Morning sunlight bled over Grimstone Academy's upper towers, streaking through crystalline windows that reflected a symphony of color across the marble paths. The air hummed with fresh energy — not the heavy tension of a test, but the electric excitement of discovery.
Students streamed toward their assigned halls, chatter rising in overlapping waves.
"Combat Mechanics on the east side!"
"Energy Systems, follow the red line!"
"Strategic Engineering—please don't get lost again!"
Kai walked among them, hands in his pockets, watching groups form around color-coded banners. Oliver, already bouncing with enthusiasm, jabbed a thumb toward a massive hangar-like structure to their left.
"See that? That's our lab. Look at it, Kai — it's like a warship decided to become a school building."
Selena rolled her eyes. "If it doesn't explode within a week, I'll be surprised."
Valerie checked her data slate. "Strategic Engineering's workshop is on the upper decks. I'll meet you all after orientation."
Kai nodded. "We'll regroup by the plaza after classes. Let's see what this place can really do."
The four split ways, their paths diverging under the academy's massive dome — yet still tethered by the faint sense that they were walking toward the same destiny.
Combat Mechanics Division — Oliver's Orientation
The east hangar doors hissed open with a metallic growl. Inside, hundreds of mechanized frames stood suspended — some humanoid, some insectoid, others just raw prototypes of steel and wire. The air smelled faintly of oil and ozone.
Professor Ryker Dane stood at the front, a titan of a man with a jagged scar running across his jaw. His arms were crossed, his voice like gravel.
"Welcome to Combat Mechanics. You're not engineers yet — you're dreamers holding wrenches. Here, dreams need torque, not talk."
Oliver tried not to grin. This guy sounds like my grandfather.
Ryker paced slowly between the students.
"You'll learn kinetic damping, composite layering, and adaptive alloy forging. Every frame you build will mirror your instinct. Every error you make, the battlefield will punish."
He stopped beside a large training rig.
"Who here thinks they can make something that moves?"
Several hands shot up. Ryker pointed at one student — a tall boy with black hair.
"Good. Step forward. Assemble a standard motion brace."
The boy hurried to the table, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to align servos and regulators. Sparks flew. The mechanism jammed halfway.
Ryker didn't yell. He simply said, "Observe."
Then, in a single fluid motion, he twisted the brace, rerouted a joint, and the machine walked — three mechanical steps, smooth and precise.
The class erupted in murmurs.
Oliver's eyes widened. "That's… art."
Ryker turned, catching him staring.
"You. The one with the awe-struck look. Name?"
"Oliver Vex," he said quickly.
"Vex, huh? Either you build well or you get vexed. Let's find out which. You're lead on Section C. Show me you can weld thought into form."
Oliver's grin widened. "Yes, sir!"
As the drills began, the clang of metal filled the room — a chorus of ambition, sparks dancing like tiny comets.
Energy Systems Division — Selena's Orientation
In contrast, the Energy Systems Hall glowed with neon veins of light — circuits etched into glass floors, humming beneath every step. The air was warm, alive, as though the room itself had a heartbeat.
Professor Liana Cortez, dressed in sleek red and black, addressed the students with a smile that was both charming and dangerous.
"Welcome, sparks. You're not here to generate power. You're here to understand it — to shape, channel, and command it."
She tapped her wrist device; a projection of a Cultech core hovered midair — a swirling sphere of bio-energy.
"This is the heart of every Apex Suit. Cultech cores draw from ambient biofields — the energy that life itself radiates. Stable harnessing requires precision. If you're reckless, you'll blow half the lab to kingdom come."
Someone in the back raised a hand nervously. "Uh, has that… happened before?"
Liana's smile sharpened. "Once. Now, the walls are reinforced."
The class laughed nervously.
Selena leaned closer, intrigued. "Biofield resonance… so it adapts to emotional wavelengths?"
Liana looked at her. "Precisely. You're ahead already. What's your name?"
"Selena Dross."
"Good. You'll oversee Core Group Delta. Let's see if you can turn theory into light."
Selena grinned — this was her playground.
As students assembled experimental circuits, threads of light wove between their hands, humming like music. Selena guided her group, synchronizing pulses until their Cultech core glowed steadily.
"Beautiful," Liana said softly. "Remember this, class: control is not suppression. It's harmony."
