Chương 81: Mirrorheart of the Returning Wind

The Central Mission Hall was located in the middle level of the Aerial Battle Bastion. Rowan followed the crowd through two metal doors. They were thick, closing behind him with a heavy, muffled impact. The hall was semicircular. Rows of seats rose gradually from front to back. At the very front was a tactical projection that had yet to activate. Candidates from the different embarkation areas streamed in through several passages.

Footsteps, equipment knocking together, and hushed conversations blended into a continuous hum. Evan scanned the hall. He found two empty seats in the middle-rear section and took the inner one first. Then he casually pushed aside the restraint strap hanging from the seat beside him. Rowan sat down next to him. The twins from earlier were diagonally ahead. One of them shoved two equipment cases side by side beneath his seat, then nudged one with his foot.

"Don't let it press against the clasp."

"Stop talking." Their voices weren't loud. They were quickly swallowed by the surrounding noise. On the other side of the hall— Julian sat with the young people in dark-blue combat uniforms. They were discussing something. In the first few rows, Adrian had already taken his seat. The two places beside him remained empty. He lowered his head and tightened the protective band around his left wrist. A section of the pale-gray Silence Seal remained visible beneath its edge.

After the final group of candidates entered, the metal doors at the rear slowly closed. The lighting dimmed. The tactical projection activated at the center of the hall. The Aerial Battle Bastion's current position was marked by a dark-red point of light. A pale-red route extended beyond Sector 5. At its far end floated an ancient sigil composed of several spiraling wind patterns. A middle-aged officer in a dark-gray uniform emerged from a side door. He stopped beside the projection.

The Deep-Dive Legion insignia on his shoulder briefly flashed in the dim light.

"Quiet." His voice wasn't loud. The last few conversations in the hall immediately disappeared. The officer turned toward the projection.

"The destination of this joint assessment—""Is the ancient legacy realm known as the Mirrorheart Academy of the Returning Wind." The sigil enlarged. Several wind patterns overlapped one another. At the center, they left an empty space resembling an eye. Rowan had never heard the name before. But people around him had already begun whispering among themselves. Not everyone was completely unaware of it.

"The ruin has been confirmed to be a facility for selecting, training, and evaluating combat students."

"The primary structure of the ruin exists within an independent space."

"Once the Aerial Battle Bastion arrives, the military will open the entrance and transfer you into the realm in separate groups." The projection changed. A wasteland ruin appeared at the end of the route. Half-buried stone platforms. Collapsed array pillars. And spatial ripples continuously contracting around the central area. The ripples strengthened and weakened irregularly. Parts of the projected ruins briefly shifted out of place along with them.

"The interior of the ruin remains under the management of the academy's arcane custodian."

"Once you enter, the rules of the trials will be determined by the arcane custodian's announcements." A fox-eared Beast-kin woman in the front row raised her hand.

"The military hasn't gained control over the interior of the ruin?" The officer looked toward her.

"The military is responsible for opening the entrance and maintaining the external transfer link."

"The internal trials are administered by the arcane custodian."

"Questions concerning any other access rights are outside the scope of this public briefing." The fox-eared candidate appeared ready to continue. But the officer had already raised his hand. The sigil on the projection expanded outward, forming three circular markers that led progressively deeper.

"Mirrorheart Academy has been confirmed to retain three consecutive entrance trials."

"Candidates who complete the Second Trial will receive an official academy tablet from the arcane custodian." A gray-white stone tablet appeared at the center of the projection. Only its front bore a spiraling wind pattern.

"Touching the tablet with Mental Power allows the holder to read their student identity and current ranking."

"Obtaining a valid academy tablet and bringing it out of the realm will be considered sufficient to meet the military special recruitment program's baseline qualification threshold." A faint disturbance passed through the hall. Some people adjusted their posture. Others turned toward candidates from the same Abyssal Hive. Only now did the atmosphere inside the Mission Hall truly change. For most of the candidates— They didn't need to complete all three trials. The threshold they needed to cross was the second.

"The standard admission quotas have already been determined."

"When candidates leave the ruin, if the number from a single Abyssal Hive who actually possess valid tablets does not exceed that Hive's quota, all will be admitted in principle."

"If the number exceeds the quota, admission will be determined by the final rankings recorded within the tablets." The identification numbers of fifty-two Abyssal Hives spread across the projection. A different number appeared beside each one. Hushed discussions broke out from several directions at once.

"We have four places, and twelve people came."

"Get through the Second Trial before worrying about that."

"The arcane custodian hasn't even said whether we can act together."

