Chapter Nine: How to Successfully Stay Under the Radar

----------------------------------------

A word—a word that felt ancient and dangerous, from a dream he had no right to remember—burst from Jace’s lips. The air crackled with energy as pain coursed through his body, threatening to tear him apart. He screamed, his voice raw and desperate.

A deafening crack split the air. Marcus's grip slackened, his eyes widening in shock.

Time fractured. Reality twisted as Jace felt an unseen force pulling at his very core. Everything around him froze, suspended in a crystalline stasis. His vision blurred, and an immense power surged through him, draining his essence with a ferocity that left him trembling.

System Error

Cannot comply with code instruction, insufficient resources. Attempting to pull from ambient aether.

The system error flashed before his eyes, a glitch in the very fabric of reality. Then, everything went black.

When his vision cleared, he was in the middle of a desert, under a high, full moon that cast an eerie light over the vast expanse of sand. The cold wind whipped across the dunes, chilling him to the bone. A shimmering mist moved through the air, glowing faintly in the moonlight.

Ruins of an ancient civilization sprawled out around him, their broken columns and crumbling walls a stark contrast to the smooth dunes. The remnants of a once-grand archway stood tall, partially buried in the sand. Its faint markings were worn away by time.

The frigid air bit into his skin. He turned at the sound of a low growl, eyes widening as monstrous creatures emerged from the shadows. Their eyes glowed with predatory hunger, their grotesque forms a nightmarish blend of sinew and shadow, with elongated limbs and razor-sharp teeth.

Panic surged through him, but his body was too weak to move, his aether completely depleted. The creatures closed in, their snarls growing louder, their hunger palpable.

Move! Get up. I need to move!

The first creature, a hulking beast with eyes like burning coals, lunged at him, its smile wide, teeth bared to devour him. Jace's mind raced, but his body remained frozen, helpless. He closed his eyes as tight as he could.

System Error Detected

Traveler outside of Permitted Realm. Elevating issue.

The world hit pause, drifting into a fog. Beasts froze mid-leap, as if a director had yelled, “Cut!” on a horror set. Reality rippled, shimmering like a cosmic pond disturbed by a pebble. Out of the distortion stepped a kid, maybe thirteen, with the air of a monarch and a grin that knew all the universe’s little jokes.

Jace groaned, sitting up. His body ached, head spinning. “What the...?” He looked around, bewildered. His thoughts felt like gossamer in the wind. The last thing he remembered was the desert, the creatures, the crushing hopelessness. “Am I dead?”

The kid’s grin widened, eyes twinkling with ancient knowledge. “Guess again.”

Jace blinked, rubbing his eyes. “A glitch?” He scanned the frozen scene.

"Bingo."

“And who are you?”

The boy shrugged. “Names vary. Your kind calls me the AI, others the Primordial or the Infinite. But I prefer Jack."

Jace struggled to his feet, trying to wrap his head around it.

“Look, you weren’t supposed to end up in the desert realm," Jack said. "Not yet. That’s way above your level and technically it shouldn't have been possible with your User Interface Stone.”

“So you... saved me?”

“Fixed a mistake,” the boy corrected, mildly annoyed. “You ended up where you shouldn’t have. That’s on me. Didn’t expect you to try and break the universe. But now you’ve got my attention and it won't happen again.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Well, that’s... reassuring,” Jace said. “So, what’s next?”

The boy’s smirk grew, warning in his eyes. “Send you back. Just try not to screw up... too much.”

Jace met the kid’s gaze, the weight of his words sinking in. This wasn’t just a casual encounter. The universe’s fixer-upper had taken a personal interest in him. Did it know who he really was?

The boy turned to leave, the ripples of reality fading around him. He glanced back. “Don’t make me regret saving your skin, kid.”

In an instant, the desert dissolved. Jace was yanked back, finding himself in the station, watching Marcus from ten feet away. Time resumed its relentless march. The world continuing its chaotic dance.

Jace staggered back, collapsing to the ground, gasping for breath. Marcus's fist struck the air where Jace's head had been, the force of the blow causing a ripple of displaced energy.

Marcus glared, confusion mingling with fury. "What the hell just happened?" he growled.

