The shuttle's descent felt almost silent from the inside, just a faint hum vibrating through the metal floor beneath Rai's boots. He sat near the back, away from the others, staring out the narrow window as the academy's towers grew from thin silver lines on the horizon into jagged spears of glass and steel. Light caught on their edges like cold fire.
No one spoke to him. He preferred it that way.
The moment the doors hissed open, a rush of air hit him—colder than he'd expected, sharp enough to bite the inside of his nose. The courtyard was vast, paved in pale stone that reflected the mid-morning sun, and ringed with banners bearing the sigil of Idryma Academy: an open circle threaded with lines like a thought diagram. "People streamed past in clusters, each in their own distinct attire, with personal touches—rolled sleeves, untied collars, gloved hands." They all seemed to know where they were going.
Rai lingered at the edge, adjusting the collar of his jacket. His fingers moved slowly, deliberately, buttoning the top clasp even as someone brushed past him hard enough to jolt his shoulder.
"Watch it," the boy muttered without looking back.
Rai didn't respond. The words slid off him like water on glass.
A woman's voice cut through the noise from the far side of the square, calling for new arrivals to gather. Most students turned toward it immediately, but Rai's eyes stayed fixed on the crowd. He wasn't watching their faces — he was counting.
*One, two, three… thirty-eight.*
He knew the number would change. It always did. Most didn't last here long enough to breathe the air twice.
Someone stopped beside him. "You planning to join them, or just stand here till they forget you exist?"
The speaker was a boy a head taller than him, goggles resting on his forehead despite the clear sky. His tone carried the casual ease of someone who liked talking — maybe too much.
Rai finally looked away from the crowd. "Haven't decided yet."
The boy snorted. "Suit yourself. Just don't expect the instructors to—"
A loud crash cut him off — a suitcase spilling open nearby, its contents scattering across the stones. A girl knelt quickly to gather them, but two older students were already there, lifting an expensive-looking datapad from the pile.
"This yours?" one of them asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
She reached for it. "Give it back."
The boy stepped back, holding it out of reach. "Sure. If you ask nicely."
The crowd barely noticed.
The goggled boy standing beside Rai glanced at him. "Well? Gonna watch or help?"
Rai's hands tightened on his jacket collar. The choice wasn't difficult.
He stepped forward.
Rai didn't rush. He crossed the courtyard at the same unhurried pace he'd taken off the shuttle, his steps silent against the stone.
The girl was still reaching, the older boy still holding the datapad just out of her fingers. His friend had begun sifting through her other things—a folded jacket, a slim notebook.
"You don't need that," Rai said, voice flat.
The two looked up. The one holding the datapad smirked. "And you are?"
Rai ignored the question. "Put it down."
The boy's smile widened, but there was a flicker — not fear, just the smallest hesitation, like a hand hovering near a flame without realizing why. He dropped the datapad onto the ground with a clatter.
The girl snatched it up, clutching it to her chest.
The friend frowned. "What's your problem, stranger?"
"No problem," Rai said, already turning away.
It was over that quickly. No one in the crowd had really stopped to watch, and by the time he stepped back to the goggled boy's side, the conversation had already shifted around them.
The boy studied him for a moment. "You're weird. In a good way, maybe." He stuck out a hand. "Theo."
Rai looked at it, then shook it once. "Rai."
"Come on. If we're late for orientation, they'll probably find some other way to make an example out of us."
The idea of being made an example of meant nothing to Rai yet, but he followed anyway.
◇ ◇ ◇
Theo led the way toward a wide set of glass doors at the far end of the courtyard. Students were streaming in, the buzz of voices mixing with the faint hum of machinery overhead.
"You new to Idryma?" Theo asked without looking back.
Rai didn't answer immediately. "Yes."
Theo grinned. "You'll like it here… or you won't. Depends on how badly you hate almost dying."
They passed under the archway, into a hall lined with tall steel pillars. Screens along the walls displayed shifting diagrams—strange symbols overlaying silhouettes of human figures, each radiating light from their chests or hands.