"We stay together whenever the rules allow it." Rowan noticed the officer's exact wording. The valid academy tablets candidates actually possessed when leaving the ruin. Not who had originally completed the Second Trial. And not who had first received a tablet. Quite a few people around him had clearly noticed the difference as well. Rowan looked toward Evan. Evan was leaning back in his seat, watching the projection. Noticing Rowan's gaze— He raised his distinctive unibrow.

"It means exactly what you think."

"You can take them from other people." The officer didn't stop the discussion. Only when the noise began growing did he speak again.

"Lost, damaged, or invalidated tablets will not be included in admission verification." Someone in the rear called out:"If a tablet is lost, will the arcane custodian issue a replacement?"

"Replacement rules are outside the military's verification authority."

"The military will only confirm the valid tablets in your possession when you leave the realm." Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. On the other side of the aisle, a young elf leaning against his seat turned toward his companion.

"Once the Second Trial ends, don't rush to leave." The person beside him frowned.

"Cassian, what are you planning now?"

"Checking the rankings." Cassian smiled.

"And watching whatever excitement comes afterward." Rowan quickly found the number of the Seventh Abyssal Hive. There was only one number behind it. One. Rowan turned toward the other side of the hall. Julian was also looking at the projection. Their gazes briefly met. Even if both of them completed the Second Trial— There was only one standard admission place. Diagonally ahead, the pale twin found the number of their Abyssal Hive.

"This is our chance."

"We have quite a few places. If we pass the Second Trial, there's hope." The other twin stared at the number on the projection.

"At least one of us has to pass."

"The Consortium scholarship only applies after official admission."

"Dad's next treatment can't be interrupted again." The first twin turned his head and looked at him.

"Then we both get admitted."

"You make it sound easy." The projection changed again. The innermost of the three markers lit up.

"The Third Trial is not part of the baseline qualification requirement."

"After the Second Trial, the arcane custodian will continue selecting candidates from among the official students."

"The number permitted to enter, the form of the trial, and the admission standards will be announced by the arcane custodian at that time."

"The results of the Third Trial will affect the tablets' final rankings, student privileges, and rewards from the ruin." Some candidates visibly relaxed. Others sat straighter. The officer continued with the final section of the rules.

"Before you enter the ruin, the military will overlay a Returning Wind Sigil onto your Silence Seal." An arm appeared on the projection. A pale-gray seal covered the left wrist. A ring of pale-cyan wind patterns then spread around its outer edge.

"The Silence Seal maintains a low level of mana noise."

"The Returning Wind Sigil authenticates you as a candidate of Mirrorheart Academy."

"The two must remain active together."

"If you remove the Silence Seal without authorization—""The Returning Wind Sigil will fail at the same time." The officer's voice didn't change.

"Once the sigil is lost—""In less serious cases, you will be unable to continue the trials and will be expelled from the realm by the arcane custodian."

"In more serious cases—""The ruin's defense protocols may identify you as an abnormal target." Many people in the Mission Hall instinctively lowered their eyes toward their left wrists. Rowan noticed that several candidates in the front rows moved somewhat stiffly when they looked down. Some glanced toward the surrounding military personnel from the corners of their eyes. Then quickly looked away. Rowan lowered his gaze as well. The pale-gray patterns remained quietly attached to the surface of his skin.

It now appeared— These restrictions weren't only intended to make the examination fairer. They were also meant to disguise the candidates as people the ancient academy would accept. That also meant— The military might not truly possess internal access to Mirrorheart Academy.

"After entering the ruin," the officer continued—"The testing zones, permitted areas, and behavioral restrictions will be determined by the rules issued by the arcane custodian on site."

"Do not rely on modern military-assessment conventions to make assumptions about how an ancient ruin will judge your actions."

"Once the spatial transfer is complete—""All conventional communications will be interrupted."

"The military will be unable to issue real-time commands within the ruin."

"Any rescue attempt will be delayed." He paused.

"You have already signed the risk agreement."

"I will not repeat its contents."

"I will give you only one reminder."

"Once you enter, do not treat the bastion as a lifeline that can pull you out at any moment." The officer checked the time.

"The public briefing is complete."

"Remaining travel time: five hours and forty-seven minutes."

"Candidates from each area are to proceed to the mana replenishment chambers according to their assigned numbers."

"After replenishment is complete, return to your designated rest areas."

"Final pre-transfer processing will begin fifteen minutes before arrival at the target anchor point." The projection shut down. Indicator lights on both sides of the hall activated one after another. The candidates began splitting into separate groups. Evan stood and checked the sign.

"Twenty-Sixth Abyssal Hive. Passage Three." He glanced toward Rowan's side.

"The Seventh is in Passage One." Evan gestured toward Passage One.

