The knowledge of his new ability settled into Ren like a second skeleton, a framework of power hidden beneath the surface of his mundane student life. His days were a careful performance. He attended lectures on Aetheric botany, his face a mask of mild interest. He participated in spars, winning and losing with the believable inconsistency of a "late-bloomer." No one saw the ghost in their midst. No one suspected the predator that was learning to perfectly mimic the patterns of its prey.
His nights were a different world. The Third Tempering continued, his control over the flow of his soul's Aether growing more precise with each agonizing session. But his true focus was on mastering the Thunder's Echo. Joric, driven by a warrior's pure obsession with understanding the technique that had so completely nullified him, became his willing, secret training partner.
Night after night, in secluded corners of the training grounds, they would practice. Joric would unleash his most powerful attacks, and Ren, with increasing speed and efficiency, would practice the art of silencing them. He learned to project the Echo from a distance, to affect multiple channels at once, to sustain the suppression for longer periods. It was the perfect symbiotic relationship: Joric was testing his shield against an unbreakable spear, and Ren was honing his invisible weapon against a willing target.
But they were not as alone as they thought.
One evening, as Ren and Joric finished their clandestine session, a single, soft clap echoed from the shadows of the nearby armory.
Both boys froze, spinning to face the sound.
Anya Volkov stepped out from the darkness, her arms crossed, her expression one of immense, profound satisfaction. She held no data slate, no diagnostic tool. She didn't need them anymore.
"Remarkable," she said, her voice a low, admiring hum. "Absolutely remarkable. I've been observing you for a week. The kinetic-force misdirection was a clever trick. The feigned powerlessness was a masterful piece of theater. But this… this is the truth."
Joric looked from Anya to Ren, his face a mask of confusion and betrayal. "You told me you wouldn't tell anyone!" he accused Ren.
"He didn't," Anya said calmly, her eyes never leaving Ren. "I simply followed the anomaly. You, Joric, have been sparring against a ghost every night. Your Aetheric output has been strong, but its effect has been zero. A paradox I had to investigate."
She took a step closer to Ren, her eyes burning with an intellect that saw past all his layers of deception. "It's a resonance manipulation, isn't it? Not an external one, like the trick you used in our duel. This is internal. You're not blocking his power. You are, somehow, commanding it. You are telling his Aether to be silent. The level of control, the sheer understanding of another's spiritual signature required to do that… it is an art that is not taught in any GAMA textbook. It is, theoretically, impossible."
Ren remained silent, his mind racing. She had done it. She had solved the equation. She had seen through every layer of his deception and arrived at the impossible truth.
"The girl is a menace!" Zephyrion's voice hissed in his mind. "Silence her! Use the Echo on her now! Do not let her speak of this to anyone!"
But Ren knew it was too late for that. Anya was not a fool who would confront him without a contingency.
As if on cue, Anya raised her hand, showing them the small, crystalline ward she had once offered him as a gift, now fastened to a leather strap on her wrist. "I told you this device was a lie detector. It has been recording the unique frequency of your 'Echo' every time you have used it on Joric. I have a perfect, high-fidelity recording of your soul's unique song."
She smiled, a sharp, predatory smile that was both a threat and an invitation. "I now have the one thing I needed to truly begin my research. You and I, Ren, we are no longer just rivals. We are the two most interesting people in this academy. And we have secrets to keep."
She turned to Joric. "You will speak of this to no one. Your association with Ren has now placed you under the umbrella of his… unique situation. To reveal his secret would be to invite attention that would destroy you both. Do you understand?"
Joric, looking utterly terrified, simply nodded.
Anya turned back to Ren. "The Pagoda is still watching. The Elder is still playing his game of shadows. And I now have the signature of your ghost. This has become a very interesting year." She gave him a final, appraising look. "I will be in touch."
She melted back into the shadows, leaving Ren and Joric in a stunned, heavy silence. The secret he had guarded so carefully, the art that was his greatest weapon, was now known. His quiet war had just acquired a new, brilliant, and utterly unpredictable third player.