The man restraining Ell suddenly released her, his eyes catching something that made him hesitate. Without a word, he slipped away, melting into the crowd.

Jace lay on the ground, struggling to piece together the fragments of what had occurred.

“Enough!” the word boomed over them, ending the fight instantly. Two senior students, their university badges gleaming, appeared from nowhere. One was a tall, red-haired woman, thin, her gentle demeanor hiding the tension in her eyes. The other, a muscular young man with an air of authority, stepped forward.

"I’m Rain and this is Sairie. Faculty Aides. What's going on here?" His tone was sharp, cutting through them like a knife.

Marcus stepped back, smoothing his clothes and forcing a smug smile. "Just welcoming the new guy. No harm done."

Rain’s eyes swept over the group, finally settling on Dex, who struggled to catch his breath. "You okay?"

Dex nodded, pain and anger flickering in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Luckily, that pussy hits like a girl. No offense, Ell." He grimaced as he stood.

Ell shot him a sharp glare but held her tongue. For now, it seemed that Rain and Sairie hadn’t noticed her participation in the fight.

Sairie stepped forward, her expression softening as she reached into her pocket and pulled out an amber stone. It glowed with a warm, healing light as she held it over Dex. The light enveloped him, and with a sickening crunch his ribs popped into place. Dex gasped, the pain fading as the stone worked its magic.

Jace tried to speak but his voice would not comply. He started to panic. He could move his lips, but nothing would come out.

Sairie finished with Dex and turned to Jace, the stone’s light mending his bruises and burns.

Jace stared at the ground, his mind a whirlwind. Despite the healing, he could barely move. His entire body ached, every muscle protesting with each attempt. The Word had drained his essence, leaving his aether utterly depleted. Sairie struggled to channel energy back into him but found little success. Her brow furrowed as she rummaged through a small bag, finally holding out a vial filled with shimmering blue liquid.

"Drink this," her eyes searched his face as if looking for answers.

Jace took the potion, hesitating for a moment before downing it in one gulp. A warm surge of energy spread through him, revitalizing his aether reserves almost instantly. Slowly, his voice started to come back to him, and he thanked her with a deep rasp. He felt better, physically at least, but something inside him had shifted. It was like trying to fit into old clothes that weren’t quite right anymore.

The healer’s gaze lingered on him, her expression a mix of concern and curiosity. Jace forced a weak smile, but her searching look made him uneasy. What was the power I had used? And what was the glitch? He wondered. His head throbbed as he tried to remember it.

After the healing, Rain’s attention shifted back to the group, his expression hardening. "This isn’t a playground, and you are not children, though you are certainly acting like them. Unauthorized duels are strictly prohibited and can result in immediate expulsion." He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in. "You three are to report to the Archmage's office immediately after the Welcoming Ceremony."

QUEST ALERT

Report to the Archmage

See him immediately after the Welcoming Ceremony.

Mandatory: This quest cannot be rejected.

Marcus’s friends, who had been smirking, suddenly looked nervous. A crowd of onlookers, silent and wide-eyed, watched as the combatants hung their heads. The red-haired girl’s gentle touch starkly contrasted with the stern reprimand of her companion. The tension in the air was palpable, and the students knew they were in serious trouble.

Marcus’s confident facade wavered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "It won't happen again," he said, though the edge in his voice hinted at lingering defiance.

The senior man's gaze remained unyielding. "See that it doesn’t. The Archmage will decide your fates. And believe me, he’s not as forgiving as we are."

Marcus's smile faltered slightly, but he maintained his composure. "Of course," he said smoothly, casting a sidelong glance at Jace and Dex.

As Marcus and his entourage moved on, the pale boy glanced back at Jace with a sinister smile. There was something unsettling about him, something Jace couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Dex seemed to have regained his carefree attitude. He clapped Jace on the shoulder, using his other hand to flip off Marcus as he walked away. “Don’t let that Malfoy-wannabe get to you. He thinks he owns this place,” Dex smiled and waved innocently as Marcus shot a glance back at him.

Ell nodded, her expression serious. "Partly because he does. Or at least, his father does."

Jace forced an uneasy smile. This is not how you stay under the radar.