James did not sleep.
Not because he couldn't.
Because he had decided.
If Asterin was predator territory, then hesitation meant death.
He needed data.
He needed limits.
He needed to know how much he could take.
Midnight.
The lower district of the Academy was quieter — mostly first-years and scholarship students housed there.
Weaker cores.
Less political noise.
Perfect testing ground.
James walked calmly through the dim stone corridor of a training hall that remained open all night.
Sparks flashed at the center arena.
A student was training alone.
Broad build.
Military stance.
Second-year insignia.
His Desire Core burned deep crimson.
Not pride.
Not greed.
Dominance.
A strong one.
James stopped at the edge of the arena.
The student noticed immediately.
"First-year?" he asked bluntly.
James nodded slightly.
"May I observe?"
The second-year smirked.
"Observe if you want. Just don't get crushed if I lose control."
His core flared aggressively as he swung a blade of condensed energy into a practice construct.
Explosive power.
Crude.
But effective.
James stepped closer.
Close enough to feel it fully.
The Vault trembled.
Hungry.
The second-year glanced at him.
"Your core feels strange."
James tilted his head.
"Does it?"
"It's quiet. I don't like quiet cores."
He dismissed the training construct.
"Fight me."
Direct.
Dominance users always tested.
James considered.
Then nodded.
"Very well."
They stepped into the center.
No crowd.
No witnesses.
Perfect.
The second-year struck first.
Fast.
Explosive.
A heavy aura compressed the air toward James' chest.
James sidestepped calmly.
Measured.
Not overpowering.
Just observing.
The second-year grinned.
"Scared?"
James didn't answer.
He stepped forward.
And reached out.
Their cores brushed.
The Vault opened.
Just slightly.
The sensation was immediate.
Heat.
Pressure.
Resistance.
This core was stronger than the Duke's greed.
It pushed back.
The second-year stiffened.
"What—"
James' fingers closed around his wrist.
Not physically.
Energetically.
The Vault pulled.
A thread of crimson tore free.
The second-year gasped.
Pain flashed across his face.
James felt it enter him.
Raw.
Violent.
Dominance was not subtle.
It slammed into his core like a hammer.
For a second—
James' vision blurred.
The voice inside him sharpened:
"Careful."
Too much.
Too fast.
James narrowed the opening.
Reduced the intake.
Measured.
A smaller fragment flowed in instead.
The second-year collapsed to one knee.
Breathing heavily.
"What did you—"
James stepped back.
The Vault sealed.
Silence.
The training hall felt different.
James looked at his hand.
His aura flickered faintly.
A hint of crimson now laced within his usually controlled presence.
He felt it.
Strength.
Not overwhelming.
But denser.
Sharper.
His strikes would now carry weight.
Dominance had merged with Greed.
Not fully.
But enough.
The second-year looked up in confusion.
His core was dimmer.
Not shattered.
Just… weakened.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
James tilted his head slightly.
"I tested something."
Rage flared in the student's eyes—
But it lacked force.
His dominance was incomplete now.
James turned away calmly.
"You should rest."
"You—!"
But he couldn't stand fully.
James walked toward the exit.
The Vault pulsed again.
Hungry.
It wanted more.
The fragment he took had not satisfied it.
It had awakened it.
Inside, James felt something else.
A shift.
The dominance he absorbed subtly influenced him.
His posture straighter.
His gaze heavier.
Power was not neutral.
It carried personality.
"Interesting," he murmured.
The voice replied:
"You are not just stealing strength."
"You are collecting desires."
James paused mid-step.
That meant—
If he consumed enough different types—
He could evolve beyond a single desire.
His lips curved slowly.
Outside the training hall—
On a distant rooftop—
Lucien watched.
Hands in pockets.
Expression unreadable.
He had felt it.
The moment the Vault opened.
For the first time—
His empty core flickered.
Not with desire.
But recognition.
"Ah," he murmured softly.
"So that's what you are."
Back inside—
Seraphine stood in a corridor, eyes narrowed.
She had felt something too.
A disturbance.
Subtle.
Refined.
Not explosive like dominance.
Something deeper.
Her Pride tightened.
And for the first time since arriving—
She smiled.
"Good."
James returned to his room.
Closed the door.
And leaned against it.
His breathing was steady.
But inside—
The Vault churned violently.
It wanted more.
The first taste had changed something.
A line had been crossed.
And there would be no going back.