Word spread faster than Aston anticipated.

He hadn't said anything to anyone about the registrar visit. But by midday, whispers followed him down the halls.

"Did you hear? Someone from the Empire flagged him."

"Reawakening? I thought that was only for nobles or anomalies."

"Wait, wasn't he a red potential?"

"He somehow has two companions while still being Novice… and red."

Aston heard it in snatches between classes—in the cafeteria, in the study lounges, even on the way to the practice fields. Most people didn't address him directly. But the weight of curious eyes settled on him all the same.

During morning Foundational Spirit Theory, even Professor Cael seemed to pause a beat longer than usual when calling attendance.

"Aston Rhyner," the professor said, eyes briefly glancing up.

"Present," Aston answered.

A faint smile tugged at the professor's lips. "Indeed, you are."

No explanation followed, but several students turned in their seats.

—

Later that day, during lunch beneath the crystalleaf canopies, his core group had already gathered by the time he arrived. Seria, Lyra, Rowan, and Kai waited with their trays half-finished.

"Alright," Rowan said before Aston could even sit, "what exactly did you do to get flagged by the Empire?"

Aston blinked. "You heard?"

Seria raised an eyebrow. "The registrar assistant is friends with a girl in one of my foundational classes. Word travels."

"It's not a big deal," Aston replied, sliding into his usual seat. "The clerk said it might not even happen. It was just a request from the Imperial Bureau."

"Not a big deal?" Rowan repeated. "That's like saying Gray's just a cat."

Gray, who was curled beneath the bench, yawned dramatically.

Aston insisted, "Gray IS just a cat. He's a Linear Shadow Panther."

Lyra studied him over the rim of her tea. "Do you want to be reassessed?"

"I don't know," Aston admitted. "I didn't apply for it. I didn't even know it was possible."

Seria set down her chopsticks. "Then someone did it for you."

The table fell quiet for a beat.

Then Rowan whistled. "Only a few institutions have the clearance to initiate an imperial reawakening."

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Or people," Kai added.

Aston stared at his tray, suddenly less hungry.

Who could it be?

"Don't get me wrong," Kai added, breaking the tension. "This could be huge. If your potential was measured wrong…"

"Or if it was hidden," Lyra murmured. "Some cores aren't meant to be read easily. There are myths of spirit tamers with veiled cores—false ranks that conceal their true nature until triggered."

"I don't think I'm a myth," Aston muttered.

Rowan snorted. "That's what a myth would say."

They laughed lightly, the tension breaking. But even as the conversation moved on, Aston felt the undercurrent shift.

For the first time since he stepped into Dawn Crest, he wasn't just being watched for his performance.

He was being watched for what he might become.

—

One day, during Spirit Bond Synchronization Techniques, Professor Nyra called on Aston more than usual. When he finished a bond harmonization with Mirage that drew applause from the back rows, she smiled—not softly, but knowingly.

"Sometimes," she said, voice thoughtful, "a spirit tamer's strength is not hidden—it's simply waiting. Coiled like breath before a storm."

Several students looked directly at Aston. He felt Gray nudge against his leg.

In History: Epochs of Spirit Civilization, the lecture touched briefly on anomalies in early spirit awakening records—cases where a tamer's true potential remained hidden until triggered by trauma, insight, or influence from higher beings.

The timing felt almost cruel.

—

By the end of the week, the quiet murmurs had evolved into conversations. Some peers looked at him with curiosity. Others with skepticism. A few—mostly the higher-ranked students from prestigious clans—looked with disdain.

But Aston didn't let it distract him.

He trained harder. Studied longer. Attended every class with quiet focus.

If the Empire wanted to see what he could become…

He would be ready.

—

Far from the peaceful valleys of Dawn Crest, deep within the tiered chambers of the Imperial Assessment Bureau, the walls shimmered faintly with layered enchantments—runes to detect, contain, and suppress spirit flares. At the highest tier, in a chamber shaped like a split gemstone, a single desk stood beneath an arched window.

Darius sat behind it, dressed in midnight-gray robes with silver embroidery coiled like chain-links. His device—a black, rune-etched tablet—rested quietly beside a steaming cup of lucidroot tea.

The chamber was silent, save for the distant hum of the Empire's central mana grid.

Then a chime.

A crisp ping rippled across the surface of the comm-slab. The glyphs flickered.

[Request Log: Request A-21B – For Reassessment: Rhyner, Aston]

[Status: Registered | Register Access: Dawn Crest Academy]

Darius leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.

He tapped the side of the comm-slab. A shimmering screen bloomed to life, displaying the notification in full, alongside a simplified version of Aston's student record.

"Accepted," he muttered.

He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.

"Finally."

His fingers laced together. For a long moment, he stared out the window.

If he'd been wrong, if Aston had simply been a statistical oddity, then the request would raise no alarms. It would fade into routine.

But Darius didn't believe in coincidence.

Not when he had seen the crystal flicker.

Not when he'd read the preliminary test logs.

He had known many awakened tamers. He had trained a few himself. But none had registered quite like this boy.

No. Darius thought.

There was more to it. Much more.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.