"That's Eidon mapping," Theo said, pointing to one of the displays. "They'll probably tell you a whole lecture's worth later, but here's the short version: everyone's got an Eidon, but some are better at keeping you alive than others. Some just make you better at cooking."
Rai kept walking, his gaze skimming over the images without comment.
The hall opened into an amphitheater, already crowded with students. A raised platform sat in the center, and above it, suspended like a floating monolith, was a black obelisk etched with pale silver lines.
"Looks intense, right?" Theo said, taking a seat halfway up the tiered steps.
Rai didn't answer.
Theo smirked to himself and patted the empty spot beside him. "Suit yourself."
The amphitheater filled with low conversation, footsteps echoing against the steel floor. Rai's gaze drifted upward—the high ceiling swallowed the light, leaving the center stage stark under the white glow of overhead panels.
Then the room dimmed.
A figure stepped onto the platform—not tall, but sharp in presence. When they spoke, the air seemed to narrow around their voice.
"Welcome to Idryma."
The chatter died instantly.
"You are here because the Concord chose you. Some of you volunteered. Some of you were sent. All of you were noticed."
Their eyes swept the rows of faces.
"You were not brought here for comfort. You were not brought here for safety. You are here because you have something... an ability, will, instinct that can be shaped. Or broken."
Silence thickened.
"This academy will demand more of you than you think you have. Most of you will fail. Some of you will vanish before the term ends. The rest… will be changed."
Theo leaned slightly toward Rai, his voice low. "They're not kidding."
The instructor's gaze lingered on Rai for a fraction too long before moving on. "You will live, train, and be tested together. From this moment forward, the people sitting beside you are the difference between survival and failure. Learn them. Trust them, if you can."
The instructor let the silence stretch until even the fidgeting stopped.
"For now, you will not train. You will not fight. You will not even be told who stands with you. This week is yours—to breathe, to find your footing… or to lose it."
A murmur rippled through the rows.
"Your dorm sectors are assigned. Find them. Learn the faces you pass in the halls. Rest. In one week, you will return here for your team assignments. That will be the true beginning."
No one moved until the lights came up again. The instructor was already gone.
Theo blew out a slow breath and stood. "Guess that's our warm welcome." He glanced over at Rai. "C'mon, let's see what luxury accommodations we got."
Rai didn't answer, just rose and followed the current of bodies toward the wide exit. The hum of low voices filled the corridor, every footstep echoing like they were all walking into the same unknown.
◇ ◇ ◇
The corridor stretched ahead in clean, sterile lines—metal panels, glass insets, faintly humming light strips overhead. It didn't smell like home, or anywhere that could be home.
Theo kept pace beside him, hands in his pockets, eyes flicking to every group that passed. "You notice how no one's really smiling? Like they all just walked out of a funeral."
Rai didn't respond. The air felt heavy, but not from grief. More like anticipation with teeth.
They passed a cluster of students whispering in sharp, low bursts, their eyes cutting sideways at anyone too close. One of them glanced at Rai—and then looked away so quickly it was almost unnatural.
Theo slowed, tilting his head. "Guess everyone's sizing each other up. Can't decide if that's smart… or exhausting."
Ahead, signs hung from the ceiling, glowing with sector designations. Sector 3 – Dormitory Check-in pulsed faintly in green.
Theo caught sight of it and nudged Rai. "Which sector are you in?"
Rai frowned. "What's a sector?"
Theo stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "Check your ID card, genius."
Rai slipped the thin black card from his pocket, the surface humming under his touch. His name shimmered in silver lettering, and beneath it, a smaller line: Sector 3.
"There you go," Theo said with a smirk. "That's us. Thirty-Six people per sector. We'll be bumping into the same lot until someone dies or quits."
They followed the glowing signs into a wide hall where a single counter was staffed by a tall man in a grey uniform. He barely looked up from his console.
"Sector Three check-in?" he asked, voice flat.
Theo nodded.
"Rooms aren't fixed yet," the man said, tapping at his screen. "For now, find an empty one and make sure there's only two of you in it. That'll do."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "So… not our permanent place?"
