Rise of the Nullborn

The morning light crept through the hollow tree in golden strands. Zayn stirred first, blinking against the soft warmth. The Aether drifting in the air shimmered gently, calm now, less volatile than the day before. He sat up, brushing pine dust from his tunic and stretching until his shoulders cracked.

Nala was already awake, crouched by the firepit, stirring the last of their rations with practiced ease. They had been practicing for a few days and her pulse had steadied, but he could still feel the shared tether between them humming lightly. Coherence Drift. A bond skill, small but real. And comforting.

"Brinehook's only a few hills north," she said without looking up. "The trail narrows between stone ridges, so stay alert."

Zayn grunted his agreement, checked his satchel, and tightened the straps across his chest. The Pulsekind Blade was securely in its sheath, and his core... after the trial, the shard and the skill gains, felt warmer. Fuller. Like his body had caught up to itself.

They set out.

The terrain rolled gradually into craggy hills, spotted with low Aetherbrush and bone-twisted trees. The ground here was rich with faded relics, small embedded shards of stone, broken circuitry from long-fallen towers that hummed with dormant energy. But none of it was active. Dormant relic zones. Ghost tech. Zayn noted the signs carefully.

Brinehook came into view as the sun reached its peak.

Built into the cliffs of a winding canyon, the town looked less like a settlement and more like a scar, patchwork platforms of steel and stone, rope bridges suspended between towers, and wind turbines creaking slowly as they captured stray Aether currents. The gates were open, but guarded by two lean Ascendants clad in layered hide and mesh armor.

As Zayn and Nala approached, the guards stiffened.

"Identify," one called. Not harshly, but with the kind of authority born from repeated tension.

Zayn raised both hands. "Travelers. From south of the Ridge Veil. Seeking rest... and maybe work."

The guard eyed him. Then his gaze dropped slightly.

Zayn saw it. The moment his Aetheroid Core, still faintly visible through the thin fabric of his chestplate, drew attention. The glow wasn't like others—it pulsed irregularly, a deeper hue than standard Aether Cores. Unfamiliar. Unregistered.

The second guard stepped closer. "That core. Doesn't look standard."

Nala stepped up beside Zayn, her tone smooth. "We've passed ruin trials. We're not here to cause disruption."

The first guard held up a hand. "Brinehook's hosting its Trial Day. Survival rite. You want to stay past sundown, you'll need to join it. Earn your mark."

Zayn tilted his head. "What's the test?"

"Three rounds," the guard said. "Trial of Endurance, Trial of Echo, Trial of Hunt. Ascendants and core-holders only. No teams. No deaths allowed."

Zayn exchanged a glance with Nala.

"I'll do it," he said. "If it gets us in."

The guard grinned. "Report to the Inner Dais. You've got two hours."

They were waved in.

Brinehook was louder than it looked.

Vendors shouted along high walkways. Crafters shaped relic-thread into cloaks. Children ran between open barrels of glowing fruit pulp. Traders with metallic skin offered beast hides. It smelled like salt, oil, and faint ozone.

Nala peeled away to observe from a high landing. Zayn made his way toward the Inner Dais, a raised ring of ancient stone, half-swallowed by the cliffside. Spectators were already gathering.

An older man in a green-trimmed coat approached. His left eye was replaced with a spinning lens that adjusted as he looked Zayn over.

"Newblood?" he asked.

Zayn nodded. "Name's Zayn."

"Call me Aellor. I manage the roster." He pulled a small etched disc from his belt. "Touch this."

Zayn placed his hand on it.

[Trial Registration Confirmed: Zayn Cael]

> Core Type: Aetheroid (Unregistered) Permission Granted by Overseer Aellor Category: Ascendant — Tier 1

Aellor's brow rose. "That's a strange reading. You hiding something?"

Zayn kept his voice even. "Only thing I'm hiding is how tired I am."

Aellor snorted. "You'll fit in."

The call rang out shortly after.

"First Trial: Endurance!"

The participants were lined up, nine others, all older than Zayn. Some in armor, others shirtless, their cores exposed and throbbing with steady light.

"Trial begins at the chime. First to last the entire storm path wins. Fall, fail, or drop, and you're out."

The chime rang.

From the canyon wall, vents hissed and released compressed Aether air into the arena. Winds howled. Lightning without clouds streaked across the stones. The path lit up, an uneven stretch of jagged terrain surrounded by spinning glyphs.

Zayn ran.

Footing was uneven. The stones twisted beneath him. Light arced from one post to the next. He leapt a chasm, rolled under a collapsing plate, then rose again.

Behind him, someone screamed as an arc caught their leg.

His blade pulsed at his side, useless for now. This wasn't about combat.

It was about persistence.

He dug his feet into the shifting gravel, bounded over another set of raised traps. A spike shot up, grazing his side. He winced, but didn't slow.

Time blurred.

Then... the chime.

He staggered to the finish.

Three remained.

Aellor's voice boomed. "Three pass the First Trial!"

Zayn fell to one knee, breathing heavily. Nala watched from the dais, arms folded, her expression unreadable.

"Second Trial: Echo!"

Participants were guided into individual resonance chambers. Zayn entered his alone. Inside, the air shimmered.

[Trial of Echo Initiated]

> Project your will. Stabilize the chamber. Duration: unknown.

A low hum filled the air. Shapes flickered... moments from his past, visions of pain, fragments of the Fracture Sphere, voices screaming from memory.

He clenched his fists.

Not real.

Not here.

He focused on his pulse, felt the Echo Shard still pulsing faintly in his pack. Its resonance formed a counter-vibration.

The chamber cracked, a ripple of light tearing through illusion.

[Stabilization Achieved] [System Alignment Increased]

He stumbled out, sweat rolling down his back.

One more.

"Final Trial: Hunt!"

They were taken outside the canyon, into a wild field enclosed by shallow ruins. Four participants left. Their task: hunt the marked beast released into the zone. First to tag with Aether seal wins.

A long horn sounded.

The beast was already moving.

A twisted feline shape, all speed and shadow. Its core pulsed rapidly in its chest.

Zayn blinked into position, used Space Warp to get ahead. The beast shifted directions unnaturally, forcing him to adapt midair.

He hit the ground rolling, raised his blade, and counted...one... two... three, Emberpulse flared.

The arcing flame burst forward, singeing the creature's hind leg. It shrieked.

He launched after it.

Another participant leapt from the ridge, Zayn sidestepped, slashing with flat edge to throw the attacker off.

The beast ran straight into Nala's pulse wall.

She wasn't allowed to intervene, but she had set a decoy pulse to divert it, harmless, legal.

Zayn capitalized.

He struck.

[Target Tagged: Aether Seal Applied] [Trial Complete]

Cheers rose from the canyon.

Zayn stood panting, blade still glowing faintly. The beast limped but was unharmed.

Aellor stepped forward. "Zayn Cael... first rank. Brinehook recognizes your pulse."

[System Update: Local Reputation Increased - Brinehook Faction Affinity: +30] [Reward: Core Echo Infusion - Pending Transfer]

Zayn bowed slightly.

As the sun set, he returned to Nala.

"I'm in," he said simply.

She looked at him and smiled faintly. "Good. Now we find the next ruin."

But in the shadows of the cliffs, unseen by most, a figure watched them both.

Eyes glowing with cold light.

Whispers passed between stone.

Their rise had been noticed.