The next morning, the Academy felt different.
No one said anything out loud, but something had changed.
The air felt heavier.
Students were quieter. Their eyes moved more. Their voices dropped when Xavier walked past.
Before, he was invisible.
Now, he was a question everyone wanted answered.
Xavier walked through the hallway toward the West Wing. The white marble floor shined under the morning light. His shoes made a soft, steady sound with every step.
Click.Click.Click.
Each step felt heavier than it should.
His body was still not used to this life. The pressure. The attention. The danger.
But the System did its job.
The Iron Mask kept his face calm.
His breathing stayed slow.
His heart stayed steady at 65 beats per minute.
Even when he saw who was waiting for him.
Silas Vane.
The Hound.
He stood near the entrance of the Gilded Cafe, leaning against a tall pillar.
Today, he was not holding his usual tablet.
Instead, he held a physical newspaper.
Old paper. Real ink.
Something rare.
Something expensive.
"A museum, Xavier?" Silas said without looking up.
His voice was calm, but sharp. Like a blade hidden under cloth.
"Most people your age would buy a jet. Or land. Or something useful," he continued. "But you bought a room full of old coins."
He slowly turned a page.
"And you bought it at three in the morning," he added. "At the exact moment the Sforza family was being removed from their home."
Xavier stopped walking.
He did not fully turn.
Only slightly.
Just enough to show that he heard—but not enough to show interest.
"The Sforza family never understood what they had," Xavier said.
His voice was calm. Even.
"To them, those coins were just money."
He paused.
"To me… they are something more."
Silas finally looked up.
"More?"
"Anchors," Xavier said.
Silas frowned slightly.
"Anchors for what?"
Xavier turned his head fully now. Their eyes met.
"For a world that is losing its weight," Xavier said.
Silas stayed silent.
"Everything is becoming digital," Xavier continued. "Numbers. Data. Code."
He took a slow step closer.
"Julian Thorne's family wants to control that world."
Another step.
"I prefer things that cannot disappear."
His voice lowered.
"Things you can touch."
"Things that cannot be deleted."
Silas watched him carefully.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ][ TARGET: SILAS VANE ][ THOUGHT: "HE'S NOT JUST RICH. HE BELIEVES IN SOMETHING." ][ PRESTIGE GAINED: +2,500 ]
Silas slowly folded his newspaper.
"I searched for the name 'Valerius' last night," he said.
Xavier said nothing.
"There are seven families with that name in Europe. Five are gone. The other two are poor."
Silas pushed himself off the pillar and stood straight.
"None of them have money like yours."
He stepped closer.
"So tell me, Xavier…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Who are you really?"
The hallway felt quieter.
Students nearby slowed down, pretending not to listen.
Xavier stepped forward.
No hesitation.
No fear.
He stopped close enough to see his reflection in Silas's glasses.
"The Valerius family you are looking for does not exist anymore," Xavier said.
Silas did not move.
"We stopped using that name three hundred years ago," Xavier continued.
"We don't appear in records."
His voice stayed calm.
"We don't appear in audits."
He leaned in slightly.
"We are the ones who control them."
Silence.
The kind of silence that felt heavy.
It was a lie.
A dangerous one.
But Xavier's body did not react.
His heart stayed calm.
The System held everything in place.
Silas studied him.
Long. Careful.
Then—
"I have an offer," Silas said quietly.
Xavier straightened. "Go on."
"I know there are nineteen other fakes in this school," Silas said.
Xavier's eyes did not move—but his mind sharpened.
"I already found three," Silas added.
A pause.
"I can expose them today."
His voice turned cold.
"I can destroy them."
Xavier looked at him.
"Or?"
Silas's expression changed.
Not softer—
But more focused.
"Or you teach me," he said.
Xavier stayed silent.
Silas took another step closer.
"I've studied rich people my whole life," he said. "I understand their numbers. Their patterns. Their behavior."
"But you…"
He shook his head slightly.
"You are different."
His eyes locked onto Xavier's.
"You don't act like you belong here."
A pause.
"You act like everything here belongs to you."
[ NEW MISSION: THE HOUND'S TUTELAGE ][ OBJECTIVE: ALLY WITH SILAS VANE WITHOUT REVEALING THE SYSTEM ][ REWARD: FULL ACCESS TO STUDENT DATA ]
Xavier thought for a moment.
Silas Vane was dangerous.
Smart. Observant.
The kind of person who could become an enemy very quickly.
But also…
The kind of person who could become useful.
Very useful.
Xavier turned away.
"Meet me at the museum tonight," he said.
Silas did not speak.
"Midnight," Xavier added.
He began to walk again.
"Bring everything you have on the nineteen," he said.
His voice stayed calm.
"If I'm going to teach you…"
He paused for a second.
"I need to know who we're going to break first."
Xavier walked away without looking back.
Silas stayed where he was.
Watching.
Thinking.
A few steps later, Xavier's phone vibrated.
He took it out and looked at the screen.
It was not the System.
It was his bank account.
[ DEPOSIT RECEIVED: $15,000.00 ][ SOURCE: THE GILDED CAFE – DAILY INCOME ]
Xavier looked up.
The cafe was full.
Students were laughing. Talking. Drinking coffee.
Normal. Carefree.
They had no idea.
They didn't know that every drink they bought was making him stronger.
They didn't know that their small habits were helping him build power.
And they definitely didn't know…
That just forty-eight hours ago—
He only had one cent.
Xavier locked his phone.
His eyes turned cold.
This was just the beginning.