The room was silent, but the air was thick with tension. The fused creature, formed from fragments of shadow and feather, stared at Kael with silver eyes that seemed to burn into his soul. It did not look at him as a servant, nor as a master—it regarded him as an equal. The sensation was strange, almost disorienting.
Whispers spread through the hall like wildfire. Examiners were pale, trembling, their eyes fixed on the anomaly.
"He's… done what?" one voice whispered.
"Impossible… no one in history has ever achieved this," another said.
Kael stood, his wrist throbbing. The sigil there rotated erratically, alive and unstable. Every heartbeat sent surges of energy through his body, and the pattern seemed almost conscious, reacting to him.
"Stabilize it before the Academy Council arrives," the examiner instructed, voice sharp. "Follow me."
Outside the awakening chamber, students were talking amongst themselves. Some gaped in disbelief, others whispered nervously, and a few snickered. Kael had always been an outcast among them, and now he was something entirely different—something none of them had ever seen.
From the crowd, a pair of green eyes tracked him relentlessly, calculating and unafraid.
"Veyron." The voice cut through the murmurs.
Kael turned to see a tall boy step forward, standing with a presence that commanded attention. A Crest Phase sigil glimmered on his wrist.
"My name is Ren Thalor," the boy said. "And you've just made your first mistake."
Kael's jaw tightened. Words were unnecessary now—his power would speak for him.
Back in the training halls, the fused creature hovered beside Kael, wings folded yet pulsing with restrained energy.
"You are unstable," it communicated silently.
"I know," Kael replied in his mind. "I can feel it. It's alive."
Instructors entered the room. The students' whispers turned into gasps. No one had ever seen a dual sigil fusion—let alone one that had manifested into a living being.
"Pay attention," one instructor said, voice steady yet tense. "Veyron will demonstrate his fusion stability."
Kael clenched his fists, every part of him alert. Something was off—an energy within him he had never experienced. His instincts screamed danger.
The chamber shifted. Platforms rose, and energy constructs formed, creating arenas for combat. The Council had designed these tests for extreme challenges, but none had ever anticipated a student like Kael stepping into their trials.
"Begin."
The fused creature unfolded its wings, silver light cascading over its shadowed feathers. Kael reached out mentally, syncing with its heartbeat, attuning to the energy that pulsed between them.
The first test appeared—an enormous construct of stone and magic, armored and moving unnaturally fast.
Kael's pulse raced. The creature inside him stirred, anxious yet responsive.
"I can't handle this alone. You must guide me."
Kael exhaled and activated the dual sigil resonance. Energy swirled around him, light and shadow intertwining in a hypnotic spiral.
The construct charged.
The chamber erupted in a storm of fused energy, sending waves across the arena.
Every eye was on Kael. Gasps turned to shouts.
"Unbelievable…"
"He's controlling it!"
"Impossible!"
Even Ren Thalor's green eyes narrowed, calculating. There was something beyond Crest or Zenith here—something unprecedented.
The chamber reverberated with Kael's heartbeat, the pulsing sigil on his wrist, and the living fusion moving in perfect, chaotic synchronization.
This was only the beginning. The journey ahead would be brutal, unforgiving, and unpredictable—and Kael was ready to face it.
End of Chapter 2 ✅