Aiden woke to pain.
Not sharp pain.
Not burning pain.
The kind that lived in his bones and refused to leave.
He tried to move.
Nothing happened.
Panic flared—then faded as his System sluggishly responded.
[CONSCIOUSNESS: STABLE]
[MOTOR CONTROL: PARTIAL — LOWER LIMBS UNRESPONSIVE]
[NEURAL STRAIN: SEVERE]
"…Great," Aiden muttered. "Paralyzed. That's new."
"You're not paralyzed," a voice snapped. "You're overloaded."
Aiden's eyes slid open.
White ceiling.
Clean stone walls etched with glowing runes.
Medical bay.
Elara sat beside the bed, dark circles under her eyes, arms crossed like she hadn't moved in hours.
"You scared the hell out of me," she said quietly.
Aiden swallowed. "You should see the other guy."
She didn't laugh.
He noticed that immediately.
"…What happened?" he asked.
Ronan leaned against the far wall, arms folded, expression grim.
"After you blacked out," Ronan said, "the Trial Grounds sealed. Emergency recall kicked in."
"Lucky timing," Aiden rasped.
Ronan shook his head.
"No. Not lucky."
Elara stood up. "They scanned you."
Aiden's stomach dropped.
"Who's they?"
The lights dimmed.
Footsteps echoed.
Three figures entered the room wearing obsidian academy cloaks—
silver crests burning faintly on their chests.
Overseers.
High authority.
One stepped forward.
A tall woman with steel-gray eyes.
"Candidate Aiden Vale," she said flatly.
"You have been flagged by the System."
The System flickered on its own.
[GLOBAL NOTICE — RESTRICTED ACCESS]
[CANDIDATE STATUS UPDATE]
Red text filled Aiden's vision.
[CLASSIFICATION: ERROR ENTITY]
The room went dead silent.
Elara's breath caught.
Ronan's jaw tightened.
Aiden felt cold.
"Error… entity?" Aiden repeated. "You mean like… a bug?"
The Overseer didn't blink.
"An anomaly that should not exist within the current system framework."
"That's comforting," Aiden muttered.
Another Overseer spoke, voice lower.
"You resisted a Ranker.
You influenced a Floor Guardian.
You exerted authority without clearance."
Aiden exhaled slowly.
"Yeah… rough day."
The woman's eyes hardened.
"Your presence threatens system stability."
The System chimed again:
[RECOMMENDATION RECEIVED]
[DISPOSAL PROTOCOL: UNDER REVIEW]
Elara stepped forward.
"You can't be serious! He saved lives! He nearly died!"
"Emotion is irrelevant," the Overseer replied.
"Order must be preserved."
Aiden's hands clenched weakly.
"So what?" he said. "You're going to execute me now?"
The Overseer met his gaze.
"No."
Aiden let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Then she continued:
"We will observe you."
His relief vanished instantly.
"You will remain enrolled," she said.
"But under special conditions."
The System updated:
[STATUS: ERROR — UNDER SURVEILLANCE]
[RESTRICTIONS APPLIED]
[AUTHORITY ACCESS: LOCKED]
Aiden grimaced.
"Wow. Jail, but with homework."
Ronan snorted despite himself.
The Overseer ignored it.
"You will be ranked separately.
You will not receive standard rewards.
And if you destabilize the system again—"
Her gaze sharpened.
"You will be erased."
Silence pressed down on the room.
Elara grabbed Aiden's hand, squeezing hard.
Aiden squeezed back as best he could.
"…Fair," he said quietly.
"But just so you know?"
The Overseer paused.
Aiden met her eyes.
"I didn't ask to be an Error."
The System pulsed once.
[ERROR RESPONSE LOGGED]
The Overseers turned and left.
The door sealed shut.
Ronan exhaled heavily.
"…You just got placed on a very short leash."
Aiden stared at the ceiling.
"Yeah," he whispered.
"But at least now… I know they're scared."
The System flickered one last time before going quiet:
[ERROR ENTITY — WATCHED BY THE SYSTEM]