The whistle blew sharply across the field.

Training began instantly.

Students spread across the marked zones, some jogging into position while others activated their abilities immediately.

A boy launched himself over a hurdle with reinforced legs. Two girls exchanged glowing projectiles further down the field. Nearby, someone generated floating metallic rings that spun around their arms.

Soraya stepped back, creating distance between herself and Yesu.

The field around them gradually slowed.

People were already watching.

Soraya raised one hand calmly.

Pale blue light gathered beside her arm before hardening into a sharp angular construct.

Not fire.

Not ice.

Solidified elemental matter.

Cleanly shaped.

A second construct formed behind her shoulder.

Yesu shifted awkwardly on instinct.

Soraya noticed.

"Don’t worry," she said evenly. "This is only training."

Then she moved.

Fast.

One second she was standing still.

Next, she was directly in front of Yesu.

A construction blade flashed.

Yesu barely raised her arm before the impact sent her stumbling sideways.

Gasps rose around them.

Soraya didn’t stop.

Another construct formed instantly behind her shoulder and shot forward like a spear.

Yesu ducked too late.

The attack clipped past her shoulder and tore through the sleeve of her training shirt.

"She can’t even defend properly." someone muttered nearby.

Mahirah watched quietly with folded arms.

So this was the famous transfer student?

Honestly...

This looked more reasonable.

Soraya attacked again.

Controlled. Precise. Efficient.

Each strike cornered Yesu further.

Yesu blocked badly.

Dodged late.

Lost balance repeatedly.

The difference between them was obvious.

Around the field, the tension eased into amusement.

A few students even started talking again.

"She really got into Prep?"

"There’s no way."

Another construct appeared beside Soraya like a floating shield.

She slammed it forward.

Yesu crossed both arms instinctively.

The impact pushed her backwards across the grass.

And then...

Soraya paused slightly.

Her next strike missed.

Barely.

Yesu had moved away before the construct fully formed.

Soraya attacked again.

This time Yesu ducked.

The murmuring around the field lowered.

Soraya’s eyes narrowed faintly.

A spear construct shot toward Yesu from the side.

Yesu turned immediately and blocked it away with her forearm before stumbling backwards.

Mahirah straightened slightly.

Apollo was leaning against the pole. Watching.

Soraya sped up.

Constructs formed faster now. Sharper. More aggressive.

Yet Yesu kept adjusting.

Not perfectly.

But too quickly.

She began reading the rhythm.

Avoiding direct hits.

Blocking at better angles.

The field gradually went quiet.

A construction blade swept toward Yesu’s shoulder.

She stepped aside at the exact moment and grabbed Soraya’s wrist instinctively.

Soraya’s eyes widened slightly.

Yesu froze too, like even she hadn’t expected herself to do that.

Then Soraya pulled away smoothly and leapt back.

Silence.

Even the students training nearby had stopped completely.

Soraya studied Yesu carefully now.

Not critically.

Curiously.

The pale blue constructs around her arms dissolved into particles.

"We’re done," she said.

Yesu blinked.

"Huh?"

A light breeze passed through the field.

Everyone stared.

Yesu’s breathing was uneven and her clothes were slightly torn, but she was still standing perfectly fine.

No one spoke.

At the far end, Mr Dandre had been taking notes.

***

Later that evening, students kept glancing at Yesu as she made her way to the dorm.

Inside, she walked past the elevators and took the stairs instead.

The stairs were quiet.

So was her room.

Yesu sat on her bed.

The telephone was still on the bedside table. She hadn’t touched it since the first day.

Not that she didn’t want to.

Her mind kept going back to the train station.

Yesu found it strange. She couldn’t ever remember dwelling on something before.

She shifted closer to the table and picked up the phone, dialed the number she could never forget then placed the phone to her ear.

The line ended abruptly.

It didn’t even ring.

It was just as she had thought.

And for some reason, she knew the line would never go through again.

***

The student council hall overlooked the academy courtyard through massive glass panels that stretched from floor to ceiling.

Rows of seats descended in neat layers toward the center floor where the executive council sat.

The atmosphere was formal.

Controlled.

Every recognized student authority in Echelon Academy was present.

Class prefects and their assistants occupied the middle rows while department representatives filled the upper sections.

The executive seats remained at the very front beneath the academy crest mounted high against the wall.

One seat was empty.

Vice President.

No one questioned it.

Olwen Viremont hardly attended general meetings unless necessary. Most students had accepted his absence as normal.

At the center seat, Winsley Ackerman rested one arm against the desk while reviewing several documents spread before him.

Calm.

Elegant.

Sharp-eyed.

Even seated, he carried the air of someone already accustomed to authority beyond the academy.

The hall gradually settled.

Mahirah sat several seats away from him with organized files arranged before her.

Secretary.

A position she despised.

Mostly because Ackerman never let her forget it.

"The next matter," Ackerman said smoothly, "concerns today’s training incident."

The hall stirred immediately.

Murmurs spread across the rows.

"So it’s true?"

"She actually adapted?"

"Against an Advanced Class user?"

Mahirah folded her arms.

"That is exactly the concern," she said coldly.

The room quieted slightly.

"She entered Echelon Academy listed as a Rank One transfer from a Zero district." Mahirah continued. "Now she has been placed into Prep and is displaying unidentified combat responses during training sessions."

Several students exchanged uneasy looks.

"She isn’t normal."

"No kidding."

A representative leaned forward.

"Has the academy released an updated classification?"

"No." another answered. "Nothing official yet."

The unrest deepened.

Some students looked uncertain now instead of angry.

Others looked even more irritated.

Ackerman flipped through a document lazily, seemingly uninterested in the tension around him.

"And since when," he asked casually without looking up, "did you become spokesperson for the emotionally distressed?"

A few students immediately lowered their heads to hide reactions.

Everyone knew who he was speaking to.

Mahirah’s eyes sharpened.

"At least I’m attempting to address the issue."

Ackerman smiled faintly.

"And yet you’re still secretary." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The atmosphere tightened instantly.

Everyone knew they disliked each other. Neither cared enough to pretend otherwise anymore.

Then a boy from the upper rows suddenly spoke.

"It doesn’t matter what happened during training."

Attention shifted toward him.

"She is still a Zero." he continued firmly. "Obviously she just got lucky."

Several voices immediately agreed.

"She shouldn’t even be here."

"This whole thing is humiliating."

"If other academies hear about this..."

"Helios already has." someone muttered.

The hall erupted again. Arguments overlapped loudly.

"You’re all overreacting."

"You didn’t see the fight."

"An Advanced Class student pulled back."

"That proves nothing."

Then a sharp voice cut through.

"Enough."

Ackerman’s voice wasn’t loud yet silence fell almost instantly.

He finally looked up from the papers before him.

Composed eyes scanned the hall carefully.

"The academy board has not reversed its decision," he said evenly. "Which means speculation serves no purpose."

The students remained silent.

Then Ackerman leaned back slightly.

"However..." he continued, voice smooth as ever, "student opposition will proceed regardless."

Mahirah glanced toward him briefly.

Even she looked mildly surprised.

Ackerman tapped a finger once against the desk.

"If the board insists on introducing uncertainty into Echelon Academy," he said calmly, "then the student body is well within its rights to remind them what this institution represents."