The academy's interior was a dazzling mix of sleek technology and age-old tradition. Marble floors gleamed beneath the soft glow of floating light orbs, while walls of dark wood were adorned with ancient tapestries depicting scenes of past glories—battles fought with both chi and steel, legendary warriors clad in hybrid armor, their faces stern with resolve.
Cire, Ruby, and Voltic were escorted through the halls by a silent guide, a constable whose uniform was pristine, and whose every movement was precise, almost mechanical. His eyes, though, glowed faintly—a sign of minor chi enhancements, a hallmark of the elite constables who had been trained in the deeper arts.
As they walked, Cire's mind buzzed with questions. The Warden System had been quiet since his arrival, but its presence lingered just beneath his consciousness. Every now and then, he would catch glimpses of fragmented memories—flashes of faces he didn't recognize, emotions that weren't his own. There was a subtle but constant hum at the back of his mind, like an itch he couldn't scratch.
Then, suddenly, as they entered the main training hall, the Warden System flared to life.
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System Activation. Quest Initiated: Capture the Greed of Xaishen.
Cire stumbled slightly, catching himself on the polished railing as the voice of the system filled his mind. It was different this time, clearer, more commanding. His heart raced as he processed the information. The Warden System wanted him to confront someone consumed by greed.
But who? And how?
Voltic noticed his stumble and raised an eyebrow. "You okay there, Cire?"
Cire forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, just... a lot to take in."
But it wasn't the academy or the grandeur of Xaishen that had him on edge. It was the looming realization that his journey had officially begun.
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The academy's training regimen was as intense as Voltic had promised. Each day was a whirlwind of exercises designed to push the cadets to their limits, both physically and mentally. From chi manipulation to hand-to-hand combat, they were taught the art of constable warfare, learning to blend tradition with cutting-edge technology.
For Cire, it was a strange but exhilarating experience. His background in herbalism and acupuncture gave him an advantage in understanding the body's natural flow of energy, but the Warden System was a wild card. It didn't follow the conventional rules of chi manipulation, and its presence made him both stronger and more unpredictable in training.
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System Alert: Greed Detected. Target Identified.
The notification struck him during a sparring session. His opponent, a tall cadet with sharp eyes and even sharper chi-infused blades, lunged at him, but Cire's mind was already elsewhere. He sidestepped the attack, his hand instinctively reaching for his acupuncture needles. In one swift motion, he struck his opponent's pressure points, disabling their limbs before delivering a precise blow that knocked them off balance.
The cadet hit the mat with a dull thud, gasping for air. "What... what was that?"
Cire didn't answer. His focus was on the Warden System's new message.
Greed Detected. The system flashed again, this time highlighting the target.
The target? It was one of the academy's trainers, a man named Instructor Yan, a high-ranking official known for his obsession with wealth and status.
Cire's stomach twisted. He had to capture Instructor Yan's greed. But how? And what would happen once he did?
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Cire spent the next few days watching Instructor Yan carefully, studying his habits, his interactions with the cadets, and the way he seemed to favor those who could offer him something in return—favors, gifts, even bribes. Yan's greed was palpable, seeping into every word he spoke, every decision he made.
Ruby noticed Cire's distraction during their training sessions. "You've been off lately," she remarked one evening after a particularly grueling round of drills. "Something on your mind?"
Cire hesitated. He wanted to tell her about the Warden System, about the quest it had given him, but something held him back. "Just... trying to figure things out," he said finally.
Ruby gave him a long, searching look before nodding. "Well, whatever it is, don't lose focus. This academy is tough, and it won't wait for anyone to catch up."
Her words were a reminder that, despite their growing friendship, Ruby had her own secrets. She was here for a reason, just as he was. And until those reasons aligned, there would always be a distance between them.
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The final confrontation with Instructor Yan came unexpectedly. Cire had been tailing him after hours, watching as he accepted a large sum of money from a shady-looking man in the shadows of the academy's courtyard. The greed radiating from Yan was almost tangible, a dark, heavy energy that made Cire's skin crawl.
