The next morning, in the same training room, Alex sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in deep concentration. Surrounding him was a transparent, thick wind dome—one that appeared even denser and more solid than the last.
Anderson leaned quietly against the wall opposite Alex, observing him calmly and attentively. Although he had been a little nervous due to the unexpectedly early arrival of the guest from Aurelia, he had managed to compose himself quickly, suppressing every trace of tension.
_Just a little more… I can feel myself getting closer and closer to the world by every second,_ Alex thought, sensing his breakthrough within reach and feeling his energy subtly shifting.
Suddenly, another chill swept through the room. This one was twice as cold as the last, carrying almost no wind at all. Sir Anderson felt a fresh wave of goosebumps rise—stronger than before—before immediately reinforcing the trembling dome with additional layers, careful to maintain stability.
Alex frowned slightly. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him, one that felt oddly familiar and yet tied directly to his breakthrough.
While probing deeply into his being, searching for anything that might explain the sudden familiarity, a voice he somehow considered unforgettable—yet could not fully recall—resounded in his head. The voice was so deep and chilling that it made his entire being turn frigid.
That shouldn't be right. Why Seal instead of Knot?.
The voice pondered thoughtfully.
Alarmed, Alex thought, _Who is this?_
There was silence for a few breaths before the voice spoke again, completely ignoring his question, as if testing him.
As for your dreams and that feeling of incompleteness… they all lie in your subconscious.
The voice paused for several seconds before continuing,
You will recall yourself gradually as you advance.
When Alex thought the voice had vanished, it echoed again—faint, as though fading away.
Avoid those aligned with darker vectors.
Their trajectories intersect consequences meant for you.
My Origin… Knowing The place I began... Would end you.
Do not pry... Not when you're still whole. Seal your thoughts while you still can.
Some openings do not close again... con…trol…Di...ss...olu...tion...
The voice glitched violently, stuttering through his mind like a faulty transmission. It strained to say more, but the rest collapsed into a surge of jagged noise—as if reality itself was silencing it before the warning could escape.
Then, like a cut connection, the voice vanished completely, leaving Alex in uneasy silence.
Alex sat in confusion. _Beware of dark element users…_
He was able to instantly piece the meaning behind this one together.
Being wary of them was normal—dark element attacks could corrupt a seed with prolonged exposure, sending it completely berserk. But he sensed the warning meant far more than that.
Still unsettled, he recalled the voice's final command: Seal your thoughts while you still can.
He searched within himself and quickly discovered the seal skill, but it looked restricted and weak for some reason—as if it wasn't meant to be there in the first place. With a bit of difficulty, he used his new skill and sealed his inner thoughts carefully.
For a newly bloomed seed, affecting the environment was normal. Without the lessons that prepared students for this stage, accidents would be inevitable, sometimes even dangerous.
Alex slowly opened his fox-like eyes and saw his father and an unfamiliar figure watching him. His father's respectful posture—something he only showed toward nobles or higher beings—was unmistakable and deeply reassuring.
"Partial transformation at the Bloom rank? That's unusual," Kaelon Malven said, contemplating what he saw with sharp attention.
He had teleported into the room the moment he sensed a blooming seed.
His mission was to find an abnormal seed in Coeron and investigate it thoroughly. He silently marked this bloomer as abnormal, making mental notes of the anomaly.
Noticing Alex's confusion, Anderson congratulated him first before introducing the unfamiliar figure as a student.
Alex bowed at once. Hourglass nodded with a curious smile as he approached in calm, measured steps, exuding confidence.
Ignoring the typical spatial storage rings, he simply raised his hand and pulled a moon-shaped object out of the air. Alex instantly recognized it as an artificer's charm connected to the Moon's Source.
Kaelon brought the charm close to Alex's head, still holding onto it firmly.
_Hmmm. Nothing special here either,_ he thought before withdrawing his hand and dismissing the charm. Alex was the third newly bloomed student he had inspected this way.
Seeing this, Alex felt relieved. _Good thing I sealed only the necessary memories. Sealing everything might've looked suspicious or raised unnecessary questions._
Kaelon nodded to Anderson before teleporting away, vanishing as though he had never been there at all.
Anderson finally relaxed before congratulating his son again.
"Congrats, son… you gained a special trait: partial transformation. It's extremely rare among integrators. I unlocked my full transformation at the harmony-stage during my Evolved rank—most people only get theirs after reaching Ascended."
He stepped closer and patted Alex's shoulder three times warmly. "You should unlock your full transformation when you evolve, even at the initial-stage. And dismiss that eye—it's draining your mana."
"Yes, Dad," Alex replied, turning his eyes back to normal. His transformation had been active the entire time, pushing all his senses to their peak—especially hearing, sight, and smell. He could clearly hear sounds behind the training room and beyond, even though the thick door was tightly shut.
Sir Anderson gave him a few pointers before turning to leave. He opened the door and exited—he needed an audience with the city lord's council. Even though they were of the same rank, the city lord was still a noble and commanding figure.
_Time traveling, huh?_ he thought. He had spoken with Hourglass through the night about the training and why every trainee had to be at the Bloom rank. The answer was simple: awakened students would be too weak and helpless against this world's dangers.
The bloomed students would be sent back in time—to the dawn of integrators in ancient Coeron. That was the training method chosen by Hourglass and approved by His Majesty.
They wouldn't affect history, but death there meant death. That was the cruelty of this world—people died like chickens. An evil core could appear in a hidden corner, mature unnoticed, and spawn integrated monsters.
The worst part was the sudden and shameful death of integrators.
An integrator could die in his sleep or while walking… Even when performing bed activities.
The world was harshest toward integrators. It took a strong sense of self to anchor oneself to reality.
Anderson worried Alex's sense of self was dangerously fragile. With the distance involved, the seal placed on him might become ineffective.
—
Back in the training room, Kaelon Malven—who had fooled Sir Anderson's senses by hiding in a different timeframe—finally vanished after confirming nothing was abnormal, leaving the room eerily silent.