Noctix stood completely still, breath sharp in his chest.
The air around him hadn't stopped shimmering.
Like something hadn't fully closed.
---
Kaia hadn't moved yet either.
She was staring at him now — not confused, not even impressed.
Just... curious.
"…You felt that, right?" he asked.
Kaia nodded slowly.
"Your mark… it pulsed way deeper than before. Like it reached into something you weren't even ready for."
---
He looked down at his arm.
The purple mark had shifted again.
The edges of the circle were cracked now, like something had split open inside it.
Fine lines of blue static laced through the glow.
Not just one color anymore.
Not just one phase.
---
Kaia stepped back, brushing her uniform down.
"Congrats," she said with a grin. "You just unlocked your first real ability."
Noctix blinked.
"You're not mad I disappeared behind you?"
"Oh, I'll get you next time. Just didn't expect a Slipline from a fresh mark."
She paused.
"...That move's supposed to be locked behind advanced-tier core compression."
---
He squinted. "What does that mean?"
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You're not even ranked, are you?"
---
Before he could answer, a loud clack echoed from the side of the arena.
Someone was walking down the stairs toward the ring.
Boots.
Long coat.
Clipboard.
Older. Stern. Eyes hidden behind tinted lenses.
---
"Training field's closed to first-years after sunset," the man said flatly. "Care to explain what's going on?"
Kaia's grin dropped.
She snapped to attention.
"Sir."
Noctix didn't move.
The man looked at him, then at Kaia.
"You're Kaia Rhest. Special transfer, East Program. Already cleared for mark-tier Rank B."
He turned to Noctix.
"You. ID?"
Noctix hesitated.
"I'm… Noctix."
"Last name."
"…Just Noctix."
The man tapped his screen.
Nothing showed.
---
"Unranked. No file. No scan history. Not even in the Core Registry."
He looked up.
"Then how," he said slowly, "did an unranked, unlisted, unclassified student… just perform a Veil Step?"
---
Kaia looked at Noctix.
He didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
---
The man tapped something on his clipboard.
Then said two words:
> "Rank Zero."
---
"What's that supposed to mean?" Noctix asked.
The man didn't smile.
"Means you don't fit into the system. So you're getting a classification of your own."
---
He stepped closer.
"You'll report for private calibration scans tomorrow. If your mark registers as what I think it is…"
He paused.
"...You're gonna attract attention. Real attention. So I suggest you figure out what side of the board you want to stand on."
---
Then he walked away.
Noctix stayed quiet.
Kaia tilted her head.
"...Rank Zero. Damn."
---
Up above, the drone in the sky flicked once…
then disappeared.
Transmission sent.
Target marked.
---
End of Chapter Ten.
Next: "The Rank Zero Test"