Initiate Capture.
The system's voice echoed in his mind, and without thinking, Cire moved.
He darted from his hiding spot, his acupuncture needles already in hand. Yan barely had time to react before Cire struck, his needles piercing critical chi points along Yan's body. The instructor staggered back, his eyes wide with shock as he tried to summon his chi to defend himself.
But it was too late.
The Warden System activated, its power surging through Cire as it latched onto Yan's greed. The air around them shimmered with dark energy, and for a moment, Cire felt as if he were being pulled into a void—an endless abyss where all the kleshas of the world gathered, swirling like a storm.
Yan gasped, his body convulsing as the system began to drain him of his greed, siphoning it into Cire's own core.
When it was over, Yan collapsed to the ground, unconscious but alive. The greed that had once driven him was gone, leaving him a hollow shell of his former self.
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System Upgrade: Level 1. Greed Captured.
Cire stood over Yan, his breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. His body tingled with the residual energy from the Warden System, a dark power he hadn't fully understood until now. It wasn't just that the system captured kleshas—it consumed them, integrating the negative emotions into Cire's own being. He could feel it, the greed pulsing faintly inside him, a distant echo that hadn't existed before.
He knelt down beside Yan, checking the man's pulse. It was steady but weak. The greed that had driven the instructor's every action was gone, leaving a void that made Yan seem strangely fragile, as though his identity had been stripped away.
"What am I becoming?" Cire muttered to himself, feeling a knot form in his stomach. The system's power frightened him, not because of its potential, but because of what it asked him to do. Each time he used it, he could feel a piece of himself slipping away—replaced by the very kleshas he was supposed to cleanse.
As Cire gathered his thoughts, a soft shuffle of footsteps behind him made his spine stiffen. He turned swiftly, his hands already reaching for the needles tucked into his sleeve.
Ruby stood in the shadows, her face partially obscured by the soft glow of the courtyard lanterns. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a sharpness in her gaze that told Cire she had seen everything.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice harsher than he intended.
Ruby crossed her arms, stepping closer. "Neither should you," she countered. "But here we are."
Cire frowned, unsure of how much to reveal. He'd kept the existence of the Warden System hidden, not just from Ruby, but from everyone. He didn't fully understand it himself, and the last thing he wanted was for anyone to think of him as a threat. But Ruby... something about her presence calmed the storm of thoughts in his mind.
"I had to do it," he finally admitted, glancing down at Yan's still form. "He was corrupt. The system... it demanded it."
Ruby's gaze lingered on Cire's face, her eyes narrowing slightly as if weighing his words. "The system?" she repeated. There was a softness to her voice now, as if she wasn't entirely surprised by his confession. "What kind of system are we talking about, Cire?"
For a moment, Cire considered telling her the full truth, explaining the Warden System and its connection to kleshas. But something held him back. He wasn't ready to share everything—not yet.
"It's complicated," he replied, his tone guarded. "But it's part of who I am. Something... I have to figure out."
Ruby didn't press him further, though the tension between them thickened. She studied him for another long moment, her expression flickering between curiosity and concern. "Just be careful, Cire," she said quietly. "This place—Xaishen, the academy—it's full of people who would do anything for power. Don't let yourself get swallowed up by it."
Her words struck a chord deep within him, and for a brief second, Cire saw a glimpse of the pain that lay beneath Ruby's carefully constructed exterior. She was just like him—fighting her own battles, carrying the weight of a family legacy that neither of them had chosen.
Before Cire could respond, Ruby turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the unconscious instructor.
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The next morning, Cire found himself standing in front of the academy's main hall, staring at the massive marble pillars that framed the entrance. The events of the previous night still weighed heavily on his mind, but he pushed them aside as he entered the building.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of incense, mingling with the faint hum of energy from the training rooms nearby. Cadets bustled through the halls, their voices hushed as they discussed their morning routines and upcoming lessons.
