The elite cohort hall resembled less a classroom and more a sealed vault.
Echoing stone walls rose in cathedral arches, etched with fragmented Chain sigils that pulsed faintly whenever branded hunger spiked within the chamber. Crimson essence lanterns floated along the ceiling, their light flickering like breathing embers, casting long, shifting shadows across the twenty figures gathered below.
Suppression fields hummed beneath the floor—calibrated not to restrain Dominions…
…but to **encourage collision**.
"Chain synergy," the Academy called it.
A prettier term for forced evolution.
Xia Ying positioned himself midway within the loose formation—neither forward nor withdrawn. Neutral ground.
From there, he observed.
Catalogued.
Measured.
---
### **A Cohort of Hungers**
The Academy's sorting precision was surgical.
Aggressors stood naturally toward the front—offensive Dominions radiating pressure even when suppressed.
Support types clustered subconsciously nearer the flanks.
Perception and intellect Dominions lingered toward elevated sightlines.
And rares…
Rares stood alone.
The cohort reflected the fractured hierarchy of Curse society itself:
• Slum survivors hardened by desperation
• Mid-tier city elites polished by resources
• Clan heirs groomed for sovereignty
Each carried the invisible weight of realms survived.
A speed-type from the outer districts flexed restlessly—bursts of motion blurring his silhouette for half-seconds, clearly performing dominance displays.
Nearby, a mutation Flaw user kept sleeves pulled low—skin beneath rippling like something alive. His darting gaze never rested.
An intellect Dominion scholar murmured Chain fragments under his breath, drawing quiet interest from those seeking anchors for unstable hungers.
Strength types loomed like living siege engines, their essence pressure dense even suppressed.
Healers glowed faintly—fields of stabilizing warmth counteracting the hall's ambient dread.
And Xia Ying—
Stood within it all like a shadow cast by none.
---
### **Instructor Veilwatch**
Instructor Elara Veilwatch entered without fanfare.
Realm 7.
Perception Dominion.
Her scarred eyes glowed faint crimson as they swept the cohort—scanning cores the way predators assessed prey.
When she spoke, her voice carried surgical calm.
"Synergy is not alliance."
She paced slowly before them.
"It is embodiment."
"Mixed hungers reconstruct broken Chains."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Compete here. Collaborate when required. Or let the abyss claim what remains."
No one mistook the ultimatum.
---
### **Public Dominion Revelation**
Names were called one by one.
Dominions announced openly—Academy doctrine believed transparency forged cooperative evolution.
"Realm 9 — Wind Chaser. Agility synergy."
The speed-type smirked.
"Realm 8 — Flesh Weaver. Adaptive defense."
The mutation user flinched at the attention.
"Realm 9 — Lore Binder. Knowledge anchor."
The scholar bowed slightly.
Then—
"Xia Ying."
The hall quieted instinctively.
"Realm 9 — Lord of Nightmares. Dread utility classification."
Murmurs rippled.
Recognition spread faster than introductions.
"Slum Savior…"
"Solo Rank 3…"
"Phantom summon…"
A few watched with awe.
Others with envy.
Across the hall, flames flickered lazily in one palm—Zuo Flameheart listening with a faint smirk.
Nightmare Dominions were rare.
Versatile.
Unpredictable in Chain integration.
Respect mixed with wariness.
Xia Ying simply inclined his head.
---
### **Synergy Doctrine**
Veilwatch resumed.
"Your Chains interlink."
"Flame devours. Healers stabilize. Perceptions guide. Mutations adapt."
She gestured to the cohort.
"Together, you ascend faster."
"Alone, you stall… or dissolve."
Xia Ying listened, outwardly attentive.
Internally, he analyzed.
**Speed type** — fast pawn, fragile Flaw.
**Mutation** — unstable psyche, fracture risk.
**Intellect** — information asset.
**Healers** — sustainability anchors.
A herd of elites.
Refined hungers tethered by doctrine.
He smiled faintly.
"I'll harvest the links," he thought.
---
## **Reconnection**
Mingle period followed introductions.
Lin Mei found him first.
"Xia Ying!"
She crossed the hall quickly, healer aura brightening with visible relief before she embraced him.
"I was flagged elite too… Your Rift clear pulled strings for all of us."
Her devotion shone openly—loyalty forged through shared terror in the slums and Rifts.
"Being here is scary," she admitted softly. "But with you… safer."
He placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.
"Paths converge for a reason," he said.
"Your mend stabilizes Chains. Cohorts need anchors."
Her eyes brightened—purpose reaffirmed.
"My Flaw itched when we arrived," she confessed quietly. "Suppression fields feel… wrong. But I'm ready."
Another chain secured.
---
Wei Jun joined moments later.
Measured as always.
"Flagged elite as well," he said. "Transport intel suggests campus wards have thin sectors—useful for covert movement."
Xia Ying nodded.
"Chain fragments from the tour—restricted but traceable."
Wei's grin sharpened.
