The journey through the luminescent forest stretched longer than Dr. Chen had estimated. What should have been a day's walk became nearly two as they navigated around unstable terrain where mana had warped the landscape beyond recognition. Crystalline growths jutted from the earth like frozen lightning, and streams of water glowed with an inner light that made it impossible to tell if they were safe to drink.
Damien called for frequent rest stops, not just for the injured but because he could feel something building in his chest—that warm pulse was growing stronger, more insistent. It wasn't painful, but it demanded attention like a persistent itch he couldn't scratch.
"You feel it too," Elena said during one of the breaks, settling beside him as he studied the canopy above for any sign of their shadowy stalkers.
"The pulse? Yeah." Damien kept his voice low. Around them, the forty-three survivors from both groups were sharing water and the last of their rationed fire boar meat. "It's getting stronger."
"Not just that." Elena's eyes were distant, unfocused. Shadows seemed to flicker more dramatically around her than they had before, responding to her emotional state. "I can feel them. The panthers. They're still following, but they're... excited. Like they're waiting for something."
Sarah approached, her medical bag slung over her shoulder. "The injured are holding up well, but I'm worried about infection. These burns..." She gestured toward the stretchers where the fire boar's victims lay. "I need proper supplies soon, or we'll lose someone."
Before Damien could respond, Dr. Chen's voice carried through the group. "There! Up ahead!"
Through the trees, a structure rose against the twilight sky. It wasn't quite a tower, nor a traditional building, but something between the two—a spiraling construction of white stone that seemed to pulse with its own inner light. Geometric patterns covered its surface, and mana flowed around it like visible wind.
"That's not human architecture," Chris whispered, awe and fear mixing in his voice.
"No," Dr. Chen agreed. "It definitely isn't."
As they drew closer, the structure's impossible nature became clear. It rose from the earth in a smooth spiral, wider at the base and tapering to a crystalline peak that pierced the canopy. No visible doors or windows marked its surface, yet light emanated from within the stone itself.
"How do we get in?" someone asked.
Damien approached the base, that pulse in his chest now resonating with something from the structure itself. As his boots touched the white stone platform surrounding it, words appeared in the air before him, glowing with soft blue light:
Welcome, Pioneers of the New Age. You have found the First Academy of Rhyldar. Place your hand upon the stone to be recognized.
The words hung in the air for several heartbeats before fading. Around him, others gasped as they saw the same message.
"Recognized?" Dr. Chen stepped forward, her scientific mind clearly racing. "What does that mean?"
Damien felt drawn to the wall. The warm pulse in his chest had become almost overwhelming, as if his body recognized something fundamental about this place. He pressed his palm against the smooth stone.
Warmth spread through his hand, traveling up his arm, but it wasn't invasive like when the mana pathways had first been burned into them. This felt... gentle. Analytical. As if something was reading the pathways already within him, understanding what he had become rather than changing him.
Around him, others experienced the same sensation. Elena gasped softly, her eyes widening as the academy seemed to examine her transformed nature. Some people stumbled, not from pain but from the strange feeling of being truly seen for the first time since their transformation.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
A section of the wall simply wasn't there anymore. Where solid stone had been moments before, an archway now opened into softly lit interior space.
As the last of their group passed through the entrance, additional words appeared in the air, glowing more faintly than the welcome message:
Academy Status Update:Current Occupancy: 43 of 500 maximum active studentsMana Pathway Analysis: All subjects show compatible integrationNote: 457 additional slots available for qualified cultivators
Dr. Chen studied the message with scientific interest. "Five hundred? That's... that's a proper institution."
"And it had to analyze our pathways," Elena added, flexing her fingers as if she could still feel the academy's gentle examination. "Not everyone who survived Genesis could access this place."
Damien felt a chill of realization. "The academies aren't just shelters—they're screening for people who can actually cultivate properly. What about the survivors whose pathways didn't form correctly?"
The implications settled over the group like a weight. Somewhere out there, other survivors might be struggling not just with mana beasts and hostile environments, but also locked out of the very sanctuaries designed to teach them survival.
Sarah, her medical training making her think of worst-case scenarios, voiced what they were all thinking: "If someone's pathways were damaged during Genesis, or formed incorrectly..."
