The room was cloaked in stillness, but Kael's mind burned.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, Elira watching quietly from the corner. The soul resonance they had just shared still echoed inside him a swirl of her tears, his own past death, and a bond that defied time.
The system flickered alive:
"Soul Resonance Detected: Subject—Elira Valen
Compatibility: 92%
New Trait Unlocked: Bound Memory Link
Passive Skill: Echo Pulse (shared emotions and memory fragments with bonded soul)."
Kael's pulse quickened.
"Elira," he said, voice low. "You're more than you realize."
Her expression turned somber. "I think we both are."
---
That night, Kael meditated again, this time focusing on the *Soul Forge Blueprint* fragment stolen from the Crimson Path cultist. The system unfolded it piece by piece glowing lines, ancient glyphs, arcane diagrams.
A shape emerged in his mind: a large, rotating forge powered not by flame, but by souls.
"Soul Forge Project - Stage 1 Unlocked."
Current Blueprint Integrity: 11%
Required: Soul Nodes (3), Arcane Core (1), Living Flame Crystal (1)"
Kael's breath caught.
This wasn't just power enhancement. If completed, the Soul Forge could evolve his abilities beyond the system's default limits. It could craft soul-bound artifacts, refine stolen skills, even reshape his body.
But it required resources far beyond what a first-year student had access to.
Or so he thought.
---
The next morning, Kael entered the academy library. Elira had slipped him a note earlier:
"South wing. Third level. Speak to the Archivist. Don't use your real name."
He obeyed.
The south wing was quiet dusty and lined with forbidden tomes. Behind a reinforced desk sat an old man with one eye and robes stitched with gold runes.
"I'm looking for lost forge schematics," Kael said carefully.
The Archivist smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. "And what would a sickly boy want with soulcraft?"
Kael leaned closer, voice like a blade. "Because I intend to surpass every noble in this place. And I don't have time to beg for permission."
The Archivist studied him… then laughed.
"I haven't seen eyes like yours in decades. Fine. You want to build the forge? Then you'd better survive long enough to claim the crystal hidden beneath this academy."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "There's a crystal here?"
The Archivist slid him a thin map. "Buried under the west tower. Sealed vault. Guarded."
Kael nodded once. "I'll find it."
---
That night, everything changed.
As Kael returned to his dorm, the hallway was eerily silent. The torchlight flickered unnaturally, and the hairs on his neck stood up.
"Warning: Foreign energy signature detected. Tracking assassin presence."
He turned sharply too late.
A cloaked figure burst from the shadows, twin blades aimed for Kael's chest. His instincts roared. *Soul Shield!* activated mid-motion, deflecting the first strike. The second grazed his arm.
Blood spilled.
Kael countered with *Soul Strike*, but the assassin was fast inhumanly so. They vanished into a flicker of mist, reappearing behind him.
Kael twisted and activated *Echo Pulse* his bond with Elira flared, and for one heartbeat, he saw through her eyes in the healing wing... then she saw through his.
"Elira!" he gasped mentally.
She felt his pain.
Within seconds, she was running.
---
Kael held on parrying, dodging, fighting in desperation. The assassin slashed again, drawing a second cut across his ribs. His vision blurred.
System Alert: Soul Threshold Reached
Permission Granted: Devourer's Core Unlocked (Level 1).
Kael's body flared with dark light. His skin shimmered, his eyes turned silver. The assassin paused sensing the shift.
Kael growled, and with one final movement, he caught the assassin's wrist, draining their soul instantly.
The figure screamed a short, sharp sound before collapsing into dust.
Kael panted, on one knee, covered in blood.
Elira burst into the hall seconds later. She fell beside him, pressing glowing hands to his wounds.
"I felt everything," she whispered, voice shaking. "You nearly"
"But I didn't," Kael said, eyes steely. "And now I know. They're not just watching."
"They're trying to kill you."
He nodded grimly. "Then I'll kill them first."
---