Three days after Emilia's soul resonance test, the Academy halls began to buzz with whispers.
"She cracked the soul crystal?"
"Without training?"
"Is she a vessel or something?"
"I heard she's a Cult child!"
Asher ignored them. He had lived too long to care for politics or panic. But Emilia wasn't so practiced. She walked with her hood up, her eyes to the floor, shoulders tense with every stare.
"I didn't ask for this attention," she said one afternoon as they walked past a fountain carved from soulstone.
"No one does," Asher replied. "But now you've got it, you decide what to do with it."
Elira floated nearby, watching the other students carefully. Some avoided her. A few seemed to shiver as she passed — those who were sensitive to spirits. But one boy didn't seem fazed at all.
He stepped in front of them as they turned a corner. About Emilia's age, with dusky skin, cropped black hair, and a sharp grin. A scar ran from his ear to his jaw.
"Hey. You're the crystal-breaker, right?"
Emilia blinked. "I—uh…"
"I'm Kael Thorne. Year two. Soul-ranked D+, and the best tracker in my class." He bowed with exaggerated flair. "Pleasure to meet a walking mystery."
Asher stepped in. "She's not here to make friends."
Kael raised a brow. "And yet she's walking around with a ghost and a relic like you?"
Asher's hand twitched toward his sword hilt.
Emilia placed a hand on his arm. "It's fine."
Kael grinned. "Relax. I'm not here to duel you, old man. Just wanted to invite you both — we're running a low-tier scouting op tomorrow. West woods, outer edge of Alsira. Monsters have been sighted. Might be useful for the new girl to see real field work."
"She's not ready," Asher said.
"I decide that," Emilia cut in, surprising them both. "I'll go."
Kael gave her a wink. "Good. Meet me at the southern gate at dawn."
Dawn came cold and grey. A faint mist curled along the ground as Emilia, Asher, and Kael gathered with two others near the gate: a young dwarf named Bruma Ironsong, and a quiet elven healer, Liaen.
"Five's enough," Kael said. "Unless you're scared, old man."
Asher didn't even blink. "You die, I'm not burying you."
They moved out.
The West Woods near Alsira were ancient and quiet. Trees thick with moss stretched high above, filtering the light into shifting green patterns. Soulward birds chirped warnings as the party crossed into monster-marked territory.
Kael moved like a predator, blade ready. Bruma stomped through the underbrush, her massive hammer slung across her back. Liaen floated silently, soul staff in hand, his eyes closed, sensing the forest.
"It's too still," Elira whispered to Asher as they walked. "The woods are holding their breath."
After an hour, Kael raised his hand. "Movement. Ten paces north."
They spread out. Emilia followed Asher's hand signals, crouching low behind a boulder. She was shaking — not from fear, but from excitement.
Then, they saw it.
A group of F-rank carrion beasts — dog-sized, mangy things with oversized jaws and glowing green eyes — tearing into the corpse of a deer.
Kael charged.
Bruma roared a battle cry and followed.
Liaen chanted a protection ward.
Asher stood beside Emilia. "Use the soul-dagger I gave you. Don't swing wild. Aim for the eyes, throat, or soulcore — if it glows."
"Got it."
She ran in.
The fight was chaos.
Bruma crushed one beast's skull with a single swing. Kael sliced and rolled, dancing through the pack like fire. Asher stayed at the edge, watching Emilia. She ducked a claw swipe, then drove her dagger into the neck of a snarling creature.
It howled.
She twisted.
It died.
Elira floated above the field, casting a spirit shield when one beast tried to flank Liaen. None of the students noticed — except Kael. He looked directly at her.
And smirked.
After the fight ended, they regrouped.
"Well done," Kael said, patting Emilia's shoulder. "You've got fire."
She beamed.
Asher watched Kael with narrowed eyes.
Bruma wiped blood from her hammer. "Wasn't much of a threat."
Liaen suddenly gasped. "Wait… something's wrong."
"What?"
"The body." He pointed at the deer corpse. "It's… moving."
They turned — just in time to see the deer's eyes open.
They glowed purple.
Asher swore. "Soul infection!"
The deer erupted into a twisted shape — hooves cracking backward, neck elongating, teeth sprouting from its jaw. A D-rank corruption beast, born from the lingering energy of the Cult's rituals.
Elira shouted, "It's feeding off death! It wasn't here by accident!"
Kael turned to Asher. "This was a setup."
"Yeah," Asher growled. "And we walked into it."