"This place is terrible."
Selene nodded thoughtfully.
"It grows on people."
William sighed.
"That sounds like mold."
Vale almost smiled.
Mara definitely did not.
His aunt walked toward him before anyone else could speak.
For a second, the room, the school, the diagrams, the schedules—everything else disappeared.
She adjusted the collar of his shirt the same way she used to when he was younger.
A small habit.
An ordinary gesture.
Which made it hurt more.
"You'll be fine here," she said.
"That is a very confident lie."
"It isn't."
"You left out the part where I believe you."
Her hand paused.
Then dropped.
"I have things to handle."
"Yeah," William said quietly. "That's the line people use when they don't want to explain things."
Her eyes sharpened.
"I'm trying to keep you alive."
"And I'm trying to know what's happening."
Neither moved.
The room went still.
Then Selene rose from behind her desk.
"You may continue this emotional destruction later," she said. "Preferably after lunch."
William blinked.
"…You know, I like her."
"Ignore that," Mara said.
"I'm trying," Selene replied.
His aunt exhaled slowly.
"I'll come back when I can."
"You said that already."
"And I meant it both times."
William looked away first.
That annoyed him immediately.
"Fine."
It wasn't fine.
But it was the best he had.
She stepped back.
Then she was gone.
Just like that.
Door open.
Door closed.
Silence.
William stared at the wood for two seconds too long.
Then he folded the schedule paper and shoved it into his pocket.
"…So," he said, voice flatter now. "Where do students usually go when abandoned dramatically?"
Vale answered first.
"Orientation Hall."
"Of course there's an Orientation Hall."
"There is also a Detention Hall," Mara added.
"Thank you for leading with threats."
The corridor outside felt colder than before.
Not physically.
Just emptier.
William walked beside Vale while Mara trailed behind like she expected him to commit a crime through posture alone.
"You could blink sometimes," he told her.
"I do."
"Convincingly?"
No answer.
Vale spoke without looking at him.
"She cares more than it appears."
"That is unfortunate for both of us."
"It is."
They passed tall windows overlooking the inner grounds.
Students moved between classes in groups. Some carried books. Others carried objects that glowed, floated, or looked mildly illegal.
One boy walked by with a small storm cloud following over his shoulder.
William stopped.
"…Is no one going to mention that?"
Vale glanced once.
"Second-year weather concentration."
"He has a thundercloud as homework."
"He failed last week. It was larger then."
William kept walking.
"Right. Normal school."
Orientation Hall was less of a hall and more of a theater built by people who enjoyed intimidation.
Tiered seating.
High ceiling.
Runes carved into pillars.
A circular platform in the center.
Dozens of first-year students already filled the seats.
Conversations buzzed until William entered beside Vale.
Then the buzz shifted.
Whispers.
Looks.
Recognition.
He hated being new and famous.
Daren waved from three rows up.
"Band-breaker!"
William pointed at him.
"Stop helping."
Serena sat nearby, arms crossed, watching everything with that same unreadable calm.
Kai was two seats over, somehow already talking to three people at once.
Jonah sat beside him in complete silence, which looked more dangerous than speaking.
Kai spotted William and stood immediately.
"There he is!"
"That sounded like a bounty announcement."
Kai grinned.
"Did they expel you already?"
"Almost promoted me, actually."
"Nice."
Jonah gave him a brief nod.
No smile.
That was basically applause from Jonah.
Vale stepped to the center platform.
The room quieted fast.
She didn't raise her voice.
Didn't need to.
"Welcome," she said. "You are here because you possess talent, potential, lineage, luck, or unfortunate timing."
A few nervous laughs.
William respected the honesty.
"This academy exists for one purpose: to prevent gifted young people from destroying themselves, each other, or nearby cities."
The laughs stopped.
"Some of you will struggle. Some of you will excel. Most of you will embarrass yourselves publicly before improvement begins."
She looked directly at William.
"That was not aimed at anyone."
"It felt personal," he said.
Several students laughed.
Vale continued.
"You have been sorted into preliminary classes based on affinity, control, and danger level."
William raised a hand.
"Why is danger level a school category?"
"Because experience taught us."
"Badly, I assume."
"Repeatedly."
Symbols lit above the platform.
Three large emblems appeared.
Class 1-A
Class 1-B
Special Assessment
Murmurs spread.