Cire made his way toward the central courtyard, where the academy's elite instructors often held impromptu lessons. He wasn't sure what he was expecting—maybe a reprimand for his actions with Yan, or worse, an expulsion. But when he arrived, everything seemed normal. Too normal.
Voltic waved him over from a nearby bench, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Morning, Cire. You look like you didn't get much sleep."
"Yeah, something like that," Cire muttered, sitting beside him.
Voltic raised an eyebrow, clearly curious but not pressing the issue. "Big day today. They're going to start introducing the advanced chi techniques. Ever heard of external chi channeling?"
Cire shook his head. "No, but I'm guessing it's something we'll need?"
"Definitely. It's the basis for most of the constable's combat techniques. You can manipulate your chi internally, right? But external chi channeling lets you project that energy into objects—like weapons, or even the environment around you."
As Voltic explained, Cire's mind wandered back to the Warden System. It wasn't exactly like chi manipulation, but there were similarities. The way it tapped into the essence of the people it targeted, how it absorbed their kleshas and turned them into fuel—it reminded him of the way chi energy flowed through the body.
But there was a darkness to the system, a hunger that unsettled him.
"Samsareth to Cire?" Voltic waved a hand in front of his face. "You still with me?"
Cire blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. Just... thinking."
Voltic studied him for a moment, his smirk fading. "You know, you're not the only one with secrets," he said quietly.
Cire looked up, startled by the sudden change in Voltic's tone.
"I've been watching you," Voltic continued. "You've got something going on. Something... different. And trust me, I get it. We all have things we're not ready to share." His gaze flickered toward the academy's main building, where the instructors were gathering for the day's lessons. "But just know that when the time comes, you'll have to decide who you can trust. Because in this world, keeping secrets can get you killed."
Cire felt a chill run down his spine. There was something in Voltic's voice—something more than just casual advice. It was a warning.
"Thanks, Voltic," Cire said, his voice low. "I'll keep that in mind."
Voltic nodded, his smirk returning. "Good. Now let's go learn how to blast things with chi."
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The rest of the day passed in a blur of intense training. The instructors introduced the cadets to external chi channeling, a technique that allowed them to project their internal energy into objects or the environment. Cire found the process surprisingly intuitive, his background in acupuncture giving him a natural understanding of how energy flowed through different mediums.
He practiced channeling his chi into a set of needles, watching as they glowed faintly with a soft blue light. When he threw them at a target, they struck with surprising force, embedding themselves deep into the wooden practice dummy.
"You're a natural," one of the instructors remarked, nodding in approval. "Keep practicing, and you'll be ready for advanced techniques in no time."
Cire felt a surge of pride, but it was quickly tempered by the nagging presence of the Warden System in the back of his mind. It hadn't spoken to him since the incident with Yan, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it demanded more.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the academy grounds, Cire found himself wandering toward the training yard where he had faced Yan the night before. The courtyard was empty now, the only sound the faint rustling of leaves in the evening breeze.
He stood there for a moment, lost in thought, before a voice broke the silence.
"You're thinking too much again."
Cire turned to see Ruby standing at the edge of the courtyard, her arms crossed and a faint smile on her lips.
"Maybe," Cire admitted. "There's a lot on my mind."
Ruby walked over, her expression softening as she met his gaze. "We all have things we're dealing with, Cire. But whatever it is you're going through... you don't have to face it alone."
Cire felt a warmth spread through his chest at her words. He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear that, how much he had been isolating himself from the people around him.
"Thanks, Ruby," he said, his voice sincere. "That means a lot."
For a moment, they stood in comfortable silence, the weight of their shared burdens hanging between them. And in that quiet moment, Cire realized that, despite the darkness he was facing, there were still people who cared—people he could rely on.
And that made all the difference.