"See you inside." Then he left with the crowd on the other side. Rowan headed toward Passage One. The Seventh Abyssal Hive had only two candidates. Its mana replenishment chamber was far emptier than the others. Julian had already entered ahead of him. The two sat on opposite sides of the armament patterns at the center of the chamber. After confirming that their Silence Seals were functioning normally, the military personnel closed the chamber door. A low mechanical sound came from deep within the walls.

The mana supply array began operating. A steady flow of mana slowly rose from the floor. Rowan closed his eyes. His Mental Power sank into his Source Crystal Core. The first mana pool was already full. The newly formed second mana pool still had empty space remaining. Mana poured inward through the second basic Source Rune. At first, there was a distinct sensation of emptiness. Each cycle of returning mana produced a faint echo against the walls of the pool.

As the reserves increased— The echo gradually became denser. Opposite him, Julian's channeling speed remained steady. His breathing rhythm didn't change. The mana fluctuations around his Source Crystal Core were controlled within an extremely narrow range. This wasn't last-minute preparation. It was the result of long-term training. After an unknown amount of time— The supply array issued a notification. The flow of mana began decreasing.

By the time the armament patterns had completely dimmed, Rowan's second mana pool was full. The two mana pools maintained a stable circulation within his Source Crystal Core. The chamber door opened. Julian stood first. They left separately. By the time Rowan returned to the open rest area, the view on the external projection had completely changed. The fixed roads and military beacons of Sector 5 had long since disappeared. Only gray fog and wasteland remained beneath the battle bastion.

Occasionally, half of a building could be seen jutting diagonally from the ground. Or a field of warped vegetation moving slowly across the landscape. Most of the time— There were only indistinct shapes at varying distances. The battle bastion changed direction several times in the air. Before each adjustment, a small section of the outer array circuits lit up. Then the enormous hull turned smoothly. Rowan didn't spend the entire time staring outside.

He closed his eyes and mentally reviewed the spell structure of Wellspring Step. Then evaluated the mana consumption required for the second stage of Great Sun Heavy Bolt. The remaining travel time announced over the broadcast continued shrinking. Three hours. One hour. The final thirty minutes. Conversations in the candidate area became noticeably less frequent. Many began checking their weapons. Others closed their eyes to rest.

When Rowan opened his eyes again— Evan was already seated beside him, watching the external projection. When the final fifteen-minute warning sounded, the projection at the front of the rest area changed. The gray fog rushed aside. The Aerial Battle Bastion slowed. Deep within the wasteland— The outline of an enormous ruin gradually appeared. The first things to emerge were several tilted black array pillars. Then came a circular array foundation half-buried beneath the soil.

Farther in was a damaged stone platform surrounded by large amounts of warped vegetation. The space above the platform was continuously contracting. The ripples strengthened and weakened. As though something heavy was moving slowly on the other side. This was Mirrorheart's reality anchor. Large numbers of aberrant beasts had gathered around it. Some had built nests between the array pillars. Others lay around the outer edge of the stone platform, their bodies already fused with the surrounding warped vegetation.

Farther away— An aberrant beast almost the size of a transport vehicle slowly raised its upper body. Six forelimbs spread beneath its gray-black shell. Dense openings across its back opened simultaneously. Gray fog continuously poured from them. A wave of hushed discussion passed through the rest compartment. Dozens of small markers first appeared along the edge of the projection. The broken array pillars. The circular array foundation. The central stone platform.

Even several areas of rubble that appeared completely indistinguishable from one another were marked with lines of different colors.

"They've even marked the no-fire zones." Someone spoke quietly.

"It's not like the military found this place today." Another person replied. The outer array patterns began to light up. Not a single section— But a sequence spreading outward from the underside of the battle bastion. The gray fog was first forced toward the ground by an invisible pressure. The aberrant beasts hidden within began growing restless once their concealment disappeared. Several near the center of the anchor turned and fled. Others raised their heads and roared toward the sky.

The first streak of dark-red light descended. Its target wasn't the center of the herd. It struck an empty area outside the ruins where no ancient structures remained. The ground fractured. The impact overturned several aberrant beasts from the side, forcing them away from the array-pillar zone. Immediately afterward, a second beam cut off the path on the other side. The herd was forcibly split apart. Only after the targets had completely left the ancient array foundation did the truly lethal strikes begin to fall.

The largest aberrant beast raised its forelimbs. The gray fog inside the openings across its back rapidly contracted. The Tainted Energy had only just begun taking shape— When a group of array circuits beneath the bastion lit up. A dark-red beam drove diagonally into its shoulder. The enormous body was knocked sideways. It began falling directly toward a damaged array pillar. The second attack didn't immediately descend.

