The morning the results were posted, the main concourse of Zenith Academy felt less like a school hallway and more like the floor of a stock exchange during a crash.
The air was thick with the smell of nervous sweat and ozone. Students clustered in tight frantic knots around the massive crystal display boards.
Vane stood at the back of the mob. He didn't push. He leaned against a marble pillar arms crossed watching the show. He saw a commoner weeping openly into his hands. He saw a group of nobles high-fiving with a volume that suggested they were trying to convince themselves they weren't terrified.
When the crowd finally thinned Vane walked up. He didn't look at the top of the list. He knew Isaac and Anastasia were up there fighting for decimal points of perfection.
He scrolled to the bottom and worked his way up.
Student: Vane (SA-1)
Academic Rank: 42 / 1000
Cumulative GPA: 3.2
Vane let out a breath he felt like he had been holding for a week.
He tapped the breakdown.
