The interior of the essence cultivation office smelled faintly of incense and old spirit wax. Aston stepped up to the booking panel, nodding once at the desk attendant behind the runic counter.

"Reservation?" the attendant asked, barely glancing up.

"One-time use. Cultivation Room—standard resonance chamber. Private."

The man tapped his crystal quill against a glowing slate. "Student ID."

Aston pressed his badge against the scanner. The slate chimed.

"Room 27-B. You've been charged four Academy Points," the attendant said. "You have the space for ninety minutes. Room will lock automatically after that."

"Understood."

He left without another word, Mirage gliding quietly behind him.

—

27-B sat at the end of a long hallway lined with runic lanterns. The cultivation room itself was simple: circular, layered in soft gray stone etched with containment glyphs, and vented with misting valves to control temperature and spiritual ambient density.

Aston closed the door behind him.

Gray padded in silently and curled near the back wall, curling his tail beneath him. Mirage took to the center, wings half-open, her form aglow with a quiet internal shimmer.

Nova flickered in Aston's eye.

[Chamber secure. Interference nullified. Proceed when ready.]

"Alright," he said softly. "Let's do this."

Mirage landed. Her wings curled close, her talons tapping gently against the spiritstone floor. She let out a quiet trill, then inhaled.

The light shifted.

Her body pulsed—once, then again—as if shedding an invisible weight.

Aston knelt beside her, placing a stabilizing crystal on the floor's resonance socket. The containment glyphs on the walls brightened, casting the room in soft azure light. Mirage closed her eyes.

And the breakthrough began.

At first, it was subtle. The spiritual pressure deepened, like the moment before a snowfall. Then, a sharp ripple—like a blade drawn through frozen air. Feathers shed softly around her, not in weakness, but as if her old form were discarding itself.

Her body shimmered.

The translucent luster of her wings grew even more crystalline, more defined. The veining across her feathers turned sharper, almost glass-like. Her talons lengthened slightly—no longer blunt but hooked and curved like honed glass blades. Her beak, once a dull gray, now gleamed silver-blue at the tip.

Frost glimmered across the floor around her.

Nova pinged.

[Resonance spike: Core tension released. Ring formation complete.]

Mirage opened her eyes.

Brilliant blue. Clearer than before. She gave one powerful beat of her wings, casting shimmering dust across the room. The air smelled like sharp wind and cold metal.

Stolen story; please report.

Aston breathed out. "Three-star…"

Gray lifted his head. His amber eyes focused on Mirage—not just with awe, but something else.

Drive.

Even he could sense it.

The silent weight of leveling up. Of falling behind.

Aston smiled faintly and scratched behind Gray's ears. "Your turn will come soon."

Mirage flapped once more, testing her wings. They pulsed with layered clarity. Then she lowered herself beside Aston and nuzzled into his shoulder—cool and reassuring.

They stayed another half-hour to let her consolidate. No rush. Mirage wasn't just stronger now—she was more defined. And she needed time to feel that new edge.

At the end of the session, Aston retrieved his crystal, and the door unsealed with a soft hiss.

They stepped into the open light.

—

The training field was empty—late afternoon, windlight catching the metal flags above the dome spires. Mirage floated above Aston, her flight now nearly silent.

He stood at the center of the ring.

"Let's see what you can do."

Mirage shrieked once—a sharp, echoing call—and her wings pulsed with icy light.

Nova chimed and listed Mirage's updated capabilities with a glow of confirmation.

—

[Spirit Beast: Glasswing Owl]

[Type: Avian]

[Attribute: Ice]

[Genus: Bubo]

[Rank: 3-star]

[Potential: 7-star]

[Description: A sleek avian spirit with translucent wings that shimmer and reflect light, granting it near-invisibility in flight. The way it flies generates almost no sound, masking its presence from its prey.]

[Skills:]

[Icy Gale: Unleashes a powerful gust of freezing wind from its wings, striking opponents with sharp shards of ice. The attack not only damages but also slows down enemies, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up strikes.

[Fractured Halo: Fires at most five frost sigils towards targets, and then a ring of ice above the field. Targets with frost sigils inside the ring will gain increased focus and reaction speed while those without suffer progressive chill and essence channeling latency.]

[Next skill will be unlocked at 5-star]

[Passive Skills:]

[Eternal Vigilance: The owl family possesses an innate, heightened awareness of their surroundings. Enhances vision, hearing, and reaction speed.]

[Innate Skills:]

[Glass Cloak: The spirit beast envelops itself in a shimmering, translucent layer of ice and light, turning its body into a near-invisible mirage. Not only does it provide exceptional stealth, allowing it to blend seamlessly into its surroundings, but also deflects incoming attacks with its crystalline surface, reducing damage taken.]

[Next skill will be unlocked at 5-star]

—

Aston's brow lifted. "Show me."

Mirage flared her wings. Two streams of light emerged from her wings and latched into Aston and Gray, then a burst of iridescent frost shot outward, arcing into the air like a halo ring made of refracted shards. The ring didn't explode. It hovered—slowly spinning above the field.

Aston stepped toward it. The air beneath the ring felt thinner. Colder.

Then he noticed the shift.

His footfalls became lighter. His breathing steadier.

A few seconds later, Aston asked Mirage to remove the sigil and it disappeared from his wrists.

Upon the disappearance of the sigil, he could feel the temperature drop suddenly. Aside from feeling cold, he could feel that the spiritual energy that is perpetually flowing inside him slow to a minimal degree. As Aston continued to stay inside the ring, the minimal slowing started to accumulate.

Support and suppression.

Aston gave a low whistle. "You're something else."

Mirage let out a quiet trill, her feathers rippling like ripples on a frozen lake. The halo faded a moment later, dissolving into slow-falling glitter.

Gray hopped beside him, eyes narrowed as if filing the technique away.

Aston laughed softly. "Don't worry. You'll show her up soon."

The sky darkened slightly above them.

But beneath that growing shade, Aston looked at Mirage and smiled.

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