Ryker barely made it back to his dormitory before exhaustion hit him as he collapsed onto his bed without bothering to undress, muscles screaming from the morning's confrontation with Zayne.
"Rough day?"
Ryker shot upright, a head poked through the wall. A ghost's head.
"Holy" Ryker scrambled backward, nearly falling off the bed. The ghost floated fully into the room a young woman with white hair that reached her shoulders and luminous eyes that glowed faintly. Her translucent form wore academy robes from decades past.
"Relax," she said, holding up her hands. "I'm not here to haunt you."
"What the hell are you?!" Ryker demanded.
"My name is Seris Nyvelle. And before you ask yes, I'm dead. Technically." She floated closer. "But more importantly,you can see me."
Ryker's back hit the wall. "Stay back!"
"Oh, don't be dramatic. I've been watching you all day." Seris grinned. "Including in the shower this morning."
Ryker's face went red. "You what"
"Relax. I didn't stare. Much." Her grin widened. "Do you know how long it's been since someone could see me? Seventy-three years, Ryker. Seventy-three years of wandering this academy alone."
"Seventy-three years?"
"Give or take." Seris tilted her head. "But you're different, you can see me. Which means." Her eyes narrowed. "You're not really Ryker Vale, are you?"
Ryker went very still. "What?"
"I watched the original Ryker for months. He couldn't see me and no one can well except you." Seris floated closer. "Plus, I heard you talking to yourself this morning something about not understanding this world and wondering what happened to the 'real' Ryker."
Ryker's jaw tightened. "You're lying."
"I'm really not." Seris examined her translucent fingers. "So tell me, traveler from another world, how did you end up in a dead man's body?"
For a long moment, Ryker said nothing. Then he sighed. "I don't know, I woke up three months ago in darkness. Then suddenly I was here, in this body."
"Someone summoned you, had to be. That's the only way to pull a soul from another world." Seris's expression turned thoughtful. "Summoning rituals are forbidden have been for centuries but someone very powerful wants you here."
Ryker's hand drifted to his chest, where the cold presence pulsed. "There's something inside me. Something wrong."
Seris's luminous eyes fixed on the spot where his hand rested. For a moment, her playful expression faded, replaced by something that looked almost like recognition? Fear?
"What is it?" Ryker asked.
"I don't know." Seris floated back slightly. "But I can feel it, something cold and hungry." She shook her head. "I've never sensed anything quite like it. It's not demonic possession that feels different. This is older."
"That's not reassuring."
"It's not meant to be." Seris's expression became serious. "Whatever's inside you, Ryker, it responds to strong emotions. I felt it surge when you threw Zayne this morning. Like it wanted to consume his mana."
Ryker's blood ran cold. "You could feel that?"
"Spirits are sensitive to magical disturbances and what's inside you?" She met his gaze. "It disturbs magic just by existing."
"So what do I do?"
"Learn to control it before it controls you." Seris's playful demeanor returned. "Which brings me to why I'm really here, i can teach you magic."
"But Miss Calia said"
"Miss Calia will teach you basic spells. Safe spells." Seris floated closer. "I can teach you the kind that will keep you alive when Zayne comes for you with everything he has. And maybe just maybe if you understand magic better, you'll understand what's living in your chest."
"And what do you want in return?"
"Company, Friendship just someone to talk to after seventy-three years of isolation." Her voice softened. "Help me not be alone, and I'll help you survive."
Ryker studied her translucent form. "One condition. If I even suspect you're trying to possess me, I end this. Immediately."
"Deal." Seris extended her hand. Ryker reached out and his hand passed through hers.
They both stared at the failed handshake.
"Right," Seris said. "I'm incorporeal, sorry forgot about that."
Despite everything, Ryker laughed.
"Now, ready for your first lesson?" Seris pointed her finger at the wall. "This is called Dark Bullet. Tier One spell."
A crimson magic circle materialized intricate patterns of symbols and shapes that seemed to writhe.
"You memorize the pattern, visualize it perfectly, and channel your mana through it," Seris explained. "Most students need three to four days to memorize this one."
"I've got it," Ryker said.
Seris blinked. "What?"
"I've memorized it. I can see it perfectly in my mind."
"That's . impossible."
[System Notification: New spell acquired - Dark Bullet (Tier 1)]
[Quest Complete: Learn a new spell]
The translucent screens appeared before him.
"You see them too?" Ryker asked.
"See what?"
"The floating text. It says I learned Dark Bullet. That I completed a quest."
Seris stared at him. "There's nothing there, Ryker."
"But I can see it clearly."
Seris's expression shifted from amused to deeply unsettled. "Ryker... what you're describing sounds like something that shouldn't exist. A System integrated directly into your soul." She floated closer, examining him. "I've heard whispers of ancient magic like that. Forbidden research from before the Great Sealing."
"The Great Sealing?"
"A war thousands of years ago. When certain powers were locked away because they were too dangerous." Her eyes met his. "Powers that consumed magic itself."
The cold presence in Ryker's chest pulsed.
Seris jerked back. "It reacted. Whatever's inside you just responded to those words."
"Show me how to cast the spell," Ryker said, suddenly desperate to change the subject.
Seris studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Point your hand at the wall. Visualize the magic circle. Feel the mana flowing through your body and push it through the pattern."
Ryker pointed his hand at the wall. He closed his eyes, visualizing the magic circle. He searched for the mana current flowing beneath his skin and pushed.
The magic circle materialized before his finger.
A black orb formed at his fingertip.
"Oh my" Seris's eyes widened.
Ryker's concentration broke. The orb shot forward, punching through the wall with a sharp crack.
They both stared at the hole.
"You just cast a Tier One spell on your first attempt!" Seris flew closer. "With perfect Mental Casting! Most mages need years!"
[Dark Bullet Mastery increased ]
A knock at the door made them freeze.
"Ryker?" Jax's voice. "You okay? "
"I'm fine! Just dropped something!"
Footsteps retreated, Ryker found a tapestry and hung it over the hole.
Seris watched him with an unreadable expression. "You threw Zayne to the ground this morning using techniques that don't exist in this world. You learned a spell in five seconds and cast it perfectly on your first try. You have something ancient living in your chest." She floated closer. "Whoever summoned you here didn't pull a random soul. They pulled you specifically. The question is why."
"I don't know."
"Then we'll figure it out together." Seris grinned, though worry lingered in her eyes. "Twenty-nine days until that duel. I'm going to make sure you're ready to show Zayne exactly what kind of monster he challenged."
High above the dormitory, two cloaked figures observed from the shadows.
"Did you feel that?" the first asked.
"Dark magic. Tier One, but the execution was too perfect."
"He's only been back for two days."
"Which means something is teaching him. Accelerating his growth." The figure paused. "We need to inform the Conclave. This is escalating faster than predicted."
"And the boy?"
"We watch. For now. But if he continues to grow at this rate..." The figure's hood turned toward the window. "We may need to eliminate him before he becomes unstoppable."
The two figures melted into shadow.
In his room, Ryker stared at the floating screens only he could see.
[Daily Quest Available: Practice Dark Bullet 100 times]
[Reward: 50 Magic Experience]
As consciousness faded, his last thought was of the cold presence in his chest, stirring like a waking beast.
And in the darkness, a voice whispered:
[Welcome, Vessel. Your education begins now.]