The room stayed quiet after Elias finished speaking. Alex stared at the wall where the shimmer had appeared. His mind was racing, but his face stayed calm. “If Grace is here,” he said slowly, “then I’ll find her.” Elias didn’t react immediately. He simply watched him. “You will try,” Elias said. “I won’t try,” Alex replied. “I will.” There was no hesitation in his voice. Elias walked a few steps closer to the bed. “You think this is something you can walk into alone?” Alex turned toward him. “I don’t need your facility. I don’t need your soldiers. Just tell me where the fractures are.” Elias studied him carefully. “The entity you encountered,” he said quietly, “was among the weakest.” The words landed hard. Alex frowned. “Weakest?” “Yes.” Silence stretched between them. “That creature,” Elias continued, “was barely a scout. A low-tier manifestation that slipped through a minor fracture.” Alex felt the burning behind his missing eye pulse again. “If that was weak,” he said slowly, “then what are the strong ones like?” Elias did not smile. “They do not fit inside hospital hallways.” The air felt heavier. “You survived,” Elias said. “But survival is not strength.” Alex’s jaw tightened. “I fought it.” “You angered it,” Elias corrected calmly. “And you survived long enough for us to intervene.” The truth stung more than Alex expected. “You want to find your sister,” Elias continued. “You want to bring your aunt back.” “Yes.” “Then you must become powerful.” Alex didn’t look away. “How?” he asked. Elias turned slightly, and the wall behind him shimmered again. This time it did not show shadows. It showed a structure—tall towers, bridges suspended in open air, students walking across platforms that floated between buildings. “This world has its own systems,” Elias said. “Its own forces. Its own disciplines.” Alex stared at the image. “What is that?” “Our academy,” Elias replied. Alex frowned. “A school?” “Yes.” “For what?” “For those who can see beyond their original world. For those marked by contact. For those who survive.” Alex let out a small breath. “I don’t need school.” Elias’s eyes sharpened slightly. “You believe you can step into a fracture tomorrow and survive what lies beyond?” Alex didn’t answer. “You believe you can fight something far stronger than what nearly killed you?” Silence. Elias stepped closer. “The creature you saw was weak,” he repeated. “There are entities in this world that tear through cities. That bend gravity. That erase entire districts.” The words were calm. Measured. Terrifying. “You will not survive them as you are now,” Elias said. “And if you die, your sister remains lost.” That was the strike that landed. Alex’s hands slowly clenched into fists. “What happens at this academy?” he asked. “You train,” Elias replied. “You learn to control what is growing inside you.” Alex looked up sharply. “Growing?” Elias met his gaze. “Your eye may be gone physically. But the contact altered you.” The burning pulsed again. Stronger this time. “You are partially attuned to this world,” Elias continued. “That can either consume you… or make you powerful.” Alex looked at the projection again—the floating bridges, the tall towers, students moving with purpose. “You’re asking me to become one of you,” he said. “I am offering you a path,” Elias replied. “Without it, you will not reach the deeper fractures.” “And if I refuse?” Alex asked. Elias didn’t hesitate. “Then you will walk into a world that does not forgive weakness.” Silence filled the room. Alex thought of Grace. Of the hospital. Of the creature staring at him like he mattered. His heart pounded steadily. He didn’t want school. He didn’t want training. He wanted answers. He wanted his family back. But Elias was right about one thing. That creature had almost killed him. And it had been the weakest. Alex lifted his head. “How long does this training take?” he asked. Elias allowed the faintest hint of approval to cross his expression. “That,” he said, “depends on how badly you want to survive.” Alex exhaled slowly. “I’ll join,” he said. Not because he trusted Elias. Not because he believed in the academy. But because if the strongest creatures were still out there—then he would not face them as he was. The wall shimmered again. The academy’s image grew clearer—floating structures suspended in a sky darker than Earth’s. A new world. A new path. A new war. And for the first time since losing his eye—Alex felt something other than grief. Purpose.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.