Cain approached the pedestal quietly. His beauty caught more than a few eyes — tall, lean, with silver-gray eyes that reflected the crystal's glow and hair that seemed to shimmer faintly beneath it. There was something distant about him, as though he were a painting that didn't quite belong to this world.
Soft whispers rippled among the students as he lifted his hand.
The moment his skin touched the crystal, the air changed.
A low hum spread through the hall. The light within the crystal surged — not in brightness, but in depth — pulsing in rhythm with Cain's heartbeat. It wasn't merely reacting. It was resonating.
Then, for the briefest moment, a ripple of shadow flickered within the light — a darkness buried deep beneath the brilliance.
---
Cain blinked, and suddenly, the hall was gone.
He found himself standing in a place of blinding white. The light was so intense it clawed at his eyes. He tried to shut them, but an unseen force pressed down on him, forcing them open. His breath came in shallow gasps as his body strained against the invisible weight.
When he could bear it no longer, the light fractured — shattering like glass — and the world turned black.
Before him stood a colossal door, bound with countless chains, each link pulsing faintly with a blood-red glow. A figure loomed in front of it — a silhouette of pure darkness with eyes that burned like dying embers.
Something… called to him.
He didn't know why, but his feet moved on their own. Like a puppet pulled by unseen strings, Cain drifted closer, step by step, toward that chained door. The air grew heavy, thick with whispers he couldn't quite understand.
And then —
> "So… you're finally awake."
The voice came from within the door. It wasn't his own. It was cold, calm, and cruel — every syllable soaked in amusement.
Cain froze. His chest tightened.
Fear? he wondered distantly. Is that what this is?
He tried to move, to turn away — and suddenly, he was back in the hall.
---
His hand still rested on the crystal, but it no longer felt like his. Energy coursed through him, neither painful nor pleasant — just alive, ancient, and aware.
The elders exchanged uneasy glances. Elder Frey's brows drew together.
"Strange…" he murmured. "I've never seen a reaction like that."
Cain stood motionless, eyes unfocused. He had been connected to the crystal far longer than any other student — his concentration unbroken, as if caught in a trance.
Finally, the light began to fade. Slowly, almost hesitantly, Cain withdrew his hand. The crystal continued to glow faintly even after he stepped away.
The room was silent. Even Rian and Lyra, who had stood confident moments before, looked shaken.
Elder Frey cleared his throat, his voice lower than before.
"High grade," he announced at last — though the uncertainty in his tone was unmistakable.
Cain gave a small nod, his fingers trembling slightly, and walked to stand beside Rian and Lyra. He said nothing, though his thoughts raced wildly.
Then, as the silence stretched, that same voice echoed again in the back of his mind — soft, deliberate, and knowing:
> "This is only the beginning."
Cain's pulse quickened.
And for the first time, he understood a terrifying truth —
something inside him wasn't entirely him.