Chapter 11
1029 Words
The following morning, I’d barely made it halfway through breakfast before my wrist-band lit up.
So the Headmaster wanted a chat. Never a good sign when the most powerful man in the academy calls you before class.
Leo nearly choked on his food. “The Headmaster? What did you do this time?”
“Apparently I existed,” I said, finishing my coffee. “Wish me luck—or don’t.”
He gave me a look halfway between awe and sympathy. “Just don’t make him angry. People who do usually disappear.”
“Encouraging,” I muttered, grabbing my jacket.
---
The elevator up the Central Spire was glass on all sides. The city stretched below like a model: training grounds, dorm blocks, defensive turrets disguised as statues. From up here, the academy looked peaceful—like a lie carved out of steel.
The doors opened into a wide corridor of black marble. Two sentries in ceremonial armor stood guard outside Drayke’s office. Their ranks flashed in the hundreds. Top tier.
One of them scanned my ID band, then nodded. “Enter. The Headmaster is expecting you.”
Inside, the office felt less like a room and more like a throne chamber. Bookshelves lined the walls; holographic maps floated mid-air, showing data streams I couldn’t decipher. At the far end stood Drayke, hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the horizon.
He didn’t turn around when he spoke. “Mr Palmer. You’ve caused quite a stir.”
I stopped two meters behind him. “Wasn’t aware attending class was a crime.”
A faint chuckle. “Deflection. You remind me of your sponsor.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“Perhaps not.” He finally turned. The silver in his hair glowed under the light, and his eyes—cold grey—studied me like I was an equation. “You handled yourself well during the evaluation. Better than expected.”
“I survived,” I said.
“Survival is often the best test of strength.” He gestured toward a chair. “Sit.”
I did. He poured two glasses of a dark liquid that smelled faintly metallic. “Do you know why I run this academy?”
I shrugged. “To train rankers.”
“That’s what they tell the public.” He handed me the glass. “In truth, I’m searching.”
“For what?”
He smiled slightly. “Patterns. Every ranking fluctuation, every ability awakening, every unexplained surge—each is a clue. Something—or someone—is altering the system.”
My pulse quickened. I kept my expression neutral. “And you think I’m one of those anomalies.”
“I know you are.” His tone carried no doubt. “The Council’s instruments couldn’t read you. Your energy signature doesn’t match any recorded category.”
Drayke’s eyes narrowed as his scan failed. “Interesting. Even the seal blocks me. Linsey’s work?”
“Ask her,” I said.
He chuckled quietly. “I did. She told me you were a walking paradox. I find paradoxes useful… and dangerous.”
He paced around me slowly. “Do you believe in destiny, Mr Palmer?”
“I believe in statistics.”
“Good. Destiny is simply probability with better marketing.” He stopped behind me. “Tell me—if you had the chance to change how the system works, would you?”
I looked over my shoulder. “Depends on the price.”
“There’s always a price.” He moved back to his desk. “I’m offering you something simple. Cooperation. You continue your studies here, you help me gather data on your ability, and in return, I ensure your protection.”
“Protection from what?”
“From everyone else who wants to dissect you.” He smiled thinly. “You’re not the only one Linsey’s interested in.”
The word dissect lingered too long in the air.
I breathed out slowly. “And if I refuse?”
“Then you’ll still be a student,” he said. “But I can’t promise accidents won’t happen. The academy is… unpredictable.”
A polite threat. I could almost respect that.
He tapped a console; a file appeared on the table’s display—my name, rank, and a list of data points ending in Fragment Possibility: 87 %.
My stomach tightened. “You keep files like this on every student?”
“Only the interesting ones.”
He pushed the file toward me. “Read it, if you wish. You might learn more about yourself than your system ever told you.”
The document flickered with encrypted lines, unreadable to the naked eye. I didn’t touch it.
“Permission to speak freely?” I asked.
“Granted.”
“You’re playing with something you don’t understand.”
He smiled again. “That’s what discovery is.”
---
When I left the office, the hallway felt colder. The guards didn’t meet my eyes. The elevator ride down was silent except for the steady thrum of the machinery.
Halfway down, my wrist-band vibrated.
> “Do not trust Drayke. He’s collecting fragments to rebuild the Core. Linsey knows. Stay quiet.”
I stared at the text until it vanished. The sender ID was scrambled, but I had a feeling it wasn’t random.
By the time I stepped out into the courtyard, clouds had gathered over the spire. Lightning flashed far above the towers, silent but sharp.
Leo waved from across the square. “Hey! How’d it go?”
I gave him a thin smile. “He likes me.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Not for me,” I said. “But definitely for him.”
---
Back in my dorm room, I threw myself onto the chair and stared at the city lights outside. The system pulsed again.
“Sub-level 3,” I repeated. “Guess we’re going underground now.”
The mark on my hand glowed faintly crimson, reflecting in the window like a second heartbeat. The academy’s towers loomed above the skyline—beautiful, dangerous, alive.
And somewhere in the shadows beneath them, the real academy waited.
- Writer
