NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47 - Resonance Assessment
The morning alarm hadn't even sounded when the chime sliced through the Grayspire dormitory like a blade through silence. Nick jolted awake, instantly alert as the Academy's communication system activated. The walls themselves seemed to vibrate with the resonance of whatever announcement was coming, creating an ominous harmony that made his heart circuit pulse with sympathetic energy.
Then a synthesized voice filled every corridor and room of their second-year dormitory wing:
[All second-year students report to the Mana Confluence Chambers for immediate evaluation. Attendance is mandatory. Noncompliance will be logged.]
Nick emerged from his room, exchanging glances with Jordan and Maggie, who had stepped out from their respective rooms with expressions that mirrored his own unease. They'd been expecting some form of retaliation for their sabotage operations—perhaps academic probation or administrative scrutiny. Not this. Not a system-wide evaluation.
"I don't think this is about yesterday's pranks," Jordan said quietly, his mind racing through scenarios that could trigger such an announcement. "This is bigger than that."
Maggie's circuit was already pulsing with accelerated activity as she analyzed the announcement's technical specifications. Her enhanced processing capabilities dissected every nuance of the system's communication protocols. "The priority level suggests high-level administrative action. Whatever triggered this evaluation, it's being treated as significant enough to override normal scheduling."
"Can you tell why this was called?"
Maggie's fingers whirled over her phantom keyboard, typing rapidly. "Not yet. They seem to have buried the reason under massive security protocols that will take me time to connect to and undermine," she finally said after a couple minutes of tapping.
Sophia, any thoughts on what this is about?
[Host, I cannot be certain, but based on the channels I've been monitoring, this new evaluation may be a result of your test results. I am still investigating but will have answers shortly.]
"Alright, while Maggie figures out what's going on, I suggest we shower and prepare ourselves for the worst," Nick said, looking at Jordan, who nodded in agreement.
Thirty minutes later, the three of them were dressed and ready. They left their suite and headed for the ground floor of their dormitory. Reaching the bottom, they spotted the other second-year students filing out and hurried to catch up with them.
Entering the hallways of the Lower Classmen Mana Confluence Chamber, Nick was struck by the subdued murmur of confused and increasingly anxious students as the entire second-year population moved toward the underground chambers. Conversations remained muted, with tension radiating from every group.
Val waited at the entrance to the Mana Confluence Chambers. When she spotted Nick's team approaching through the crowd of students, her gaze lingered on them with uncomfortable intensity that suggested she knew exactly why this evaluation had been ordered.
"Some very smart students stirred the water," she said without preamble, her voice carrying an edge that made the words feel like both observation and warning. Her eyes swept over the three of them with the precision of someone cataloging weapons before a battle. "Now we get to see what floats... and what sinks."
The Mana Confluence Chambers had been transformed since Nick's previous visit during their exploration with Val's access tokens. What had been a peaceful garden-like environment designed for meditation and spiritual development now resembled a high-tech laboratory equipped for analyzing human consciousness itself. Glowing resonance circles covered the floor, each one forged with Arcadian technology that hummed with barely contained power. Floating glyphs pulsed in the air above each node, their alien symbols connected to streams of data that flowed toward monitoring stations operated by faculty members.
The setup was clearly designed for individual evaluations. Each student would step into their assigned sigil circle for a full resonance scan—one at a time, with every reading broadcast to the assembled faculty for detailed evaluation and official documentation.
Nick cataloged the observers with growing apprehension, recognizing that the Academy had assembled specialists whose combined expertise could dissect every aspect of a student's capabilities:
Val stood near the primary monitoring station, her presence offering a balm of sorts to his rising panic.
Professor Kuro, their System Interface and Core Synchronization professor, operated the complex interfaces with practiced efficiency.
Professor Rhyst, whose survival training courses were legendary among upperclassmen for their brutal ability to cull the weak, watched the proceedings with sharp attention.
Two administrative observers stood slightly apart from the faculty, taking notes. Nick wondered what those records would mean for students' futures at the Academy and beyond.
"Students will be called in alphabetical order according to your mana class designations," Professor Kuro announced, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Step into your assigned resonance circle when summoned. Remain still during the scanning process. Do not attempt to manipulate or conceal your readings."