Vale gestured.
"Class 1-A receives accelerated training for students with high output, unstable rare traits, or exceptional combat potential."
Daren puffed his chest immediately.
"Called it."
"Sit down," Vale said.
He sat instantly.
"Class 1-B focuses foundational growth, discipline, and control."
Kai leaned toward Jonah.
"That sounds like they think I'm chaotic."
Jonah didn't look at him.
"They do."
"Rude."
"Accurate."
"Also rude."
Vale continued.
"Special Assessment is temporary placement for cases requiring observation."
All eyes shifted.
William sighed.
"…I hate this already."
"You should," Mara said from the wall.
"When did you get here?"
"I was always here."
"That is deeply unsettling."
After the announcements, students were dismissed by class groups.
Chaos followed immediately.
Questions.
Complaints.
One boy loudly insisted his aura had been "misread."
Another demanded a retest because his cousin was in 1-A.
Kai appeared beside William in seconds.
"We got split."
"You say that like prison."
"This is prison with uniforms."
Jonah approached more slowly.
"They placed you alone."
"Thank you, Jonah," William said. "I had somehow missed the giant public humiliation."
Jonah looked thoughtful.
"It wasn't humiliation."
"That's surprisingly kind."
"It was strategy."
William paused.
"…That is less kind."
Kai nodded.
"Yeah, that one hurt more."
A tall girl with braided silver hair stopped in front of William.
She wore the confident expression of someone who had never lost an argument.
"So you're the unstable one."
William looked around.
"I was hoping there were several."
She smirked.
"Liora. Class 1-A."
"William. Public spectacle."
"I know."
"That's becoming a problem."
She glanced at Kai and Jonah.
"Brothers?"
"Cousins," all three said at once.
She nodded once.
"Good. You don't look coordinated enough to be siblings."
Kai gasped.
"I've been attacked."
Jonah almost smiled.
Almost.
Liora walked off without another word.
William watched her go.
"…People here are weirdly aggressive."
Serena passed by behind him.
"She was being friendly."
He stared after Serena now.
"That might be the scariest thing said today."
Mara appeared again.
No footsteps.
No warning.
No respect for personal space.
"William. Come."
"No."
She blinked once.
"No?"
"I'm trying something new."
"Come."
"Ah. Failed experiment."
Kai laughed loudly.
"Brother, you folded instantly."
"Cousin," William corrected.
"Emotionally, brother."
Mara led him through another corridor toward a side chamber lined with mirrors.
That seemed suspicious immediately.
"I don't like rooms with mirrors."
"They are for measurement."
"That is worse."
She stopped in the center.
"Your placement remains undecided."
"I thought public embarrassment settled that."
"You are not in 1-A."
William blinked.
"What?"
"You are not in 1-B either."
"That feels unnecessarily dramatic."
"You will train separately until we understand what happens when you use power."
He stared at her.
"So I'm in Special Assessment."
"Yes."
"Which is just school language for 'problem.'"
"Correct."
"…I appreciate the honesty."
One of the mirrors lit up.
Instead of reflection, it showed rippling lines of light.
Mara handed him a small metal ring.
"Wear this."
"No."
"It suppresses flare response."
"That sounds fake."
"It is expensive."
"Less fake now."
He put it on.
Instantly, the pulse in his hand dulled.
Not gone.
Muted.
William's expression changed.
"…Okay."
Mara watched closely.
"You feel the difference."
"Yes."
"Good. That means it can help."
He looked at the ring.
Then at her.
"Or it means you people put a leash on me."
Silence.
Long enough to matter.
Then Mara said quietly:
"If we wanted a leash, you would know."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
William swallowed once.
"…Right."
She stepped back.
"Training begins tomorrow."
"Can I refuse?"
"No."
"Can I complain?"
"Constantly."
"That helps."
She moved to the door.
"One more thing."
"I was afraid of that sentence."
"When your hand pulses again—tell someone immediately."
William frowned.
"It already does."
"I know."
Her gaze hardened.
"If it starts pulsing in rhythm…"
She opened the door.
"Run."
Then she left.
William stood alone in the mirror room, staring at the ring on his finger.
The pulse beneath his skin had gone quiet.
But not dead.
Waiting.
And for the first time since arriving, William understood something worse than danger:
This school was afraid of him too.