Chapter 3 — Arrival
By the time I reach the city, my feet are killing me.Well—technically not "killing," since I already tried that once and didn't enjoy the results. But still. The soles of my feet feel like someone sandpapered them and then politely set them on fire.
The road that leads to civilization isn't even a road. It's more like a scar across the land, a half-formed path where the grass refuses to grow. Every few steps, a faint vibration hums through the ground, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat. The air smells faintly metallic, like ozone before a storm.
[Physical Endurance: +1][Note: Congratulations. You are now slightly less pathetic.]
"Wow," I mutter. "Character development and emotional support. You really do it all."
The system doesn't respond. It rarely does when I call it out. Which is fine. The silence is almost… comforting.
After a while, the world begins to change. The forest thins into meadows scattered with strange crystalline growths—shards that catch the sunlight and refract it into prisms of blue and violet. The silver veins I saw earlier in the forest run beneath the surface here, glowing faintly, leading toward the horizon like a trail of nerve endings converging on one point.
And then I see it.
Eryndor.
The city rises out of the valley like something pulled from a fever dream. Massive terraces carved into sheer cliffs, with waterfalls cascading between them in smooth, glittering ribbons. Bridges of light connect towers so tall they vanish into mist. Floating glyphs rotate lazily in the air, shifting between languages I don't recognize but somehow feel—like echoes against the inside of my skull.
It's beautiful. Alien. And completely overwhelming.
For a long moment, I just stand there, wind tugging at my makeshift cloak, trying to wrap my head around the scale of it.
[Location Verified: Capital City of Eryndor — Seat of the Resonance Academy.][Directive: Proceed to Academy Gates for Identification.]
"Yeah, sure," I say softly. "Just waltz into the giant magic city with no shoes, no clue, and a system that keeps roasting me. What could possibly go wrong?"
The path widens the closer I get. Other travelers appear—people, mostly humanoid, though a few make me double-take. A woman with shimmering fins along her neck. A man whose shadow doesn't match his movements. A trio of kids walking barefoot, each carrying a glowing crystal that hums in perfect harmony.
No one looks twice at me, which is a relief. Either newcomers are common, or I'm not the weirdest thing they've seen today.
As I approach the outer walls, a translucent barrier ripples into view—a dome of energy faintly vibrating in the air. People step through it like walking through a film of water. When it's my turn, the system hums inside my mind.
[Verifying soul signature…][Resonance Unaligned.][Manual classification required.]
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.
The barrier flickers as I press my hand against it. A pulse of warmth travels up my arm, then through my chest, before fading just as quickly. For a heartbeat, I feel seen. Not in a creepy way—more like the world just took a good, long look and decided I was real.
Then the voice—soft, calm, not my system—speaks directly into my thoughts.
"Welcome, transient soul. Your resonance is… unusual. Entry granted."
The barrier dissolves around me, and I step into Eryndor.
The noise hits first—laughter, chatter, music, a dozen languages woven together. Streets curve and climb like living arteries, lined with glowing stones that shift color as people walk past. Floating platforms hum overhead, carrying goods and passengers between levels.
It's not chaos. It's rhythm. Every sound, every flicker of light feels synchronized, like the entire city is breathing in tune with itself.
"Okay," I whisper. "Definitely not Kansas."
[Note: You were never in Kansas.]
"Metaphor, genius."
The system goes silent again.
I wander through the market district first. Stalls made of woven crystal and vines sell everything from weapons that hum with light to fruits that pulse like beating hearts. I catch snippets of conversation—students bragging about resonance scores, mentors discussing "Academy placements," merchants shouting about discount rune-etching.
It's the word Academy that keeps drawing my attention.
Everywhere I turn, I see its sigil: a six-pointed spiral surrounded by flowing script. Even the guards wear it engraved on their armor.
If the system's right—and it usually is—that's where I need to go.
I stop at a small fountain, water trickling from a sculpture shaped like a pair of hands holding a sun. I lean down, cupping some to drink. The moment it touches my lips, warmth floods through me. My fatigue fades, muscles loosening, mind sharpening.
[Minor Recovery: Hydration Source Infused with Low-Grade Resonant Energy.]
