The training hall smelled of ozone and polished crystal.
Dawn light poured through towering arched windows, turning floating training orbs into tiny suns. Rows of students in crisp black-and-silver uniforms stood in neat lines, hands clasped behind backs, waiting for the instructor to appear. Miko stood near the back, trying not to look like she wanted to bolt.
She'd barely slept. The crimson seal had pulsed all night—low, insistent, like a heartbeat that wasn't hers. Every time she closed her eyes she saw shadows twisting, felt that cold hunger scraping inside her chest. She'd ended up sitting on the narrow dorm bed until the bells rang, staring at her reflection in the small mirror until the stranger with crimson eyes stared back.
Now she was here, in Basic Attunement 101, surrounded by teenagers who had probably trained with Echoes since they could walk.
And right beside her—because of course—stood Kael Voss.
He hadn't spoken since they entered the hall. Just stood there, arms crossed, silver hair catching the light like liquid metal. Every few seconds another student stole a glance at him, then at her, then whispered something.
Miko ignored them. Mostly.
"Stop fidgeting," Kael muttered without looking at her.
"I'm not fidgeting."
"You're bouncing on your toes."
She forced herself still. "Nervous habit. Sue me."
He exhaled through his nose—the closest thing to a sigh she'd heard from him.
Before she could snap back, the far doors opened with a resonant boom.
Instructor Veyra strode in, same severe bun, same silver-trimmed coat. Behind her walked a second instructor: shorter, broader, with a shaved head and arms covered in faint glowing tattoos that shifted like living ink.
"Line up by rank," Veyra called. Her voice carried without effort. "First-years to the left, sponsors to the right."
The students split quickly. Miko hesitated—until Kael gave her a small push between the shoulder blades.
"Go."
She shot him a glare over her shoulder but moved to the left side with the other new transfers and low-rankers. Kael joined the right side, standing effortlessly among the higher years. He looked like he belonged there. Miko felt like an intruder.
Veyra stepped onto the central platform. The air shimmered as the barrier activated—thin, golden, humming faintly.
"Today's lesson: controlled attunement. You will summon your Echo once. Hold it. Release it. No more, no less. Failure to control the flow will result in feedback burn. Permanent damage is possible. Do not test me."
Murmurs rippled through the line.
The second instructor—whose name tag read "Rorik"—spoke next. His voice was gravel.
"Echoes are fragments of the old world's spirit. They bond to you through resonance. The stronger the bond, the stronger the manifestation. The weaker… the more it fights you."
He lifted one tattooed arm. A coiling serpent of green flame erupted from his palm, wrapped around his forearm, then vanished without a scorch mark.
"Control. Precision. Restraint. That is what separates wielders from corpses."
Veyra's golden eyes swept the line.
"We begin with the lowest rank. Step forward when called. You—" she pointed at a nervous boy with freckles and shaking hands. "First."
The boy walked to the platform like he was heading to his execution. He raised trembling palms. A weak puff of wind swirled, barely lifting his hair, then died.
Veyra nodded once. "Adequate. Return."
One after another they went.
A girl summoned a single ice shard—jagged, unstable, but held for five seconds.
A boy produced a thin thread of lightning—too bright, too wild—then yelped as it shocked his fingers.
Each time Veyra graded silently: "Passable." "Unstable." "Adequate."
Then she said the words Miko had been dreading.
"Transfer. Crimson Seal. Forward."
The hall went quiet.
Every eye turned to her.
Miko walked to the platform. Her legs felt like lead. The seal under her collarbone flared hot, almost eager.
She stopped in the center.
Veyra watched her without expression. Rorik's tattoos glowed faintly, ready to intervene.
"Summon," Veyra said.
Miko took a breath. Closed her eyes.
She tried to remember what Kael had done yesterday—how the shadows had flowed from him like extensions of his will, calm, precise.
She reached inward.
The seal answered instantly.
Too fast.
Power surged up her arms like ice water mixed with fire. Her hands snapped forward on instinct. Shadows exploded outward—thicker, darker than Kael's had been, writhing like living smoke with crimson veins running through them.
The barrier flared as the shadows slammed against it.
Students gasped.
The shadows twisted, stretched, formed jagged claws that scraped across the golden wall, leaving faint black trails.
Miko's vision tunneled. That cold hunger roared louder inside her skull.
More. Take more.
She clenched her teeth. Forced her arms down.
The shadows snapped back into her palms—reluctant, fighting—then vanished.
Silence.
Her knees almost buckled. She locked them in place.
Veyra stared at her for a long moment.
"Uncontrolled. Overpowered. Dangerous." She paused. "But held. Barely."
Rorik grunted. "She drew twice the volume of a third-year without breaking. That seal is amplifying her output."
"Or consuming her faster," Veyra replied.
Miko wiped sweat from her brow. Her hands shook.
Veyra turned to the class.
"Dismissed. Except you two."
She pointed at Miko and Kael.
The others filed out quickly, whispering furiously.
Once the doors closed, Veyra stepped down from the platform.
"That was not a normal summoning," she said. "You didn't attune. You forced it. And the seal responded like it had a mind of its own."
Miko swallowed. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know." Veyra's gaze softened—just a fraction. "But intent doesn't matter when the result is a breach waiting to happen."
She turned to Kael.
"Tomorrow you begin private sessions. Teach her control. Teach her restraint. Or we will be forced to seal the seal—permanently."
Kael's jaw tightened. "You know what that means."
"Death or dormancy. Her choice." Veyra looked back at Miko. "You have until the end of the week to prove you can master it. Fail, and we make the decision for you."
She walked out. The barrier dissolved behind her.
Silence again.
Kael turned to Miko.
"You're going to be the death of me," he said quietly.
She let out a shaky laugh. "Feeling's mutual."
He stepped closer. For once there was no ice in his expression—just something tired, almost concerned.
"Tomorrow. 0600. East tower training room. Don't be late."
Miko nodded.
He started to leave, then paused at the door.
"And Miko?"
She looked up.
"Next time you feel it pulling… fight harder. Because if you don't…" He met her eyes. "I won't be able to stop it from taking you."
The door closed.
Miko stood alone in the empty hall.
The seal pulsed once—soft, almost gentle.
Like it was waiting.
To be continued…