*Shiria Cardenze*[1]
-A few minutes ago-
She placed her hand on the crystal, expecting a normal reaction. From what she had seen, the crystal would just glow and it's light would rest. However... the crystal didn't respond as usual.
The orb pulsed once. Then twice. Then- BAM.
A crack of light burst through her mind. Not the crystal. Her mind.
"…Huh?"
{Ah, there you are.}The voice came from nowhere. From inside her. Smooth, older, relaxed—but unmistakably her own.{Been waiting. Took you long enough, Pre, it's short for Present, by the way.}
"What the hell—who—?"
{You. But not quite. I'm you, a year ahead. You can call me Fu.}
He staggered back slightly, but her delicate hand remained on the crystal. No one outside seemed to notice—time was still moving normally. It was inside that everything shifted. The orb showed a faint white glow—misty, ethereal, indecipherable.
Shiriah blinked rapidly. "A future version of me? Why the hell am I hearing voices now?"
{Relax. This is just your affinity kicking in. You're a Foresight-type. Like Elena. But better. Our body's wired for split-time perception now. Two selves—me and you.}
"…Split-time?"
{Yeah. One year ahead. I'm the one who deals with the crap before it hits. You're the one that lives it and adjusts the timeline if I screw up. Simple tag-team stuff.}
"But I didn't know about this. Why now?"
{Because you needed to touch the catalyst, you dumbass, you wouldn't know your affinity until you touched the crystal, would you?? That crystal unlocked the future thread—you're activated now. Welcome to the headaches. The thing is, there are a lot of future threads, but I'm the only active one right now. If all the future threads activated Right now, you would have died here, don't you think?}
The orb dimmed, but Shiriah didn't move.
He wasn't staring at the crowd. She was staring inward. At Fu. At herself.
"…By the way, how did you know Elena's ability?" she whispered.
{I have full vision of the world in one year, Pre, however, I can't tell you everything. It'd burn out your mind to handle all of it. I can only advice you in fragments and warnings. Impressions. Just enough to guide you. Sometimes I'll switch in. Usually I'll just talk. I can tell you anything I want to, but the problem is that I know what you will do if you find out about most of the crucial information I have, so I may not, most of the time.}
"Why are you so casual about this?"
{Because I've been doing this for a year longer than you. Trust me, I've seen worse.}
Shiriah smirked slightly. "So what now?"
{Now? You pretend nothing happened. Walk down like the others. Let them wonder what your affinity means. They won't understand it. Even we don't fully understand it yet. But one thing's for sure, Pre.}
"…What?"
{You're gonna need me real soon.}
Shiriah removed her hand, the misty white light slowly fading. She turned away from the orb, walking down the podium steps with a lazy grin on her face. But her eyes were different now. Focused. Thinking.
Planning.
And deep inside her, Fu just whispered:
{Here we go again.}
*Third Person POV*
"Gather around, everyone" Fiel's voice resounded across the area "I will be checking your affinities, that is only for those with unconventional abilities"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried. The crowd fell silent.
"I will be evaluating all Foresight, Time, Weapon, and Cosmic types individually," he continued. "Your affinities are unstable, layered, or too broad for a simple test to identify. I'll be doing a direct link to specify what you are."
Murmurs broke out among the students as several figures stepped forward.
Shiriah Cardenze moved first, eyes distant but sharp, as if still thinking through something none of them could see. Behind her, a boy with dark bangs and a crooked smile—Uriah—sauntered forward, hands tucked lazily in his pockets. Two others followed: one girl with silver eyes whose hand constantly tapped at her side, and a tall boy with veins of energy visible beneath his skin—he'd registered Cosmic.
Fiel gave them a look that was both calculating and oddly gentle.
"Let's begin."
Fiel took Shiriah's hand in his own—light, precise contact.
His expression didn't change immediately, but his eyes narrowed. For a moment, the crystal's glow flared white again beside them.
"…Split-person," Fiel muttered. "One version lives now, one a year ahead. Both active."
Shiriah blinked. She didn't respond.
"Foresight-type," he confirmed aloud, so the recorders could hear. "Unique threading. Her future self is semi-autonomous. Possibly advisory… potentially switches in."
He glanced at her. "Are you hearing your future self right now?"
A slow smirk formed on her lips. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Fiel said nothing, releasing her hand and motioning her away. "Next."
One by one, he evaluated the rest—each with their own variation of a greater truth.
The Cosmic boy had control over both gravity and low-level antimatter. Fiel's brows actually twitched at that one.
The Weapon-type girl formed an invisible scythe over her arm when she closed her fist. A projection weapon. Dangerous.
By the time the evaluations were done, the rest of the students had already started forming lines in front of a new building—one lined with faded runes and guarded by four cloaked figures in gray.
The Test of Will.
Fiel turned to the rare-types. "You'll take this test as well. No exceptions."
He looked over the rows of sealed doors.
"There are thirteen rooms. Each one pulls from your mind—fear, regret, pain. Whatever has scarred your core, it will manifest. You're not fighting it physically. You're surviving yourself. Last ten minutes, you pass. Fail… and you'll wake up broken."
He gave one last glance at Shiriah. "Who's going in first?" The room was filled with silence until "I'll go, sir" Auren's voice sounded as he raised his hand. "I'll take the exam first."
"Alright then. Enter."
[1] Shiria Cardenze is the one that got triple abilities