The last instruction made Nick's stomach clench. Someone—probably multiple someones—had been hiding their true capabilities during previous evaluations, and the Academy had decided to cut through any deception with technology that couldn't be fooled.
They started with the Technomancers first. The first several students underwent their evaluations with results that satisfied the observing faculty. Standard classifications, appropriate advancement rates, and sync efficiencies that fell within expected parameters for second-year students. The atmosphere remained tense but routine until Professor Kuro called out a name that made Nick's pulse quicken.
"Maggie Zhang."
Maggie stepped forward with characteristic confidence, though Nick caught the slight tension in her shoulders as she approached the designated resonance circle. Apprehension flickered across her face, but she straightened her back as she entered the circle.
The moment her feet crossed the threshold of the scanning area, the chamber transformed around her. Technographic glyphs erupted from the walls and floor like living creatures made of pure light, threading through the air to interface with her aura. The technology synced with her system, adapted to her neural patterns, and began revealing the true extent of her capabilities.
Her readings spiked immediately, sending several monitoring displays from steady green to urgent amber as the numbers climbed beyond normal parameters. The faculty leaned forward with growing interest as Maggie's true potential became visible for the first time.
🜂 Maggie Zhang 🜂
Class: Technomancer Tier: Ascension to Tier 2 Confirmed Core Attributes:
INT: 168 | WIS: 137 | STR: 122 | VIT: 128 | SPD: 133 | RES: 131 | AGI: 129
[Affinity Upgrade Unlocked: "Neural Harmony Suite" – System interface enhancements. System Sync Efficiency: 91.3% ]
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the chamber's ambient hum and the soft scratching of pens as administrative observers documented something that clearly exceeded their normal evaluation criteria. Nick watched the assembled faculty exchange glances that spoke volumes about what they'd just witnessed. Tier 2 advancement during the first month of second-year studies was apparently unprecedented in Academy records.
Professor Kuro raised an eyebrow, his usual composure cracking as he stared at readings that challenged everything he understood about normal student development. "That's... early," he muttered, fingers dancing across his interfaces as he verified the measurements multiple times, making sure the equipment wasn't malfunctioning.
Val's expression remained unreadable, though Nick caught what might have been a nod of approval—or acknowledgment of something she'd already suspected after watching Maggie's performance in Bogota and during the trials. Her lack of surprise suggested she'd been monitoring their progress more closely than any of them realized.
The administrative observers scribbled furiously, their frantic documentation suggesting that Maggie's advancement carried implications far beyond simple academic progress. This was the kind of development that would trigger policy decisions at levels well above normal faculty authority.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
After Maggie, there were no more surprises among the Technomancers. A couple people in the Alpha class had the administrative observers scribbling again, but no one came close to Maggie's stats.
After the Technomancers came the Guardians, which meant Jordan would be up next.
"Jordan Keyes," came the announcement, cutting through the lingering tension from Maggie's unexpected results.
Jordan approached the resonance circle, his posture radiating readiness for whatever the scanning process might reveal. As he stepped into the designated circle, his aura responded to the chamber's mana currents so naturally that it surprised even the monitoring faculty.
The guardian glyph filaments interfaced with Jordan's spiritual signature, and immediately the readings began displaying patterns that defied standard Academy classifications. His Guardian-class abilities seemed to echo something ancient and fundamental—as if his powers connected to traditions that existed long before the Academy's formal training programs.
🜂 Jordan Keyes 🜂
Class: Sentinel of Resonance (Provisional) Tier: Tier 2 – Pending Core Attributes:
INT: 124 | WIS: 148 | STR: 142 | VIT: 145 | SPD: 140 | RES: 148 | AGI: 135
[Unique Trait Identified: "Golden Thread Response" – Autonomous mana shielding during subconscious stress. System Sync Efficiency: 88.9%]
Professor Rhyst visibly stiffened, his survival instincts recognizing something significant in Jordan's readings that set off alarms in his professional mind. "That's a Guardian-echo signature," he said, barely containing his amazement. His voice carried the weight of someone who understood exactly how rare this was. "Where did he train? Those resonance patterns show exposure to techniques we don't teach in our standard curriculum."
