Chapter 9: On the Edge
Wednesday afternoon. Another round of special training.
The sky hung low and steel-gray, like a heavy sheet pressing down. The projection dome above the training field flickered with faint static—echoing not just the weather, but something more subtle beneath it.
"Round two. Group exercise," Zhong Lan announced from the center of the field, her voice calm and unwavering. "This time, two teams. Groupings are randomized."
The class stirred.
"We finally get to beat each other up?" Xie Ping perked up instantly.
"You mean get beaten," Su Xu snorted.
"Details, details. I'm here to deal damage."
The team assignments flashed across the interface: Group One : Xie Ping, Su Xu, Lin Kui, Li Qi Group Two : Nie Shi, Lu Jingxing, Yan L ü, Chu Qing
Nie Shi scanned the list. Most of them he only knew from drills. Not quite enemies, but definitely not friends. Some still gave him distance.
"Combat simulation: Abandoned train station. Objective: area control."
"Countdown: three minutes. Prepare as needed."
Zhong Lan stepped back as the system began to load.
"You good?" Lu Jingxing asked, suddenly.
Nie Shi blinked. "Huh?"
"Last time, you nearly blew up a teammate. And now you're on my squad. Planning to detonate me next?"
"…No."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Lu Jingxing scoffed. "Just don't slow us down."
Nearby, Chu Qing handed Nie Shi a spare sync visor. "System says yours isn't compatible. I got you one."
"Thanks."
Chu Qing gave a quiet smile and walked off.
The simulation booted.
The train station emerged with a deep mechanical groan. Rusted rails. Flickering lights. Collapsing walls and broken scaffolds. Cargo crates. Elevated walkways. Every inch oozed danger.
Group One moved first.
Xie Ping charged, blasting a rusted door apart with a fiery punch. He climbed to the high ground. Su Xu and Li Qi locked down the middle lane. Lin Kui hung back, raising her Armament—
—a thin, translucent water mirror.
She didn't attack. Just stood there, quiet, steady. Watching.
Group Two advanced.
Lu Jingxing launched a barrage of spectral arrows. Chu Qing summoned metallic decoys. Yan L ü laid down long-range suppression fire.
Nie Shi didn't move.
He hadn't summoned his weapon. Not yet.
He was waiting—not for an opening in the enemy line, but for a response from the spear.
This isn't real combat, he thought. You don't have to come out. But the black spear stirred in his mind. "If you want me to trust you, don't only call when things are bad." It felt like a shove. Heat flared behind his eyes. A faint red edged into his vision.
He was just about to charge—
—when the system glitched.
A warning flashed across everyone's HUD: [SYSTEM SYNC DELAY…] [DATA PACKAGE LOAD FAILURE…] [DO NOT EXIT COMBAT ZONE…] Zhong Lan's eyes narrowed—noticeably, for once.
"All units, freeze. Hold your formation."
But the delay worsened.
The mirrored simulation walls shuddered. The station map flickered. Lin Kui's platform split open beneath her with a sharp CRACK. She staggered, slipping—falling—
"Kui!" Su Xu shouted.
A white blur cut across the glitch.
Nie Shi didn't wait for a signal.
The black spear exploded into his hand, plunging straight into the unstable ground. [ANOMALOUS ZONE STABILIZED.] The world reassembled.
Lin Kui landed next to him, stable now. His hand still gripped hers.
She stared at him, wide-eyed. Whispered, "…You came."
"You okay?"
She nodded.
The spear slowly withdrew. It trembled once—but didn't resist.
"What about you?" she asked, quietly.
He tilted his head. "I'm fine."
The simulation forcibly shut down.
Everyone was ejected from the interface. The field reset to neutral. Zhong Lan stepped forward.
"That's all for today."
She looked straight at Nie Shi.
"And that strike… not bad."
Everyone heard it.
Xie Ping whistled. Su Xu crossed her arms and looked away.
At the back, Lin Kui quietly touched her palm.
It was still warm.
Where he'd held her. [SYSTEM LOG — HIDDEN] [ANOMALOUS SYNC POINT: CLASS E3 - EXERCISE 09] [BINDER ID: NULL] [ARMAMENT RESPONSE: UNDECODED] [WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED PATHWAY IN PROGRESS…]
The next morning, Zhong Lan kept Nie Shi after class.
She stood by the window. Pale light streamed over her shoulders like a silver veil.
"That strike yesterday?" she said. "Impressive."
Then paused.
"But—not acceptable."
Nie Shi blinked. "Not acceptable?"
"You let it act for you. Not the other way around." She turned, tapping a desk panel. "You know it works. But you don't know why."
She slid a sync console toward him. "Today we talk tech. Not feelings."
Zhong Lan removed her coat, revealing a combat sync band on her arm.
"I'll show you."
She tapped the panel. Light flickered around her wrist—and a streamlined blade assembled in her hand.
"Memory Source: Activated."
"Emotional Anchor: Linked."
"Manifestation Path: Triggered by movement."
She raised the blade. It had taken less than three seconds.
"Now you."
Nie Shi reached for the black spear and closed his eyes.
"Start with your memory source," she instructed.
"I don't have any."
"Don't lie." Her tone wasn't sharp—but it cut deep. "You have something. Even if it's fragmented."
"Even a feeling counts."
He hesitated.
"The spear… when it first appeared, it was the only time I felt sure of anything."
"That's your anchor," she said. "Use it."
"Next—emotion."
"When you saved Lin Kui, what were you feeling?"
"I didn't want her to get hurt."
"That 'didn't want'—was that fear, or…"
"…Wanting to protect her."
Zhong Lan smiled for the first time. "Good. Bind that emotion to your source."
He gripped the spear again.
Still heavy. Still cold. Like a sleeping beast.
He whispered, "I want to protect people."
It wasn't a shout. Not a vow.
It was a link.
The spear responded—trembled faintly.
"Last step—pathway," she said. "You used to let it act on its own. Now, you initiate. Use a word. A motion. Something that's yours."
He took a breath. Right foot back. Left hand pressing down.
A stance that felt like his.
"Sink," he said.
The spear lifted—not glowing, but steady.
Zhong Lan watched, her eyes softening.
"Good," she said. "Now you're starting to use it."
She stepped closer, voice low:
"Don't make it fight alone anymore."
Nie Shi looked down at the spear.
"…Okay."
[SYSTEM LOG — DEEP TRACE] [USER E3-07: FIRST CONTROLLED ARMAMENT ACTIVATION] [MANIFESTATION PATH: ESTABLISHED] [SYNC STABILITY: +7.4%] [BLACK SPEAR STATUS: CALM] [FEEDBACK: 'You're finally talking to me.']