Kelvin woke before sunrise.
He had barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same things.
His mother beneath the rubble.
His father's silhouette disappearing into the Beast Tide.
The black Gate.
The creature with crimson eyes.
And finally—
Sofia.
John.
Michael.
Lydia.
Lying motionless in the darkness.
Kelvin immediately opened his eyes.
"No."
He sat upright.
It had only been a dream.
But his Soul told him otherwise.
Something was coming.
Kelvin quietly left his bed.
He didn't want to wake the others.
He walked toward the training yard.
The Academy was still dark.
The first light of dawn had not yet appeared.
Kelvin stood alone in the center of the training ground.
"System."
The translucent screen appeared.
STATUS
Name: Kelvin
Title: Soul Seeker
Class: Unknown
Affinity: Soul
Rank: F
Level: 1
Experience: 0
HP: 100/100
Mana: 100/100
MP: 100/100
SKILLS
Soul Perception — F
Soul Thread — F
Kelvin stared at his Level.
"Level one."
He remembered Headmaster Adrian.
The students who had awakened yesterday.
Everyone had started at Level 1.
But Kelvin couldn't stay there.
He needed power.
Not someday.
Now.
He raised his hand.
"Soul Perception."
The world changed.
The training yard became transparent.
He could see the souls of birds sleeping in nearby trees.
Small insects beneath the ground.
Students inside the dormitories.
Instructors moving through the Academy.
Kelvin concentrated.
His range expanded.
Ten meters.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Forty.
Then fifty.
His forehead began sweating.
He pushed farther.
Sixty.
Seventy.
Eighty.
His vision suddenly became blurry.
Kelvin released the skill.
He dropped to one knee.
"Too much."
His Mana had fallen dramatically.
Mana: 42/100.
Kelvin took several breaths.
So Soul Perception had limits.
He needed greater Mana.
Greater control.
Greater endurance.
Everything required training.
He stood.
"Again."
He activated it.
This time, he focused only on himself.
His own Soul appeared.
The strange black sphere inside it was still there.
But something else had changed.
Three tiny threads of light now surrounded the sphere.
Kelvin stared.
"What are those?"
The System appeared.
[Soul Core development detected.]
[Current activation: 0.03%.]
Kelvin smiled faintly.
At least he was progressing.
Then—
A cold sensation passed through his body.
He stopped smiling.
Someone was nearby.
Kelvin immediately activated Soul Perception.
There.
Behind the western wall.
A soul signature.
Small.
Extremely faint.
And completely unfamiliar.
Kelvin moved silently.
He didn't know how to fight yet.
But he could perceive souls.
That was enough.
He followed the signature.
It led toward an abandoned storage building.
Kelvin stopped outside.
The door was slightly open.
He reached for it.
Then a voice came from inside.
"You shouldn't have followed me."
Kelvin froze.
A figure stepped from the darkness.
A black cloak covered most of their body.
Their face was hidden.
Kelvin immediately activated Soul Perception.
Nothing.
His eyes widened.
The figure had no visible soul.
Impossible.
Every living person possessed a soul.
"You..."
The stranger smiled.
"Interesting."
Kelvin stepped backward.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who was sent to confirm something."
"What?"
The stranger tilted their head.
"Whether the Soul Heir truly awakened."
Kelvin's heartbeat increased.
"Who sent you?"
The stranger didn't answer.
Instead, their body disappeared.
Kelvin's Soul Perception screamed.
WARNING.
He turned.
Too late.
A hand struck his chest.
BOOM!
Kelvin flew across the yard.
He crashed into the ground.
Pain exploded through his body.
HP: 68/100.
Kelvin gasped.
The stranger walked toward him.
"You're weaker than I expected."
Kelvin struggled to stand.
"I don't care."
The stranger stopped.
Kelvin raised his hand.
"I'll still stop you."
The stranger laughed.
"With what?"
Kelvin's black mark began glowing.
"With this."
[SOUL THREAD]
A thin black thread shot from Kelvin's hand.
The stranger tried to dodge.
The thread touched their shoulder.
For the first time, their expression changed.
Fear.
Kelvin pulled.
The stranger staggered.
"What did you do?"
Kelvin didn't know.
But he felt it.
He could feel the stranger's soul.
It was artificial.
Not human.
Not beast.
Something in between.
Kelvin pulled harder.
The stranger screamed.
"Release me!"
Kelvin's eyes widened.
The Soul Thread wasn't simply connecting them.
It was revealing something.
A second soul existed inside the stranger.
A corrupted soul.
And within it was a symbol.
The same black Gate.
Kelvin's breathing became heavy.
"You know the Gate."
The stranger stopped struggling.
Then smiled.
"You know nothing."
Kelvin pulled again.
The stranger's soul cracked.
CRACK!
A memory entered Kelvin's mind.
A massive laboratory.
People in white robes.
Chains.
Magical beasts.
Children.
And a symbol carved into the wall.
Kelvin gasped.
The vision disappeared.
The stranger suddenly broke free.
Kelvin collapsed.
The stranger looked at him.
"Now I understand."
Kelvin raised his head.
"Understand what?"
"You really are the heir."
The stranger turned away.
Kelvin forced himself upright.
"Wait!"
The stranger stopped.
"You attacked me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To measure your strength."
Kelvin's anger rose.
"You could have killed me."
The stranger looked over their shoulder.
"If I wanted you dead..."
A dark pressure filled the training yard.
"...you would already be dead."
Kelvin froze.
The stranger disappeared into the darkness.
But before leaving, they spoke one final sentence.
"Your friends will be the next test."
Kelvin's blood ran cold.
"What?"
The stranger was gone.
Kelvin stood completely still.
His mind replayed the words.
Your friends will be the next test.
He immediately ran.
He sprinted toward the dormitory.
"Sofia!"
No answer.
"John!"
Nothing.
"Michael!"
Silence.
"Lydia!"
Still nothing.
Kelvin pushed open the dormitory door.
The beds were empty.
His heart stopped.
Then he saw something on the floor.
A black symbol.
The same symbol from the Gate.
Kelvin dropped to his knees.
"No."
His hands began shaking.
"Please..."
He looked around desperately.
"They wouldn't..."
A System message appeared.
[EMERGENCY QUEST]
PROTECT YOUR FAMILY
Objective: Locate Sofia, John, Michael, and Lydia.
Time Limit: 60 minutes.
Failure: Unknown.
Kelvin stared at the message.
For five years, he had feared losing his family again.
Now that fear had become reality.
His eyes hardened.
The black mark on his palm burned.
"I failed once."
He stood.
"Not again."
Kelvin activated Soul Perception.
The entire Academy lit up.
Thousands of souls.
But four were missing.
Then—
Faintly...
he sensed them.
Four distant soul signatures.
Moving toward the eastern forest.
Kelvin ran.
This time, he wasn't running away from danger.
He was running toward it.
TO BE CONTINUED...