The summons reached Lyra before it reached Kael.
ADVANCED ORIENTATION SESSION
RESTRICTED – CLASS D
Lyra read it twice.
It wasn't a reward.
It was a selection.
Kael heard about it through the corridors.
He didn't ask for explanations.
If they called her before me, he thought,
it's because they want to use her.
The room was small.
Too clean.
Lyra sat across from a man who wasn't wearing a school uniform.
"Congratulations," he said. "Your progress has been remarkable."
Lyra didn't smile.
"Why am I here?"
The man folded his hands.
"Because you're close to Class C. Perhaps beyond."
Lyra held her breath.
"But," he continued, "there are… variables."
Lyra immediately understood which one.
Meanwhile, Kael was stopped along the north corridor.
A student was waiting for him.
Black uniform.
Silver insignia.
Class S.
"Kael," he said without introducing himself.
"You walk as if you aren't afraid."
Kael looked at him.
"I walk."
The student smiled.
"My name is Eron."
A simple name.
Too simple.
"We're watching you."
Kael nodded.
"I know."
Eron walked beside him.
"Valencrest doesn't like anomalies.
But it knows how to use them."
Kael said nothing.
"You could rise quickly," Eron continued,
"if you accept guidance."
Kael stopped.
"And if I don't?"
Eron smiled.
"Then we'll guide those around you."
Silence.
An elegant threat.
Lyra exited the room with her eyes lowered.
Kael saw her from a distance.
He reached her.
"They offered you something."
She looked at him, surprised.
"How do you know?"
"You never look at your hands when you're calm."
Lyra lowered her gaze.
"They said I could rise."
Kael nodded.
"At what cost?"
Silence.
"They asked me to… distance myself."
The word hung in the air.
In the courtyard, Eron watched.
Rik passed by Kael.
"They're looking for you."
Kael already knew.
The pressure was changing shape.
No more challenges.
No more trials.
Relationships.
"If I stay with you," Lyra said softly,
"they might slow me down."
Kael didn't answer right away.
Then he spoke.
"What if they slow you down because you hesitated?"
Lyra clenched her teeth.
"I don't want to lose."
"Neither do I."
A silence heavier than before.
That evening, the rankings didn't change.
But the lines did.
Class S had moved a piece.
The administration had opened a door.
Lyra stood at the center.
And Kael…
Kael was running out of space to remain in the shadows.
Above, Arden read two reports.
One on Kael.
One on Lyra.
He closed both.
"They're getting too close," Maera said.
Arden nodded.
"Then it's time to separate them."
In the darkness of the dormitory, Kael stared at the ceiling.
This isn't a challenge, he thought.
It's a forced choice.
And Valencrest never asked.
It decided.
End of Episode 11.