"They'd be on their own," Chris finished grimly.
As if responding to their concerns, new text appeared in the Chronicle:
Pathway Formation Success Rate: Approximately 78% of human populationDamaged Integration: 15% (partial function possible with remedial techniques)Failed Integration: 7% (academy access unavailable, alternative survival methods required)Note: Remedial pathway repair possible at Resonance realm or higher
"Twenty-two percent," Dr. Chen whispered, doing the mathematics. "If the entire world's population was affected by Genesis..."
Damien didn't need her to finish the calculation. Hundreds of millions of people might be locked out of the primary method for surviving in the new world. The thought made his fire pathways pulse with protective anger.
"That's a problem for later," he said, though the weight of future responsibility already pressed on his shoulders. "Right now, we focus on becoming strong enough to help anyone—whether they can cultivate or not."
The academy's capacity suddenly made more sense. With only ten academies worldwide, each capable of training five hundred students, only five thousand people at a time could receive direct cultivation guidance. It was a significant number, but still a fraction of humanity's survivors.
The responsibility of their privilege was becoming clear: those who could access the academies wouldn't just be learning for themselves, but for everyone humanity might yet save.
"It was scanning us," Dr. Chen whispered, staring at her hands. "Reading what we've become."
"The mana pathways it burned into us when we arrived," Elena said, understanding dawning in her voice. "The academy was checking if we're... compatible."
Damien led the way inside, the others following in stunned silence. The interior defied the building's external dimensions—vast halls stretched in directions that shouldn't have been possible, filled with soft, source less light.
Two objects dominated the central chamber: a massive book resting on a crystalline pedestal, its pages glowing faintly, and beside it, a smooth tablet of dark stone that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.
Words appeared in the air again as they approached:
The Chronicle of Discovery awaits your contributions. The Tablet of Awakening will reveal your nature. Learn what you have become, and let knowledge flow through the ages.
Damien approached the tablet first, drawn by an instinct he didn't fully understand. As his hand touched its surface, information flooded his mind—not new knowledge forced into him, but clarity about what was already there.
Damien Hayes - Ignition Realm (Stable) Path Affinity: Mixed Integration (Exceptional Compatibility) Elemental Affinity: Fire (Active) Mana Absorption Rate: High Advancement Potential: Rootforge Realm accessible
He staggered back, finally understanding what the mana pathways within him were shaped for. The warm pulse in his chest wasn't random—it was his body's fire cultivation, already active and circulating in structured patterns he was only now beginning to recognize.
Elena was already approaching the tablet, her face set with determination.
Elena Vasquez - Ignition Realm (Stable) Path Affinity: Mana Integration (High Compatibility) Elemental Affinity: Shadow (Active) Mana Absorption Rate: Very High Advancement Potential: Rootforge Realm accessible
"Shadow," she breathed, looking at her hands with new understanding. "That's why I could sense the panthers. The pathways inside me... they're already attuned to shadow mana, and they're active."
One by one, the others tested themselves on the tablet. Dr. Chen showed Body Integration affinity with Lightning active. Sarah revealed Mana Integration with a rare Life affinity. Chris, to his surprise, showed Mixed Integration compatibility with Earth affinity, though his absorption rate was lower than the others.
As the last person stepped back from the tablet, a moment of understanding passed through the group. Dr. Chen was the first to voice it.
"We're not beginners," she said, studying her results with scientific fascination. "The mana pathway formation during Genesis... it didn't just give us potential. It advanced us to Ignition Realm automatically."
Damien felt the structured circulation of fire mana in his chest with new awareness. "That explains the enhanced reflexes during the boar fight. The way we could throw rocks harder, move faster—we were already cultivating without understanding it."
Elena looked at her hands, noting how shadows seemed to flicker more dramatically around her fingers since entering the academy. "The sensing ability I developed... it's an Ignition Realm shadow technique."
"So, we're not starting from nothing," Sarah said, relief evident in her voice. "We have a foundation to build on."
Chris grinned despite their circumstances. "Good thing too. I was wondering how regular people managed to kill that fire boar."
