The Arcane Passages

The beast gave a low growl and violently forced himself into Dan's mind. "You're like me," It said "a beast."

Dan stood there motionless and shocked at the words of Vini the thunderbird. "What do you mean by I'm a beast?" he asked, trying to communicate back to the beast but Vini had severed the connection between them, making it impossible for Dan to respond. As Dan stood perplexed waiting for answers, a warden approached him and took him away.

A lot had happened at MSU over the past week, including the completion of the first round of the Duels. The students expected new matchups to have been posted on the big screen outside the battle lab by now. They eagerly went to check who their opponents would be in the upcoming duels.

"Nothing…?"

The Students were surprised to see that there was still no list of competitors on the screen.

"Weird, does that mean we are not allowed to know our opponents for the next round?"

"This is sick"

People no longer looked down on Dan after the previous battle. One thing that they would all agree on was that he had tactics. Not until they know all his moves, they might not be able to defeat him. Again, they've only witnessed him battle once in the battleground, hence possessing very little knowledge about his tactics.

Winifred was a symphonist otherwise called a banshee by the majority of students who witnessed his first match. His voice was able to reach frequencies that cause serious disturbance to the mind, knocking the person out of consciousness for a while enough to end the opponent and leave the battleground ground. He, too, was formidable. All warriors in the second stage were very powerful with sinister battle tactics.

"I called you all here to discuss with you how you can up your game in this next round of duels," Instructor Eldora said as she looked keenly at all the 7 freshmen Symphonists that made it to the second round of the duels. "As a Symphonist, your power is your voice, being able to reach certain frequencies with that, will make tons of difference in the battlefield." As she said those words, everyone turned to look at Winifred.

"Congrats to you Winifred for your mastering of the special ability: Mindshatter" Instructor Eldora gave him a satisfactory look which forced him to bow in a show of gratitude.

All instructors in the Elite faculty took their students who qualified for the second round of the duels for training, revealing secrets about the nature of the second round which will eventually lead to the final bloodbath battle. The second stage tested speed, instinct, and protective skills. All 52 students who made it to the second stage will be given a virtual simulation helmet which they would use to enter the simulated world created by Talisman, a genetic guardian of paladin. In the simulated world, there are 26 tunnels, and two participants will each be transported into the tunnels, in search of thirteen silver gems. To proceed to the final stage, a participant must provide all thirteen silver gems from the tunnel they passed through. This means there can't be two participants qualifying for the final battle outside the tunnels. In this round, there are no rules. The only rule is that a single participant from each tunnel must provide all 13 silver gems from their respective tunnels. Killing and stealing from their opponents were allowed.

"You can control these silver gems"

"You can force these stones to reveal themselves"

"You need to stay focused to sense the energy emanating from the silver gems."

"You can easily retrieve all the silver gems with your domain"

"Your mind and voice have to undergo synchrony"

All five departments subjected their students to rigorous training, preparing them for the brutal challenges they would face as soon as they stepped into the tunnels.

"You need to connect with the microbes in your environment; they serve as your eyes and ears." Instructor Eris gracefully taught the controllers, hovering an arrow in the air, and pointing it at each of the students to ensure they stayed focused.

Controllers have the innate ability to control" it is the base of their mutation. Every controller must fully awaken that ability to be deemed a true controller.

The innate ability: Control, involves fusing oneself to the atmosphere, being able to feel the move of every particle and communicate with them and through them. The ability is divided into three stages

1st Stage: Awakening

2nd Stage: Summoning

3rd Stage: The Fusion

Awakening is the very first moment a controller can tap into his energy core and feel the surge of controlling energies. This is usually the period of the placement test. Once a controller awakens his ability, the next step is to practice summoning those energies, condensing them to move objects. A controller can summon all the microorganisms in the biosphere and enslave them to control objects. The final stage is "The Fusion" where the controller becomes one with the Biosphere, can see, hear, and feel by connecting to the microorganisms in the Biosphere thereby increasing their sensitivity. A controller at this stage cannot be easily defeated in battles.

"In a few days, some of you, if not all of you, will be able to emit energies from your core that will be used to build your first alchemical swords," Instructor Paris said with a serious look.

The alchemical sword is the only way some of you will survive the tunnel if you do not have special abilities or have not yet mastered your abilities.

The kind of alchemical swords you produce depends on your elemental affinity: Fire, water, air, and Earth.

These will significantly impact the potency of your alchemical creations. I'll send a manual to you all explaining the Elemental Affinity and how you can use it to create your first alchemical swords.

Instructor Paris dismissed the class.

"The gems you'll be collecting in the tunnels become alive once activated; they're known as the silvery virus. It only becomes active once all 13 silver gems come together, that's why the mission involves you getting all the 13 silver gems even if it means you kill your opponent." Instructor Guduf smiled seeing the worried expression of his elite students. "You do not have to be worried about killing your friends, remember it is a simulated world. However one thing must happen, bring back the glory to our Genetic Nexus."

The genetic guardians could sense all life forms. Because the silver gems are a virus, they can be sensed more easily by concentrating their energies, even before the gems are activated. To activate the silver gems you need to bring all thirteen gemstones together.

Healers could collect all the gemstones within their domain by activating the healing suction once a particular energy is concentrated. The healers have to at least get one of the silver gemstones and concentrate on the energy being emanated from that gemstone to use the healing suction to retrieve the rest.

The Symphonists solely depended on their consciousness to locate these gemstones. Their whispers could increase the strength of the energies coming from the stone making them able to find them easily.

All representatives from the 5 Elite departments were fully aware of what they had to do to proceed to the third stage of the duels after entering the tunnels. Only 26 of the 52 students who enter the tunnels will advance to the final stage, where the winner will receive an inheritance from an ancient civilization.

…

"Welcome to the Arcane Passages. I'm Instructor Sodoki, the keeper of these tunnels…"

The students who stood outside the magnificent Arcane Passages were stunned upon meeting the tunnel keeper, who looked rather like a baby ogre.

The tunnel had ancient markings on their body which lit up sporadically, distracting the students' gaze.

"All eyes on me"

Instructor Sodoki's voice echoed in the air, making many of the students lose balance. Only a few were able to withstand his echo.

"Is he a Symphonist?"

"No, I bet he is a Controller"

"What a power energy force"

I've seen many freshmen come through these tunnels and show disrespect. I am who I am because I chose this path. It only takes a true warrior to make the sacrifice I made, to get to where I am today.

The first mistake you can ever make on the battlefield is by judging your opponent based on appearance.

As you enter these tunnels, everyone else inside is your enemy. The only business you have there is to get all 13 silver gems from the tunnel you're in. And absorb the virus in it. If your opponent has some of the gems, then you must fight to get them all.

Only 26 of you will exit these tunnels and move to the final battleground where just one of you will get the inheritance of a particular ancient civilization.

Instructor Sodoki grinned as he finished his statement, showing a little bit of pride as his eyes spawned through the elite students who didn't dare to lose focus again.

Once you step into the Arcane Passages, you won't be able to see anyone else until you choose your tunnel. If a tunnel is full you won't be allowed in, so get going. You have a long journey ahead of you.

The 52 elite students rushed into the Arcane Passages and began selecting tunnels at random.

"The Ancient colony of Sephora…" Dan stood before the tunnel, studying its engravings. After a moment, he decided to enter.

As Dan attempted to enter the tunnel, a voice echoed in his head. "Please participant should input his fingerprint to enter this colony"

"Hmmmm… So these tunnels are called colonies. Interesting" Dan placed his thumb on the tunnel's wall. Instantly, his Golden Dragon Circle appeared, and his body froze.