Chapter 8 – Echoes in the Dark
Rumors moved faster than hunger.
By morning, Kairo's name—if it could even be called that—had already begun to change. In the mouths of slum dwellers, names rarely survived intact. They twisted, shortened, sharpened into something easier to whisper.
"The Quiet One."
"Shadow Kid."
"System Brat."
Kairo heard them all as he moved through the alleys, cloak pulled tight, steps unhurried.
People watched him now.
Not openly. Never directly. But conversations died when he passed. Eyes flicked away too late. Doors closed softly instead of slamming. Fear in the slums was not loud—it was cautious.
CIEL updated him continuously.
[Social threat perception: Elevated.]
[Probability of targeted provocation: 67%.]
[Probability of lethal ambush: 41%.]
Kairo processed the data while bartering for food—two stolen ration bars in exchange for a cracked water filter he had repaired overnight. The merchant avoided his gaze entirely.
"Word spreads fast," Kairo thought.
[Correction:]
[Word spreads selectively.]
That caught his attention.
"What do you mean?"
[Information vectors indicate deliberate amplification.]
[Source likely external to slum population.]
Someone was guiding the rumors.
Kairo finished the exchange and walked away, mind already working. The academy? A third party? Or the black-channel network the Noctyri had mentioned?
He didn't have enough data yet.
He found a place to sit near a collapsed stairwell overlooking a narrow plaza—one of the few semi-open spaces in the slums. From here, he could observe without being obvious.
Children practiced throwing stones at rusted signs. A woman argued with a scavenger over scrap rights. Everything looked normal.
It wasn't.
[Anomaly detected.]
[Spatial distortion: Minor.]
Kairo's eyes sharpened.
A ripple passed through the air near the far end of the plaza, subtle enough that most would miss it. Someone stepped out of it—not appearing, but aligning, as if reality had simply accepted their presence late.
A girl.
About sixteen. Clean clothes. Short silver hair tied back neatly. No visible weapons.
Academy.
CIEL confirmed instantly.
[Uniform enchantment detected.]
[Academy scout or examiner.]
[Blessing count: Two active, one sealed.]
The girl scanned the plaza calmly, her gaze passing over dozens of people—then stopping briefly on Kairo.
Just long enough.
Then she looked away.
Kairo didn't react outwardly, but his heartbeat slowed further.
"So they are watching," he thought.
The girl walked toward the center of the plaza and raised her voice—not shouting, but somehow carrying.
"Listen up," she said. "I won't repeat this."
People hesitated, then slowly turned toward her. Slum dwellers distrusted outsiders, but academy insignia changed things. It represented power. Escape. Death.
"I'm here to observe candidates," the girl continued. "Those with combat-capable Blessings. Those who can adapt under pressure."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"There will be no protection," she added. "No healing. No mercy."
Some people backed away immediately.
Others leaned forward.
Kairo stayed seated.
The girl's eyes swept the plaza again. This time, they lingered on him longer.
"Let's begin."
The ground shook.
A magic circle flared beneath the plaza, runes igniting in harsh blue light. A barrier slammed down around the area, sealing it off.
Screams erupted.
From the circle rose creatures—half-formed beasts of mana and bone, their bodies unstable, twitching as if reality itself rejected them.
Summoned constructs.
[Threat level: Moderate to High.]
[Number of hostile entities: 12.]
The girl stepped back, arms crossed.
"Survive," she said simply.
Chaos exploded.
Creatures lunged. People scattered. Some fought back with crude Blessings—fire sparks, hardened skin, enhanced strength. Many failed within seconds.
Kairo stood.
The moment his feet touched the ground, two constructs turned toward him, sensing something different.
CIEL activated the simulation.
Thousands of outcomes unfolded.
Kairo moved.
A creature leapt—jagged limbs swinging wildly. Kairo ducked beneath it, shadow stretching to bind its legs mid-air. It hit the ground hard.
Kairo placed his palm against its skull.
[Copying: Unstable Mana Frame.]
[Warning: Structural collapse imminent.]
He let it collapse.
The creature disintegrated into motes of light.
The second lunged from behind.
Kairo pivoted, his shadow hardening momentarily into a blade-like edge.
It severed the creature's core.
Two down.
Around him, the fight raged. A man with stone skin was overwhelmed. A girl with flame hair burned herself out, collapsing screaming. The constructs adapted quickly, learning attack patterns.
Kairo didn't fight like them.
He tested.
He let one slash him shallowly—just enough to feel the mana interaction.
[Data acquired.]
[Evolution viable.]
The shadows around him thickened, gaining weight, density.
A third construct struck—its claws skidding uselessly across reinforced darkness.
Kairo destroyed it with a single kick.
The girl watching from the edge narrowed her eyes.
"So that's him," she murmured.
She lifted one hand.
The remaining constructs shifted behavior instantly—coordinating, flanking, attacking in waves.
The difficulty spiked.
Kairo felt strain bloom behind his eyes.
[Warning: Cognitive load increasing.]
[Recommendation: Limit concurrent copies.]
"No," Kairo thought. "Push."
He stepped forward into the swarm.
Shadow wrapped his limbs, reinforcing joints, amplifying motion. He leapt, spun, struck—each movement clean, optimized, brutal.
A construct caught his arm and detonated.
Pain flared white-hot.
He rolled, came up on one knee, blood soaking his sleeve.
The plaza fell silent.
Only one construct remained.
It stood still, watching him.
Kairo stood as well.
He inhaled once.
Then he vanished.
Not invisibility—compression.
Shadow folded around him, collapsing distance.
He reappeared behind the creature and drove his hand through its core.
The barrier dropped.
The plaza was ruined.
Bodies lay scattered—some unconscious, some broken, some dead.
The girl approached slowly, boots crunching on cracked stone.
She stopped a few steps from Kairo, eyes sharp, evaluating.
"Name?" she asked.
"Kairo."
She nodded. "You're invited."
A crystal badge floated from her hand, stopping in front of him. It bore the academy sigil, glowing faintly.
"Entrance trials," she said. "You survive those, you're in."
Kairo accepted the badge.
As his fingers closed around it, CIEL spoke.
[Academy access point established.]
[Next arc unlocked.]
The girl turned to leave, then paused.
"Be careful," she added without looking back. "The academy doesn't like anomalies."
Kairo watched her disappear the same way she had arrived—reality bending politely aside.
He looked down at the badge in his hand.
Above him, the academy towers seemed closer than ever.
"Good," he thought again.
Because now—
They had noticed him.
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