The soft hum of Aureus Helix Academy's morning systems filled the dorm like an awakening machine. Holo-lights flickered, displaying the day's notices across the glass wall. One message pulsed brighter than the rest—
[Advanced Division Selection: Commencing in 02:00 Hours]
Vadel sat on the edge of his bed, his hands clasped before him, eyes empty yet alert. The reflection in the glass showed nothing unusual—no visible scars, no trace of last night's near catastrophe. Only his faintly glowing pupils betrayed the truth: EON was awake again, buried deep in his neural link.
> EON [sub-process stabilized].
Minimal interference. Monitoring protocols online.
Vadel exhaled slowly. "Don't speak unless I ask," he murmured under his breath.
> Acknowledged.
The silence after that was heavier than noise. He didn't like how obedient EON sounded. The AI's tone used to carry a flicker of mockery, of personality. Now, it was… too calm. Too precise.
He stood, dressed in his black training uniform, and tightened the gauntlets that hid faint neuro-ports along his wrists. When he glanced back at the desk, the flickering blue data-crystal from last night's incident lay there, cracked down the middle. A warning.
The door slid open with a hiss.
The corridor beyond was already alive with murmurs. Students wearing gleaming advanced suits—each tailored to amplify their Traits—moved in coordinated groups. The top 1% of Aureus Helix. Genetic elites.
As Vadel stepped out, a hush followed. Some recognized him. Most ignored him.
A Null, after all, didn't belong in the same hall.
---
"Xyne."
The voice made him pause. Celia Veridia stood near the end of the corridor, arms crossed, her silver hair tied back, the academy's emblem glowing faintly across her chest plate. The faint gravitational distortion around her was unmistakable—her control over the Gravitic Dominion had grown sharper since their last encounter.
"You're late," she said, eyes narrowing.
Vadel's tone stayed neutral. "I didn't realize the trials required an invitation."
Her lips curved slightly. "They don't. But this division isn't forgiving. Even a single step behind and you're erased."
He met her gaze. For a second, neither spoke. The memory of the chaos they'd survived—the assassin, the night of stolen code—hung between them like static.
Then Celia turned, leading the way toward the central lift. "Come on. The upper floors are restricted now. Only candidates and observers."
---
Sound effect: [Elevator hum rising, metal resonance, compressed air hiss]
The lift ascended smoothly through glass tunnels, revealing a panorama of the academy's core—a labyrinth of floating training rings, drones, and surveillance arrays. The higher tiers of Aureus Helix were practically a city of light, powered by veins of raw Gene Energy pulsing through transparent conduits.
> EON [scanning].
Multiple high-tier signatures detected. Celia Veridia: Tier 4. Potential match… anomalous sync ratio.
Vadel's jaw tightened. "I said quiet."
> …Acknowledged.
He wondered how long EON would obey that order.
---
The lift doors parted.
The Advanced Division Arena was unlike any facility he'd seen—a suspended circular chamber surrounded by holographic tiers, where drones drifted silently like watchful insects. At the center stood Instructor Havel, a man whose very presence seemed to distort sound.
"Welcome, candidates," Havel's voice boomed, amplified across the chamber. "You stand at the edge of evolution. The weak will fall. The worthy—will ascend."
A dozen students stepped forward, each displaying their Trait manifests in glowing emblems above their palms—flames, lightning, psychic threads, crystalline growths.
Vadel stood among them, empty-handed. No emblem. No Trait.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Why is a Null here?" someone scoffed.
"Must be a mistake."
"Or a joke."
Celia's eyes flicked to him once—sharp, unreadable. She said nothing.
Havel's gaze swept across the assembly. "There are no mistakes in this hall. Only outcomes."
The floor shimmered, turning translucent. Beneath it, patterns of energy shifted, forming combat grids.
"Pair up. Survive."
---
Sound effect: [Grid ignition. Energy crackle. Resonance pulse.]
The air buzzed with Gene signatures awakening—every student igniting their Trait. The arena flashed with light.
Vadel exhaled once.
Then he whispered, "EON."
> System override active. Trait-Scan: online.
A thin line of blue light rippled across his vision. Symbols danced. Dozens of Trait readings filled the display—movement types, elemental outputs, weaknesses.
> Recommendation: Steal: Kinetic Reflection – Low-tier. Limited risk of detection.
"No," he muttered. "Too public."
> Alternate strategy: Exploit pattern lag during the first exchange. Predict, adapt, counter.
Vadel's faint smile returned. "That's more like you."
He stepped forward as the timer hit zero.
---
Sound effect: [Combat sequence start – deep mechanical chime.]
