seamlessly into his core.
No backlash.
No inversion.
Perfect compatibility.
"This advancement is shared," he said calmly. "Your loyalty made it possible."
Lin Mei's devotion blazed brighter.
Wei Jun nodded once—bond sealed in iron.
---
## Recall of Shadows
Evening fell.
Xia Ying stood alone once more upon the rooftop.
Crystal secured.
Harvest refining:
Crowd admiration.
Lingering fear.
Headmaster scrutiny.
Zuo's hatred.
Trio devotion.
His core surged violently.
Realm 8 — **Terror Sovereign** stabilization lay within reach.
Then—
A crimson interface bloomed before his eyes.
**Mandatory Recall — New Haven**
**Transport in Seven Days**
**Mainland Faction Tensions Escalating**
Xia Ying smiled into the gathering dark.
Shadows coiled eagerly around him.
*The prize is claimed.*
*The shadows lengthen.*
*Let the grudge fester… it will only feed the next feast.*
The Academy had given him knowledge.
Tools.
Fear.
Now—
The real game began.