"Hey stop grinnig like fool. Now, search for 'Lyrhaven State Adventure Academy – First Year Forum.'" Oliver willed the search. Instantly, a new, vibrant window exploded into existence. It was a cascade of activity, far more alive than he'd ever imagined.
[Holo-Board: Lyrhaven Academy FY-797]
Active Users: 322
Pinned: Academic Calendar & Cohort Schedules
Pinned: Map of Campus (Interactive Ley-Line Feed Included)(locked)
Pinned: Instructor Profiles (Student-Submitted Notes Enabled)
The recent threads scrolled past in a lively stream:
* Firebug12:Just tried to heat my bathwater. Now my dorm room is a sauna. Proctor Grath was NOT amused. How do you reduce output?!
*Replying to Firebug12: Think of a valve, not a pump. Visualization exercises from Mana Theory, chapter 3. Saved me from blowing my window out.
*Anyone in bronze Cohort find the Starlight Rice giving them weirdly vivid dreams? Or is that just me?
*Theory test tomorrow on First Law applications. Study group in Virtual Library, Shard #45? Password: NoviceHypothesis
*Official Welcome to all Platinum & Gold Tier recruits! Introductory mixer at the Sky Terrace this Starday. (Bronze/Silver by referral only, sorry!)
There were shared images of , animated memes of elemental mishaps, heated but polite debates on the best techniques for grounding lightning mana, and a whole sub-forum for trading notes and requesting help. Oliver was stunned. It was a living, breathing, digital nervous system for the academy, thrumming with camaraderie, anxiety, ambition, and shared struggle. The enthusiasm was palpable, even through the interface.
He saw students boasting of small successes, lamenting failures, and offering each other advice across cohort and tier lines. The hidden hierarchy was still there (the Platinum mixer was a stark reminder), but so was a sense of shared journey. "See?" Leo said, watching Oliver's awestruck expression. "We're not alone in this. Everyone's confused, everyone's experimenting. That 'AnimaLuxScribe' is probably some Beacon in the Platinum dorms trying to look official. Don't worry about the 'by referral only' stuff. The real conversation is here." Oliver navigated to a thread titled: 'Grey-Weaver Affinity? Seriously?' His heart jumped into his throat. He opened it. It wasn't the mockery he feared. It was curiosity.
Saw the roster. Grey-Weaver. Not in any elemental or hybrid registry. Anyone have data?
Replying to CuriousCog: Historical Guild archives mention 'Unaspected Manipulators' occasionally. Often relegated to maintenance. But the academy wouldn't waste 1-star food on a lost cause. There's a puzzle here.
Maybe it's super niche? Like, only works on specific alloys or dormant crystals?
Who cares what it is? Can they help me fix my charred desk? Asking for a friend.
Oliver let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He wasn't a joke; he was a topic of speculation. A puzzle. "Told you," Leo said softly, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now you're part of the weave. Come on. Let's get to the dorm. You can fall down the forum rabbit hole later." As they continued toward Block Delta, the chill of the evening was held at bay by the glowing card in Oliver's hand and the newfound connection it represented. He wasn't just a passive student anymore. He was 'Grey-Weaver,' a user on the net, an anonymous participant in the great experiment of their year. He had a voice, even if he chose not to use it yet. And for the first time, he felt the immense, humming web of knowledge and community that underpinned the world of adventurers, and he was, however faintly, connected to it. The path ahead was still unknown, but he was no longer walking it blind.
End of Chapter