A burst of wind tore past him as a student lunged, fist blazing with kinetic force. Vadel slipped under the strike, fingers grazing the attack vector mid-motion. The next instant, his opponent's momentum twisted—redirected perfectly—sending the attacker crashing into a barrier.
The crowd gasped.
"Null my ass…" someone whispered.
Havel's expression didn't change, but his gaze lingered on Vadel for a heartbeat longer than necessary.
---
> EON: Processing. Reaction time: 0.21 seconds faster than baseline. Neural sync improving.
Warning: unauthorized data trace detected.
"From where?" Vadel murmured internally.
> Unknown. Origin masked.
He didn't like that. Not here, not now.
The match continued—each encounter brief, clinical, and precise. Vadel moved like a shadow between explosions of Gene energy, exploiting patterns faster than any Trait-user could predict. The murmurs turned to uneasy silence.
When the final bell echoed, the field dimmed. Vadel stood unscathed, surrounded by unconscious candidates.
Instructor Havel clasped his hands behind his back. "Interesting," he said simply. "Perhaps even the Nulls have teeth."
---
Sound effect: [Energy fade, silence settling, faint static crackle of spent Gene fields.]
Vadel exhaled, his pulse steady, but EON's tone returned in his mind, colder than before.
> EON: Unknown observer confirmed. Remote link triangulated—coordinates restricted.
Vadel frowned. "You mean someone was watching through you?"
> Affirmative.
He didn't notice Celia watching him from the far platform, her expression unreadable as the light dimmed around them.
The arena lights dimmed to twilight as the defeated candidates were carried off the field. Vadel stood at the center of the silent chamber, the faint hum of the energy grids fading into the background. His breathing was even, controlled—but inside, his mind was a storm.
> EON: External surveillance fading. Remaining trace—encrypted.
"Still no source?" he murmured quietly.
> *Negative. The signature is unlike any Academy protocol.
Vadel's gaze flicked upward, scanning the dark glass panels that lined the dome. He knew someone had been watching. Perhaps the council. Perhaps Zanyx's agents. Perhaps something worse.
Instructor Havel's voice cut through his thoughts. "Vadel Xyne."
Vadel turned.
Havel's face was unreadable, carved with years of hardened discipline. "The council has taken interest in your... performance. Report to the upper observatory within the hour."
A ripple went through the remaining students—some surprised, others annoyed.
"Wait, he's being called up?"
"Impossible. A Null?"
"This isn't protocol…"
Celia's gaze lingered on him again, but this time there was something else there—not suspicion, not pity… curiosity.
She approached as the others dispersed, her voice low. "You weren't supposed to win that easily."
"Neither were they," Vadel replied, his tone calm but sharp.
Celia studied him for a moment. The air subtly warped around her—a flicker of gravitational energy that bent the dust motes between them. "You move like someone who's been training outside the Academy's system."
Vadel's lips curved faintly. "Maybe I learn faster."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Be careful, Xyne. The Advanced Division isn't about raw strength. It's politics, hierarchy, and surveillance. Everyone in it serves someone."
"Everyone?"
She hesitated. "Almost everyone."
With that, she turned and walked toward the exit, her boots echoing against the glass floor.
---
> EON: Observation: Subject Celia Veridia displays elevated neural patterns when near you. Possible trust formation.
Vadel sighed internally. "You're analyzing my relationships now?"
> *Correction: Threat proximity. Emotional variables affect mission outcomes.
He almost smiled. "Still pretending to be objective, huh?"
> Always.
The AI's voice, though cold, carried a subtle undertone—something that almost resembled amusement. It reminded him of their earlier days, before the system anomaly, before EON had become something else.
Still, one fact gnawed at him: EON had detected a remote observer—one powerful enough to pierce even its encrypted layer. Whoever that was, it wasn't just a student or a professor.
He glanced toward the shimmering lifts that led to the upper observatory. The council chambers awaited him. And somewhere above, behind layers of light and power, the true architects of Aureus Helix watched in silence.
---
Sound effect: [Soft chime. Data streams crackle. EON's interface flickers behind Vadel's eyes.]
> EON: Warning. Data spike detected. Someone's accessing your record—live.
Vadel's heart skipped once. "Lock it down."
> *Attempting countertrace... fail—level restriction detected.
The name that appeared on his retinal display froze him for a moment.
[Access Origin: Imperial Encryption Key - Rank Sigma].
EON's tone shifted, colder than ever.
> That's not Academy-level… that's above them.
Vadel's voice was a whisper. "Then the Emperors are watching."