Only after the aberrant beast struggled out of the pillar's range— Did a thicker beam press down from above. The middle section of its gray-black body abruptly collapsed. Then the creature fell motionless among the ruins. The entire clearing operation lasted less than ten minutes. The outer array patterns gradually dimmed. But they didn't shut off completely. They remained faintly illuminated. A platform descended from the underside of the battle bastion. The first group of military personnel reached the ground.

They didn't pause to check their directions. They immediately divided into several teams and headed toward different array pillars and ruin nodes. The engineering teams followed close behind. Folding array pillars were transported to the ground one after another. Each had a designated position. Once they were inserted into the soil, sections of a pale-gray isolation field rose around them. The Tainted Energy surrounding the anchor was pushed outward.

The technicians bypassed most of the surface ruins and headed directly toward the outer edge of the central stone platform. Some connected to the circular array foundation. Others installed stabilization modules onto ancient patterns that appeared to have broken apart. There was no testing. No hesitation. Rowan watched them work. The military's understanding of this ruin went far beyond the few sentences disclosed in the public briefing. The Aerial Battle Bastion remained suspended overhead.

Its external weapons arrays gradually retracted. Several maintenance teams entered the outer passages to replace the array materials that had been consumed. The isolation field on the ground became increasingly stable. In less than half an hour— A temporary safe passage had formed between the bastion's transfer area and the stone platform. The broadcast sounded. [Reality anchor stabilization complete. Tainted Energy isolation field operating normally. All candidate areas are to begin final pre-transfer processing.] The rest-compartment door opened. The candidates entered the processing passages according to their assigned numbers. Military personnel waited at every checkpoint. When Rowan's turn came, a soldier motioned for him to raise his left arm. A circular armament-pattern module moved close to the Silence Seal. A faint sting came from his wrist. Pale-cyan light spread along the outer edge of the pale-gray pattern. A ring of spiraling wind patterns gradually took shape.

The two layers of armament patterns lit up where they crossed. Then sank into his skin together. Rowan felt his mana fluctuations contract another degree. An extremely faint pull came from the distant reality anchor. It disappeared almost immediately.

"Sigil stable." The soldier withdrew the device.

"Next." The processed candidates were divided into new groups. Twenty people in each. Rowan was placed in Group Nine. Evan stood in another line. The two saw each other from several meters away. Evan raised a hand.

"I'll find you once we're inside." After speaking, he followed the previous group toward the elevator platform. The twins were in Group Eight. They carried one equipment case on either side of their backs. Before stepping onto the platform, one reached out and tightened the loose restraint strap on the other's shoulder. The other turned and said something. They were too far away for Rowan to hear. Group Eight descended. Soon, it was Group Nine's turn. The elevator platform left the underside of the bastion.

The gray fog was held outside by the isolation field. But the smell of blood and burning still rose from the ruins below. On both sides of the safe passage— Large patches of dark liquid had soaked into the soil between the warped vegetation. Charred pieces of limbs remained in several places. Rowan followed the group forward. As they passed one area off to the side, he saw the corpse of an aberrant beast that had yet to be completely removed. He slowed and looked at it.

An engineer nearby was bent over, examining its head while speaking with a colleague.

"Tier 1, Four-Phase."

"Only thirty meters from the anchor." His tone was flat. As though he were simply reporting a number. Rowan continued forward without stopping. But his steps felt slightly heavier than before. The closer he came to the anchor— The fainter the low hum of the Aerial Battle Bastion became. It was as though an invisible barrier was separating the sounds of the real world one layer at a time. The candidates ahead stepped onto the stone platform one after another. The Returning Wind Sigils on their left wrists lit up.

Pale-cyan light swept across them from between the array pillars. Their bodies rapidly faded. Then vanished. When Rowan's turn came— He stepped onto the platform. The ancient patterns across its surface had been eroded and broken. But as he approached, some of them lit up again. The candidate ahead disappeared. Rowan took one step forward. And stood at the center of the array pillars. His left wrist grew warm. Pale-cyan wind patterns emerged from beneath his skin.

The spatial ripples around him contracted toward the center simultaneously. The low hum of the Aerial Battle Bastion faded into the distance. The instructions of the military personnel faded as well. The smells and sounds of the wasteland were rapidly stripped away. A voice that was neither male nor female sounded from every direction at once. [Candidate identity verified.] [Crystal age ring verified.] [Academy standards met.] A brief pause. Rowan felt air begin to circle his ankles. It accelerated. Then rose.

Wind that had remained silent for countless years swept across the stone platform once more. [Mirrorheart Academy of the Returning Wind.] [Entry to the trials authorized.] The stone platform beneath Rowan abruptly faded. As though someone had pulled the entire thing out of reality. Warm wind rushed toward him. He stood within an unfamiliar wind.