Sky_writer13

[Compatibility Found: 99.9%]

[BONDING COMPLETE]

[Welcome, Host.]

[Initializing Tier 11 Artifact Protocols…]


Max blinked. "Am I dreaming?"


[You are now the host of the Elemental Convergence System.]

[Tier 11 Artifact: Soulbound.]

[Status: Hidden.]


"What the hell is a system? What does that even mean?" Max whispered.

Then, the screen shifted again.


[Analyzing Host's Body…]

[Mana Affinity: 100%]

[Elemental Compatibility: All basic and advanced elements accessible.]

[Initial Bond Complete.]

[Abilities Locked Pending Synchronization.]


Max stumbled back, knocking over a chair. "All elements? That's not possible."

Everyone in the world was born with an affinity to one or two elements. A rare few had three. But all of them? Not even the legends from the Calamity Era had that.

He reached for the glowing necklace, but it pulsed brighter in response, releasing a gentle warmth that settled into his chest.


[Do not attempt removal. Artifact is bound to your soul.]


Max sat down heavily on the bed, heart pounding. He thought back to the Awakening Ceremony—how everyone had laughed, how he had nothing.

But now…

Now he had something far more powerful.


[System Directive #1: Survive.]

[Directive #2: Grow Stronger.]

[Directive #3: Unlock the Truth Behind the Calamity.]


The screen faded momentarily. Then a new panel appeared:

Status Window


Name: Max
Age: 16
Talent Rank: Green (Hidden: Ascending)
Mana Core: Awakened
Elemental Affinity: All
System Level: 1
Combat Abilities: Locked
Titles: Heir of the Tier 11 Artifact

Max's hands trembled.

"I'm not talentless… I'm just different," he muttered. "No one can know about this."


[Wise decision.]

[Initial training quests available.]


He opened the first quest:


[Beginner Quest: Ignite Your First Flame.]

Objective: Channel Fire Mana

Reward: Fire Affinity Skill + Basic Fire Manipulation**

Penalty for Failure: None


Max took a deep breath, holding his hand out. He concentrated. The system guided his flow of mana, whispering instructions into his mind.

A tiny spark flickered in his palm.

His eyes widened as the flame grew, curling gently around his fingers like a sleeping serpent. It didn't burn him. It felt… right.

Max stared at the flame, awe and disbelief mingling in his expression.

For the first time in his life, he wasn't powerless.

For the first time… he had hope.

Affinity all

The air was heavy with the weight of unspoken truths.

Max sat alone beneath the twisted branches of an ancient willow on the academy's rear grounds. The moonlight filtered through the leaves in fragmented shafts, illuminating the worn pages of the old journal resting in his lap—Peter's journal. He hadn't meant to read it all at once, but once he started, he couldn't stop. The entries detailed a man slowly crumbling under the burden of foresight—his father, not just a man of power but of conviction, who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep something dark from falling into the wrong hands.

Max's hands trembled slightly as he turned the final page. There were no more revelations, just a lingering note scrawled in haste:

If you're reading this, you were never meant to be a pawn.

His heartbeat pounded, not with fear, but with quiet resolve. What had begun as curiosity had now become purpose. And purpose... was power.

Behind him, footsteps crunched softly against the gravel path. Max didn't turn. He already knew who it was.

"Still out here?" Leo's voice was calm, but tinged with something else—concern, maybe even suspicion.

"Couldn't sleep," Max replied, keeping his eyes on the glowing horizon where the mana-infused barrier shimmered faintly over the academy's perimeter.

Leo stepped closer and dropped into a crouch beside him. "You've changed."

Max raised an eyebrow. "Noticed that, did you?"

Leo smirked. "I notice everything. You've been quieter. Smarter. Your control in training's better. And that mana flare last night during drills? Don't tell me that was just a lucky boost."

Leo leaned in, lowering his voice. "You found something, didn't you?"

Max's eyes flicked to the side, meeting Leo's gaze. "Maybe."

For a long time, neither of them spoke. The journal's presence between them was like an invisible thread—drawing lines they couldn't yet cross, boundaries between knowledge and safety.

Leo finally sat beside him, back against the tree. "You trust me yet?"

"I don't trust anyone completely," Max replied. "But you've proven you're not just here for the ride. That counts for something."

There was another pause. Then Leo asked, "So what now?"

Max stared into the distance. "We train. We stay quiet. We watch. When the time comes, we act."

Leo chuckled under his breath. "You sound like a general already."

But Max wasn't smiling. His thoughts were drifting—toward the Frost family's silence after Jack's disappearance, toward Thorn's subtle maneuvers in the academy, and toward the lingering presence he felt whenever he wore the necklace. The system had gone quiet lately, almost as if it too were waiting.

Later that night, Max returned to his dorm room. As he closed the door, he felt a pulse of energy from the artifact. The system's interface flickered alive for a brief moment.

[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE]

Title: "Eyes in the Fog"

Objective: Investigate the unauthorized mana readings near the northern perimeter.

Echoes in The Flame