Chapter 9: Ripples in the Still Water
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Ashen sat quietly under the shade of an ancient tree within the academy's isolated cultivation grounds. The morning sun filtered through the leaves, painting shifting patterns across his face. To the casual observer, he appeared calm — merely another student deep in meditation.
But inside, Ashen's mind churned with endless ripples.
Ever since the soul merge with the egg deep within the Ruin, subtle transformations had begun. His senses were sharper; sounds carried farther; colors seemed richer; the once chaotic flow of spiritual energy around him now appeared... organized. Patterns he had never noticed before whispered their secrets into his ears.
Yet, he dared not show a trace.
No one must know. Not yet.
He continued to cultivate the basic breathing technique taught by the academy, careful to keep his pace ordinary, even slightly slower than his peers. He needed to draw less attention, not more.
"—Ashen! You're still lazing about here?"
A mocking voice shattered the tranquility.
Opening his eyes slowly, Ashen saw a small group approaching. Dairon stood at their head, arms folded arrogantly. His robes were pristine, his badge of a 'Top Student' gleaming on his chest.
Ashen rose without urgency, brushing dirt from his sleeves. "Just practicing."
Dairon sneered. "Practicing what? Being a disgrace?" Laughter echoed from his followers.
Ashen met his gaze without fear or anger — just quiet indifference.
Dairon hated that look. As if Ashen didn't even consider him a threat.
"Let's see how long you can keep that face when the next Trial comes," Dairon spat, stepping closer, lowering his voice. "Remember, Ashen — accidents happen during field exercises. Real accidents."
Ashen offered a small nod. "I'll keep that in mind."
He turned and walked away, leaving Dairon and his group standing there, stewing in their own malice.
He didn't waste energy arguing. The upcoming Trial — a small hunting mission into the outer forests — was obviously being set up as a trap. Dairon would likely try to corner or cripple him under the pretense of an accident.
Ashen's steps quickened as a new urgency filled his chest.
He had to get stronger. Fast.
---
Inside his modest room that evening, Ashen sat cross-legged. The door was bolted shut. He placed several noise-dampening talismans around the walls — low-grade ones that didn't arouse suspicion but provided enough security.
Closing his eyes, Ashen slipped into meditation — but this time, instead of guiding his breath through the academy's basic paths, he reached inward.
To the faint pulse residing deep inside his soul.
The dragon egg.
A dim heartbeat answered his call, slow and ponderous, like a slumbering god under an endless sea.
Ashen exhaled slowly, reaching toward it with his mind.
The moment his consciousness brushed against it, a current of warmth flooded through his veins.
Strength. Power. Hunger.
Images flashed across his mind — a silver-scaled dragon soaring through shattered skies, cosmic storms raging around its massive body. A memory not his own, imprinted from the ancient soul slumbering within.
Ashen gasped, pulling back quickly before he was overwhelmed.
When he opened his eyes, sweat dripped from his forehead, but the exhilaration in his chest burned brighter than ever.
Progress.
Small, almost imperceptible threads of the dragon's strength were trickling into him. Not enough to transform him overnight — but enough to sharpen his body, toughen his spirit, and accelerate his understanding of cultivation.
He flexed his fingers. They felt... denser somehow, like steel wrapped in flesh.
"If I can tap into this little by little…"
Ashen's eyes gleamed with a hidden fire.
I can survive. I can rise.
He knew better than to try and force it. Patience would be his greatest weapon.
He would let Dairon believe he was weak.
He would let the world dismiss him.
And when the time came, when they least expected it —
He would rise beyond their reach.
---
A knock rattled his door.
"Ashen, the instructor wants you at the briefing hall. Mandatory for the Trial candidates," called a senior's voice.
Ashen wiped the sweat from his brow, adjusted his robes, and hid his storming thoughts behind a mask of quiet obedience once more.
"Coming."
He extinguished the room's candles, deactivated the talismans, and stepped into the corridor.
---
The briefing hall buzzed with excitement and tension.
About a hundred students sat in orderly rows, most chattering eagerly about the Trial. Dairon's group occupied one side, their arrogant laughter filling the air.
Ashen slipped quietly into a corner seat near the back, unnoticed.
At the front, Instructor Lin — a stoic man whose cultivation base dwarfed them all — cleared his throat, commanding instant silence.
"This Trial is simple," he began. "Enter the Forest of Echoes. Retrieve a Nightshade Blossom. Return before sunrise."
Murmurs rippled through the students. The Forest of Echoes was notorious for its illusions and beasts, even in its outer regions.
"Teamwork is allowed. Treachery is not," Lin said sharply, his gaze sweeping the room. "Anyone caught harming fellow students without cause will be expelled. Or worse."
Ashen met Dairon's gaze across the room.
Dairon smiled.
A chilling smile.
Ashen's lips tightened. Instructor Lin's warning was serious, but in the wilderness... accidents could always be arranged.
He would need to be ready.
For Dairon.
For the unknown dangers lurking in the forest.
And for the power slumbering inside him, whispering for release.
Ashen clenched his fists under his sleeves.
The trial was no longer just a test.
It was survival.