Seeds in the Stone

Heavenreach Academy stood as the jewel of the northern districts, a sanctuary and crucible for the promising children of the Stromhold Kingdom. From the moment a child turned seven and awakened into the HEART system, their path began.

As systematic as it seemed to the outside world, it was within the lecture halls and training grounds that the paths diverged. A guild's institutional presence was established once they met the minimum of five students per class. To the guilds, it wasn't merely academic — it was political.

The presence of a guild in any given city granted them a voice in local governance, alongside influence and territory. The guilds extended far and wide for a say, their reach touching every region of the known realm. Thus, each class represented more than just a cohort.

It was a foothold in the kingdom.

As for the Concordium Academy, they stood apart from the others. Their students were not integrated into the guild-based system. Instead, they were isolated, housed in a separate arcology within the Concordium's highest towers in the sky.

They were monitored, measured, and kept distant from others. Some said they didn't speak aloud. Others said they didn't have to.

The only time people could lay eyes on them was during the annual Academy Games, a method to gauge each academy's strength through the performance of its students.

And Avelyn Windgrove was now one of them.

◈◈◈

Kaiden had just finished unpacking — his pouch of charcoal seeds, a rough map of Heavenreach, and the spiral Ironroot token tucked neatly on the shelf. The dorm room smelled of fresh timber and a trace of æsther insulation, as if nature itself had been woven into the walls.

The door creaked open as he closed his storage cabinet.

[ Rio ]

"Guess that makes three."

[ ??? ]

"Huh..."

"Real wood floors."

"I figured Ironroot kids would be sleeping under a tree, on roots."

A boy stepped in, tall and broad-shouldered, with soot-colored skin and white irises like polished marble. He wore a sleeveless vest stitched with miner's thread and a grin that looked chiseled into his face.

[ ??? ]

"Name's Nerim."

"Nerim Cartwright."

"From Grask Quarries..."

"Swung a pick before I could walk — figured Ironroot's the place for things that're hard to break."

[ Rio ]

"Rio Brentt."

"Canford Port."

"Down south."

He gave Rio a nod, then held a hand out toward Kaiden.

Kaiden accepted the shake.

[ Kaiden ]

"Kaiden..."

"Kaiden Stagin."

"From Cardinal Peaks."

"A small village in the east ridge."

[ Nerim ]

"Yeah, I know you."

"You're the quiet one from the Trial."

"I heard you faced the Vein proper."

"Respect."

He dropped his duffel onto the third bed and began unpacking a truly absurd number of dry rations.

Mostly mountainhop jerky.

[ Rio ]

"Three boys."

"I guess the other two are girls."

"Can't wait to meet them."

"Hehe..."

Kaiden blinked.

[ Kaiden ]

"Only five of us?"

[ Rio ]

"That's all it takes to form a class."

"Seems there's no Ironroot 1B this year."

"The guild is not exactly..."

"Overflowing these days."

[ Nerim ]

"Dawnseeker went all out on promotion this year."

"Wonder how many classes they managed..."

"Did you guys get the free plushie?"

Kaiden nodded slowly before a chime rang overhead. Æstherlight panels along the ceiling flickered gently, signaling the first announcement of the day.

[ Academy Voice ]

"First-year students, proceed to the Grand Courtyard for a briefing."

"Bring only your tokens."

Nerim grunted, slinging his satchel over one shoulder.

[ Nerim ]

"Let's go see what kind of mess we signed up for."

[ Rio ]

"Haha..."

"Last one there gets to be the class rep!"

[ Nerim ]

"Here, have some of this jerky."

"It's my village's special treat."

Rio took one and put it straight into his mouth.

[ Rio ]

"Nice..."

"Not too salty."

[ Kaiden ]

"Thanks..."

"I'll keep it for later."

Rio and Nerim were already at the door, arms around each other's shoulders. Kaiden opened his pouch and tucked the jerky inside.

But before he closed it...

[ * Kaiden (internally) * ]

"Identify..."

[ HEART ]

[ Mountainhop Jerky ]

Durability: 10/10

Market Value: 2 copper

Grade: Common

[ Passive ] +0.0005 RES (Cold)

Resonance: Awaiting

"Cold resistance?"

