The sun did not rise over Astraea Academy.
It announced itself.
Golden light poured through the glass walls of Suite 001, spilling across the marble floors.
Xavier was already awake. He hadn't slept.
All night, he had memorized the names of every board member and the stock prices of every classmate's company.
He walked into the main living area.
Julian Thorne sat at the long marble table, dressed in a black suit that looked as if it had been carved from shadows.
A holographic news feed floated in front of him. His face was perfect boredom.
"The Welcome Brunch starts in an hour," Julian said without looking up.
"The Headmistress hates tardiness. Shows weakness. In this school, being late is the same as being irrelevant."
Xavier ignored him. He went to the kitchen, poured a cup of black coffee, and drank it slowly.
[ CURRENT BALANCE: $26,000.01 ][ MISSION STATUS: THE FOUNDER'S BRUNCH — ACTIVE ]
Twenty-six thousand dollars.
A fortune in the slums.
Here, barely enough to buy a nice watch.
He needed it to buy power, not possessions.
"System," Xavier thought.
"You said there are nineteen other 'fakes.' How do I find them?"
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
[ THE EYE OF CAPITAL IS ACTIVE ][ LOOK FOR 'RED SMOKE.' TRUE HEIRS HAVE GOLD GLOW. FAKES HAVE RED SMOKE. ]
Xavier's eyes narrowed.
This was his edge.
He wasn't just playing the game—he had the secret code to see the world.
The Grand Dining Hall
The hall was a palace.
Gold leaf ceilings. White silk-draped tables. Hundreds of the richest teenagers in the world laughed, drank, and discussed yachts, private islands, and markets.
Xavier walked in.
Back straight. Head high.
His suit had no label, no brand—but it fit so perfectly everyone assumed it was worth a fortune.
He scanned the room.
Most students glowed faintly gold.
Real money. Old blood.
Julian's glow was nearly painful. Bright as a sun.
Then Xavier saw the Red Smoke.
A girl in the corner, laughing too loudly. A thin trail of red rising above her head.
A boy near the buffet, fingers twitching on his watch. Red Smoke.
By the time Xavier reached Table One, he had counted five.
Five students just as desperate as he was. Five pretending to be something they were not.
"You're staring, Valerius," Julian said, sliding into the seat next to him.
"It's rude."
"I'm not staring," Xavier replied, picking up a silver fork.
"I'm studying the guest list. Some of these people don't… fit the room."
Julian paused, fork halfway to his mouth.
"Astraea only accepts the elite," he said.
"If they're here, they belong."
"Do they?" Xavier asked with a cold smile.
The doors slammed.
Loud. Final.
The room froze.
A woman walked onto the stage.
Tall. Black silk dress. Hair pulled back tight. Eyes like blue ice.
Headmistress Eleanor Blackwood.
"Welcome to Astraea," she said.
Voice low but carrying to every corner.
"Every year, we invite the best. Every year, some try to trick their way in."
Xavier's blood went cold.
His face remained calm. His grip on the fork tightened until knuckles were white.
"This year," she continued, "we start a new tradition: The Audit.
Before you eat, we check the bank accounts of every student here.
If your money does not match your family's name—you leave immediately."
A gasp rippled through the hall.
The boy with Red Smoke near the buffet went pale.
He looked like he might collapse.
[ SYSTEM ALERT! ][ THE AUDIT IS STARTING ][ YOUR CURRENT ASSETS: $26,000.01 ][ MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR TABLE ONE: $500,000,000.00 ][ TIME UNTIL EXPOSURE: 5 MINUTES ]
The Headmistress's gaze locked on Table One.
On him.
Five minutes to conjure five hundred million dollars—or die in this world he had just entered.
Xavier swallowed.
His jaw tightened.
The hunt had begun.