One of the administrative observers scribbled notes with growing urgency, clearly documenting something that went beyond normal evaluation—something that would need explaining to the superiors who decided student placement and Academy security.
Val's lips pressed into a thin line, but she stayed silent. Nick noticed her attention had shifted from professional neutrality to something closer to concern—worry about what the exposure of Jordan's abilities.
This is definitely getting back to Marcus.
The chamber's atmosphere grew tenser as each evaluation revealed students whose abilities surpassed normal expectations, showing this was definitely no ordinary second year cohort. When it was finally his turn, and Professor Kuro finally called his name, Nick felt his heart rate spike despite his efforts to stay calm.
"Nicholas Valiant."
Nick stepped forward on legs that felt steadier than they had any right to, given the circumstances and his growing certainty that his evaluation would expose him to the Academy administration. As he approached the resonance circle, his system interface pulsed once—then flickered.
Sophia's voice reached him through their private channel, carrying unusual urgency:
[Host, you need to be careful. Your dual-soul conflict may be detected. I can activate partial concealment that will only display your surface stats. However, I'll be unavailable for the next 8 hours. Is this acceptable?]
Yes, do it Sophia.
The moment Nick entered the scanning field, he felt something fundamental shift in his consciousness. Arlize's memories seemed to retreat deeper into his mind, while his own surface thoughts expanded to fill the space the scanner could reach. The sensation was disorienting—like watching parts of himself vanish behind invisible barriers.
The public reading that echoed through the chamber was carefully modulated to show competence without exceptional ability:
🜂 Nicholas Valiant 🜂
Class: Shaper (Codex Warden – Restricted Access) Tier: Tier 1 – Unstable Core Attributes:
INT: 100 | WIS: 100 | STR: 100 | VIT: 100 | SPD: 100 | RES: 100 | AGI: 100 | FORT: 100
[Mana Signature: Unclassified Hybrid System Sync Efficiency: 74.6%]
But privately, through his connection with Sophia, Nick received a vastly different assessment—one that revealed what the Academy's systems had truly detected:
[Deeper reserves detected. Latent Tier 2 resonance blocked by safety protocol. Codex Core locked until Concordance Challenge completion. Warning: Suppression systems operating at maximum capacity.]
For a brief moment that stretched like eternity, his vision flooded with a fragmented image—a glowing glyph sealed behind crystalline barriers that pulsed with barely contained power. The barrier's surface bore text that made his breath catch:
🔒 Epoch Class: Pending Activation 🔒 Codex Warden Trait: [Suppressed]
Professor Kuro frowned as he reviewed Nick's readings, his expertise failing to explain the data inconsistencies he saw. "An anomaly?" he muttered, more to himself than his colleagues. Frustration clouded his features as he struggled to reconcile readings that defied the Academy's normal classifications.
Professor Rhyst narrowed his eyes and studied Nick, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what his instincts had detected. Still, he stayed silent, making notes on his personal interface to keep an eye on the young man especially since he had class with him this semester.
Val watched Nick for a long moment, her gaze scanning him for anything out of the norm. Finally, she spoke. "Move on."
Once testing concluded, the team gathered in their dorm's common room to process what had just happened. The mandatory evaluation had revealed far more about their capabilities than any of them had intended or even knew they possessed.
Maggie practically vibrated with excitement about her Tier 2 advancement, her mana already adapting to the "Neural Harmony Suite" upgrade that had unlocked the moment they'd entered their suite. The change in her was hardly visible except for how her eyes tracked multiple data streams simultaneously and her dramatically enhanced processing speed.
"The processing capabilities are incredible," she said, her eyes bright with scientific enthusiasm as she tested her expanded abilities. "I can interface with Academy systems at a much deeper level. It's like someone completely upgraded my brain."
Jordan sat quietly, processing his own results and upgrades, which had occurred only minutes after Maggie's.