"Magic water," I say. "Of course. What's next, a talking frog?"
[Rare but statistically possible.]
I snort. "You're impossible."
[Note: You say that like it's a bad thing.]
Despite myself, I grin.
By the time I reach the central plateau, the sun's dipping low. The Academy sits at the highest point of the city, a sprawling complex of marble, crystal, and living wood. Spires stretch into the sky, each topped with orbs of silver fire. Bridges connect towers suspended over waterfalls.
The gates are enormous—etched with the same spiral sigil, shimmering faintly with runes. A line of people, mostly around my apparent age, wait their turn to enter.
A guard in silver armor steps forward as I approach. His gaze flicks over my plain clothes and bare feet, then narrows slightly.
"Identification?" he asks.
I glance at the system's interface hovering faintly in my mind. "Uh. Do I have that?"
[Temporary Identification Assigned: Transient Candidate, Classification Pending.]
A faint shimmer forms in the air before me, resolving into a translucent sigil. The guard studies it, eyes widening slightly.
"Huh. Unaligned resonance."
"Is that… bad?"
"Not bad. Just rare." He tilts his head. "You'll be sent to preliminary assessment. If the Academy accepts you, you'll be assigned quarters. If not…" He shrugs. "The city's large enough."
"Comforting," I mutter.
He gestures me through.
The moment I step past the gates, everything changes.
A pulse runs through the ground, surging up through my feet, spine, skull—like the world itself is tuning an instrument and I'm the string. My system flickers in response, lines of light flashing across my vision.
[Warning: External Resonant Field Detected.][Integrating…][Adaptation in progress.]
Then, suddenly, silence.
The courtyard ahead is vast, filled with hundreds of figures—students, mentors, guards, all gathered beneath a floating stage of light. At its center stands a woman draped in white and silver, her hair a cascade of luminous strands. Her presence alone bends the air.
"Welcome, new aspirants," she says, voice echoing effortlessly across the space. "You stand upon the threshold of the Resonance Academy—the cradle of those who seek to align their souls with the greater symphony of creation."
Her eyes sweep the crowd, sharp as blades. "Some of you will rise to greatness. Others will fade. But all of you will learn what it means to resonate."
Around me, whispers ripple. Anticipation. Fear. Excitement.
I just… listen.
Because beneath her words, I feel something. A vibration, deep and faint, resonating in my bones. It's like the world's heartbeat has synced with mine for a second.
The woman raises her hand. Circles of light spiral out from her palm, expanding across the courtyard. They pass through me like waves of sound, each one slightly different.
[Warning: External Resonance Scanning…][Result: Anomaly detected.]
The lights fade. A few people gasp. I glance around—no one's looking at me. Good.
The woman smiles faintly. "Now," she says, "your first challenge begins. Step forward when your name—or your mark—is called."
A tall figure beside her, wearing a mask of pale crystal, begins calling names. Each student steps onto the platform, touches the central glyph, and watches as their resonance flares in color. Blue, red, gold, green—each hue earning murmurs from the crowd.
When it's finally my turn, the masked attendant hesitates, then looks at the woman. She nods.
I step forward. The glyph hums under my palm.
Nothing happens.
Then—everything happens.
Light explodes outward, not in a single color, but in a ripple of shifting spectrums—silver, violet, deep crimson, then back to pale white. The air vibrates, a low hum that climbs into something almost melodic.
The crowd murmurs. Someone swears softly.
The woman studies me, expression unreadable. "Unaligned," she says at last. "How curious."
[Resonance Established: Undefined Spectrum.][Note: You continue to confuse everyone. Well done.]
I swallow. "So… what does that mean?"
The woman's lips curve slightly. "It means," she says, "you'll either die very quickly… or change the world."
That's… not comforting.
But as she turns to address the next student, I can't help feeling something stir inside me. Hope, maybe. Or maybe it's just adrenaline pretending to be courage.
[Objective Complete: Reach the Academy.][New Objective: Survive Orientation.][Note: Good luck, Farein.]
"Yeah," I whisper, staring up at the glowing sigil above me. "I think I'll need it."