As the testing continued, Damien found himself drawn to the great book, hoping it might contain answers about helping those less fortunate. When he opened it, most pages were blank, but several near the beginning contained entries in various handwritings:
Day 1 of the New Age: Survivors in the Northern Forests discover Ignition-level mana circulation. Injuries heal faster when mana flows properly through established pathways.
Day 2: First confirmed elemental manifestation - survivor named Marcus produces small lightning sparks. Ignition Realm integration proceeding naturally.
Day 3: Group of twelve discovers that meditation near mana-rich crystals accelerates cultivation stability.
Damien realized these weren't records from his group, but from other survivors who had found academies before them. As he turned the page, new text began to form in his own handwriting, though he wasn't holding any pen:
Day 3 of the New Age: Forty-three survivors discover the First Academy. Initial pathway analysis reveals diverse affinities and Ignition Realm stability across the group.
Below that, more information began appearing as if the book was responding to their discoveries:
Mixed Path Integration: Balance between flesh and spirit cultivation requires understanding both pathways established during Genesis transformation. Students show Ignition Realm stability. Academy guidance available through Pillar Realm (5th realm). Caution: Mixed Path advancement is slower but more powerful than single-path cultivation.
Fire Affinity (Ignition Realm): Active circulation through protective emotions and leadership will. Enhanced reflexes and mana-strengthened attacks now accessible. Next advancement to Rootforge requires understanding flame's relationship to forge and creation.
The book was teaching them how to use what they already had. As others gathered around, reading over his shoulder, more entries appeared:
Shadow Affinity (Ignition Realm): Sensing abilities and subtle shadow flickering now stable. Rootforge advancement requires accepting internal darkness as part of natural balance. True shadow manipulation begins at second realm.
Life Affinity (Ignition Realm): Rare among known affinities. Enhanced healing intuition now active. Rootforge development focuses on understanding life force circulation. Growth and restoration demand patience and deep empathy.
"It's not changing us," Sarah whispered, her medical training helping her understand the anatomical diagrams now appearing in the margins. "It's teaching us how to use what was already done to us."
Outside, night had fully fallen, but within the academy, they felt safe for the first time since Genesis. The injured were healing faster than should have been possible—not because the academy was changing them, but because the mana-rich environment was helping their newly formed pathways function more efficiently.
As they settled in for their first night of safety since Genesis, each member of the group carried the knowledge that they were among the fortunate few—not just to have survived, but to have the potential for growth in this transformed world.
Outside, the shadow panthers maintained their distant watch, and somewhere in the forest, other survivors struggled with the same challenges they had faced, but without the promise of guidance that lay within the academy's walls.
Damien stood at one of the windows looking out at the glowing forest while Elena joined him, her newfound understanding of her shadow affinity letting her sense the panthers maintaining their distant watch.
"This is just the beginning, isn't it?" she asked.
Damien nodded, feeling the fire affinity circulating steadily in his chest like a banked coal ready to be properly kindled. "The book shows entries from other groups, other discoveries. We're not the first to find an academy, and we won't be the last."
"But now we know what we are. What we can become."
"And what we need to learn." He gestured toward the Chronicle, where new entries continued to appear as other survivors around the world made their own discoveries. "Whatever the Will of the World did to us when Genesis happened, it gave us more than potential. We're already Ignition Realm cultivators. Now we have to figure out how to advance."
As if summoned by his words, a distant roar echoed through the forest—deeper and more powerful than anything they'd heard before. The shadow panthers scattered, their forms dissolving into the darkness between trees.
Whatever had made that sound, even the panthers feared it.
Damien closed his eyes and felt the mana flowing through his pathways—not new channels created by the academy, but the ones burned into him during Genesis, finally making sense. The warm pulse in his chest had evolved into something more complex—a rhythm that seemed to match his heartbeat, preparing him for the cultivation journey ahead.
Tomorrow, they would begin learning to advance beyond Ignition Realm. Tonight, they would rest in the safety of humanity's first academy, surrounded by knowledge gathered from survivors across the transformed world.
But in the distance, that roar sounded again, closer this time.
The forest was changing, and not all of its new inhabitants were content to simply watch and wait.