Kael's head throbbed as if a hammer were pounding his skull. He lay sprawled on the cold stone floor of the Experimental Wing, the air thick with the acrid scent of scorched metal and something sweeter, like ozone after a storm. His vision swam, the glowing blue crystals lining the corridor pulsing faintly, their light dimming as if exhausted. His Skillforge interface flickered in his mind, its usual orderly display glitching with static. Words burned into his consciousness, sharp and unfamiliar:
System Rewrite Complete.
Skill Mimic System (Mythic) Unlocked.
New Skill Acquired: Skill Copy (Active) – Observe or defeat a System Wielder to copy one of their skills. Cost: 20 Mimic Energy (ME). Temporary duration: 24 hours. Copied skills: 0/3.
Kael blinked, his breath catching. Mythic? His heart raced. He'd never heard of a Mythic-rank system. Common, Rare, Epic, even Legendary systems like Zeus or Poseidon were the stuff of academy legends, but Mythic? That was a fairy tale. And Skill Copy? His mind spun, trying to grasp the implications. His Sock Summoning System was still there—he could feel its familiar hum—but this new system felt like a wildfire in his veins, wild and untamed.
He pushed himself to his knees, wincing as pain shot through his ribs. The crystal's surge had knocked him out, and his cloak was singed, the fabric brittle where it had grazed the energy. His stats flickered into view, updated but chaotic:
System: Sock Summoning (Common) / Skill Mimic System (Mythic)
Level: 5
Stats:
Power: 4 (Still weak, but something's stirring.)
Control: 8 (Your precision's holding up.)
Resilience: 6 (You're alive, barely.)
Insight: 12 (This is why you're not dead yet.)
Mimic Energy (ME): 50/50
Skills:
Sock Summon (Active): Summon a random sock. Cost: 5 ME.
Sock Sense (Passive): Detect socks within 10 meters.
Skill Copy (Active): Copy a skill by observing or defeating a Wielder. Cost: 20 ME.
Forge Points (FP): 200/1,000 to Level 6
Kael's eyes widened. His ME hadn't changed, but the Skill Mimic System shared the same pool. Copying a skill would drain nearly half his energy, and the "temporary duration" meant he couldn't keep copied skills forever—not yet. He needed to test this, but where? The Experimental Wing was off-limits, and he was already in detention. If Instructor Veyra caught him here, he'd be expelled—or worse.
A low hum vibrated through the floor, different from before, like footsteps. Kael froze, his Sock Sense tingling. No socks nearby, but someone was coming. He scrambled to his feet, ducking behind a crystal pillar just as a door at the corridor's end creaked open. Voices echoed—low, urgent, and unfamiliar.
"…surge wasn't supposed to happen," a man said, his tone clipped. "The headmaster will have our heads if—"
"Quiet," a woman snapped. "Check the crystals. If the array's destabilized, we're done for."
Kael's heart pounded. Teachers? No, these voices didn't belong to Bronze Haven's faculty. His Insight stat nudged him—something was off. The Experimental Wing wasn't just for research; it was hiding something. He peeked around the pillar, spotting two figures in dark cloaks, their faces obscured by hoods. One held a glowing orb, scanning the crystals. System Wielders, but their systems were unfamiliar—no fire, wind, or anything obvious.
He needed to leave, but curiosity rooted him. If he could see one of their skills, maybe he could copy it. His hand twitched, itching to test Skill Copy. He focused on the woman, who raised her hand, a faint shimmer forming. Skill Activation, his interface whispered. Glimmer Veil (Rare) – Creates an invisibility field. Cost: 15 ME.
Kael's breath hitched. Invisibility? That was leagues above his socks. He activated Skill Copy, feeling a rush as 20 ME drained from his pool. His interface buzzed:
Skill Copied: Glimmer Veil (Novice). Duration: 24 hours. Cost: 15 ME.
A tingling sensation spread through him, like static on his skin. He focused, mimicking the woman's gesture, and a faint shimmer enveloped him. His hands blurred, barely visible. He nearly laughed aloud—invisibility! But his ME dropped to 15, and a warning flashed: Low ME. Risk of backlash.
The man turned, frowning. "Did you hear something?"
Kael held his breath, pressing against the pillar. The Glimmer Veil flickered, his low Control stat making it unstable. He needed to move. Now. He crept toward the exit, his footsteps muffled by the veil, but his ME ticked down—10, 5, 0. The shimmer vanished, leaving him exposed just as he reached the door.
