Northbrook Town sat in a narrow corner of the Kingdom of Loraine, pressed between thinning roads and land that most travelers passed without a second thought. It was not a place that produced legends. It produced laborers, guards, and the occasional cultivator who left early and never returned.
Cael had been born there.
The Northbrook Sect reflected the town's nature—small, practical, and quietly aware of its limitations. Its testing courtyard was little more than a paved square surrounded by aging buildings and a single spirit stone that had been repaired enough times to dull any expectations placed upon it.
Still, the testing day drew a crowd.
Parents whispered. Disciples straightened their robes. Elders pretended the stone wasn't chipped.
When Cael's name was called, no one leaned forward.
He stepped up and placed his palm against the spirit stone. It was colder than he expected, like it resisted warmth on principle.
For a brief moment, something stirred—not energy, not qi. A sense of suspension, like the pause before a coin struck the ground.
Then the stone made a brittle sound.
A thin fracture spread across its surface and stopped.
The elder overseeing the test leaned closer, brows knitting together. He checked Cael's posture, pressed his own hand against the stone, then withdrew.
"Qi circulation unstable," he said. "No clear elemental inclination. Star response… negligible."
That was enough.
Cael bowed and stepped back. There was no sting to it anymore. Just familiarity.
Behind him, the elder turned to prepare the next group. He reached toward a narrow table beside the stone where a document case rested—routine records, contribution tallies, disciplinary notes. Things meant for senior eyes only.
The table leg shifted.
Time didn't stop.
It thinned.
Cael felt it as pressure behind his sternum, subtle but undeniable.
Significant probabilistic divergence detected. You are not the source. Outcome pending resolution.
The awareness unfolded without urgency.
This incident may resolve along multiple social trajectories.Select resolution path.
Options surfaced quietly, each carrying weight.
A)Contained Mishap• Documents spill but remain unreadable• Elder regains authority immediately• Witnesses dismiss it as clumsiness• Reward Preview:– Basic Star Fragment– Temporary Breathing Stabilization (Passive)
B)Serious Embarrassment• Documents scatter visibly• Disciples glimpse sensitive information• Elder's authority weakened short-term• Reward Preview:– Star Fragment x2– Minor Technique Seed (Unrefined)– Luck Retention Increase (Low)
C)Institutional Exposure• Documents fully exposed• Multiple authority figures implicated• Incident discussed throughout Northbrook• Reward Preview:– Star Fragment x3– Minor Resource Cache– Embarrassment Path Progression +1– Critical Potential Unlocked (Crowd Events)
Cael's breath slowed.
He hadn't caused this. Wasn't interfering. But the sense of balance in his chest responded to the gravity of the moment. He had no grudge against the elder but was still upset at his failed awakening.
He chose carefully.
B.
The choice settled, soundless.
Time resumed.
The table leg snapped cleanly.
The document case tipped and burst open. Papers slid across the stone tiles, stopping just long enough for names, rankings, and contribution discrepancies to be seen before the elder lunged forward.
The courtyard fell quiet.
A few people stared too long. A few looked away too quickly.
The elder gathered the papers with stiff hands, expression tightening. He dismissed the crowd abruptly, voice clipped, authority intact—but not untouched.
Cael felt the change arrive like added weight rather than force.
Resolution Confirmed: Serious Embarrassment. Rewards Granted:– Star Fragment x2– Technique Seed Acquired: Starfall Breathing (Incomplete)– Luck Retention Increased (Low)
The sensation didn't rush through him. It sank, steady and heavy, like something settling into deep water.
That night, Cael carried supplies beneath a quiet sky, his shoulders aching in a way he knew well. He tried the breathing pattern that had surfaced earlier—not forcing it, just letting his breath fall into rhythm.
Something answered.
Not power. Not yet.
Just a faint sense of balance, as though his exhaustion no longer leaked away as quickly as it used to.
Later, near the edge of the grounds, his foot slid on damp stone. The fall was clumsy, unremarkable. He struck the side of an old well and vanished from sight.
No one noticed.
When Cael came to at dawn, he lay beside the well, soaked and sore, head ringing. He sat up slowly, checked his limbs, and exhaled in relief when everything moved as it should.
His breathing felt steadier.
That was all.
From the forest beyond Northbrook, something distant stirred—too far away to see, too faint to matter yet. Cael listened for a moment, then stood, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and returned to his duties.
Whatever had shifted, it hadn't announced itself.
And for now, that suited him just fine.