The message from Director Rowan remained on Kai's communicator.
Report to the Director's Office. Now.
Simple.
Direct.
No explanation.
Kai slipped the communicator into his pocket.
Rylan leaned against the balcony railing.
"You already know why he's calling, don't you?"
Kai looked toward the administration tower rising above the academy.
"Not exactly."
"That's not what I asked."
A faint smile appeared on Rylan's face.
"Most people would be nervous."
Kai thought about it.
Should he be nervous?
Probably.
Would it help?
Not really.
"Then most people can be nervous."
Rylan laughed.
A genuine laugh this time.
"I knew there was a reason I liked working with you."
Kai started toward the tower.
Before leaving, he paused.
"You noticed something earlier."
Rylan's expression became thoughtful.
"Yeah."
"What?"
The Eclipse student looked toward the horizon.
For several moments he seemed to consider how much to say.
Finally he shrugged.
"You ever walk into a room and immediately know someone's important?"
Kai didn't answer.
Rylan continued anyway.
"It wasn't strength."
"It wasn't presence."
"It wasn't intimidation."
"It felt like…"
He searched for the words.
"…like everything around you was connected somehow."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because that sounded alarmingly close to what the Convergence information had shown him.
Rylan noticed the look in Kai's eyes.
"See?"
"What?"
"That expression."
Kai blinked.
"What expression?"
"The one that says you just confirmed something."
Fair.
Kai turned and continued toward the tower.
Behind him, Rylan shook his head.
"Academy's about to get a lot more interesting."
Administration Tower
The tower stood at the center of the campus.
Most students rarely entered it.
Important meetings happened there.
Faculty evaluations.
Strategic planning.
Budget decisions.
Things students usually found boring.
Things that were secretly very important.
Kai entered through the main doors.
The receptionist looked up.
For a second her professional smile faltered.
Then returned.
"Director Rowan is expecting you."
Interesting.
No verification.
No appointment confirmation.
Just immediate access.
That alone told him enough.
Someone had been watching.
Probably multiple people.
An elevator carried him to the highest level.
The doors opened.
A single hallway stretched forward.
At the end stood a large office.
The door was already open.
Director Rowan sat behind a massive desk.
Unlike previous meetings, he wasn't alone.
Three unfamiliar individuals occupied the room.
Kai recognized none of them.
Which immediately made them interesting.
The first was an older woman with silver hair and sharp eyes.
The second was a broad-shouldered man whose posture screamed military experience.
The third appeared younger than the others.
Maybe thirty.
Yet somehow felt the most dangerous.
All three examined Kai the moment he entered.
Not hostile.
Observant.
Careful.
Like researchers discovering something unexpected.
Rowan gestured toward an empty chair.
"Sit."
Kai sat.
The room remained silent for several moments.
Finally Rowan spoke.
"You experienced the Convergence Event."
Not a question.
A statement.
Kai nodded.
"I did."
The silver-haired woman leaned forward.
"What did you see?"
Interesting.
No demand for reports.
No requests for numerical data.
Just that single question.
What did you see?
Kai considered his answer.
Then chose honesty.
At least partial honesty.
"Connections."
The woman exchanged a glance with Rowan.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The military-looking man spoke next.
"And?"
"Possibilities."
The younger observer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Future Path Analysis."
Kai looked at him.
The man smiled.
"There it is."
Interesting.
So they knew.
Or at least suspected.
Director Rowan folded his hands.
"Good."
Good?
Not concerning.
Not alarming.
Good.
Kai waited.
Eventually Rowan continued.
"Do you know how many recorded Convergence Events exist?"
"No."
"Six."
The room became very quiet.
Six.
Across all recorded history.
Only six.
That was significantly fewer than Kai expected.
The silver-haired woman spoke.
"And three of those records are incomplete."
The military officer added,
"Two ended in disaster."
That was less encouraging.
Kai remained calm.
"What happened to the sixth?"
For the first time, nobody answered immediately.
Interesting.
The silence itself was information.
Finally Rowan spoke.
"We don't know."
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know."
"No."
"How?"
The younger observer answered.
"Because he disappeared."
The Seventh
The room seemed smaller now.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Because the discussion had suddenly become much more significant.
"The sixth convergence point vanished?" Kai asked.
"Correct."
"When?"
"Three hundred and twelve years ago."
Interesting.
A long time.
Yet not ancient history.
Not by academy standards.
Not by the standards of civilizations.
Long enough for myths.
Short enough for records.
Rowan opened a drawer.
He removed a thin folder.
Old.
Very old.
The pages inside appeared worn with age.
He slid it across the desk.
Kai opened it.
Most pages contained damaged writing.
Fragments.
Incomplete observations.
Half-finished reports.
One sentence remained clearly readable.
Kai read it silently.
"When enough paths converge, the world itself begins to change."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He looked up.
Nobody in the room appeared surprised.
Meaning they had read it countless times.
The military officer crossed his arms.
"We've spent decades trying to understand what that means."
"And?"
The man frowned.
"We still don't."
Fair.
Outside the Office
Far below the tower—
life continued normally.
Students attended classes.
Teams trained.
Professors prepared lectures.
Most had no idea that history was quietly shifting above them.
But some people noticed.
Lena Hart was one of them.
She stood outside a training hall.
A training weapon rested across her shoulder.
Marcus stood nearby.
"You look distracted."
Lena glanced toward the administration tower.
"I'm thinking."
"Dangerous hobby."
She ignored him.
Marcus smirked.
"About Kai?"
Lena's eyes narrowed.
"You're annoying."
"I've been told."
She continued staring toward the tower.
Something felt different.
Not wrong.
Different.
Subtle.
Almost impossible to explain.
Yet she couldn't shake the feeling.
Marcus noticed.
The smirk faded.
"You feel it too."
Not a question.
A statement.
Lena slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
Both remained silent.
Because neither of them understood why.
Back in the Office
Kai closed the folder.
The room waited.
Expecting questions.
Expecting concern.
Expecting uncertainty.
Instead, Kai asked the one thing nobody seemed to be discussing.
"What exactly are you evaluating?"
A smile appeared on Director Rowan's face.
Not because the question surprised him.
Because it was the correct question.
"Excellent."
The Director stood.
Walking toward the window overlooking the academy.
For several seconds he stared at the campus below.
Then he spoke.
"The academy spent years evaluating you."
His gaze remained fixed outside.
"Your discipline."
"Your combat ability."
"Your judgment."
"Your growth."
He turned back toward the room.
"But Convergence changes the situation."
Kai remained silent.
Rowan's eyes locked onto his.
"The question is no longer whether you're capable."
A pause.
"The question is whether the world is ready for what you become next."
At that exact moment—
a new notification appeared.
Not in front of everyone.
Only for Kai.
NEW MAIN QUEST GENERATED
THE SEVENTH CONVERGENCE
Objective: Discover the truth behind the Six.
Rewards: Unknown
Failure: Unknown
Kai stared at the message.
Then another line appeared beneath it.
A line that made even him pause.
WARNING
One of the Six may still be alive.