Gasps. Sharp intakes of breath. A chair scraped backward too quickly. A hush followed the shock, and then the murmurs began.
"How... How did we miss this?" one of the observers whispered, eyes narrowing as if the shadows themselves had conspired.
"She held back," another said, but the words sounded less like an accusation and more like disbelief.
"No," a third voice cut in, lower, tense. "We saw fragments, yes. But never all. Something shielded her. Who trained her to block memory liquid ?"
I sat still, spine straight, as though any movement might scatter the images further. I said nothing. If they wanted words, they would have to tear them from mine throat, and I would not gift them freely.
"Why show us this? I believe she is able to choose what to show," a woman demanded, not looking away from the wall.
"Who trained you to block?" Another woman snapped.
"Who do you belong to?" A third person asked.
I draw one breath, choosing not truth or lie yet, just the size of the angle, and the far door clicks.
Small sound. The room empties itself of noise to make space for it.
A man enters carrying the envelope I delivered, the one that granted me permission to take the exams. He didn't sit. He cleared his throat once, the way men do when they intend to be believed.
"Letter from Operations," he said, breaking the seal. "Commander Kael King. Authorization and sponsorship."
He unfolded the page. Paper rasped; the sound felt heavier than it should.
"To the Intake Board, Hunters Academy - Nerava Facility. From Commander Kael, Operations," he read, eyes moving but voice steady. "Subject: Authorization and Sponsorship- Entrance Examination. Candidate: Anna, provisional surname King."
A few heads turned my way. I kept my face still.
"I'm authorizing the candidate who currently answers to Anna to sit for the full Entrance Examination. For administrative purposes, she will use the provisional surname King with the bearer's consent."
The old man glanced at me briefly, then seemed to decide the page already knew everything it needed.
"Extraction and condition," he went on. "Recovered during an Operation Triage sweep in Zone Two. Low dose neurotoxin exposure consistent with memory partitioning. Ward clearance for exertion. Vitals stable. Expect atypical recall patterns. Observed performance: Straight Test passed. Engaged John in controlled confrontation. No panic response under duress. Continuous environmental scanning. Accurately reads surveillance arcs. Resists bait. Selects action only when delay risks creating victims. Risks and mitigations: Unknown past, more likely survivor than civil. Maintain telemetry, staggered debrief, keep inside Academy chain of custody. Affect profile: flat post-incident, not dissociative."
He slowed on the next paragraph, as if weighing each word as he carried it.
"Recommendation: Admit to exam"
The old man's mouth almost softened at that. Almost.
"Administrative notes: Provisional name for forms: Anna King. When a door requires a name, this one closes the right ones. Evidence/tag in custody. Candidate consents to full monitoring and injury waivers."
He read the last line quietly, like a private promise spoken in public. "If she fails, I'll walk her out myself. If she passes, don't waste her on clean corridors. Commander Kael King."
Silence.
"Questions?" he asked the ceiling.