Rain lashed the windows of the university library as Ethan scanned the updated system interface. The Observer path, now partially unlocked, had already begun sharpening his perception. Subtle shifts in tone, micro-expressions, changes in pupil dilation—Ethan could feel the data flowing, a second nature emerging. But knowledge came at a cost, and power always brought attention.
He'd begun noticing shadows where none should exist—people tailing him at a distance, encrypted messages appearing on university forums with vague warnings. The Protocol was watching, but so were others. Rivals. Some wanted in. Others wanted him gone.
Vincent was the first to notice the change. "You're calculating everything," he said over coffee. "You even stir your drink with rhythm now. What's your next move?"
Ethan replied with a question: "Who is Orion?"
The name had triggered something. Files were rearranged. A restricted folder opened only to display a single name: Phase II - Candidate Convergence.
---
The university shifted.
Not physically—but in tone. People Ethan had never spoken to started greeting him like they knew him. Some flinched when he passed. Professors stared longer during lectures. One night, a note slipped under his door.
> "You're not alone."
Below it, coordinates.
He traced them to an old greenhouse on the edge of campus. Inside, three students stood waiting—each bearing a candidate mark.
"Candidate 111," said the tall girl with violet glasses. "Olivia."
"Candidate 137," added the guy with a limping gait. "Marco."
The third, a stoic redhead, simply nodded. "Candidate 094. Sera."
They formed a circle around a lantern.
"We've been monitoring the Convergence," Olivia said. "The Protocol is testing us. Separately. Quietly. But soon, it'll push us together. Into conflict."
"Why tell me?" Ethan asked.
"Because Orion is real. And he's recruiting. Not Candidates—assets."
Sera handed him a microdrive.
Encrypted. No visible data. Ethan nodded. "I'll break it."
---
He returned to his dorm, opened the drive in his offline lab system. The encryption was multi-layered, but familiar—it mirrored some of the USB's security systems. Hours passed. Finally, the contents unfolded:
> [Orion Active Roster – Redacted Profiles]
[Asset Classifications – Manipulators, Engineers, Observers]
[Objective: Infiltrate University Power Grid]
[Target: Phase III Trigger]
They weren't just rivals.
They were hostile.
---
That night, he heard footsteps outside his window.
A figure in a hoodie tried disabling his hallway camera. Ethan watched from the shadows, phone camera rolling. He uploaded the footage to a hidden Protocol node.
An hour later, a message pinged:
> [Threat Neutralized - Campus Level 3 Alert Issued]
[Candidate 213 - Contribution Logged: +2 Trust]
[Passive Observation: Upgraded to Tier 2]
His system flashed.
> [New Ability Unlocked: Heartbeat Sync - Detects elevated stress in a 5m radius]
[Stamina Drain: Moderate]
Real power. Earned.
Ethan didn't celebrate. He trained.
---
In the following days, he refined his skill:
Practiced body language decoding on classmates
Tracked behavioral patterns in professors
Tested reflexes and memory drills against his own recorded habits
He wasn't building an army.
He was becoming one.
---
Then came the black envelope.
It arrived via courier. No return address. Only a wax seal with a spiral crest.
> [Candidate 213 - You are summoned]
[Location: Room 7B, Undercity Terminal]
[Date: Friday - 11:47PM sharp]
[Dress Code: Formal]
Vincent met him on the edge of campus.
"You sure about this?" he asked.
Ethan fixed his tie. "Only one way to find out."
They descended into the Undercity, a maze of forgotten subway lines. Room 7B was a steel vault with a retinal scanner. Inside, twenty candidates stood in rows—some young, others older, all deadly serious.
At the head of the room stood a man in a crimson suit.
"You've passed the initial thresholds," he began. "But you are not yet elite. Tonight, you face the Protocol Gauntlet. No deaths. But pain is assured."
The room's center opened. A rotating platform emerged with twelve sealed lockers.
"Choose your challenge. Survive. Win. Ascend."
Ethan stepped forward.
Locker 8.
Inside: A single set of blueprints. A dismantled time-sensitive explosive.
> [Trial III: Disarm the Past]
[Objective: Neutralize bomb without triggering sensor grid]
[Timer: 15 minutes]
No instructions.
Just intuition.
---
He traced the schematics, remembered old chemistry lessons, identified the faulty switch.
Each wire, a memory. Each snap of the clip, a heartbeat.
At minute 13:32, he disarmed it.
> [Trial Passed – Elite Eligibility Recorded]
[Trust Rating: 71%]
[Observer Path: Branch Access Unlocked]
The crimson man approached.
"You're calm under chaos," he said. "Rare."
He handed Ethan a card.
> [Welcome to Inner
Gate]
---
Back at the dorm, Ethan stared at the card.
No logo. No code.
Just a symbol.
An eye within a spiral.
Protocol had taken notice.
And so had Orion.