Chapter 15: Echoes After the Storm The wind had stopped—but no one felt at ease.
After the training ended, the E3 class returned to their classroom in silence. Most were busy tending to wounds or quietly processing what had happened in the trial.
The electronic schedule board above the podium flickered twice. The time display froze at "14:44."
"Uh… is the screen busted again?" Xie Ping frowned.
"Didn't the system just finish maintenance?" Su Xu crossed her arms by the window. Her tone was casual, but her eyes were alert.
Lin Kui sat quietly, adjusting the Water Mirror. Its surface trembled like undried ink. She pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Instructor Zhong Lan stood silently by the door, waiting for the room to settle.
"Class ends early today. Everyone, write your post-battle logs."
She paused, then added, "Nie Shi, stay behind."
Nie Shi looked up and nodded.
Once the others left, Zhong Lan approached the podium and pulled up his battle log on the terminal.
"Your Armament—Void," she said, "its actions didn't seem like they were entirely yours."
Nie Shi nodded slowly. "It… felt like it was watching me."
Zhong Lan didn't respond right away.
"It didn't feel like following orders," he added. "More like… waiting for me to understand something."
"Do you know the true foundation of the Armament System?" she asked.
"Resonance," Nie Shi replied.
"Wrong." Zhong Lan shook her head. "It's 'Bearing.'"
She tapped the screen softly, her voice lower now.
"It bears your memory. And in turn—you bear its past."
"Void has started to respond to you," she said, looking at him meaningfully. "Now it's your turn to respond to it."
Instructor Zhong Lan stood silently by the door, waiting for the room to settle.
"Class ends early today. Everyone, write your post-battle logs."
She paused, then added, "Nie Shi, stay behind."
Nie Shi looked up and nodded.
Once the others left, Zhong Lan approached the podium and pulled up his battle log on the terminal.
"Your Armament—Void," she said, "its actions didn't seem like they were entirely yours."
Nie Shi nodded slowly. "It… felt like it was watching me."
Zhong Lan didn't respond right away.
"It didn't feel like following orders," he added. "More like… waiting for me to understand something."
"Do you know the true foundation of the Armament System?" she asked.
"Resonance," Nie Shi replied.
"Wrong." Zhong Lan shook her head. "It's 'Bearing.'"
She tapped the screen softly, her voice lower now.
"It bears your memory. And in turn—you bear its past."
"Void has started to respond to you," she said, looking at him meaningfully. "Now it's your turn to respond to it."
Meanwhile, on the west side of the academic building, several teachers gathered in a private meeting room.
"This isn't just a one-time system hiccup," one tech instructor said, brows furrowed. "Three different classes reported node tremors. Data sync spikes are well past acceptable ranges."
"We're also seeing an abnormal rate of critical resonance events. Some students are syncing way too fast."
"The system isn't crashing, but it's… twitching," another teacher muttered.
Zhong Lan entered, placing her file on the desk. "I propose we establish a temporary investigation team."
"The System Stability Oversight Committee," she said clearly.
Silence. Then, one by one, the others nodded.
The meeting recorder typed out a new line: [Committee Established / Entry No. X-CB-01] In the corner, Meng Yao sat quietly, entering notes of his own.
He glanced up at the display showing sync wave fluctuations. A faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. Night fell.
The dorm lights dimmed. Nie Shi lay on his bed, fingers brushing the edge of Void's spear shaft.
He closed his eyes.
And the gray forest returned.
But this time, he didn't stand at the edge—he walked deeper.
Wind rustled the branches, sounding like memories played in reverse.
Up ahead, a faint murmur drifted—neither male nor female, not quite a voice. More like… an emotion that once lived.
He saw it:
A warrior knelt in ruins, blood staining his blindfolded eyes. Fallen comrades surrounded him.
He lifted the spear and drove it into the ground.
Gray roots spread from its base, and a "Tree of Memory" slowly rose.
Nie Shi stepped closer—then his heart skipped a beat.
A voice echoed deep within his mind: "It's not the Armaments losing control…
It's you. You're the ones falling apart." He tried to shout—but no sound came out.
Void stood beside him, unmoving.
Then, the spear shimmered, drifting like light past his ear—
He could hear it.
The sound of Void's heartbeat.
Once. Twice. Then steady, matching his own breath.
The forest lit up with tiny sparks of flame—
And went dark. Nie Shi opened his eyes.
Silence filled the dorm.
The wind had stopped.
Void stood quietly by his bed, watching the same dark night beside him.