🌘 Chapter 63
"Your mind is your kingdom, your cage... and your weapon."—The Book of the Forgotten Chronos, Chapter II
🌑 Scene: Nightfall in Sinjai Academy – Forgotten Ruins Below the East Tower
Two days had passed since Aeren awoke. He still pretended to be weak in class, following Anshi's advice.
But every night… something changed.
The academy had ancient underground chambers beneath its oldest towers—sealed long ago. Only a few remembered.
Aeren didn't go looking for them. They called to him.
Voices whispered in his dreams. Symbols carved themselves on the stone walls he passed. Eventually, he found the door beneath the East Tower—engraved with clocks, stars, and a quote:
"Only the bearer of fractured time may enter."
When Aeren touched it… the door opened.
Inside was a hidden chamber glowing in silver-blue light.
Floating in the center was a strange sword—transparent, humming, thin like glass but rippling like water. It had no handle, no edge—yet it bled memory itself.
The Blade of Echoes.
🔮 The Blade's Test
The moment Aeren stepped in, the room shifted.
He wasn't in the chamber anymore.
He stood in a battlefield of broken memories.
Aeren as a child… crying.
Aeren's mother… hiding something in a box.
Aeren's father… whispering to someone behind closed doors.
A shadowed figure standing over a grave.
Then suddenly—a thousand monsters charged at him.
He had no weapon. Just... thoughts.
He screamed—yet nothing came out.
But slowly, instinctively, he reached out.
"STOP."
Time froze.
The monsters turned gray.
His body shivered—then shattered into mist.
He was back in the chamber. The Blade of Echoes floated before him.
And now… it had a hilt.
He grabbed it.
"You passed the Trial of Mind," a voice said behind him.
He turned.
The cloaked man from his visions was standing there.
🕵️ Who Is the Cloaked Man?
He did not give a name.
But he had no face.
His cloak shimmered with stars—like the night sky folded around him.
"You are not ready for the truth," he said. "But the world will not wait."
He placed his hand on Aeren's forehead.
"Until your time comes... learn. Listen. Survive."
And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
🎭 Meanwhile: Shadows in the Academy
Mr. Vael received a secret message from the Abyssal Order.
"The boy passed the first gate. Eliminate his anchor."
Vael's cold eyes stared at the image of Anshi on his screen.
She was the only one close enough to notice Aeren's change. The Order knew that love could trigger awakening too fast—and they weren't ready.
"Remove her," the message ended. "Quietly."
But something happened Mr. Vael didn't expect.
One of his assistants—Riven, a top-ranking student in disguise—hesitated.
"But… she's the daughter of—""Do it," Vael snapped.
🐚 Back With Aeren: The Power Within
That night, when Aeren returned from the chamber, the Blade of Echoes vanished—but a mark appeared on his palm.
Like a clock… but the numbers were symbols from forgotten alphabets.
He could hear echoes of people's thoughts now.
He could predict moves in training.
His dreams became gates to old memories—not just his own.
Anshi noticed. She didn't say anything. But she knew something inside him had changed forever.
Still… she stayed beside him.
🧭 Next Day: Announcement of Second Round Matches
Sinjai Academy's arena roared with energy.
The Top 15 teams were shown.
Aeren's team—surprisingly—was 13th.
"Next round: Elimination style team duels. You'll face Team 5."
Team 5 was led by Leira Nox, a Silver-level prodigy who mastered shadow monsters.
Aeren looked at the display.
"Don't hold back this time," he whispered to himself.
And Anshi… looked at him differently now. A mixture of pride and worry.
🕯️ End of Chapter 63