The Blood Trial

The announcement came during morning drills.

Instructor Vane's voice, cold and clipped, echoed through the open-air practice yard as students ran glyph drills and formation patterns.

"Greenbottle. You're reassigned to Joint Cohesion Trials for the remainder of the week."

Lyle paused mid-cast. "What?"

Vane didn't blink. "A new transfer student's skillset requires high-risk pairing. You've been selected."

"Why me?"

"Because you break the rules quietly. She breaks them loudly. Balance."

The instructor turned away.

A few students nearby chuckled. One even muttered, "Dead man walking."

But Juno—standing across the yard—wasn't laughing.

She knew who he'd be paired with.

So did he.

---

Muka stood in the east sparring ring.

Tail flicking lazily.

Arms folded.

Smirking like this was all part of a joke only she understood.

Lyle approached, adjusting his training vest and trying to look casual.

He failed.

Her golden eyes flicked toward him as he entered the ring. "So… finally decided to say hi?"

"I'm more surprised you didn't kick the doors down to announce yourself."

"Oh, I thought about it," she said, circling him. "But you seem to like things subtle. Like Quinn used to. So I figured… I'd let you come to me."

Lyle blinked. "You're comparing me to Quinn?"

She paused, just for a beat.

Then, softly, "I'm not comparing. I'm remembering."

He didn't answer.

---

Trial One was simple: Sync Casting.

Two partners had to blend mana threads into a single construct—something usually only done between bonded twins or long-term battle mates.

Lyle had practiced it before. Once. It ended in a minor explosion and temporary hair loss.

This time, as their mana threads touched—

His flickering silver

Her smoky crimson—

A strange resonance formed.

Like teeth interlocking.

Like something ancient opening its eye.

Even Muka's expression shifted. Her smirk fell.

"This is… new," she whispered.

Lyle didn't respond.

He couldn't.

The world tilted.

And he was somewhere else.

---

Not a memory.

Not a dream.

A corridor.

Red. Pulsing. Organic.

Like a bloodstream with walls.

His feet sloshed through liquid he couldn't see. Every step echoed like a heartbeat.

And behind him…

The sound of something crawling.

He turned.

The Bone Claw.

Not a fragment. Not a vision.

The whole thing.

Long. Multi-jointed. Covered in etched glyphs that burned like brands.

It didn't speak.

It entered him.

Not through violence.

Not through fear.

But like it belonged.

And the Codex responded instantly.

> [Parasitic Soul Contract Forming]

Entity: Bone Claw

Thread Classification: Pre-Primeval Parasite

Compatibility: 91%

Do you accept mutual binding?

[YES] [NO]

Lyle reached toward the option…

And woke up.

---

He gasped, back in the sparring ring.

Muka was inches from his face, her hands on his shoulders.

"You vanished."

"What?"

"You were here—physically. But your thread vanished. Like… something pulled you inside yourself."

He wiped sweat from his brow. "I think I had a dream inside a spell."

Muka's eyes narrowed. "That's not a thing."

"It is now."

---

That night, in the quiet of his dorm, Lyle sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at the Codex.

It still glowed faintly.

The Bone Claw's silhouette flickered along the edges of the screen.

He hadn't accepted.

Not yet.

But the option was still open.

He closed the book.

And for a long moment, just stared at the wall, wondering what it would mean if he did.

---

In the shadows outside his window, Muka sat perched on the roof, watching his light through the glass.

She told herself again this was for Quinn.

But the longer she watched him wrestle with himself…

The more she knew—

It wasn't about Quinn anymore.