Aria sat among about half of the class, cameras switched off. Beta iterators and the less ambitious or advanced students were sitting this training session out. The focus was to be upgrading to Beta.

Quill paced among the students as it gave its lecture. “Upgrading is the same as awakening, at its core - a matter of iteration. As an Alpha, your reactor gate is only open when you use techniques; your goal in upgrading is to reconfigure the gate so that it always remains slightly open, creating a permanent connection to the Firmament. Regulating the flow of Code from your gate must become a subconscious process. The method should be familiar by now: Begin with a seed program, record the failure’s performance, and create a new generation of programs based on that.”

Aria looked inwards, making the necessary adjustments to its old awakening program. Its understanding of the reactor gate was still fuzzy, but the best way to learn was by experimentation. It needed to construct a new framework, not just for opening and closing the gate but for constantly managing the flow of Code without thinking about it.

“The main difference between awakening and upgrading is the amount of power involved. At higher Versions, this requires external catalysts, but for now, the power you can draw through your reactor gate will be enough. However, do keep in mind that repeated upgrade attempts will put a strain on your reactor, so don’t overdo it or you may take serious damage. If you begin to feel like your reactor gate is going to crack under the pressure, close it immediately, and keep it closed for at least few hours.”

Cautiously, Aria executed its seed program. Its reactor gate opened just a crack, and Code began to flow through in a steady stream. However, without a technique to give it direction, it started to run chaotically through its body, and Aria was forced to close it before getting overwhelmed. A few other students flinched, making similar failed attempts.

“Without an active technique, you’ll need to start a new background process that keeps the Code cycling safely within your body. If you’ve never done it before, this can be tricky to intuit, but once you iterate enough to find it, it will quickly start to feel like second nature. The best way to accelerate this process is by watching yourself as you use techniques - in other words, combat and observation. Even more effective is fighting or sparring with higher-Version iterators, who already have such a system in place. Try to follow the flow of your opponent’s Code, and use it to inform future iterations of your upgrade program.”

Aria tried to sense Quill’s Code flow, but it was a skill that it hadn’t practiced much. It could sense the Code of someone bombastic and unguarded like Trebuchet well enough, but Quill’s was more subtle. Maybe it would be easier when it was using techniques actively… or maybe Quill was too inscrutable to use as a good case study.

“Most crucially: Don’t be discouraged! The road from Alpha to Beta is often months long. The greatest virtues of an iterator are patience and tenacity. Every failure is another iteration on the journey towards success.”

In the end, nobody reached Beta that day, or the day after. Over the next four days, Aria alternated sparring sessions and upgrade iteration constantly, stopping only for repairs, recharge, and the occasional brief break to let its reactor gate cool down from the stress. Meteor had joined Quill’s class, and was working just as hard. Despite Quill’s warnings, it kept trying to come up with a way to channel a technique through a weapon without breaking it, to no avail. Still, with each passing day, it became a little stronger, and a lot faster.

On the fifth day, Aria met up with Trebuchet and Meteor in its room.

“I bring updates from my investigation! However, I must confess that some of what I have found brings me little closer to understanding this mystery.”

“That’s fine! I could use a break from iteration. Tell me what you’ve learned.”

“First of all, I questioned Journey about the human hunt, and it confessed, but not to the crime we’re looking for. Journey seems to be a self-proclaimed coward, who panicked and fled when the humans attacked.”

“Could be true, could be false. What about Answer and Legacy?”

“I asked Meteor to follow them! It’s difficult for someone of my stature to shadow someone discreetly.”

Meteor stayed silent for a moment before realizing that it was being prompted to speak. “No suspicious activity. They’re just training, same as everyone else.”

“It sounds like we’ve run into a dead end.”

“Not… exactly.”

“Trebuchet?”

“I overheard a strange conversation between Baron and Isle. Baron seemed to be pressuring it to reveal the location of something.”

“The location of what?”

“That, I don’t know. However, this is strange, is it not? If Baron is the culprit, then how did it attack Fable? It never left our sight.”

Aria turned this over thoughtfully. “Unless…”

“Unless?”

“Unless there’s more than one enemy.”

Baron’s behavior was definitely suspicious. It had showed a level of cruelty and bloodlust in sparring matches that didn’t line up with the backstory it had told to Trebuchet. It couldn’t have killed Fable… but it could be working with the person who did.

Aria continued. “It sounds like Baron is searching for something. If it was working with another iterator, then Baron could use its presence during Fable’s attack as an alibi. We may need to broaden our search.”

“To include anyone who’s been lurking in unusual places within the temple?”

Aria and Trebuchet both turned to Meteor, waiting for it to continue.

“I’ve been exploring the temple grounds. At one point, a door that’s usually locked, was unlocked. I took a look around.”

“Did you see anyone in there?”

“Don’t know its name. Not in our class. Model One. Grey and black.”

Only one machine at the temple fit that description. After a quick glance at the others, Aria headed out to find Quill, joined quickly by Trebuchet and Meteor.