"There!" the woman shouted. A pulse of energy shot from her hand, a crackling net of light. Kael dove through the door, the net grazing his cloak and sending a jolt through his arm. He stumbled into the detention hall, slamming the door shut. His interface screamed: Backlash detected. Resilience reduced by 1 for 1 hour.
Kael cursed, his arm numb. He needed to hide, but the hall was empty, the academy quiet in the late afternoon. He sprinted to the main courtyard, hoping to blend into the crowd. His mind raced—Glimmer Veil. He'd copied a Rare skill, something no Common Wielder could dream of. But who were those cloaked figures? And what was that crystal surge?
He reached the courtyard, where students milled about, practicing skills or gossiping. Dren was there, his red hair unmistakable, tossing fireballs at a training dummy. Kael ducked behind a statue, his ME slowly regenerating. He couldn't face Dren again—not yet. But the Skill Mimic System… it changed everything. If he could copy Dren's Fireball, or even something stronger, he'd never be Sock Boy again.
"Hey, Kael!" a familiar voice called. Mira, a second-year with a Common Plant Growth System, waved from a bench. Her brown curls bounced as she jogged over, her green eyes bright. "You okay? You look like you ran from a dragon."
Kael forced a smile. Mira was one of the few who didn't mock him, maybe because her system—growing flowers—was nearly as useless as his. "Just… avoiding Dren," he said, glancing at the fire-throwing bully.
Mira frowned, noticing his singed cloak. "What happened? You're a mess."
He hesitated. Mira was trustworthy, but telling her about the Skill Mimic System felt risky. The cloaked figures' urgency suggested the academy was hiding secrets, and his new system might be one of them. "Detention got… weird," he said. "I'll explain later."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't press. "Well, be careful. Dren's pissed about that sock you threw. He's planning something for the Sparring Trials tomorrow."
Kael's stomach sank. The Sparring Trials were Bronze Haven's monthly test, pitting students against each other to earn Forge Points. With his Sock Summoning System, Kael usually lost, but now… He glanced at Dren, who was lobbing a Fireball at a dummy, the flames scorching the straw. Skill Copy hummed in his mind.
"Watch this," Kael whispered, focusing on Dren. His interface locked onto the skill: Fireball (Rare) – Launches a fiery projectile. Cost: 10 ME. Kael activated Skill Copy, draining 20 ME. His interface updated:
Skill Copied: Fireball (Novice). Duration: 24 hours. Cost: 10 ME.
His hand warmed, a spark flickering in his palm. He could feel the skill, alien yet familiar, like a borrowed memory. He aimed at a nearby practice target, willing the Fireball to form. A small, wobbly flame appeared, barely the size of an apple, and shot forward, hitting the target with a pathetic fizzle. The dummy smoldered but didn't burn.
Mira's jaw dropped. "Kael… did you just…?"
"Shh!" Kael hissed, glancing around. Dren hadn't noticed, but a few students stared. His Control stat wasn't high enough to wield Fireball properly, and his ME was down to 10. He needed practice—and fast.
Before Mira could ask more, a bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Students began dispersing, but a shadow loomed over Kael. Dren, his face twisted in a sneer, stood with two cronies. "Trying to play hero, Sock Boy?" he said, cracking his knuckles. A fireball hovered above his hand, twice the size of Kael's attempt.
Kael's heart raced. He could use Glimmer Veil to escape, but his ME was too low. Fireball was an option, but it was weak, and Dren would crush him. His eyes darted to Mira, who looked ready to step in, but her Plant Growth System was no match for Dren either.
"Dren, back off," Mira said, her voice firm. Vines sprouted from the ground, thin and trembling. Dren laughed, his fireball flaring.
Kael's Insight stat kicked in. He couldn't win a straight fight, but he could outsmart Dren. He activated Sock Summon, conjuring a thick wool sock and tossing it into Dren's fireball. The sock ignited, releasing a cloud of acrid smoke. Dren coughed, his flames wavering, and Kael grabbed Mira, pulling her behind the statue.
"Run!" he whispered. They sprinted toward the dorms, Dren's shouts fading behind them. But as they reached the dorm entrance, a cloaked figure stepped from the shadows—the same woman from the Experimental Wing. Her eyes locked onto Kael, glowing faintly with an unknown system's power.
"You shouldn't have survived that surge," she said, her voice cold. "What are you, boy?"