The diagrams behind Professor Cael shifted again, flowing like ink on water.

Gone were the stylized human and spirit beast companions. In their place, a new, simplified image appeared: the human form in cross-section, a glowing sphere at the center of the chest surrounded by intricate veins of light stretching outwards like roots.

Cael tapped the lectern once.

"Let's begin with the first layer," he said, voice even. "The spirit core."

The faint light in the hall pulsed with his words, syncing to the diagram's steady glow.

"Every human, whether awakened or not, possesses a spirit core. This is your foundation. It is your anchor."

He circled slowly around the dais, hands clasped loosely behind his back.

"Your spirit core stores, refines, and releases the spiritual energy that you cultivate. Without it, you cannot awaken. Without it, you cannot form contracts. Without it, you cannot survive battles against even the weakest spirit beasts."

The diagram zoomed in, revealing the core as a multi-layered sphere—an inner heart surrounded by several translucent shells.

"The core is not a static thing," Professor Cael continued. "It grows. It fractures. It reforms. It refines. The density, purity, and structure of your core will determine the ceiling of your spirit cultivation."

"Although both spirit beasts and humans have spirit cores, they are different from one another. The spirit beast core will be further discussed in your FOU-103 class. For the humans however…"

Professor Cael looked around the room.

"All of you have undergone the spirit awakening ceremony. Why do you think that your city lords waited for an awakening crystal from the empire instead of using their own, and once every year for that matter?"

Murmurs filled the crowd. Aston had also wondered regarding this issue. There were "private awakenings" for those richer kids who could afford it, why did they have to wait for an "official awakening"?

Professor Cael let the murmurs continue for a moment longer before raising his hand.

Silence returned almost immediately.

"When humans reach around eleven to twelve years of age," he said, voice steady, "the dormant spirit cores within your bodies begin to stir. They rotate—but so slow and so weak that without assistance, the motion is practically imperceptible. Left alone, it could take years—or decades—for your spirit core to reach even the first threshold of activation."

"This is why the spirit awakening ceremony exists. The awakening crystal acts as a catalyst. It resonates with the faint movement of your core, stimulating it into accelerated rotation and solidifying its first layer."

He paused, letting the diagram animate slowly—tiny pulses growing into rapid, stable cycles.

"But not all crystals are equal."

The image shifted, showing two types of crystals: a small crystal barely radiating energy, and a massive, gleaming core crystal with almost blinding clarity.

"Standard, privately available crystals—the ones that wealthy merchants, families, and city administrators sometimes use for early testing—lack the depth, the energy mass necessary to truly ignite a dormant human core. At best, they stir the surface, measure the speed, and estimate the potential."

He turned, his sharp gaze sweeping the room once again.

"That is why your cities wait. That is why they request for imperial-grade awakening crystals to be sent once a year. These crystals are large enough, pure enough, and refined enough to trigger true awakenings—safely, and with proper calibration."

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"And these crystals… are not freely available."

He tapped the lectern once, darkening the projection.

"The empire controls their distribution. Every awakening crystal capable of stirring dormant cores at scale is a state-managed asset, not a commercial good. Unauthorized possession or trade of such crystals is considered treason under imperial law."

A few gasps rippled through the room. Even Aston's brow furrowed slightly at that.

Treason?

Professor Cael clasped his hands behind his back again.

"Some of you may have heard terms like 'Obsidian Core', 'Amethyst Core', and so on—referring to spirit beasts," he said; tone measured. "Their cores evolve through natural growth and cultivation. They are not fixed at the awakening."

He adjusted his lenses slightly, a faint shimmer of lines and words flickering and disappearing.

"For humans, however, things are different. Once your spirit core awakens, its color is set. Clear, red, orange, yellow, green… sound familiar?"

"Those are your potentials. They are ranked like that due to the color of the cores in your chests."

A chart appeared behind him, a simple, clean gradient sliding from deep red through orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and finally violet.

"Historically, once awakened, your potential was permanent. It was your ceiling, your fate, your limit."

A pause. A subtle smile touched Cael's lips, the faintest glint of something sharper underneath.

"But that… is no longer entirely true."

The hall leaned forward collectively, a low ripple of tension in the air.

"With the advances in alchemy and spirit technology," Cael continued, "it has become possible to alter one's potential after awakening."

The diagram shifted again, showing the silhouette of a spirit core with various vials and treasures orbiting around it.

"Certain alchemical products, relics, or treasures, can influence the density and purity of a spirit core. For example—"

He tapped the tablet again, and two names appeared in glowing script.

[Crimson Genesis Elixir - elevates clear potential to red]

[Raging Vulcan Elixir - elevates red potential to orange]

[Radiant Sunshine Elixir - elevates orange potential to yellow]

"These elixirs," Cael said, "are exceedingly rare, difficult to craft, and expensive beyond most families' means. They act not on the body, but on the very structure of the spirit core itself."

He stepped back slightly.

"A word of caution: meddling with potential is dangerous. Most, if not all, of these have counter effects. Crimson Genesis affects your lifespan. Raging Vulcan affects your psyche."

The diagrams faded away, and the lights of the Foundational Hall returned to normal.

"In short: be proud of your awakening… but never complacent. Class dismissed."

Aston remained seated as students around him gathered their things and companions, minds buzzing from the information overload.

He stared at the empty space where the diagram had been moments before.

It has become possible to alter one's potential after awakening…

Slowly, a memory stirred.

The dusty, dimly-lit, old house.

The vials laid inside the wooden box.

And the message that appeared when he drank the first two elixirs.

[Umbral Ascent Elixir no longer required.]

[As per protocol, this vial was to be consumed prior to Veilroot Elixir to elevate the subject's potential to Black. However, Gold potential surpasses Black. Consumption is unnecessary.]

Aston's heart thudded softly in his chest.

He hadn't understood back then. Not truly.

An elixir that could elevate someone directly to Black potential…

How hard must it be to create something like that?

How valuable—how dangerous must it have been?

Gray evolved to become a powerful spirit beast from a normal kitten due to that elixir…

A cold realization tightened in his gut.

Maybe that elixir hadn't been meant for just anyone. Maybe that elixir was never supposed to exist. And maybe…

Maybe that was part of why his parents had disappeared.

He clenched his fists beneath the desk, knuckles whitening.

The lecture might have ended, but for Aston, a new, far deeper question had just been awakened.

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