The man's lips twitched in what might have been a smirk. "Not unless you make it through the month. Assignments can change—people can disappear. Best not to get too comfortable."
Rai didn't respond, but he caught the way the man's eyes lingered just a moment too long, as if measuring them for something.
"Keys are digital," the man added, sliding two small data chips across the counter. "Slot it in the panel beside the door you want. That's yours until told otherwise."
Theo pocketed his chip, muttering, "Friendly place."
Rai's gaze drifted to the long corridor beyond, where doors stood in neat rows. For a moment, the silence there felt heavier than the noise of the hall.
◇ ◇ ◇
They walked the corridor in silence, passing door after identical door. The floor hummed faintly beneath their boots, like the whole place was breathing.
Theo stopped halfway down. "This one," he said, slotting his chip into the wall panel. The door slid open with a muted chime, revealing a bare but clean room: two narrow beds, a desk, and a single strip of light across the ceiling.
Rai stepped inside first.
"Guess I'll take the one near the window," Theo said, dropping his bag.
A soft sound came from the doorway—too light to be footsteps, more like the air shifting. Rai turned.
Someone was standing there.
He was tall, his posture loose, his hood casting his face in partial shadow. Dark eyes flickered between them, unreadable. For a second, Rai could have sworn the boy hadn't been there a heartbeat ago.
"This room's taken," Theo said, a touch of irritation in his voice.
The hooded figure tilted his head, as if considering whether to respond. Then, with a faint nod, he stepped back and moved down the corridor without a word.
Theo let out a low whistle. "Sector Three's already full of weirdos."
Rai didn't answer. But he noticed the strange absence the boy left behind, like the air had only just remembered how to carry sound again.
The boy's footsteps—if there were any—faded quickly into the hum of the dorm. He moved like a shadow that didn't need a light to exist.
◇ ◇ ◇
Further down the hall, two girls passed him going the other way. One carried herself with a sharp stillness, gaze fixed forward, every movement precise. The other's steps were lighter, her eyes darting briefly toward him before drifting past, as if her thoughts were somewhere else entirely. Neither spoke.
He didn't watch them go. His attention stayed ahead until he reached another door. A soft hiss marked it opening, revealing a tall figure inside, standing by the bed. Black gloves were being pulled snug over steady hands, each motion deliberate. The gloved boy glanced up—not a greeting, not even curiosity—just a quiet measurement, as if weighing something he wouldn't share.
The gloved boy looked over his shoulder, his gaze steady and unhurried. "Sector Three?"
The hooded boy gave a quiet nod.
"Then this is yours," the gloved boy said, turning back to unpack with a calmness that felt like authority.
The hooded boy stepped in, the soft click of the door somehow loud in the room's still air.
The door slid shut behind him.
◇ ◇ ◇
The week passed in fragments—faces in the corridors, muffled chatter in the mess hall, the quiet mechanical rhythm of the academy's days. Rai kept to himself, speaking only when necessary. Theo filled the gaps with easy conversation, though even he seemed to notice when words slid off Rai like rain on glass.
Outside, the air was cooler by the seventh day, the light through the academy's glass corridors taking on a sharper hue. The summons came in the morning—a short chime on their wall panel, followed by a line of text:
**REPORT TO THE CENTRAL HALL FOR TEAM ASSIGNMENTS.**
Theo was already halfway to the door. "Finally," he said. "Guess we're about to see who we're stuck with."
Rai buttoned his shirt, not in any hurry.
The corridors buzzed with movement as students funneled toward the central hall. The low hum of conversation mingled with the echo of boots against the polished floor.
Theo wove through the crowd with easy confidence, throwing nods at people he vaguely knew. Rai followed at his own pace, eyes skimming the shifting sea of people.
They reached the hall's entrance—wide doors sliding open to reveal rows of seats and a raised platform at the front. Screens hung overhead, their displays flickering with names and sector numbers.
Theo leaned closer. "Sector 3's already gathering up front. Let's find a spot before the good ones are gone."