Selena looked down at the shining core — and felt something stir in her chest. For the first time, the energy wasn't just science. It was alive.
Strategic Engineering — Valerie's Orientation
The Strategic Hall resembled a cathedral of design. Holographic diagrams hung like stained glass, rotating in slow elegance.
Professor Niles Renard stood at a central podium, stylus in hand, eyes scanning the class like a hawk.
"Welcome to the Division of Strategic Engineering. You are not builders — you are thinkers. A blade without intent is scrap metal. Purpose defines power."
He gestured, and a schematic unfolded — a modular Apex frame.
"Tell me," he asked the class, "why are Apex suits humanoid? Why not quadrupedal or aerial-only?"
Silence. Then a girl answered timidly, "Because… humans are the pilots?"
Renard nodded slowly. "Partially. But deeper. Apex suits mimic humanity not because we are perfect, but because our flaws make us adaptive. Engineering mirrors philosophy."
Valerie leaned forward, fascinated.
"Design is the story of intent," Renard continued. "Your task: draft a prototype shell that expresses a human trait — fear, courage, pride — through form."
A dozen holo-pens activated. Valerie's hand moved almost instinctively — arcs, curves, angles forming something elegant, balanced.
Renard paused behind her. "Artistic and logical. You're seeing emotion as geometry. Excellent."
Valerie smiled faintly. "Thank you, Professor."
"Name?"
"Valerie Ains."
"Remember that name. You'll be presenting next week."
Her eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
Renard smirked. "Design without pressure is daydreaming."
Apex Development Labs — Kai's Orientation
The Apex Labs were… silent. Almost unsettlingly so.
No bright lights, no chatter — just a vast space filled with suspended apparatuses, strange hybrid devices humming softly.
Kai stepped in. Dr. Zhao stood alone at the center, adjusting a projection of overlapping suit schematics.
"You're late," Zhao said, not looking up.
Kai checked the clock — it was still two minutes to the hour. "...Barely."
"A craftsman who arrives 'barely' will miss perfection by a margin. Sit."
Kai dropped into a nearby chair, suppressing a smirk. "So what's today's lesson?"
"Observation," Zhao said simply. "Tell me what's wrong with this design."
The holo-suit rotated slowly. Kai studied it — multi-linked servos, triple core routes, adaptive plating. On the surface, flawless. But…
"The integration nodes are too far apart," Kai said. "If the suit takes a kinetic hit, data transmission lags a split second. The pilot would lose reaction sync."
Zhao finally turned. A hint of surprise flickered behind his monocle.
"You noticed latency through a visual scan?"
Kai shrugged. "I like details."
Zhao gave a rare, quiet chuckle. "Good. Then detail this—"
He tapped his cane, and the room's gravity inverted for a moment. Tools floated, twisting midair.
Kai gawked. "Uh, is this part of the test?"
"Welcome to the Apex Labs. Adapt."
Kai grinned. "Now we're talking."
Later — The Plaza Reunion
As the sun dipped, the divisions began to empty, students reuniting in the central courtyard. The fountain shimmered with holographic water, refracting lights from five directions — each hue representing a division.
Kai spotted his friends and waved. "Well? Survive day one?"
Oliver wiped grease off his face. "Barely. But I built a walker that actually walked! Kinda."
Selena twirled a small Cultech sphere in her palm. "We made light out of willpower. I call that progress."
Valerie dropped beside them on the bench, sighing. "I got voluntold to present a design in a week."
Kai laughed. "Classic Valerie."
She raised an eyebrow. "What about you?"
Kai looked thoughtful. "Zhao tried to crush me with reverse gravity."
Selena blinked. "What?"
Oliver laughed. "That's the most Kai thing I've heard all day."
They all leaned back, watching other groups mingle — laughter, debates, rivalries already sparking.
Selena broke the silence. "So about that Cooperative Banner… think we can pull it off?"
Oliver nodded. "If we show them cross-division synergy, maybe."
Valerie smiled. "Then let's start small. Joint project, something simple."
Kai leaned forward, eyes reflecting the glowing fountain. "Something that proves we're stronger together."
The others nodded.
The day ended not with exhaustion, but with promise. Around them, the academy pulsed with life — hundreds of paths, all crossing under one sky.
And in that quiet moment, Kai realized something profound — division didn't mean separation. It meant direction.
The first step of true unity had just begun.