"I don't fully understand what my class means," he admitted, staring at the wall of text his system displayed. "There are a bunch of really unique skills like The Golden Thread technique, which activates automatically during stressful moments to weave a lattice of safety nets around those in my immediate area. But it's just weird that my body knows this technique when I've never trained it a day in my life."
Nick felt the most unsettled by the evaluation's results, his mind churning with questions about the suppression protocols that were apparently hiding his true capabilities. His friends glanced at him, noticing he hadn't talked about or even seemed to process a Tier 2 advancement yet.
"Hey, aren't you going to advance?" Nick looked up from studying his system screen to meet Maggie's questioning gaze.
"I don't understand my class yet. Until I do, I don't think I'll be able to advance like you two." Nick finally acknowledged.
Jordan, who'd been lost in thought, finally noticed Nick's tension. "You don't have to upgrade to your Tier 2 advancement now if you're not comfortable doing so."
Nick nodded.
"But at least tell us what it is so we can help," Maggie said, piping up. They'd settled on the common room couches that formed a semi-circle around a large circular oak table, with Maggie sitting between them.
Nick nodded again, getting up from the sofa. "I'm gonna have an early night. I'll see you two tomorrow."
He left to their chorused goodbyes and entered his room, going directly to his bed and lying on top of the comforter.
Pulling up his system screen again, he looked at his numbers:
🜂 Nicholas Valiant 🜂
Class: Shaper (Codex Warden – Restricted Access)
Tier: Tier 1 – Unstable Core Attributes:
Class: Shaper (Codex Warden – Restricted Access) Tier: Tier 1 – Unstable Core Attributes:
INT: 100 | WIS: 100 | STR: 100 | VIT: 100 | SPD: 100 | RES: 100 | AGI: 100 | FORT: 100
[Mana Signature: Unclassified Hybrid System Sync Efficiency: 74.6%]
Knowing that his abilities were being artificially limited raised disturbing questions about what might happen when those restrictions were eventually lifted. It had been eight hours now. Sophia should be available.
"Sophia," he said quietly, making sure his teammates couldn't hear the conversation, "are you there?"
[Host, I am back online and fully functional.]
"Thank you for earlier today."
[Protecting the host is what I do.]
"What does 'Codex Warden' really mean? And why is my status unstable?"
Its response carried an unusual pause, suggesting it was accessing information that took considerable time to retrieve:
[The one who carries both memory and possibility. The record, and the rewrite. You are being prepared to serve as a bridge between what was lost and what could be recovered.]
"Can you be more specific about what that involves?"
[Not until after the Concordance Challenge. There are... protocols that must be observed. Revelations that must come in their proper sequence to prevent psychological fracturing during integration.]
The cryptic nature of her response frustrated Nick, but he sensed that pushing for more information would be pointless and potentially dangerous. Whatever the Academy had planned for him was proceeding on a timeline he couldn't control. Attempting to speed it up risked unpredictable consequences.
As evening settled over the Academy, Nick stood at their suite's window, gazing out over the mountain ranges that concealed their training from the outside world. His attention turned inward, toward a sensation that had grown stronger since the resonance evaluation. It now felt like a constant presence at the edge of his consciousness.
For just a moment, he felt something that wasn't quite his own awareness—a presence that seemed to watch from within his own mind, evaluating his thoughts and responses with ancient wisdom. It wasn't Arlize's memories, which had become familiar companions over the past weeks and felt like extensions of his own experience. This was something deeper, older, connected to the Codex Warden classification that the Academy's systems had identified but refused to fully explain.
The sensation faded quickly, leaving him with more questions than answers and the growing certainty that his time at the Academy was about to become far more complicated. Whatever the Concordance Challenge involved, it was apparently the key to understanding not just his own abilities, but his role in the Academy's larger mission to defend humanity against cosmic threats.
The resonance evaluation had been a preview of powers that remained locked away, waiting for the right moment to emerge. Nick just hoped he'd be ready when that moment came—and that the person he became would still be recognizably himself.
Outside, the mountain night stretched peaceful and deceptively calm, but within the Academy's walls, ancient forces stirred—forces that would soon challenge everything Nick believed about himself and his role in the eternal war between order and chaos.
Ready or not, his class, The Codex Warden, was awakening.