"Trio synergy intact then."
He tapped his temple.
"Healers mend. Trackers locate. Nightmares break resistance."
Lin Mei nodded eagerly.
"We stick together."
They leaned closer briefly—strategic whispers.
"Observe first," Xia Ying murmured.
"Hungers hide depths."
Loyalty answered without hesitation.
One bound by devotion.
One by pragmatism.
A perfect triad.
---
## **Lecture — The Broken Chains**
The hall shifted into tiered seating as lanterns dimmed.
Veilwatch stood center platform.
Her perception Dominion flared subtly—an invisible net brushing each student's core.
When it reached Xia Ying—
It lingered.
Just a fraction longer.
He allowed only surface dread to be felt.
The abyss beneath remained veiled.
"History," she began.
"The Curse was not born whole."
Crimson holograms bloomed above her—vast Chains stretching across cosmic void.
"Twenty-two Originals forged the Veil prison."
"They shattered their essences into fragments… creating Dominions."
The diagrams shifted—energy flowing through interlinked pathways.
"Embodiment reconstructs what was broken."
"Mixed Dominions restore lost Chains."
She paused.
"Unbalanced synergy invites abyss backlash."
"Hungers clash. Ascensions stall. Dissolution follows."
---
### **Flame Interruption**
Zuo Flameheart rose without permission.
Flames coiled arrogantly around his wrist.
"My clan embodies the Flame Chain purely," he said. "Why dilute sovereignty through lesser synergies?"
Murmurs followed—some deferential to clan lineage.
Veilwatch's gaze cooled.
"Purity dissolves alone."
"Synergy forges wholeness."
Zuo sat—but his smirk remained.
---
### **Perception Probe**
During a shared-essence embodiment demonstration, Veilwatch approached Xia Ying directly.
Her eyes glowed brighter.
"Your hunger is… layered," she said quietly.
"Concealed well."
A probe pierced deeper than before.
He redirected smoothly.
"How do Chains reconstruct without Original echoes?" he asked.
A calculated deflection.
Her gaze narrowed—recognizing the evasion.
But she answered partially.
"Original echoes are rare. Divine Dominions brush them… but instability follows."
Lore extracted.
Probe deflected.
She moved on.
Zuo watched the exchange closely.
---
## **Tour of the Academy Forge**
Evening brought deeper campus access.
### **Forbidden Libraries**
Vault doors pulsed with ward sigils.
Tomes bound in horror hide whispered faintly when approached.
Chain scrolls radiated pressure strong enough to trigger Flaw responses in weaker branded.
Xia Ying sensed something beyond—
Cosmic hunger brushing the wards from the Veil side.
---
### **Rift Simulation Arenas**
Massive containment pits housed stabilized Rift leaks.
Low-Realm horrors prowled inside barrier cages.
Students would train within them soon.
Predators forged through repetition.
---
### **Observation Towers**
They ascended spiral stairways to high platforms above the mist.
Beyond the island—
The Veil shimmered.
And far within it…
Silhouettes.
Colossal.
Watching.
Several students flinched instinctively.
Flaws twitching.
Lin Mei whispered, "They're looking back…"
Wei Jun muttered, "Data beyond classification."
Xia Ying simply watched.
Hungry.
---
### **Academy Secrets**
Their guide spoke cautiously when pressed.
"The Academy researches Chain reconstruction."
"Dropout dissolution rates remain high."
"But successful cohorts reach Realm 6 rapidly."
Risk and reward.
Exactly as expected.
"Fortress of chains," Xia Ying thought.
"I'll break the locks."
---
## **Bond-Forging Session**
Night gathered them once more in the cohort hall.
Icebreaker doctrine—share realm hungers, vulnerabilities, aspirations.
An exercise meant to accelerate trust.
Zuo Flameheart stood abruptly before the rotation reached him.
Flames ignited across both palms.
"Clan legacy embodies the Flame Chain," he declared loudly.
"My ancestors claimed fragments directly."
He swept his gaze across the cohort dismissively.
"Lessers rise through borrowed embers."
Then his eyes settled on Xia Ying.
"Slum heroes rise through luck."
"Prove worth in arenas—not videos."
Several students shifted uneasily—clan influence carried weight.
Xia Ying remained seated.
Calm.
A thread of aura slipped free.
Invisible.
It brushed Zuo's core—
Planting the faintest seed of abyssal doubt.
Zuo's flames flickered.
Just once.
His glare sharpened instantly.
Challenge accepted without words.
---
## **Forging Begins**
Instructor Veilwatch watched the exchange without intervening.
Rivalry was not discouraged.
It was cultivated.
Because pressure forged Chains faster than comfort ever could.
Lanterns dimmed further as the session closed.
Cohort bonds forming.
Fault lines emerging.
Hungers circling one another like beasts scenting blood.
And at the center—
Xia Ying stood silent.
Observing.
Calculating.
Waiting.
The forge had been lit.
And soon—
It would burn.