The hum of machinery was the new sound of life.
Every wall in the academy thrummed with energy—streams of data flowing like veins, glowing faintly blue beneath translucent panels. Holographic banners floated in midair, displaying ranks, spirit efficiency scores, and the academy's motto:
"Harmony through Integration."
Rian stood among hundreds of students dressed in sleek uniforms, their badges flickering with personal spirit signatures. Everyone here radiated confidence. Everyone, except him.
He had been "Ren Alden" for less than a day, and already the world seemed determined to test him.
A metallic chime echoed through the open courtyard. A voice, calm and commanding, filled the air.
"Spirit Nexus calibration begins in five minutes. All first-year students, proceed to your assigned stations."
Rian glanced at the others as they hurried off. He could feel the faint vibration beneath his chest—the remnant of his celestial core—reacting to the energy in the air.
It wasn't fear. It was resonance.
So this was the new era's way of cultivation.
Instead of meditation beneath starlit skies, students here connected their spirits through machines. They didn't reach inward; they uploaded their soul signatures into devices that converted will into quantifiable power.
He followed the crowd, entering a hall filled with tall, silver capsules. Each one bore a floating digital sigil.
An instructor, a woman with silver hair tied in a military braid, scanned him briefly. Her eyes flicked over her wristband.
"Ren Alden. Transfer from the Central Archive District. Late registration, neural irregularities noted."
Her gaze sharpened. "You'll start at Level Zero."
Rian didn't respond. He stepped toward the capsule as instructed.
The machine's interior glowed faintly when he entered. The surface was cool against his skin, and a soft hum vibrated in his bones.
Then came the voice.
"Welcome, User: Ren Alden. Beginning Spirit Synchronization."
A stream of light wrapped around him. He felt it pressing into his chest, sinking deeper—searching for a core that should no longer exist.
And then it found it.
The system stuttered.
Panels around the capsule flickered violently. Numbers flashed red.
[Error: Core Overload Detected.]
[Unidentified Energy Signature Found.]
[Proceed with Manual Override?]
The instructor frowned, moving closer. "What's happening in there? That shouldn't—"
The capsule burst open with a crack of thunder.
Waves of energy rippled across the hall. Students stumbled back, shielding their eyes as sparks rained from the ceiling.
Rian stood in the center, eyes glowing faintly silver, hair lifted by an invisible current.
For a moment, the world around him dissolved into starlight.
He saw constellations forming lines across his vision—coordinates, equations, ancient diagrams of the Astral Pathway.
Then it all vanished.
The instructor stared at him, half in awe, half in disbelief.
"What… what are you?"
Rian exhaled slowly, his voice calm.
"Just someone trying to remember who he used to be."
He spent the next hour in the observation chamber, surrounded by silent scientists who examined holographic data of his synchronization. Words like " anomaly" and "prototype core" kept appearing on their screens.
One of them finally spoke.
"Your synchronization rate reached 187%. That's impossible for a human baseline. Even A-class Nexians can barely hit 90."
Rian didn't bother replying. He was too busy feeling the pulse of power beneath his skin. It wasn't the raw fury of his old celestial form, but something sharper, more refined.
Like a blade reforged in silence.
Outside the chamber, a pair of students waited.
One of them—a tall boy with crimson streaks in his hair—leaned against the wall with a smirk.
"So you're the new guy who broke the calibration unit? Not bad. I'm Kael Vireth. Rank 42."
Rian raised an eyebrow. "Should I be impressed?"
Kael laughed, then his eyes glowed faintly red.
"You should be careful. The Nexus doesn't like outliers. And neither do I."
Before Rian could answer, a voice interrupted.
"Enough posturing, Kael."
A girl stepped forward—her uniform marked with the insignia of a senior class. Long black hair tied neatly behind her, her eyes glowing the color of moonlight.
"Director wants him alive, not broken."
Kael sighed. "Tch. Fine." He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off.
The girl turned to Rian. "I'm Lyra Kessan. Senior A-rank. You caused quite a stir."
That name hit him like a blade.
Lyra.
Not the same one, of course. Different face, different voice—but that same energy signature lingered faintly around her like a whisper from his past.
Rian forced his tone to stay neutral. "Sorry. Guess I'm still figuring out how this world works."
She studied him carefully, then smiled faintly. "Then let's see how long you can survive it."
The next morning, the academy's combat arena shimmered with light. Dozens of students filled the tiers above, murmuring with excitement as the training session was announced: Nexus Combat Simulation – Trial for First Years.
It wasn't supposed to be a real fight. But everyone knew that when Kael Vireth was involved, it always became one.
