Chapter 11 — The Fracture That Watches Back
Sleep didn’t come.
Not for a minute.
Not for a second.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the wraith’s silhouette rising from the crack in the stone.
Every time I tried to breathe, I felt the cold pressure beneath my ribs pulse in answer.
*Grow… or be devoured.*
By the time dawn crept through the cracks in the blinds, I was still sitting upright in bed, staring at the ceiling like it might split open next.
Ren snored softly across the room, blissfully unaware that I had spent the night listening for whispers in the dark.
The system pulsed.
Deathbound Resonance: Elevated
Mental Fatigue: High
Recommendation: Avoid mana?intensive activities
Right. Because I had so much control over what the academy threw at me.
A bell rang outside — the morning wake?up chime. Ren jolted awake, hair sticking up like he’d been electrocuted.
“Ugh… morning already?” He rubbed his eyes. “You look like you didn’t sleep at all.”
“I didn’t,” I said.
He blinked. “Wait, seriously? Why?”
“Couldn’t shut my mind off.”
Ren groaned sympathetically. “Yeah, mana control class does that to me too.”
If only he knew.
We got dressed and headed downstairs. The common room buzzed with tired chatter. A few students complained about sore hands from yesterday’s exercises. One girl muttered about transferring out of Class D.
I kept my head down.
The system flickered again.
Quest Active: Echoes of the First Wraith
Objective: Identify the origin of the Deathbound fractures (0/3)
Warning: Fracture activity increasing
Increasing.
Meaning the academy wasn’t just sitting on top of a problem — it was growing.
We stepped outside into the morning chill. Students from other classes crossed the courtyard, laughing, chatting, comparing affinities. Their uniforms were crisp. Their eyes were bright.
Class D walked in silence.
Ren nudged me. “Hey, you okay? You’re quieter than usual.”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure? You look like you saw a ghost.”
I almost laughed.
If only it had been just a ghost.
Before I could answer, a voice cut through the courtyard.
“Arin Vale.”
I stiffened.
Instructor Calder approached, coat fluttering behind him, expression unreadable. Ren shot me a look that said *good luck* and hurried off.
Calder stopped in front of me, hands clasped behind his back.
“You missed your scheduled evaluation yesterday.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
My stomach tightened. “I wasn’t aware I had one.”
“You did.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “And you were not in your dorm.”
The system pulsed sharply.
Alert: Instructor suspicion rising
Recommendation: Provide partial truth
“I needed air,” I said. “I couldn’t sleep.”
Calder studied me for a long, uncomfortable moment.
Then he nodded once. “Very well. You will report to my office after classes today. Do not be late.”
He turned and walked away.
I exhaled slowly.
The system flickered.
Warning: Calder’s interest level increasing
Risk of detection: Moderate
Moderate was becoming my new least favorite word.
Ren jogged back over. “Dude, what was that about?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Just a check?in.”
Ren frowned. “You sure you’re not in trouble?”
“I’m sure.”
I wasn’t.
Not even close.
---
### **Mana Control Class**
Instructor Varron stood in the center of the training room, arms crossed, expression carved from stone.
“Today,” he said, “we test your ability to maintain mana flow under pressure.”
Pressure.
Perfect.
He gestured, and a series of small training orbs floated into the air. Each one glowed faintly, pulsing with unstable energy.
“These orbs will attempt to disrupt your mana shaping. Your job is to maintain stability.”
Students groaned.
Varron’s gaze swept the room — and landed on me.
“Vale. You’re first.”
Of course I was.
I stepped forward. The orb drifted toward me, humming softly. I raised my hand, reaching for the surface?level mana I’d barely managed to control yesterday.
The cold pressure beneath my ribs stirred instantly.
Hungry.
Eager.
Waiting.
Not now.
I forced it down and shaped a faint shimmer around my palm. The orb pulsed, sending a ripple of destabilizing energy toward me.
The shimmer wavered.
The cold surged.
The shimmer darkened — just for a heartbeat.
I crushed it immediately.
Varron’s eyes narrowed.
“Again.”
I tried.
And again.
And again.
Each attempt felt like balancing on a knife’s edge. The Deathbound energy wanted out. The orb wanted me to lose control. My own pulse hammered in my ears.
By the fifth attempt, sweat dripped down my back.
Varron finally raised a hand. “Enough.”
I stepped back, breathing hard.
Ren whispered, “Dude, you’re shaking.”
I didn’t answer.
The system pulsed.
Deathbound Instability: Rising
Warning: Emotional strain increasing output
Recommendation: Seek isolation immediately
Isolation.
Right after class.
Right after Calder’s evaluation.
Right after pretending I wasn’t falling apart.
---
### **After Class**
The moment Varron dismissed us, I slipped out of the training room and headed toward the west wing. I needed to check the fractures. I needed to know if the wraith’s warning was real.
But I didn’t make it far.
A scry?orb drifted around the corner — larger than the one from last night, glowing brighter, humming louder.
A high?tier detection orb.
My pulse spiked.
Shadow Veil was ready.
“Use Shadow Veil,” I whispered.
The shadows wrapped around me instantly, cool and silent.
The orb floated closer.
Closer.
Its glow washed over the hallway.
It paused.
Right in front of me.
The system pulsed violently.
Alert: Detection field penetrating veil
Warning: Deathbound resonance leaking
Risk of exposure: High
No.
Not now.
Not here.
The orb brightened.
Then—
A crack echoed through the hallway.
The floor beneath the orb split open — a thin fracture pulsing with faint black light.
The same kind of fracture from the Underhalls.
The orb flickered.
Glitched.
Then drifted away, confused.
The fracture sealed itself instantly.
I stood frozen, heart pounding.
The system pulsed.
New Phenomenon Detected: Fracture Response
Interpretation: The Underhalls are reacting to your presence
Warning: Entity influence expanding
The Underhalls weren’t just alive.
They were protecting me.
Or claiming me.
I wasn’t sure which was worse.
I exhaled shakily and stepped back into the shadows.
The fractures were spreading.
The academy was watching.
The Deathbound was waking.
And I was running out of time.
Strength grows in shadows.
But shadows were starting to move on their own.
And they were moving toward me.
