Ren sat on the edge of the sterile infirmary bed, the silence a stark contrast to the chaos he had unleashed. For two days, he had been kept in medical isolation, questioned once by a grim-faced GAMA official to whom he gave only his name and rank, just as the Elder had instructed. The official story, filtering through the rumors passed by nervous orderlies, was one of a massive, unforeseen equipment malfunction. A tragedy averted.
The door hissed open, and Elder Tian entered, the calm in his eyes doing little to mask the storm of activity he had clearly been managing for the past 48 hours. He sealed the room with a wave of his hand.
"The preliminary inquiry is complete," the Elder began, his voice low and tired. "The official cause of the incident has been logged as a critical failure in the Rift Stabilizer's resonance dampeners, exacerbated by an unexpected energy spike from the beast-selection matrix. A convenient, mutual failure that blames the technology of both GAMA and the Pagoda, thus satisfying no one and ending the immediate investigation."
He pulled a small, shielded data crystal from his robe. "This, however, is the real report. The Pagoda's internal analysis of the energy signatures, requisitioned by my office under the authority of the investigative committee. They filtered out the background noise of the purge and the Rift's collapse. This is what was left."
He handed the crystal to Ren. "It is encrypted, of course. But you are no longer just my ward. You are a partner in this, and you need to understand the weapons being aimed at you."
This was new. The Elder was not just giving him information; he was sharing intelligence. He was trusting him.
Ren took the crystal, and for a moment, he simply held it. He then focused his will, not with force, but with the subtle, resonant touch Zephyrion had been teaching him. He felt the Aetheric encryption, a complex, layered lock. He whispered to it, not breaking the lock, but vibrating the tumblers, convincing the machine that he was, in fact, the key. With a soft mental click, the data became accessible.
The Elder watched, his eyebrow raising a fraction of an inch at the speed with which Ren bypassed the encryption, but he said nothing.
Ren's mind absorbed the contents. The report was terrifying. The Pagoda's analysts had isolated the signature of his "thunderclap" punch and, more importantly, the signature of the final, massive resonant wave that had broken the Rift. They had labeled them "Anomaly Alpha" and "Anomaly Beta." They concluded that the user was a single entity with at least two distinct, uncatalogued, high-potency abilities. Their final recommendation was chilling: "Subject demonstrates abilities consistent with a high-level reality warper or a primordial-class entity. Standard containment protocols are insufficient. Recommend immediate escalation to 'Ontological Threat' status. All assets are to be redirected to the subject's identification and neutralization."
"They have declared war on a ghost, without knowing who the ghost is," the Elder said grimly. "They will tear this academy apart looking for you. Which is why your performance must be flawless."
He gestured for Ren to stand. "You are being discharged. The official medical report states you suffered from acute Aetheric exhaustion but have made a full recovery. Your actions during the simulation will be publicly lauded as heroic—you stood your ground against an impossible threat, providing a vital anchor for your terrified squad mates. It is a simple, believable narrative."
Ren walked with the Elder out of the infirmary and back into the vibrant life of the academy. As they stepped into the main courtyard, the effect of the new narrative was immediate. A group of students passing by stopped, their eyes wide. One of them, a girl from another squad, bowed her head deeply.
"Thank you for your bravery, Senior Ren," she said, her voice filled with genuine awe.
Ren was taken aback, but the Elder gave him a subtle, warning glance. Ren simply nodded in acknowledgment and continued walking. He was no longer the dud or the volcano. He was a hero. Another mask to wear.
When he reached his dormitory, a small package was waiting outside his door. There was no note. He took it inside and opened it.
Resting on a bed of black silk was a single, perfect, crystalline disc, intricately carved with circuits of pure silver. It was Anya Volkov's personal defensive ward, the "lie detector for his soul" that she had shown him weeks ago.
There was no threat attached, no challenge. It was simply… a gift. A tool. A message.
I know what you are, it seemed to say. And I know they are hunting you. Here is a shield. The game is still on, but today, we are on the same side.
He had an ally he did not ask for, in a war he had just begun to understand.