Rian stood at the center platform, the faint glow of the synchronization band still pulsing on his wrist. Across from him, Kael grinned and rolled his shoulders, red circuits lighting up along his arms like molten veins.
"You shouldn't have shown off yesterday," Kael said, his tone playful but his eyes sharp. "Now everyone wants to see what kind of freak you really are."
Rian's gaze was calm. "Then I'll make sure they see it clearly."
A ripple of laughter spread through the arena. Even Lyra, who was observing from the control booth, couldn't hide her curiosity.
The floor beneath them lit up with a circular sigil, threads of light crawling up like roots. A synthetic voice spoke from above.
[Initiating Nexus Link. Spirit Efficiency Lock: 10%. System Equilibrium Engaged.]
Kael raised his right arm, and a weapon materialized from a burst of red energy—a hybrid between a blade and a plasma whip.
Rian, meanwhile, felt his own spirit shift. His core responded instinctively, and silver light gathered in his palm, condensing into a translucent fang-shaped blade. The old instincts of a star wolf still lingered in his blood.
The match began.
Kael struck first, his weapon snapping through the air in a streak of heat. Rian ducked under the attack, pivoting with a fluid motion that surprised even him. This body was smaller, lighter, but every movement felt precise—measured.
He countered with a sweep of silver light that collided with Kael's whip, sending sparks flying.
"Not bad!" Kael shouted, eyes glowing brighter. "Let's turn it up!"
The circuits along Kael's arm flared crimson. The air warped. For a moment, Rian could feel Kael's spirit trying to invade his—testing his stability through the Nexus link.
That was a mistake.
Rian let his own energy pulse outward. The entire arena dimmed for a heartbeat as silver patterns bloomed beneath his feet.
The crowd fell silent. The sensors stuttered.
[Warning: Energy fluctuation exceeds system parameters.]
Kael's expression twisted in disbelief. "What the hell are you—"
Rian moved before he could finish. The world seemed to blur as his blade left a streak of silver light, cutting through Kael's guard and slamming him into the barrier wall. The impact sent shockwaves through the field.
When the energy cleared, Kael was on one knee, panting, his synchronization band smoking.
Rian stood in the center of the ring, eyes glowing faintly, but his breathing steady. He could feel it—the faint whisper of the Star Nexus, an ancient energy that refused to die even in this mechanical age.
"Fight's over," he said quietly.
The system confirmed it with a chime.
[Winner: Ren Alden. Nexus Stability Score—172%. Rank Updated: Class B-Intermediate.]
Gasps and murmurs filled the arena. No first-year had ever started with a Class B rank.
From the booth, Lyra folded her arms. Her eyes lingered on Rian, thoughtful.
"That wasn't just spirit synchronization. That was… something else."
Her assistant glanced up. "Should we report it to the Director?"
Lyra hesitated, then shook her head.
"No. Not yet. I want to see what he's capable of first."
After the match, Rian sat on the observation bench, staring at his hands. The faint silver lines beneath his skin pulsed softly. The light wasn't mechanical. It was alive.
He closed his eyes, and for a moment he was back under a sky filled with galaxies. He could almost hear the echo of his old world—the roar of the starbeasts, the whisper of the void.
If this world was built on the ruins of ours… then maybe the truth never died.
The thought was cut short by a voice.
"You fight like someone who's already lost everything."
Rian opened his eyes. Lyra stood there, her gaze steady.
"Maybe I have," he said softly.
She nodded slightly. "Then maybe that's why you'll survive here."
Before he could answer, a tone pinged on her wristband. She glanced at it, frowning.
"The Director wants to see you. Now."
Rian stood. "Then lead the way."
The Director's office was unlike anything else in the academy—dark, circular, its walls filled with floating fragments of data and spectral diagrams. In the center stood a tall man in a black coat, his eyes hidden behind translucent lenses.
"Ren Alden," he said without looking up. "Or should I say… anomaly of the Nexus Core."
Rian stiffened slightly.
The Director turned, his expression unreadable.
"You don't belong in our system. Yet you operate beyond it. Tell me, where does your power come from?"
Rian hesitated. "Does it matter, as long as I use it for the academy?"
The Director smiled faintly. "It matters because power without origin threatens the balance."
For a long moment, silence filled the room. Then he gestured toward a hovering sphere at his side—a dark crystal pulsing with faint blue light.
"This is the Nexus Seed. It records fluctuations in universal energy fields. Ever since your arrival, its readings have been unstable."
Rian's gaze narrowed. That same pulse—it felt identical to the dying breath of the Star Realm.
The Director studied him. "If you are what I think you are, then you'll either save this world… or destroy it again."
Rian's voice was quiet but firm. "Then I'll make sure it's the first."
The Director smiled. "We'll see."