They slipped into the cluster of Sector 3 students. A few faces stood out—the hooded boy from earlier, leaning against the wall as if the noise around him didn't exist, and the other gloved boy further ahead, hands gloved in sleek black leather, adjusting the strap of his bag with deliberate precision.
On the platform, an instructor stepped forward, voice cutting through the chatter. "Alright, settle down. This won't take long. By the end of today, you'll know who you'll be working with for the foreseeable future. Your teams will be your support, your competition, and sometimes your only lifeline."
The screens above shifted, names beginning to arrange themselves into groups.
Theo craned his neck. "Let's see where we land."
The names began appearing in neat columns, slotting themselves under glowing headers.
Rai's eyes scanned the shifting list until he found his own.
SECTOR 3 - UNIT 6
• Rai Varen
• Theo Drayce
• Myren Halcross
• Kael Yurei
• Zeyra Lin
• Liora Ven
Theo grinned when he spotted his own name beside Rai's. "Looks like you're stuck with me."
Across the room, the hooded boy glanced at the screen, then back at Rai for the briefest moment before looking away.
The gloved boy didn't react at all, simply lowering his hands back into his pockets. Two girls stood nearby, speaking quietly, their eyes flicking toward the rest of the team.
The instructor's voice cut through the murmur.
"Pack your things tonight. Tomorrow morning, you move into your assigned facilities. Don't be late."
He let the silence stretch for a moment before adding,
"Remember those names. From the moment you leave this hall, your team is your priority."
The crowd began to spill toward the exits, a tide of voices and shuffling boots. Theo nudged Rai with his elbow.
"Guess that's us, Sector Three - Unit Six."
Rai fell into step beside him, the instructor's words still echoing in the back of his mind. "Your team is your priority."
They stepped out into the fading light of the academy courtyard. The air was cooler now, carrying the distant hum of the city beyond the walls. Students clustered in small groups, some already trading names, others walking off in silence.
Theo glanced at him. "So… think we got lucky?"
Rai's gaze drifted over the scattered faces, none of them familiar, all of them temporary.
"Doesn't matter," he said, voice flat.
Theo chuckled under his breath. "Yeah… we'll see."
They crossed the courtyard without another word, the sound of the crowd fading behind them, the looming shape of the dorms ahead.
___
They reached the entrance of the dormitory, the large metal doors sliding open with a soft hiss as they approached. Inside, the quiet hum of the building's air system was a welcome contrast to the low murmur of the outside world. The hall was dimly lit, the walls lined with doors to each room. A few other students wandered by, tired but satisfied, their voices echoing faintly off the polished floor.
Theo stretched, his shoulders rolling with the effort, and looked over at Rai, who was still as expressionless as ever. He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to crash. Tomorrow's probably gonna be hell, so we might as well rest up."
Rai barely nodded, his eyes distant. He wasn't sure what to expect tomorrow, but the feeling of unease hadn't left him since they'd arrived. He glanced down the hall at the empty rooms, the silence pressing in.
Theo started down the corridor toward their room, his pace slow but steady. "Come on," he said over his shoulder, his tone lighter now. "Let's get some sleep before we're thrown into whatever hell awaits us."
Rai followed, footsteps quiet on the smooth floor. "Yeah."
Inside their shared room, Theo dropped his bag onto one of the beds with a sigh of relief. He shrugged off his jacket and kicked his shoes aside. "I'm gonna crash for real. See you in the morning, Rai. Don't stay up too late, yeah?"
Rai stood by the door for a moment, his hands resting loosely at his sides. The dim light from the ceiling seemed to stretch into the corners of the room, casting soft shadows against the walls. Without saying anything, he moved toward his own bed, letting his bag slip to the floor as he sat down, looking out the window at the growing dark outside.
Tomorrow. A whole new chapter. But for now, he was alone with his thoughts.
"Goodnight," Theo said from his bed, already settling in.
Rai didn't respond. He closed his eyes, letting the quiet settle in around him.
The day was over. Tomorrow, they'd all face whatever awaited them.