The Rift spat them back into Hollowspire… changed.
The air shimmered violently as Lucien and Elira stumbled out of the collapsing portal, breath ragged, clothes torn, their auras burning too brightly for mere students. Around them, instructors and council envoys stood frozen in shock.
One by one, the other survivors emerged—half-broken, exhausted, and wide-eyed. None of them walked out with the same calmness Lucien did.
He was... glowing.
Literally.
Violet-black sigils moved like liquid beneath his skin, and a faint outline of a dragon's wings flickered behind his shoulders for just a second before vanishing.
The Head Instructor, Kaelith, stepped forward, her flame-shaped earrings trembling as her mana flared.
"Stop right there. Who gave you permission to evolve beyond Tier-2?"
Lucien simply smiled. "I didn't ask."
[System Notice: Evolution Complete – Draco Umbra: Phase III][New Passive: Soul Echo – All defeated enemies leave behind memory fragments][Skill Gained: Dragon's Domain – Create a field of corrupted flame that disrupts enemy spells][Title Upgrade: "One Who Faces the Divine" → "Draconic Anomaly"][Influence in Hollowspire: +500]
The instructors stared, unsure if they should arrest him or kneel.
One of the High Council's masked envoys stepped forward, this one with a crimson owl mask — a symbol of Hollowspire's secret intelligence branch.
"You've attracted attention," the owl-masked man said. "The kind that sees from shadows and whispers through walls."
Lucien arched an eyebrow. "Is that a threat, or a flirtation?"
The envoy didn't flinch. "Both."
Later that night, Lucien sat at the edge of Hollowspire's inner tower gardens — one of the few peaceful places in the entire Academy. Mist floated over glowing blue grass, and mana flowers pulsed like breathing hearts.
Elira joined him quietly.
"You've changed," she said.
He looked at her with a side glance. "And yet, I'm still unprincipled and dangerous."
"That's not what I meant."
She sat beside him, a rare softness on her face.
"In the Rift… you didn't lose yourself. You embraced it. The madness, the pain. Most people would've broken."
Lucien gazed up at the stars. "I've already broken. That's why I'm stronger."
A pause.
Then, Elira handed him something — a small, silver orb pulsing with dreamlight.
"What's this?"
"A Soul Beacon," she said. "The Veil Specter you bound left behind more than a fragment. This holds its last clear memory… and a vision."
Lucien activated it.
A soft, eerie voice echoed in his mind:
"He walks with fire in his shadow. He speaks in silence. The Hidden Ones see him now… and they wonder — is he the beginning or the end?"
"Beware the Eye That Watches Without Blinking."
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
The Hidden Ones.A name whispered in fear by old magi. Supposedly a secret group that even the Council feared—observers, assassins, seers. Ancient and unknown.
[New Threat Detected: Hidden Ones][Progression Branch: Unlocked – Path of Forbidden Ascension][Optional Quest: Locate the Eye's Emissary in Hollowspire]Reward: ???
"I was hoping to play in peace for a while," Lucien said. "But apparently, I've become the favorite target."
Elira stood. "They only target those who disturb the world's balance."
Lucien smirked. "Then they're already too late."
The next morning, Hollowspire's central plaza was filled with students and instructors. Bells rang across towers, calling everyone for an emergency announcement.
Lucien stood near the front, Elira beside him, as the massive crystal screen lit up and projected the face of a cloaked elder — the Grand Magus Overseer of Hollowspire.
His voice echoed across the courtyard:
"Two nights ago, the Veil Rift Expedition revealed something we had long feared… the presence of Divine Fractures in our realm."
Gasps echoed.
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
Divine Fractures — remnants of ancient gods or cursed heavens that shattered during the primordial wars. Dangerous. Forbidden. Forgotten.
"We now confirm," the Overseer continued, "that one student has touched and survived such power."
Every gaze turned to Lucien.
The Overseer's next words rang like prophecy:
"From this day forth… Lucien Vale is recognized as a Tier-Zero Candidate. No longer bound by collar, nor confined to student rank. He may walk freely, observe any class, and pursue his own evolution path… until proven a threat."
A roar of shocked whispers spread like wildfire.
Elira blinked. "Tier-Zero… They just gave you a god's permission slip."
Lucien smiled slowly. "They didn't give me power. They admitted they couldn't stop it."
Later that day, Lucien entered a forbidden classroom at the peak of the Diviner's Spire — one usually locked to all but master spell-weavers.
Inside stood a hunched figure cloaked in shimmering glass-light, his face hidden by shifting layers of illusion.
"You are not supposed to be here," the man said.
Lucien approached calmly. "I'm Tier-Zero now."
The figure turned.
"Then welcome… Draconic Anomaly. The Hidden Ones will see you soon. Prepare your mind, boy. They do not speak — they unmake."
Lucien leaned forward.
"Let them try."