I. New Skies, New Steps
Kai woke to the quiet chime of morning bells echoing through stone halls. For the first time in his life, he slept beneath a vaulted ceiling of rune-lit marble, in a bed softer than any he'd known. But his sleep had been anything but restful.
He had dreamed of spirals.
Of doors sealed in gold and chains made from memory.
And a voice that whispered in a tongue older than breath.
"He remembers us."
Lina was already up, brushing her cloak beside the room's arched window. She wore the Academy's standard outerwear—storm-gray with a high collar and spiral clasps—but had stitched a flower sigil just beneath the shoulder.
Aren, in contrast, looked half-dressed and wholly miserable. "Why is breakfast at sunrise?" he grumbled, tugging on his boots. "This place is supposed to be magical."
"Welcome to student life," Lina said dryly.
Their room overlooked one of the lesser courtyards. Other students in mixed uniforms crossed stone bridges and climbed spiraled staircases—some talking, others absorbed in reading glowing books that floated behind them like obedient pets.
Kai stepped into the light and let the weight of it settle on him.
Today, he wasn't just a survivor.
He was a student.
And the Academy was watching.
II. The Assembly Hall
The trio joined the first-year assembly just after dawn in a vast circular chamber—half amphitheater, half cathedral. Above, the dome shimmered with projected constellations. Below, a floor of concentric stone rings radiated out from a sigil that pulsed softly.
They weren't alone.
At least thirty other students gathered in small cliques. Most were dressed in the Academy's formalwear, though a few—like a lanky girl with a glowing rune-shaped burn on her arm—wore relic robes instead.
Whispers spread quickly as Kai entered.
"That's him…"
"The boy from the mountain…"
"Resonant-class…"
A girl with golden curls and eyes like polished amber gave him a once-over and whispered to her friend, "Doesn't look like much."
"Neither does a bomb before it explodes," her friend replied.
Instructor Sera stood at the head of the room, a spiral etched in light hovering at her palm.
"Welcome to the Academy of Echoes," she began, voice carrying with quiet force. "This is a place of learning, of conflict, and of memory."
"And some of you," her eyes flicked to Kai, "carry memories that don't belong to you."
III. Introductions and Tension
After the speech, students were split into smaller groups for division orientation. Kai, Lina, and Aren were placed in Relic and Memory Studies—a division focused on recovering divine artifacts and studying the nature of echo-based magic.
Their first instructor was a tall, lean man with copper hair tied in a braid and eyes the color of steel.
"Instructor Tavren," he said. "Your focus here is simple. Survive your memories. Learn from them. Don't let them learn from you."
He gestured to a small group gathered nearby.
"These are your cohort. Learn their names."
Elira – The golden-haired girl from earlier. Regal posture. Wears custom gloves lined with fragments of divine glass. Her voice is sharp, and so is her magic.
Noen – A short, soft-spoken boy with brown skin and wide eyes. Wears oversized robes and speaks four languages. Has a relic book that translates whispers from enchanted places.
Rell – Broad-shouldered, silver-eyed, and quiet. Carries a twin-bladed staff and rarely speaks unless asked. His power is rumored to be entirely physical… and unnaturally fast.
The dynamic was already tense.
Elira eyed Kai like he was a barely-contained storm.
"You've been assigned here because of what you might become," she said after orientation. "Let's hope that doesn't get the rest of us killed."
"If I go off," Kai replied evenly, "I'll try to aim away from you."
Aren muttered, "That's growth. He used to say he'd aim at people like that."
IV. Combat Demonstration: Echo Trials
Before lunch, they were led to an open training yard for the day's "light exercise."
The arena was ringed with arched platforms where instructors and upper-class students watched.
"One of our foundational exercises is the Echo Trial," Instructor Tavren explained.
"Your task is simple: draw on a memory—your own or someone else's—and manifest it into magic. The stronger the memory, the stronger the spell."
Kai watched as Elira stepped forward first.
She touched a charm on her wrist.
"My sister," she murmured.
And spoke:
"Veralyn's flame, strike true—Ignare!"
A burst of golden fire shot forward, forming into a hawk of pure heat. It circled the arena before dissipating in sparks.
Noen followed, whispering to his relic book and summoning a field of protective glyphs that shimmered like mirrored shields.
Then it was Kai's turn.
He stepped forward.
The arena felt too quiet.
He held the shard beneath his shirt.
And thought of…
The orphanage.
Of Sister Olma's voice.
Of the fig tree, now blackened.
And Aren and Lina smiling over cracked bowls of soup.
"Resonare," he whispered.
From his palm bloomed a light like moonlit water—soft, not sharp. A sphere of memory that pulsed gently, casting silver-blue ripples across the floor.
It wasn't flashy.
But it made the instructors pause.
Tavren nodded, intrigued.
"Not all power is fire. Some is remembrance."
V. Beneath the Spire
After dinner, Kai wandered alone.
He wasn't sure why.
His feet simply led him—to the central courtyard.
And there it stood.
The Spire of Echoes.
He stepped closer, beneath its arched base.
A door of sealed iron stood there.
No handle.
Just a spiral, etched into the metal.
His shard pulsed faintly.
And he heard something.
Not a word.
Not a sound.
But a presence.
"You're early," a voice said behind him.
Instructor Sera.
She stepped from the shadows, calm as ever.
"This door hasn't opened in centuries," she said.
"It's tied to the deepest echoes. Gods we've forgotten. Wars the world erased."
Kai turned.
"Why do I feel like it's watching me?"
"Because it is."
She studied him.
"You're not the first to be chosen by echoes."
"But you may be the first they remember back."