"Into the void you go, then."

Kaiden stored the mountainhop jerky inside Voidspace and raced to catch up with the other two.

◈◈◈

The courtyard settled.

The last name had been called. Teachers and guild instructors began filing their students toward different wings of the academy, some to the training fields, others to halls that filled the main building.

But Ironroot Class 1A stood still, waiting for the instructor.

[ Instructor Brielle ]

"You five will not follow the others."

A few heads turned.

"We begin from the roots."

She walked forward, each step a thud of authority.

"Walk..."

She picked up her pace.

"And try to keep up."

She turned toward a narrower path that curved down into the earth, away from the polished fronts and glass towers of the academy.

Kaiden glanced at Rio.

Rio shrugged, then followed.

Nerim grinned.

[ Nerim ]

"Now this feels like Ironroot."

Two more were girls. No introductions yet, but they looked friendly.

They descended through an arched tunnel carved with ancient symbols. Faint æsther moss glowed along the walls in soft greens and blue veins. Kaiden could feel it — the pressure of tranquility, the hum of something old.

[ Rio, (whisper) ]

"This isn't on the map they gave us."

[ Dark-Haired Girl ]

"It wouldn't be."

The dark-haired girl, Peggy, finally spoke. Her first words. Firm and clipped.

Kaiden turned slightly. She held herself like a tower that only bowed for storms.

[ Kaiden ]

"You've been here before?"

[ Peggy ]

"My sister graduated two years ago."

"Told me Ironroot starts beneath the academy."

"Where no one watches."

[ Nerim ]

"No æsther-recording glyphs?"

[ Shy Girl ]

"None that the other guilds can peek through."

The shy blonde, Irna, fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve.

Kaiden felt something settle in his chest.

So this is how it begins.

◈◈◈

They arrived at a vast chamber.

Circular and low-lit, filled with knotted roots the width of barrels. It smelled of age, earth, and something older than stone. At the center was a platform of smooth stone, marked with Ironroot's spiral rune.

Instructor Brielle turned.

[ Instructor Brielle ]

"This is the Root Cellar."

She faced them with the finality of a seal closing.

"Here, every Ironroot leaves behind something: a word, a bond, a vow."

"This is your initiation..."

"The day you plant your seed."

She paused while activating the glyphs around the platform with a wave of her hand.

"Now..."

"Step forward. One by one."

"Speak it."

"Not to me."

"Not to each other."

"But to the roots..."

"Coz the root remember."

The room grew quiet.

Nerim stepped first onto the stone.

[ Nerim ]

"I don't break stuff..."

"I build."

"And I build them strong."

He planted his seed and stepped back.

[ HEART ]

[ Ironroot Blessing, Ironclad: Granted ]

The dark-haired girl followed.

[ Peggy ]

"I bend."

"I hold."

"I won't fall just because others do."

[ HEART ]

[ Ironroot Blessing, Earthen: Granted ]

Then the shy blonde girl, her voice soft.

[ Irna ]

"I want to..."

"Grow."

"Even if it's slow."

[ HEART ]

[ Ironroot Blessing, Regrowth: Granted ]

Then Kaiden.

[ Kaiden ]

"I'm not the strongest."

"I'm not the fastest."

"Not even the smartest."

"But I'm still here."

"And I'll keep being here."

[ HEART ]

[ Ironroot Blessing, Resolute: Granted ]

Finally, it was Rio's turn.

[ Rio ]

"Okay, uh…"

"I've failed things before."

"But I want to see what it's like to not run from something."

[ HEART ]

[ Ironroot Blessing, Anchor: Granted ]

The glyphed stone pulsed brighter beneath them. A sound like breath through deep tunnels filled the chamber.

The roots shifted.

Moved.

One root curved around the stone circle like a sleeping serpent, curling protectively.

Instructor Brielle nodded.

[ Instructor Brielle ]

"Now…"

"You're Ironroot."

She turned and walked toward the far exit.

"Your orientation begins tomorrow..."

"Don't be late!"

"Get up top, find your bearings."

"And remember what you just said."

The students filed out, each in quiet reflection.

Kaiden lingered a moment longer, fingertips brushing the spiral engraved in the stone.

It was warm.

Alive.