After the performance, Professor Nyra lowered her staff, and Echo returned to her side with a satisfied grunt, its tail flicking once in a smooth arc.

The students stood in quiet awe—many visibly unsure how to respond. It wasn't a flashy display of strength or speed. But it had presence. Precision. Purpose.

Professor Nyra faced them again, her blindfolded gaze no less piercing.

"Now it's your turn," she said simply. "No combat. No commands. Just feel your connection with your beasts."

Some students exchanged glances. A few raised eyebrows.

"Sit with your spirit beasts," Professor Nyra continued. "Observe them. Don't speak. Don't give commands. Don't mentally urge them to do anything."

She stepped into the center of the ring, arms loosely folded.

"Your task is to feel what they feel. To listen without speaking. If your bond is weak, you'll feel nothing. If your bond is strong, you may experience… echoes."

Her voice lowered.

"Those who truly synchronize will not just sense—they will understand."

The students slowly dispersed, finding places to settle. Some sat in the grass, some on the smoothed stone benches. Others awkwardly adjusted their posture, clearly uncertain how to 'connect' without doing anything.

Aston took a spot near one of the arena's edges and let Gray hop down onto his lap.

The little Obsidian Claw Tiger disguised as a kitten stretched lazily, yawned, and curled up. Mirage settled atop a nearby wooden perch, feathers fluttering once before falling still.

Aston exhaled.

He didn't overthink it. He simply… listened.

His breathing slowed. His heartbeat settled.

He had done this before—somewhat—during the examinations. When Mirage shared its senses with Aston… But they used their spiritual link…

Something similar…

He didn't reach outward with his spirit. He opened inward.

And… there it was.

Gray's subtle curiosity—mellow and drowsy, but observant. A cat-like awareness of everything happening within a twenty-foot radius. He felt the twitch of a paw. A fleeting flicker of mild irritation at a distant student's beast scuffing the ground too loudly.

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So this is what Gray thinks…

As if receiving an epiphany, his attention turned to Mirage.

From Mirage came something else—stillness. Not silence, but a sense of poised watchfulness. Calm observation. Wind before motion. He could feel the breeze ruffling its feathers.

Two minds. Two temperaments. Both familiar. Both distinct.

Both resonated just behind a wall of thought.

Aston didn't say a word. He didn't need to.

After several minutes, Professor Nyra's voice carried across the arena again.

"Open your eyes."

Some students blinked rapidly, clearly having struggled. A few looked quite pleased. One boy near the center had fallen asleep, his snake-like spirit beast curled tightly around his arm.

Professor Nyra turned her head slightly toward Aston's direction.

Her voice came quiet but direct.

"You. The one with the owl and cat."

Aston looked up.

Professor Nyra gave the faintest of nods.

"Good synchronization. Continue cultivating it in silence."

Then, she addressed the rest of the class again.

"Those of you who felt nothing, do not despair. Bonds are built, not granted. But don't make the mistake of treating your beasts like tools."

"Dismissed."

She walked towards the open field together with her spirit beast.

Students began to gather their things and stand. Some were murmuring quietly about who had felt what, or how "nothing had happened," or how "the drake fox was cooler than the whole class", or "how could Professor Nyra see when her eyes are blindfolded".

Vivianne caught up with Aston as they left the arena.

"That was intense," she said, adjusting her bag. "Did you really felt something?"

Aston gave a small nod.

"Yeah."

"What was it like?"

He thought for a moment.

"Like breathing in harmony."

Vivianne blinked at him, then laughed.

"That's way cooler than what I got. I think Bulwark was just hungry. It was kinda weird… in a good way, I guess. Bulwark just sort of… sat there. I thought I was doing something wrong, but maybe he's just built differently."

Aston gave a quiet nod, but his mind was still half-tethered to the lingering sensations from earlier: the echo from Mirage's steadiness and Gray's twitchy wariness.

Vivianne glanced at her tablet.

"Next for me is History–Epochs of Spirit Civilization. FOU-104. Looks like we split here."

"Yeah. I've got FOU-102 next," Aston replied.

"Did you get all the foundational courses in order?" Vivianne laughed.

Aston gave a weak smile. If you only know that my Scouting Arts classes are also in order…

"So you got Core Cultivation… I heard that the instructor's tough."

She gave him a wave and turned down a side path back toward the central library, her beetle trailing behind like a silent guardian.

Aston continued down the central line. His next class was held in one of the Core Conduit Halls—buildings specifically shaped to absorb and redirect spiritual energy for safer guided training. They were located just west of the Spire of Dawn, their smooth architecture curved like open petals to focus resonance toward the central atrium.

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